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katastrophi's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This has me enthusiastic about reading her other works. I was transported immediately into the world she built and absorbed in the tale. I appreciated Ji Lin's intelligence, resourcefulness, loyalty, and ferocity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Colonisation
Moderate: Gore, Vomit, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Sexism, Stalking, Slavery, and Child death
ameliabee33's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The mystery of this book is definitely intriguing. As readers we are led around by your two mcs, so we glimpses of two sides of the same story. People are going missing and dying and Ji Lin and Ren are in the middle of it, whether they like it or not. There is a touch of magical realism in the mystery, men that turn into tigers at night, numbers & virtues lending weight to decisions made, and the dead that can talk to our mcs as well. The descriptions of the train stations of the dead were intricate and some of my favorite parts of the book, learning about the stations between the living and dead.
This story could have done without the romance though, specifically the love story between Ji Lin and her stepbrother, Shin. I can't get around the incestuous undertones of their relationship. They were made stepsiblings from a young age, his father abuses Ji Lin's mother, he got the college education Ji Lin desperately wanted, Shin treats Ji Lin as his property. It is frequently mentioned that Ji Lin is the smarter sibling and that she has progressive views on a woman's place in the world. Yet Shin just repeatedly doesn't seem to respect it. Also I did not want to root for this relationship!!! The book kept oushing for them to Yes they aren't biologically related to one another, but they are still siblings!!! I really draw the line at incest, it isn't a taboo I want to read about at all. So tw, if you also don't like that trope
Like I said before really enjoyed the mystery with magical elements, and i would have liked to have heard more from a character named Lydia. I think she would have added to the story as an unreliable narrator, which could have added to the big reveal at the very end. I did enjoy the povs we did get though.
Overall, stars are for plot sans romance.
This story could have done without the romance though, specifically the love story between Ji Lin and her stepbrother, Shin. I can't get around the incestuous undertones of their relationship. They were made stepsiblings from a young age, his father abuses Ji Lin's mother, he got the college education Ji Lin desperately wanted, Shin treats Ji Lin as his property. It is frequently mentioned that Ji Lin is the smarter sibling and that she has progressive views on a woman's place in the world. Yet Shin just repeatedly doesn't seem to respect it. Also I did not want to root for this relationship!!! The book kept oushing for them to Yes they aren't biologically related to one another, but they are still siblings!!! I really draw the line at incest, it isn't a taboo I want to read about at all. So tw, if you also don't like that trope
Like I said before really enjoyed the mystery with magical elements, and i would have liked to have heard more from a character named Lydia. I think she would have added to the story as an unreliable narrator, which could have added to the big reveal at the very end. I did enjoy the povs we did get though.
Overall, stars are for plot sans romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Sexual content
obfuscatress's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-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
5.0
Progressing from a languid look into the lives of two young people to a dizzying, complex mystery that's rich with legend, this novel is a stunning foray into magical realism that draws expertly on its setting. Its unique atmosphere will keep you engaged, turning page after page long into the night.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Incest, Murder, and Infertility
sweekune's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.25
4.25/5
Audiobook narrated by the author.
Told from several points of view, The Night Tiger is a mysterious tale that draws you in. A dressmaker's apprentice, an orphaned house boy and a British doctor are drawn into the same mystery from different angles, surrounded by weretigers, amputated fingers and Chinese & Malay folklore and superstition.
- The different point of view were very distinct. some are told in first person, others in third and they all had their own separate voice and personality. I enjoyed Ren's parts (the house boy) the most but all were well done. informative but leaving enough unseen and unsaid to keep the intrigue.
- The whole book was very atmospheric and the feel of the different places and environments came across well. There were some dream sections where this was particularly notable.
- The author's narration was excellent and brought the story to life. As above, it was easy to tell which character's point of view was the present one due to the tone.
A strange but fascinating mystery story. Perfect for those who enjoy magical realism, Asian folklore and a good winding mystery.
Audiobook narrated by the author.
Told from several points of view, The Night Tiger is a mysterious tale that draws you in. A dressmaker's apprentice, an orphaned house boy and a British doctor are drawn into the same mystery from different angles, surrounded by weretigers, amputated fingers and Chinese & Malay folklore and superstition.
- The different point of view were very distinct. some are told in first person, others in third and they all had their own separate voice and personality. I enjoyed Ren's parts (the house boy) the most but all were well done. informative but leaving enough unseen and unsaid to keep the intrigue.
- The whole book was very atmospheric and the feel of the different places and environments came across well. There were some dream sections where this was particularly notable.
- The author's narration was excellent and brought the story to life. As above, it was easy to tell which character's point of view was the present one due to the tone.
