A kingdom in the desert, in the middle of a horrible draught. A princess who must fight in an arena each month to prove her strength and capability of being the queen. A rogue group called the Desert Boys who steal the depleting water rations right form under the kings nose. Nothing is as it seems in this sandy tale, Tiger Queen.

I was very excited to get an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley, and I'm very happy I read it! A retelling of the short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?", I really enjoyed the world that the author built around this tale and now feel like I definitely need to read this short story.

While slightly predictable, I still devoured this story. I thought Kateri's character development was believable and made her a strong female character. The Desert Boys reminded me of The Lost Boys from Peter Pan, but also Robin Hood's band of thieves that give what they steal to the poor. There are some interesting twists and deeper meanings throughout the book that gave the story just enough unpredictability to make it a fun read.

I do wish we had more insight behind Rodric and what made him become the "bad guy", but perhaps that's just me being picky.

Overall, I definitely think this book was worth the read!

A princess who wants to rule her kingdom faces a challenge she must win at all costs. Princess Kateri must fight her potential suitors, and beat each one of them, or marry the man who vanquishes her. If that's not motivation, what is? As she faces her own struggle for freedom, her kingdom suffers under an oppressive drought, made worse by the fact that rogue gangs such as the Desert Boys steal water, leaving less for everyone else. Kateri must come to grips not only with her own fight, but her responsibility to her (she hopes) future subjects and their survival.

In Kateri's world, "the desert chooses." This means the food is not extravagant, fighting for survival is common, and it is important to be self-reliant, lest the sand that blows everywhere (and I do mean everywhere) swallow you whole. It is this dry arid environment that serves to sharpen Kateri from an angry, needy girl into a strong and capable heroine as the story unfolds, and as romance blooms under otherwise unforgiving circumstances.

Full of interesting supporting characters, an unusual environment for a fantasy novel, and a heroine who's focused more on herself than chasing affection, Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan truly feels like a diamond in the rough. I enjoyed seeing Kateri struggle for freedom and for her people. If you're looking for a story that will quench your thirst for high adventure and great character growth, look no further.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, because I haven't read any of the author's previous works. But guess what? I was pleasantly surprised! Especially because I had this weird stigma against desert stories after reading an awful book about...jinns? Wisdom teeth? I don't remember but know that it traumatized me until now.

Princess Kateri was a kick-butt female warrior. Every time I read about a good female warrior I get the urge to take up fighting. Kateri's character development was done so well. She went from almost callous, cruel, to having her eyes opened and her heart changed. She reminded me quite a lot of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin, actually!

Cion was THE BEST. He has such a warm heart and will do anything to protect the people. Also, his training style was so Karate-Kid esque I just sat and smiled like an idiot.

Dimic deserves his own little paragraph because I would honestly have died for him. HE WAS SO PURE AND ODDLY GOOD AT PICKING LOCKS AND AGH. Seriously, read this book just for Dimic!

The plot kept me on edge the ENTIRE TIME. I guessed one plot twist but was actually caught pretty blind-sided by the other! Even when I was predicting things, I was still scared because what if the characters got hurt? Or died? I also found the concept so unique? Everything felt so cultural and I truly felt as if I were reading about another place on Earth. I haven't read the short story that this was inspired by but I may have to now that I've enjoyed this book so much!

The romance was slow and cute! You could call it predictable but I was honestly enjoying it too much to care haha.
The world-building was so effortlessly done!
Um, tigers. That is the only thing I have to say.

So all in all, a solid 4.25 star read!! I'd highly recommend preordering this, or adding on Goodreads! A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Annie, netgalley, and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Another great novel from the super sweet Annie Sullivan!

I was hooked from the start of the novel. I just had to keep reading to find out what happened. I loved all the training and fight scenes. I saw them clearly in my mind.

About 30% in, I thought I had figured out the outcome of the story. I was wrong and I’m so glad I was!

I loved the back and forth with the romance.

And just a fun fact: I’m in the acknowledgments! Thank you, Annie! 😘

Thank you to Annie, publisher, and Netgalley for an advance copy of The Tiger Queen.

I really enjoyed this one. From start to finish, it held my interest. I enjoyed all the characters, there were some good little twists and surprises involved. Annie Sullivan writes in a way that made me feel feels, even though the situation is clearly nothing I’ve ever been close to experiencing.

