A review by mudder17
Red Tigress by Amélie Wen Zhao

5.0

I really enjoyed the first book and was really caught by the interesting magical system, as well as several of the characters, even the "evil" ones. There were times in the first book where I could tell it was a debut book, but overall, the book left me wanting more. That "sophomore" book can often be hit or misses for an author, especially if the first book is well-received. Expectations are often higher for the second book, and sometimes the author just can't seem to find their stride. This is absolutely not the case here, and if anything, this book had me on the edge of my seat and wanting more, more, more! This book was full of action, twists, tragic and painful moments, and pretty crazy manifestations of power. And yet it was the characters themselves that really had me hooked as they find out more about themselves as well as surprises in their allies. The diversity is wonderful, and I loved learning more about the different cultures of the various countries. I especially love how Kais has developed, especially considering his role in the first book. My only disappointment is what has happened with Ransom and Ana's relationship, but I suppose you have to allow further trials and tribulations to occur in the third book! I'm definitely thinking all their paths will diverge and then converge in what should be an exciting finale in the third book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Merged review:

I really enjoyed the first book and was really caught by the interesting magical system, as well as several of the characters, even the "evil" ones. There were times in the first book where I could tell it was a debut book, but overall, the book left me wanting more. That "sophomore" book can often be hit or misses for an author, especially if the first book is well-received. Expectations are often higher for the second book, and sometimes the author just can't seem to find their stride. This is absolutely not the case here, and if anything, this book had me on the edge of my seat and wanting more, more, more! This book was full of action, twists, tragic and painful moments, and pretty crazy manifestations of power. And yet it was the characters themselves that really had me hooked as they find out more about themselves as well as surprises in their allies. The diversity is wonderful, and I loved learning more about the different cultures of the various countries. I especially love how Kais has developed, especially considering his role in the first book. My only disappointment is what has happened with Ransom and Ana's relationship, but I suppose you have to allow further trials and tribulations to occur in the third book! I'm definitely thinking all their paths will diverge and then converge in what should be an exciting finale in the third book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.