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A review by alavenderlibrary
The Last Tiger by Brad Riew, Julia Riew
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC! And all my love to the very talented authors!
Wow, I'm not sure how to put this into words—I'm in awe of this book. I think the most important stories are the ones that are shaped by truth. The Last Tiger is so many truths in one: it's an homage to storytelling, to one's ancestors. It's a retelling of one of Korea's darkest time periods, rooted in folklore. It's a tale of love, perseverance, and the power of hope. There's not many fiction books I read where I come out feeling deeply moved and inspired, and I think that's a testament to the authors' skills.
You can feel the deep love and care poured into each page—especially knowing the inspiration behind the story. I truly mean it when I say that, as a writer, this is the type of story I aspire to be able to write. A creation that will exist on it's own, but will always be intricately linked to me and my life experience.
Everything element in this book felt well fleshed out and crafted, especially the characters. I was so impressed at how complex each of them were—how they wrote such real, evolving people who are full of pain and grief, but exist outside of struggling. And we get to watch them learn the different ways to find hope while growing up under authoritative rule. Great authors can write loveable characters that you can't help but root for, even when they're making the wrong choice.
I really could gush about this book for pages on pages! Big contender for best book of 2025 for me. I also blog on Instagram @alavenderlibrary
Wow, I'm not sure how to put this into words—I'm in awe of this book. I think the most important stories are the ones that are shaped by truth. The Last Tiger is so many truths in one: it's an homage to storytelling, to one's ancestors. It's a retelling of one of Korea's darkest time periods, rooted in folklore. It's a tale of love, perseverance, and the power of hope. There's not many fiction books I read where I come out feeling deeply moved and inspired, and I think that's a testament to the authors' skills.
You can feel the deep love and care poured into each page—especially knowing the inspiration behind the story. I truly mean it when I say that, as a writer, this is the type of story I aspire to be able to write. A creation that will exist on it's own, but will always be intricately linked to me and my life experience.
Everything element in this book felt well fleshed out and crafted, especially the characters. I was so impressed at how complex each of them were—how they wrote such real, evolving people who are full of pain and grief, but exist outside of struggling. And we get to watch them learn the different ways to find hope while growing up under authoritative rule. Great authors can write loveable characters that you can't help but root for, even when they're making the wrong choice.
I really could gush about this book for pages on pages! Big contender for best book of 2025 for me. I also blog on Instagram @alavenderlibrary
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation
Moderate: Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Police brutality
Minor: Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail