Reviews with content warning for Incest - The Night Tiger (Library Edition)

1930s Malaysia. A doctor dies and his houseboy, Ren, is tasked with finding his severed finger and returning it to his grave within 49 days to make his body whole so his soul can rest. Meanwhile, Ji Lin, an apprentice dressmaker takes up a part-time job in a dance hall to pay off her mother's Mahjong debt in secret so her husband doesn't have another excuse to beat her.

Ren and Ji Lin's stories intertwine as they both become involved with stolen fingers, the myth of a man-eating tiger, and spirits.

It took me a little bit to get into this book as Ren and Ji Lin's stories start out separately. Ji Lin quickly ends up with a severed finger in a glass jar and the reader thinks it's probably the one that Ren is looking for, so we're just waiting for them to come together somehow. There's also the fact that Ren and his twin brother, and Ji Lin and her stepbrother are named after 4 of the 5 Confucian virtues; who's the fifth?

Everything comes together well and I loved the surreal, myth/folklore aspects of this book. There's also commentary about a woman's image--Ji Lin kept her dance hall job a secret because she would be looked down upon and seem less virtuous or "used"--and job prospects--Ji Lin does not want to be a dressmaker but her stepfather will not allow her to continue her schooling. There's a questionable relationship between Ji Lin and her stepbrother that takes up quite a bit of plot and was not as enjoyable as the other parts.

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perditorian's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

ckameley's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

When I started this novel I was excited to see how the story unfolded for Ji Lin, but by the end I was more interested in Ren and what would become of him.

Perhaps the biggest reason I lost interest in Ji Lin was because of her forbidden romance with her step-sibling, so when that story line was concluded I was over her.

The last few chapters rushed to tie-off each thread in the story, and unfortunately there were too many threads which felt like they were added just for the sake of adding them.

I am particularly critical of how the British hospital volunteer's role in the story was unveiled right at the end, and it felt like the only retribution she received was that she didn't get to marry the man she was stalking. Her addition to the story felt unnecessary and like a missed opportunity to explore how white women benefit from colonization and (actively) harm women of color.

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samanthaleereads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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bebidocrimes's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book was well written with an intriguing plot and interesting characters. It lost me though because of the heavy incest subplot. I don't care if they're "technically not related cause they're step siblings" it's gross and ruined this book for me. The weak justification that her stepfather technically never adopted her is not okay. Every other aspect was well formed, and I will forever love Ren, but come on, there is no reason that needed to be part of this. Not to mention the stepbrother is possessive, aggressive, and borderline rapey. Fantastic writing, wish it was put to better use.

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