The Lady or The Tiger is one of the most memorable short stories I’ve read, and to have a book reimagine it is really unexpected and awesome.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Annie Sullivan for this eARC.
I just finished this book, and all I can say is "WoW!" I was in a serious reading slump, and this book didn't just pull me out of it, it dragged me forcefully.
The world building is amazing. I think Annie is great at 'showing, not telling,' and the world she created felt fully realized. She had different cultures, people, and even an entire list of creatures specific to her world. I also feel that the character development was good, the conflict was believable, and it didn't have any dull spots to speak of.
Keep your eyes on Annie; she's definitely a fantasy author to watch for!

When I first read the description I honestly wasn't so sure about reading a YA fantasy book written where the whole story is set in the desert. With an ongoing drought the kingdom, Achra, has a serious water shortage, meaning there was a whole population in a desperate situation with little hope. People slowly dying of thirst didn't sound like a fun read. But then I reread the description and thought 'you know...this one might be good.' And I was right!

Thoughts:
The Tiger Queen opens in the arena. A Desert Boy had been caught smuggling contraband goods into the city. The Desert Boys are infamous because they steal the water from the city, exacerbating an already tenuous situation due to the drought. These boys live out in the desert where no one can survive and the guards have difficulty finding them so they are rarely caught. They also killed Kateri’s mother and baby brother years prior. Within these opening scenes we are quickly introduced to everything at stake: the Desert Boys, the King and his daughter Kateri, and Rodric the captain of the guards. But here we also learn about the underlying tensions and plots – water stealing and then rationing due to the stealing, motives for Kateri’s anger and distrust of the Desert Boys, and the dangers the arena and the desert can bring. Not only is there a lack of water, but the arena holds two very hungry tigers and the desert holds even more dangers, such as sand snakes and scorpions.
To be honest, the middle section is where I will always worry about in a book. Does it keep my interest? Do the secrets get told early enough to where I am not frustrated by lack of knowledge? Is there enough in the plot to ensure it doesn’t feel like it is just filler section? Thankfully, the middle in the Tiger Queen is where the 2nd part of the story begins. The plot and the pacing kept a steady rhythm as Kateri leaves the safety of he city and is introduced to the real desert as well as the Desert Boys and their leader, Cion. Here she requests their training so she can defeat the opponent she was assigned to fight, but first she has to convince them to help her and that she’s not there to betray them.

I truly don’t want to give away too much of the plot. But, I was intrigued by two aspects. First, how little can one human drink each day and still survive? I take water for granted – somewhat. I know we should conserve it as best we can, but I also know that it is always at my fingertips at the press of a button or turn of a handle. But I was equally interested in how much thought I gave the issue of how one goes about controlling an entire population – especially in the desert. And more importantly – why would you want to do that? It makes no sense to me. The lies one would tell to hold onto power often overwhelm my sense of understanding.

This book was a fun read and I loved how time flew by when reading it. It is also a stand-alone fantasy book. Those aren’t easy to find, but you definitely leave feeling that everything is taken care of at the end as the author provides a few ‘where are they now’ moments. Definitely recommend this to those who looking for a YA fantasy adventure and perhaps a hint of romance.

Rating: 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Blink for the advanced reader copy and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I also want to thank the author for speaking on behalf of the Oxford comma in the Acknowledgment section. It gave me the opportunity to show someone who isn’t quite the believer in that comma and argue my point on why it should be used.

**scheduled to be posted to blog: agardenofbooks.com on Sept 7**

Tiger Queen is a new standalone YA fantasy novel that is coming out in the US next week (September 10, 2019). Unfortunately, this book was very predictable and filled with typical YA fantasy tropes. The name of the novel also pretty much spoils the entire plot. In addition, the writing style was not my cup of tea. The author had to many "sand" things in the novel and an exorbitant amount of sand similes (sand dancers, sand blessings, etc). Finally, I thought the world was not very well developed and the entire book is set in the one city and the surrounding desert.

That being said, I do think this book could appeal to young (i.e., Middle School) children, particularly girls. The main character is a warrior princess fighting for the throne. All characters are pretty much either totally evil or good and noble. The plot also includes elements of both Peter Pan and Robin Hood, where "Desert Boys," a ragtag band of orphans, steal water from the King's wells and distribute it to the people. I did like the fact that this is a stand alone. I think it will be more accessible to younger readers who do not necessarily want to get invested in a trilogy or a series.

Overall, I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was not for me, but I can clearly appreciate that younger readers could love it.

