Kateria has seen how the accused have a choice and a chance for fate to intervene but she does not. The pricness who must fight in the arena to not be shackled to a would be king from a barrae of warrior suitors all in order to preserve her right to rule and to earn the admiration and respect of her father. Or so she thought. Forced to make a choice between the threat within her kingdom or the threat outsdie of its walls, Kateri finds so much more in the desert than she thought possible as she searches for an elusive warrior thief to train her. This is an excellant story showing once again that one has a choice even when it looks like there is no choice. This story pulls in classism and sexism and shows how there is always more than one side to any story and that we are in fact the author of our own tale be it of tragedy, survival, love, or hope.

Sadly, this one just didn't work out for me and ended up being a DNF. Overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Tiger Queen is a story set in a small desert kingdom in the middle of a very long drought. For sixteen year old Kateri, the drought started before she was born and is made worse by a group of outlaw boys who are responsible for her mother’s death and steal what little water is available. Kateri must win a series of battles against eligible men in her kingdom so that she can take her place as queen. If she loses, she will be forced into marriage with the man who beats her.

Eventually an opponent is announced that Kateri knows she cannot beat, so she goes to the only person who might be willing to train her and give her a chance. The legendary leader of the desert boys, Cion.

Once in their company, she starts realizing that the things she had been told about this group of boys were may not all be true. And the things she thought she knew about her father the king may not all be true. Kateri works hard to train so she can win her throne, but it may very well be an impossible task. And in the process, she may lose her closely guarded heart as well as her throne.

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Giving this one four stars because while I LOVED it, it was also kinda predictable. Sometimes that’s just what I need so I never really mind it.

Setting and plot: It was great to have something different (desert setting isn’t used quite as much in YA), and I love the idea of using an old lesser known story such as the lady or the tiger. Don’t think anyone has really used that story for a modern rewrite!

Characters: As I already said, a bit predictable. Per usual I love the enemies to romance type story, so it definitely has that in its favor. But I could pretty much guess what was gonna happen a couple of pages before it actually did. Sometimes it’s nice to know. Sometimes it’s nice to be surprised.

Ending: For once, I sort liked that this was a stand-alone. I don’t typically say that, but it was nice that this one ended with tidy bow on top and no questions. Could it have been expanded into a series? Yes. And I would wholeheartedly read more. Can we get a story from Dimic’s perspective? Cause that would be fantastic!

Overall: I would recommend this book, I would read more from this author, and I would read the book again. A quick and easy read with just the right amount of romance and suspense!

A fun YA adventure based on the old story of The Lady and the Tiger, Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan takes the reader to an exotic kingdom where princesses are expected to be warriors and the threat of drought blights the land. Princess Kateri has been training for years , determined to prove her right to inherit her father's throne by defeating any and all challengers in the fighting arena , knowing that any man who defeats her will become her husband and King. If she remains undefeated until her seventeenth birthday she will be safe, but as that day draws closer the announcement of her final challenger throws her into despair. She will never be able to defeat the man who has been training her, he knows her every flaw and weakness. Her only option is to flee the city and seek assistance from a most unlikely source, the band of Desert Boys who regularly raid the city wells for precious and rationed water, the same people who killed her mother and baby brother when she was just a girl. What can she do when it seems like there is no good choice?
I really enjoyed the world building in this book, I felt very quickly like I had a good understanding of the kingdom, its class system and history and I found the author's descriptive powers to be exceptional. Her descriptions of the suffering caused by the drought brought a tear to my eye, something that is not easy to do. I loved the concept of the warrior princess, and I am glad that Kateri had a little more agency by the end of the book , as I thought her character was a little weak in the beginning. I think my favourite thing about the book was the Desert Boys, they were such an interesting and fun group of characters and I loved the dynamics between them.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

Kateri trains all her life for the one big fight that will make or break her future as a princess. Fueled by loyalty and revenge, she blindly obeys her father and patiently waits for the day she will get her revenge on the Desert Boys - whom she blames for the death of her mother. After an astonishing betrayal leaves her with little options, she seeks help from the one person that she hates the most.

When Kateri realizes that everything that she believed about her life is false, she takes command of her like and writes her own story. This story plenty of action and an engrossing plot that will keep you engaged.

This is the first book I've read by this author and based on this book I don't know if I'll pick up anything else by her unfortunately. I just really struggled to connect with these characters and the world they live in. There were a lot of predictable moments and honestly this just really didnt bring anything new to the table for me.

I have to admit, I only know the Story of The Lady and the Tiger from online reading. I know this short Story is a Standard in english-language based Schools, but I never grew up with it, so I went into this Story with a different perception than most. It was still a fun read.