A strange but fascinating mystery story. Perfect for those who enjoy magical realism, Asian folklore and a good winding mystery.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Medical content, Sexual content, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Violence
pun1sher's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The setting was soooo good and the writing style was very enjoyable too
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Sexism
Minor: Miscarriage
Romance between step siblingsel13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Writing was excellent. The story unfolded in a really captivating way. It is a bit twisted, mysterious, and dark, with magical realism, reflective of the land of Malay and the sociopolitical environments at the time. But, I think it was a bit too dark for me. It did leave me with a lot of questions still, but I think it did so intentionally, as it was a mystical story. Finally, and most importantly, the love story was NOT IT FOR ME DAWG. It felt so wrong. I definitely felt the way Ji Lin's mother did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Vomit, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Incest, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual violence, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, and Misogyny
unsure's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Other than the unusual writing style, specifically the tense, it starts off strong. You're dropped right into the action, but with that comes a lot of flashbacks. You can never be quite sure if something is supposed to be mysterious, or you were just not paying enough attention.
Almost every chapter has a narrator change. Of the 3 narrators, 2 are likeable. They're loyal, hard-working and smart. Li Jin is a girl/young woman stuck in a life where she can only watch others accomplish her dreams but still finds a way to be true to herself and protect her mother. Ren is a young, orphan boy who has a seemingly impossible task while navigating a new place and new people. Watching as their lives interwove was enjoyable. The 3rd narrator is not that good of a person, but he's a good foil for Ji Lin and ren.
The pov change were difficult though. With each switch, the tenses changed. This, along with the flashbacks, made reading a bit irritating. Additionally, the pov changes would sometimes start at the beginning of middle of the last pov, meaning you had to backtrack, which was especially frustrating when it was right in the middle of a tense scene and the characters were with eachother the whole time.
The mystical aspect was both enjoyable and overwhelming. I think it could have benefited from some streamlining. The 5 Confucius values were really cool, and I liked the is -he-isn't-he bit with the weretiger, but I think the concepts were kept too separate that it was difficult to accept that they'd both show up in the same storyline without some connecting factor.
The big problem was the characters' individual endings. The main villian doesn't get their proper comeuppanceWilliam dying instead of Lydia , and the love interest has a scene where they're professing their love that seems vaguely abusive, in the sense of dangerously possessive and manipulative. It felt like, after all this build up and character backstory and memories of misunderstood interactions, the author ran out of time to explain the emotional state of this character, which led them to seeming rather immoral shin continually pressuring ji to have sex so she'll have to be "his," which, considering his father/her step father's abusiveness and attitude towards the family (objects to show off as the perfect family), seems out of character for him to feel and her to accept .
Honestly the ending just disappointed and rather infuriated me. Massive spoiler-filled rant about the William-Ren storyline starts here wtf the Lydia William Li twist came out of no where; she's already admitted to multiple murders, the name matching bit was just the author trying to add more. Additionally, it was getting progressively harder to accept Ren's intelligence with some stuff and utter ignorance with other stuff - like sex and Lydia's evilness. I cannot see how Ren would think tho give William the stuff that Lydia have him while also not really liking Lydia? Especially since Lydia said the medicine was for Ji Lin. If anything, I could see him innocently giving it to her or even Ah Long accidentally. Also the author just skips over the fact that Ren killed William. Like that's never going to be found out or that Ren will never realise, especially since he'll become a doctor himself, which will be traumatising for him, I think.
In summary, it was filled with ups and downs, and I ended up upset that the ending had some really bad bits when most of it had so much potential
Almost every chapter has a narrator change. Of the 3 narrators, 2 are likeable. They're loyal, hard-working and smart. Li Jin is a girl/young woman stuck in a life where she can only watch others accomplish her dreams but still finds a way to be true to herself and protect her mother. Ren is a young, orphan boy who has a seemingly impossible task while navigating a new place and new people. Watching as their lives interwove was enjoyable. The 3rd narrator is not that good of a person, but he's a good foil for Ji Lin and ren.
The pov change were difficult though. With each switch, the tenses changed. This, along with the flashbacks, made reading a bit irritating. Additionally, the pov changes would sometimes start at the beginning of middle of the last pov, meaning you had to backtrack, which was especially frustrating when it was right in the middle of a tense scene and the characters were with eachother the whole time.
The mystical aspect was both enjoyable and overwhelming. I think it could have benefited from some streamlining. The 5 Confucius values were really cool, and I liked the is -he-isn't-he bit with the weretiger, but I think the concepts were kept too separate that it was difficult to accept that they'd both show up in the same storyline without some connecting factor.
The big problem was the characters' individual endings. The main villian doesn't get their proper comeuppance
Honestly the ending just disappointed and rather infuriated me. Massive spoiler-filled rant about the William-Ren storyline starts here
In summary, it was filled with ups and downs, and I ended up upset that the ending had some really bad bits when most of it had so much potential
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Colonisation
Minor: Blood, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Incest, Infertility, and Injury/Injury detail
turtlebrainlibrarian's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Incest
ckameley's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Incest, Miscarriage, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexism
samanthaleereads's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Violence
Minor: Incest