I received e-ARC from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that there was a retelling of Frank Stockton’s “The Lady or the Tiger”, I got excited. I remember reading and loving that story in school, but I wondered how such a short tale could be retold. Stockton’s story serves more as a jumping off point (never fear, though – the choice between lady and tiger is made and we get to see the fallout). We open the book in the arena of drying up desert kingdom where “supplies or tiger” is used as a common way of determining justice or punishment, but of course, our king cheats to ensure justice is actually served. As resources get lower and the proletariat gets more uprisey, its up to our main character, Princess Kateri, to save the kingdom.

The plot in this is fairly standard. If you are a regular reader of YA fantasy, you’ll know where the book is headed a few chapters in. The characters themselves are nothing special, although the author transforms Kateri in a believable way. You’ll hate her at the start and root for her at the end. I wish the Desert Boys had been Desert People – why no girls? Since Kateri is such a strong hero, I thought the complete and almost total lack of lady fighters was suspect. I also wanted more tigers (if you don’t like to read about animal cruelty, maybe skip this one). It’s based on a story called “The Lady or the Tiger” – give me ladies and tigers!
There’s clearly a lot not to like, but the some of the worldbuilding was spectacular. Sullivan builds a desert world complete with lethal creatures (watch out for those sand snakes!), interesting cuisine (make sure you eat the right lizard tongue) and well, ok, I mostly liked the animals she invented. I wasn’t compelled to read the book, as, like I said its pretty obvious as to where it was going, but the worldbuilding was enough to keep me at least somewhat engaged and the author gets points for writing a standalone. I can easily see this book being dragged out to a duology and I’m glad everyone involved resisted that temptation.

TLDR: The book had potential for days, but I found the execution to be a bit lacking. Fun worldbuilding details make what is otherwise a rather routine YA fantasy more interesting. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thanks to Blink and Netgalley for the eARC, which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. The Tiger Queen will be released on 10 September, but you can put your copy on hold today!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley, Fantastic Flying Book Club, and BLINK for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Content Warnings: Murder, Violence, Death, Betrayal

Diversity Rep: None explicit

Okay, seriously when I found out that I got approved for this on Netgalley, I was freaked out. Then when I found out I was going to be on this blog tour, I double freaked out. I’ve been so excited to support Annie Sullivan after seeing her on TBR and Beyond, and just experiencing the kind of person she is. And the premise of this story was so intriguing to me, that I couldn’t resist!

=The Characters=
Kateri is the princess of Achra. She is the only daughter to the king, and from the moment that her mother and brother were murdered, she has done nothing but train to be the very best fighter in Achra. She has to, if she expects to be able to be free from having to marry the victor. So far, she’s won every single battle against her would-be suitors. She’s strong minded, and hasn’t had a moment to be a kid in the 10 years since her life was uprooted.

Cion is the legendary leader of the Desert Boys, a group that causes havoc by stealing water from the kingdom and making everyone’s lives miserable. At first, Kateri thinks that he is to blame for the drought since he is the leader of the Desert Boys. She also doesn’t trust him when he agrees to train her in order to defeat Rodric, but after spending time with him and the rest of the Desert Boys, its clear that he is just a boy that is trying to protect those that can’t defend themselves. He would make a benevolent leader, and I think he’s one of my favorite people in the world.

Dimic is the boy that was in the arena in the beginning of the novel. At first, Kateri wanted him to die for being a part of the Desert Boys, the group that was responsible for killing her mother and baby brother, despite him not being alive by then. But he ends up saving her from the guards out to capture and enslave her, and she comes to find out that he is actually Cion’s little brother. He possesses a prowess in his movements, and it’s obvious that the desert has made him grow up sooner than a lot of children.

Rodric is Kateri’s father’s new guard captain, and his origins are unknown. His entrance into Achra was him killing the king’s old captain, saying that if his captain was that easy to kill, then he needs a new one. He’s cruel to Kateri, constantly ridiculing her during their training and never letting up for a moment. His cruelty may run deeper than Kateri ever realized, and with the King wanting Rodric to take over the throne, he may show his true colors to the people of Achra even more.

=The Plot=
Achra has been going through a major drought since before Kateria was born. The people seem to think that it is testament to the weakness of their ruler. Kateri is determined to prove herself worthy to rule her people – by battling twelve suitors and winning them all before her 18th birthday – in order to be her own woman and free. Not only this, but she has promised to avenge her mother and brother by defeating the Desert Boys, the group that has been blamed for their death from the very beginning. The King has made it so the people of Achra see the Desert Boys as a common enemy, while they go thirsty and die all around them.