Kateri has to fight to prove her right to rule, and from the beginning on she´s a confident character, sure in her love and devotion for her Father, her city, their way of doing Things and her hate for the desert Boys, whom she blames both for the death of her mother and bayb brother and for the lack of water in the city. Her surety takes few hits over the Story as her believes shatter bit by bit, adn watching her grow and rebuild herself, while still holding onto her strength was a delight.

The twists were nicely hidden, thought you can quess a few things if you know the genre well, thought that is not meant as critique. But what makes this book stand out among the genre are the charatcer Relations, mostly the one between Kateri and her Father. It´s interestingly build, and I think also Pretty realistic, and the amount of emotional Manipulation which runs as an undercurrent throough this hole relationship is both noticable and subtle at the same time.

I also liked the love Story and how Kateri finds herself a new Family in the desert, finds herself in the desert. Growing beyond preconcived notions, about yourself your family, your whoel world ist one of the most prominent teams of the novel, just like recognising that there are diffrent kinds of strength.

Just like in my last ARC review, the weak parts of this novel are diversity and reperesentation. Because despite there being a desert setting there´s just Nothing there. The Setting provides the dagner (thirst, lack of water, scorprions) and the traing grounds (the desert itself), but nothing else. Again, it´s not a must, and I didn´t notice any obvious clishes, but it should be noted.

Overall it´s a fun, interesting, well crafted Fantasy read. I enjoyed reading it and I really liekd the characters.

As an English teacher, I have had students read "The Lady and the Tiger" in the past, so when I saw this book was based on the short story, I was so excited to read. I find loose relations. There are many things I enjoyed about this book, namely the protagonist. Princess Kateri is not willing to go down without a fight... and maybe a little necessary back-up. The main issue I had with this book was that it was too predictable at times. There were many tropes used and not all were executed well. That being said, I am still hoping to offer this to students in the future who fall in love with the short story.

A lush and beautiful fairy tale retelling. This books grips you right from the start and is a spectacular YA fantasy. The characters make you sit up and take notice. And the sandy, water starved atmosphere brings the struggles to life. I would recommend this to readers of YA fantasy.

Polished but couldn’t quite get into it. It was predictable and the story seemed to have more strong male voices than the female lead, who wasn’t my fav.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

The overall preemies of the book wasn't bad, however I feel like we have been down this road before with other stories, or maybe its just me?

So I think that I am daydreaming because there is NO way that the hardcover of the book is worth $5. Seriously, this is a top notch book that I received as an advanced reader's copy. I had patted myself on the back for being the lucky person who received a free copy because I am broke, and I thought that the quality of the writing meant that at the very least, the hardcover would be worth $19.

There is so much that I loved about this book. As I read the book, I could imagine the scenes unfolding before me. I almost felt like I was watching TV. Tiger Queen takes place in a desert. The king claimed that Desert Boys killed his wife, and newborn son. After this, he takes interest in training his daughter into the role of a warrior queen because in their society, the female heir of the King must either kill, or maim the chosen potential suitors. If the suitors live, they are banished to the desert- basically left to die.

Its a harsh community. And the King isn't a loving father--though the main character loves, and respects him. The main character is pushed into a situation where she has to fight the one man that she cannot beat (and when she looses she will have to marry him, but the thing is that he is cruel and he'd definitely be the sort to kill his wife if things aren't to his liking.) So the main character thinks outside of the box, gets help from the Desert Boys, and her eyes are opened to the atrocities that are committed in her Father's name.

I don't want to say this book was bad - because it wasn't! - but it didn't feel like it brought anything new to the table. It felt predictable with characters that didn't jump off the page for me. I enjoyed the plot overall, but it just didn't fit what I was hoping for. Maybe because the writing felt really repeated?

Overall, I enjoyed this book for its entertainment value, and I would recommend it to anyone who felt like they needed an escape. 3.5 stars.

Things I liked!

- The premise and the overall plot was quite interesting, especially with the desert and arena settings, I sped through the book very quickly.
- The Desert boys and their camaraderie!
- It made me think about the importance of water and how much it controls our day-to-day lives. Also the kind of chaos that is created when their is scarcity of water. (We all know it but without the first hand experience, most of us tend to forget).
- The MC, Kateri was quite cool and badass.
-The final show down between Kateri and the big bad guy was very good!
-The writing was easy and very accessible.

Things that could have been done better!

-Lack of in-depth world building, some information regarding the history were spread throughout the story but most of them became repetitive after a while.
- Lack of female characters or any strong female relationships. I didn't like that our MC, Kateri was so alone in that big palace.
- Other supporting characters lacked complexity and could have done with some more development.
- Relationship between Cion and Kateri. It seemed obvious from the beginning but the execution and progression of their relationship felt off.
- The villains were one-dimensional.