When Kateri finds out that her father plans for her to battle Rodric for her final battle before freedom, claiming that she has disgraced him by getting injured during her previous battle and that she isn’t strong enough to be the Queen, she ends up running away to the desert to seek out Cion. He’s the only one that seems to be able to train her in a way that will defeat Rodric, especially since he has been training her this entire time.

She soon discovers that not everything in her kingdom is as it seems, and she must decide her own fate, and the fate of the rest of her people in Achra if she is to reclaim her throne and her freedom.

=My Likes=
The world building is pretty interesting. Having to go through a drought for seventeen years – longer even because it was since before Kateri was born – but somehow being able to survive takes a lot of resourcefulness. I don’t think I could do it, but the people of Achra do. That’s one of the things that Kateri will constantly comment on, how Achrans are survivors, and despite all of their hardships, they still figure out a way to make do. They shouldn’t have to, but when your King tells you that there’s not enough water for everyone, and each family is forced to only receive half a bucket of water a day, what else can you do?

"Cion was right. The desert was a living, breathing creature. And it was vicious." ~First day of training

Cion is one of the most… awe inspiring and selfless characters that I’ve ever met. I’m actually kind of surprised at how much I like him, when I usually don’t go for the good guys. Knowing that he has literally sacrificed his life and freedom for not only his family but others as well, shows to me that he knows what it means to be a true leader, not the way Kateri’s father is. He’s also patient with Kateri during their training, and teaches her how to trust again.

=My Dislikes=
The fact that she can’t even be her own person until she proves her prowess in battle against twelve opponents bothers me. Kateri says more than once that after these battles, she will be free. Which tells me that she is no more her own person than her maid Lavia is. I get that some kingdoms have to somehow make sure that their lineage continues, but why does she have to literally beat all these men in combat to prove herself? She’s already the princess.

Oh I also hate that the people of Achra literally attack Kateri every time she has to walk the streets to or from the palace. Despite having guards around to protect her, she gets her hair torn out, her dress torn, spit on, just the works. She’s their princess, and while she thinks she’s doing what she can to be the best would-be Queen that she could be, they don’t give her that chance. She wasn’t the one responsible for the drought, but they punish her, and nobody does anything to stop it. I just hate how much abuse she gets, and it’s somehow okay. She knows that they are just taking out their frustration on her, but it physically hurts to see her go through that every single time.

“They stop crying once they realize no one will answer them.”

=Memorable Quotes=
“… sometimes being the strongest isn’t about having the most physical strength. Control isn’t strength. True strength is about being kind. It’s forgiving wrongs with words and not with swords. It’s about caring for our people, to stand for those who cannot. You are their voice. Never forget that.” ~ Kateri’s Mother during Labor

Wow.

Just that whole passage really stuck with me, because I never really think about what kind of strength I want to have, or what else constitutes as strength besides the physical aspect of it.

I’d never really thought about what happened to my suitors after I’d beaten them. I knew they were exiled, and somewhere deep down I knew the desert would kill them. Finally having to face it made it real. And I could see what made me a monster in the eyes of the Desert Boys. ~ Kateri in the Cave

I think her realization that… she really wasn’t as innocent as she believed was a really good start to character development on Sullivan’s effort. Kateri really had to be pushed out of the comfort of her palace to see that she wasn’t anyone’s natural savior, and that while her intentions were good to her, they didn’t come off that way to a lot of other people.

She battled eleven suitors, ten of which was before the book started. We only get to witness this one being exiled after she defeated him, leaving his two daughters behind. What about the rest of them? Were they able to be saved by the Desert Boys, when their only crime was losing to Kateri in a battle of swords and skill? When she was able to come home and be relieved that she didn’t have to marry them, did she ever stop to think that they would never see their families again, and would have to suffer at the hands of the desert itself? Cruel and unyielding to anyone that dares to conquer it? I don’t think so. Not until this moment. And I feel like this was the moment that things started to change for her.

=Discussion Points=
The idea that those in control – whether a King, a President, a Dictator – would keep their people suffering in order to maintain their power is a theme that has always made me angry.

“Where were you when Rodric enacted stricter punishments for anyone caught stealing water each time the water levels dropped? Where were you when more sickness could be found in the city than sand? Where were you when the poor and elderly needed help rebuilding their walls after the sandstorms finally blew them in? Where was your ‘care’ when we were cast out because of your father’s two-child rule? Where were you when we became orphans and had no other choice but to steal to survive?” ~ Cion to Kateri in the Hideout

Do you know how much my heart ached reading this line? Even though this is a work of fiction, things like this happen every single day and I’ve been privileged enough to never experience it because of where I live. I couldn’t imagine anyone going through this, and Cion had a point. Kateri thought that she was doing what she could to gain her spot on the throne so she could help, but why didn’t she do anything before then? Literally, where was she when everything was happening?

=Final Thoughts=
I have so many emotions about this novel that I didn’t think I would when I first started reading it. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much emotion writing out a review or wanting to make sure that my thoughts were cohesive before this one. And it’s interesting because I didn’t think that I could think that way about a fantasy novel no less. I mean, it’s not a contemporary novel that matches our political climate today, but it still awoke a kind of anger in me for what happened in this novel that I had to just let it out. I think Sullivan did a great job with this novel.

Kateri, Princess of the Kingdom Achra in a desert kingdom ruled over by her father, gives this book a lot of hope right off the bat.

From the very beginning, we see the ruthlessness of Kateri’s father, her devotion to her kingdom, and her desire to do whatever is necessary to one day take her fathers throne.

This book started really strong. We immediately are introduced to the manipulation tactics of the King and Rodric, we learn about the Desert boys, Kateri’s dreams, and the intense training she goes through to win her fights in the ring. I liked Kateri immediately, she was fierce and knew what she wanted in life (and her absolute disgust at marrying a man she loses to in battle was perfect).

I figured the Desert Boys would be likable, and I was right. There’s quite a few of them but the one’s that stick out are Cion and Dimic, who are both absolutely adorable people. Dimic is a proud child, and I love how he was both strong and resourceful, but also naive and very much a child. Cion is a tough but lovable leader, although even though I read a lot of YA, I will never fully wrap my head around the “teenager is somehow a notorious leader” thing. Cion was extremely talented and capable considering he is an actual child. Kateri is said to be 17, and I don’t think his age is ever expressly stated, I would wager he was 18-19.

After the introduction of our adorable Desert Boys, this book started to go a little downhill for me. We had very clearly defined good guys and bad guys. Our villains were all evil, with no real rhyme or reason to it, they just suck. Our good guys are pure hearted, they just want what’s best for everyone, without even a hint of selfish behavior. And then we have the hero of our story, Kateri, learning that everything she believed in life was wrong and that *gasp* there’s a secret in the kingdom and she’s the only one who can save everybody!

There were some interesting twists that followed though, and I really loved learning about the desert. Between scorpions, windy sand dunes, and secret hideaways the desert had a very magical vibe to it that I liked it. The stories of the desert are weaved so wonderfully into the kingdoms mythos and I was enchanted. I wanted to learn everything about this kingdom, this desert, and the world beyond it.

This book wraps up very nicely, and although I was a tad but disappointed in the ending, it was a good end for a standalone. It was a tad bit cheesy overall, but still a pretty solid end.

The Tiger Queen was more than just about a girl finding her destiny. It was about finding yourself. As cheesy as that sounds. Kateri was a young girl shaped and manipulated by those around her in order to use her for the throne.

Kateri was the ultimate warrior queen throughout the book. She had her mind totally changed and rechanged through The Tiger Queen and I was in awe of the strength that she carried through in everything. Kateri became a part of the group that she had sworn to destroy in order to become stronger than her enemy.

Cion was the ultimate foil to Kateri and I loved their relationship. He was so supportive of her from the beginning when no one else was and it brought Kateri the most amount of self-importance. It wasn’t that it made her have too much hubris. It made her believe in herself more and not rely on someone else’s opinion on her.

The character development in Kateri was astounding. The writing was poetic and uber descriptive. Honestly, I’m wondering why I didn’t read Annie Sullivan before..

The Tiger Queen was almost perfect. I wanted a little more romance but it was nearly perfect. I loved it

~ARC provided by NetGalley~
I really enjoyed this one. It was very engaging and honestly I couldn't put it down. Definitely a good easy read. ♡

One of the most entrancing and captivating books of the year!

Let's be real, the tigers, my favorite animal, are what drew me to this book. I also loved the fact that it is a standalone. One and done (not that I wouldn't love more.)

Kateri is such a strong character! She is not afraid to stand up for what is right and fight what is wrong. The story is intriguing from beginning to end. Kateri learns truths she could never fathom, and has to make huge life decisions in order to combat those truths. This book has something for everyone, and well, the romance is swoon-worthy as well!