Overall, this was pretty standard YA fantasy, it was engaging but the story or the characters weren't anything out of the ordinary.

I truly enjoyed the Tiger Queen. Inspired by the story The Lady and The Tiger, Annie Sullivan creates a mythos that is both moving and magical.
Kateri is at the age where she must prove herself that she is worthy to rule the desert kingdom of Achra. She must fight in the arena and whichever man she loses to, she must marry. But she won’t lose; she will rule in her own right. Her plans re foiled when she crosses path with the rebels who live in the desert. Kateri must learn what it is like to truly be a ruler and to face her past with clear eyes.
I truly enjoyed this book. Sullivan creates a rich world with a complex past and characters that break their original stereotype. In fact, getting to know your neighbor is a huge theme here. Instead of looking at those labeled “other” through a villainous lens, Kateri and the reader learn to see the humanity in everyone and how quickly and unjustly pigeonholing can affect people.
I really enjoyed following a strong woman. I like that she fought to be queen in her own right; not just for a husband. There is romance hear but it’s not front in center as Kateri is always focused on what she promised her people.
This is a great book to discuss perception and we misjudge others because of rumored and appearance. It is also fun and exciting, making it a great choice for a women’s book club.

To begin, Kateri had an impressive character arc given the page count. At the beginning of Tiger Queen, I was not a fan, I found Kateri to be very aggressive and not very smart. I didn’t understand how she was apprehensive then shocked that Rodric was her final suitor when her father warned her beforehand? She also claimed she was fighting for her people when her action didn’t mirror that. But as the story continued Kateri realized her ignorance and selfishness and learned from her misconceptions to better herself. The biggest moment that showed her gained maturity was when she“discovered that Cion was in a “relationship” and her response to it.

In the end, Kateri wanted Cion to be happy despite that not necessarily meaning he would be with her. Which is the opposite of what happened in the original “The Lady or the Tiger?” in my personal opinion. Other events throughout the story like Kateri removing her cuff, Kateri trusting the Desert Boys, finding out the truth of her father, and the epilogue also helped show her growth.

But from other reviews, I read that Tiger Queen was described as a feminist story which I think leads to the biggest disappointment. Tiger Queen is far from what I would describe as ‘feminism’ in ya book. Kateri is the only prominent female character and her relationship with the other females in the book is what I would describe as wary and tense. So definitely not feministic. But without this knowledge prior to reading, I believe the book was much more enjoyable.

I also loved how much the Desert boys reminded me of the Lost Boys from Peter Pan. There’s no way Annie Sullivan wasn’t inspired by the Lost Boys but I always enjoy found-families and camaraderie in a book.

But that being said, I did have a few gripes with Tiger Queen.

First, I believe that the characters were poorly described. Yes, I had an image in my head of what all the characters looked like but I had no idea if it was accurate. I know that Cion had longer hair and dimples; Rodric was muscular; Kateri wore a cuff to cover her scar on her neck and was also muscular, and I got the impression that they all had a darker skin tone due to living in the desert, but I felt that we need more descriptions of all the characters.
I also felt like Dimic didn’t act his age; he was described to look 8 or 9 but he talked and acted as more of an 11 or 12-year-old and I found having to remind myself of Dimic’s age.

I also feel as though Tiger Queen lacked depth. Each “reveals” individual delivery seemed misplaced and rushed. For example, when Cion told Kateri the truth about her mother’s death, it was thrown in conversation rather suddenly and it felt like an odd, forced connection between the two characters. The only reveal that surprised me was Cion saying he thought of Latia as a sister because Annie Sullivan really had me sold that she was going to take the story in a completely different route than most ya books and have the protagonist not be involved in a romantic relationship - which would’ve been a nice change.

I also wish there was more ruthlessness in the story; we are told how deadly the tigers are but not shown, perhaps before Dimic entered the area there was another prisoner who would’ve met his untimely end to the tigers in the area to show us how dangerous the tigers actually are. We only see the tigers in action towards the end of Tiger Queen in a way that was rather lackluster for their first impression in Frank Stockton’s work.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by Tiger Queen. Though I wish we had better descriptions of the characters, and more depth and ruthlessness, I found the characters personalities enjoyable to read and the plot enticing and very well-paced. I would recommend Tiger Queen to anyone who wants to read a fast standalone or who enjoyed Frank Stockton’s original work “The Lady or the Tiger?”

I didn't *hate* this, but I didn't enjoy it either. Part of that - which I don't blame the book for - is because it wasn't what I was expecting (I had more of an arena, bachelor+Hunger Games, adventure, coming-of-age story in mind), and the other part is due to problems with the story. It started off strong with Princess Kateri about to face her second to last suitor in the arena, setting the tone of the story quite quickly. However, things went downhill fast.