E-arc provided from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Our main character is Kateri, who is the princess of Achra. She's a headstrong character who has strong beliefs that she holds onto. In the beginning of the book I was kind of annoyed by the fact that she didn't want to listen to the other characters when it came to her father, the king. However she eventually did the right thing so I ended up liking her more. She was a good character that I enjoyed reading about and who had developed a lot over the course of the book.

I really enjoyed the writing. I also liked the fact that it's a standalone. I don't read many standalones so it was nice to have a complete story in one book without having any cliffhangers or unresolved storylines. The pacing was also really good.

I enjoyed the story. It was fast paced and action packed. I was eagerly awaiting what happened next as I turned the pages. I also really enjoyed the romance. It was very sweet and cute. The ending was also really nice and wrapped everything up nicely.

I really liked this book. It was a quick easy read and I'm happy that I decided to give it a try. I recommend it if you're looking for quick read about princesses and royal kingdoms. It was a cute book that I liked reading.

This novel tells the story of a princess fighting to retain her right as queen, while her people suffer from a drought, which might just have a sinister plot beneath it.

My favorite parts of this novel were the times when the desert and sand almost seemed a character itself. It’s unforgiving and brutal, and yet it gives life and soul to those who seek it. The sand surfing and sand dancing were particularly fun and beautiful.
~
However, although there were a few parts I liked (including the ending, which was pretty exciting), I found myself bored through a lot of the novel and questioning what was happening and why characters did certain things.

I don’t think there will be a sequel. The ending wrapped up pretty nicely, which is a good thing, since I never became invested enough in the characters to want to read more.

A couple questions I had while reading:
- when Kateri goes on the raid with the boys, where did they get the water? All I knew was that they had empty buckets and we’re going on a raid, then suddenly, before the raid, they all had buckets full of water to give to people in the city. It never said where or how they got the water.
- Kateri is always saying she could do better if Cion told her things. But why can’t she do it herself? She’s extremely capable, she shows that often, why does she keep relying on him?
- Cion taught Rodric. Why can’t he beat him? And why on earth does he need Kateri to help him fight Rodric?

Thank you to Netgalley and Blink for an e-arc to review.

This story captivated me from the first page! “Tiger Queen” by Annie Sullivan has an “Aladdin” feel to it, with a “Mulan-like” heroine; yet it manages to be its own unique, amazing story!

Ms. Sullivan’s book is a retelling of a short story by Frank Stockton called “The Lady or the Tiger?” In “Tiger Queen,” Princess Kateri realizes that there’s a whole new world outside of her palace; one where it’s not all about her. And the things she thought she knew and believed are challenged. She finds that sometimes being the strongest isn’t about physical strength or control. Instead, being kind and forgiving, caring for the people and being their voice are where true strength lies. She learns that she needs others in order to succeed herself. There are so many wonderful lessons this story imparts as Kateri grows and matures throughout the book, often with the help of the infamous Desert Boys. But will she have learned enough to fight her biggest battle and win? Will she be able to become the Queen her kingdom needs?

“Tiger Queen” is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far and I cannot recommend it enough!

Content: This is a clean read with a PG rating for descriptions of battle and violence.

Rating: I give this book all the stars! 5 stars!

I want to thank Annie Sullivan, Blink, The Fantastic Flying Book Club and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

I think the best word for Tiger Queen is “unexpected.” I went in with some idea of what my reading experience would be like, found something different, and ended up liking it! This story is an action-packed, exploratory read, with plenty of tension and an excellent training montage. I kid you not, that was one of my favorite parts of the whole book.

As I mentioned, I loved the action and training scenes. Sullivan has a knack for writing the quick motions of swordplay, and I liked the realistic descriptions of the moves and techniques Kateri learned. Her trainer taught her to focus on instinct and trusting her body more than her sight, which was all very intuitive. Even just reading some of the scenes kept me on my toes! In certain moments, I had no idea whether or not Kateri would win, and those were the scenes in which I realized how much I actually wanted her to beat her opponent.

I came around to the romance and love interest: at first I thought there wouldn’t be any, and I didn’t mind that because we need more books sans romance, but eventually I came around. Tiger Queen has a great premise for an enemies-to-lovers romance, and I can always support that. Plus, the love interest himself was a pretty good guy—he wanted to help his people, and risked a lot in doing so. I liked seeing Kateri come around to trust him, and both of them learning to support one another.