My main qualm was with our main character. On the surface, Kateri is everything a YA heroine should be. A strong, fierce girl willing to learn from her mistakes and the mistakes of those that came before her. However, that's simply on the surface. We are told constantly that Kateri has been trained since childhood to be a warrior, with emphasis on the amount of self control she's meant to have. And then, the second she finds out information that is unpleasant, she throws a tantrum complete with yelling at her undeserving servant and tearing apart her closet.

Don't get me started on the fact the main antagonist, that's supposed to be extremely threatening, discusses his evil plans under the pRINCESS' WINDOW. Like... what. the. heck.

This book was also pitched as feminist, which is hilarious. Other than a midwife aunt that is on page for five seconds, there are only two female characters and guess what? They bot hate each other! Who coulda guessed? *sigh* There's also the problem with Kateri hating the idea of marriage, seeing engagement bracelets as 'shackles', and then! Once she falls in love, she thinks 'huh, love is a chain! a chain that connects us to the ones we love'. Please tell me I'm not the only one that sees a problem here? The author meant well, that much is clear, but she definitely missed the mark on this aspect.

Tie all of that up with a plot that is filled with conveniences and so. many. tropes., it let me down. I know I sound like I hated this book, and that isn't the case. I won't lie and say I enjoyed it, because I didn't, but I can see why people would. Especially if someone was just getting into YA and wasn't used to all of the over-used plot devices and tropes the story used.

I still want to try some of the author's other works, this one just missed the mark for me, unfortunately.

Tiger Queen is set in the desert kingdom of Achra which is suffering from a terrible drought. Water is being rationed and to make matters worse, the Desert Boys are stealing water from the wells. The punishment for stealing water is having to choose between two doors in the arena. Behind one door lies freedom and the other a vicious tiger. Kateri, an arrogant warrior princess, has promised her late mother she will protect her people. However, her father has dictated that Kateri has to fight against her suitors to win the right to rule. If she can beat all twelve, she can assume the throne and pick her own husband. Having bested the first eleven, Kateri must now fight her father's right-hand man and her trainer Rodic, who wants to be king. Knowing she can't defeat him, she escapes to the desert to beg Cion, leader of the Desert Boys to train her. He agrees and as she begins her training, she realizes things are not as they seem. Ultimately, she joins the Desert Boys to right what is wrong in the kingdom and take her rightful place as Queen.

I actually just recently became an Annie Sullivan fan after reading A Touch of Gold. A book that I can’t believe I didn’t read sooner. So when I saw The Tiger Queen, I was like yes! Sign me up!

I loved Kateri. I love her because you see so much growth in her character as the story progresses. We start with her living a typical royal life. She has no real idea of what the people’s suffering is like and just blindly follows what her father tells her. He’s her father and the King. Why would he lie to her. When she finally ventures out and sees more of the world outside of herself, she really starts to realize that she can’t rely on others to see her. She has to understand what is going on if she truly wants to fulfill her promise to her mother. She tries so hard in the beginning not to be weak by her father’s standards and then by the end see that she can find her own strength and that she doesn’t need to measure up to anyone but herself. Well being that she’s trying to be Queen, her people too. I really enjoyed seeing her grow.

I loved the setting. It’s such an interesting world. This is a city surrounded by desert and suffering from drought. The only reason they haven’t made the trek to leave the territory is there is not enough water to make the journey. They strongly believe in the spirit of the desert and that the changing sands will show them the way to live. In a way it’s their religion. There are also sandstorms and vicious poisonous creatures that if you are not experienced in walking around the desert you might end up dead. I really shouldn’t call them vicious, it’s a if you irritate them they will attack you kind of thing.

The romance is very subtle and does not distract from the plot at all. I actually kind of wish there was a little more because it was so cute. I also really like that kind of relationship. It always reminds me of Final Fantasy VI (yes I’m really off the range here) and the cute general/thief kind of thing. Or even Robin Hood. Who is actually good and who is actually bad.

All these pieces make up the plot. Kateri is battling for the throne. Having to defeat each suitor in order to avoid marriage and take her rightful place as Queen. During this, due to the drought, the water rations keep getting lowered. Which is causing mini revolts and uprising. When Kateri’s final contender is not only someone terrible but someone she can’t beat. She needs to find a new way to win. Which sets the wheels in motion for the rest of the events of the story.

I loved The Tiger Queen. It’s a great standalone and a really enjoyable read.

Less about tigers than you might think, especially with the release of Tiger King on Netflix.

Kateri is a warrior at heart, groomed into it by her father. I did enjoy seeing her grow, and learn more, transforming from a princess who has no idea what's going on in her city, to a powerful woman who knows what's happening, and can be trusted to keep her people safe.