I liked the last half of the story a lot more than the beginning. It was quick and snappy, and I liked Kateri’s growth. She needed to come to some major realizations before I could support her actions, and I’m happy she was interested in learning and being open-minded. The climax was so thrilling, and it had great emotional impact as well.

My main issue is the lack of female characters, and the addition of unnecessary patriarchal ideas. Kateri was the only notable female character for most of the story, and even she did not have that much agency. She is forced into many of her actions, and much of her character relies on being controlled by the men in her life. The first half of the book didn’t give me much of the fierce feminist vibe that had been touted in the blurb, but as I mentioned, that did change.

As for the unchallenged patriarchy: royal women (princesses) are the only ones who have to prove they’re worthy of the crown. If a man beats them in a fight, he gets to rule. As per my understanding, princes do not have to do this and inherit the crown by birthright. Many noble women also wear gold neck cuffs and heavy engagement bracelets, which are compared in-text to shackles. Men do not have to wear either. I honestly do not believe any of these gendered specifications were crucial to the storyline, and I’m not sure why they were included.

Overall, Tiger Queen is a great read for those seeking a light fantasy. I do wish some topics were further addressed, but I would give it 4/5 stars as it is.

<b>Fresh and fiercely feminist, this reimagining of a classic short story delivered the sort of kickass warrior girl action I love to read about.</b> Even better, it belongs to the rare breed of fantasy that takes place in an entirely fictional world but does not rely on magic to make itself unique. But before I get ahead of myself, there’s a bit of explaining I need to do:

I remember the first time I read “The Lady or the Tiger?” back in middle school. It was an interesting read, very short, but also very frustrating. <i>What sort of author,</i>, I asked myself, <i>writes a story without an ending?</i>. (If you’ve already read the story, you can skip the next paragraph.)

<b>For those of you who are not familiar with it, “The Lady or the Tiger?” is a short story about a semi-barbaric king whose system of justice is based around pure chance.</b> Criminals are taken to an arena that has two doors. Behind one door is a beautiful maiden equal to the man’s station; behind the other is a tiger. The man does not know which door is which, but he has to pick one. If he picks the lady, then he is required to marry her. If he picks the tiger…well, it’s a bloody death. One day, the king discovers his daughter (who is also described as semi-barbaric) is having a romantic affair with a man from the palace, which of course is illegal because she’s the princess. The man is taken to the arena as punishment to choose his door. But here’s the twist: the princess is told which door has the lady and which door has the tiger. She knows she can signal to her lover which door to choose. But would she rather send him to a gruesome death? Or to marry another woman, knowing that it would forever mean he can’t be hers? She indicates a door to him. He opens it. And…that’s where the story ends.

At least it was fun to debate with fellow classmates which ending was more likely.

Anyway, I tell you this lengthy anecdote so you know roughly what this novel is riffing on. <b>Fairytale retellings are in vogue right now, but <i>Tiger Queen</i> is based on a slightly lesser-told tale, and not so much a fairytale as a brief meditation on the strength and significance of human emotions.</b>

After that lengthy intro, I’m going to keep this summary brief: <b>if she wants to inherit her father’s kingdom, Princess Kateri must win a series of twelve gladiatorial arena battles.</b> If she loses, the man she loses to will marry her and become king. The kingdom, formerly on an oasis in the middle of the desert, is suffering from a severe drought, made worse by the notorious Desert Boys, who steal more water from the wells than their ration tokens allow. The Desert Boys, led by a boy known as Cion whose swordsmanship is said to be unmatched, also killed Kateri’s mother and baby brother years ago. But when Kateri’s father chooses the despicable Rodric, a cruel and ruthless man—and Kateri’s own trainer—as her final opponent, she puts aside her disgust for the Desert Boys to seek Cion’s help training. Because beating Rodric might be impossible…but marrying him would be the worst fate imaginable.

I was largely a fan of this book, which should surprise nobody. <b>There’s a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance, which is executed incredibly well</b> and is important without overpowering the main narrative, which is that of Kateri’s development. And oh, what great development she gets! <b>At its heart, Kateri’s character arc is one about finding independence and overcoming prejudices.</b> After spending her entire life cooped up in a palace, with very few friends and no real hobbies besides fighting and occasionally reading, Kateri starts the book very emotionally stunted and dependent on others. Her temper is so bad, it is almost embarrassing to read. And while she is skilled with a blade, she is not so adept at navigating social situations. Going out into the desert to join a band of boys she hates on principle, abandoning her life of luxury in hopes of earning her freedom? What better setup is there for her to reconceptualize her privilege and grow to understand what connection really means?

While Kateri herself was great, I also really enjoyed the Desert Boys. <b>Cion is…not what you would expect. In the best way possible; I won’t say more than that.</b> And little Dimic, the seven-year-old lockpick extraordinaire, is adorable and funny and generally just fantastic.

And the setting! Annie Sullivan has built a world complete with its own mythology, justice system (see the two-door choice in the story that inspired this novel), and wildlife, including cactuses that grow spontaneously out of the ground in a matter of seconds. Even the food is unique, consisting largely of snakes and scorpions and lizards and other desert-dwelling creatures. Because of the drought that the kingdom is stuck in, conditions are also oppressively hot and dry, with sand that blows everywhere, even inside of houses—even inside the palace. Not going to lie, I was constantly thinking of that Star Wars quote about sand, how it’s irritating and gets everywhere. And the rage of the people fighting for enough water just to survive comes across as a very natural reaction to such a threat to quality of life.

I only had three gripes, all of them quite small. The first was that <b>not a lot of development is given to the bad guys in this book</b>. I’m not going to explain who they are, because spoilers, but suffice to say we do find out why they do what they do, but only at the most basic level. We never see much expression of complexity from them. Of course, we are seeing them through Kateri’s eyes, which may contribute to that, but it would have been nice to know a little more about possible internal conflicts they may have had, knowing that their actions hurt some while benefiting others. The second is that <b>the epilogue was really odd.</b> I like that it tried to give some idea of the future of the kingdom after the novel’s events, but it felt like an afterthought, just a list of what changes occurred, without the same narrative sense and propulsive writing that filled all the previous pages. It might have been better to just cut it altogether, or replace it with an actual scene instead of basically a series of notes. And the third is…well…<b>why are there no girls in the Desert Boys?</b> Even though Kateri can one-up just about any of them, she is the only girl to actually be a part of the gang. I wonder if some of this has to do with familial expectations for girls versus boys, or something along those lines, but it was a little irritating to see, because there was no good reason for it.

So, while it does have a few small flaws, <b><i>Tiger Queen</i> was a largely enjoyable read, and I’m rounding a 4.5-star rating up to 5 for Goodreads purposes.</b> Unlike many YA novels today, it isn’t bloated with unnecessary scenes, so it goes quickly and doesn’t drag. Kateri is my favorite sort of female lead, strong both physically and mentally, still figuring herself out but not willing to let anyone make her choices for her. And just like the tigers in the arena, she is hungry—for justice, and for freedom. If you like strong female leads, and even if you don’t usually like fantasy, I would definitely recommend you give this one a go!

<i>Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.</b>

I received an ebook copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own, I agreed to a review as part of the FFBC book tour.

Set in the desert kingdom of Achra, Princess Kateri's sole ambition in life is to use her training to win her tournaments against potential suitors and earn her right to be the next Queen. At age 16 she has to battle one suitor each month. If she loses, she must marry the victor. If she wins, the suitor is banished to the desert and she goes on fighting until she wins all 12 battles ending on her 17th birthday.

10 years ago Kateri's mother was killed by a gang called the Desert Boys who still torment the kingdom stealing water from the wells in an already drought ridden kingdom. Once Kateri is named Queen, she plans on taking out the Desert Boys and figuring out how to bring water back to the kingdom. When the final suitor is revealed and she knows its a battle she won't be able to win, she is desperate to do anything to win her title and help her kingdom even if it means seeking out the enemy for more training.

There was a LOT of sand description. Rough texture, dry, ever changing/shifting, ect. Although I did enjoy sand games and ritual descriptions I didn't like the CONSTANT reminder the setting was in the dessert- I understand that.

I had never heard of the short story 'The Lady, or the Tiger?' until I read Tiger Queen so I looked it up. I really enjoyed the premise of choosing your destiny/consequence behind a door and that coming over into this story.

The characters and the story were all VERY predictable. I liked the main character thought she was in the top 3 for the best warrior. She knew her strengths and limitations and sought guidance from someone more skilled than her. Along the way she learned more than her sheltered palace life and truly had a heart for the people. I started telling my daughter the beginning of the story and she was able to guess the entire thing (with the exception on Kateri's handmaiden).