TIGER QUEEN by Annie Sullivan is a fun standalone to read if you love story retellings. This post DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS.

I obtained this ARC through NetGalley. Here is the shortened review:

Why I was interested: Story retellings are top of the list for me and I love it when authors take those that aren’t reconfigured as often as others. I had also enjoyed Sullivan’s other retelling of the story of King Midas and his golden touch in A TOUCH OF GOLD. When I read this book was a retelling of Frank Stockton’s short story, “The Lady, or the Tiger?”, I knew I wanted to read it immediately.

Judge a book by it’s cover: This book is all about sand -- and in a good way. The worldbuilding is so well-focused on this small entity that is often forgotten about so it is only appropriate that the sand dunes crest the cover. I love how the dunes create stripes as mentioned in the story along with a nod to the tigers Kateri’s father keeps.

What to expect: This book was great to read after watching the live-action Aladdin while creating a unique retelling based on such a short story. If you finally want to know which gate the lady chooses, you can finally find out! It is a standalone so you don’t have to worry if you want to read the entire series in one go.

Why you should pick this book up: If retellings are your thing -- like me -- then this would be a good fit. Sullivan creates a strong character who learns how to be a leader by listening to the world around her. Kateri’s fearlessness and determination will make anyone cheer for her to become the next ruler of Achra.

Want more?: This book will be published on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Sullivan is doing a pre-order campaign where you receive a pin, signed bookplate, digital poster, and -- my personal favorite -- a guide to the creatures of Achra, so definitely check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Marena Galluccio, #MediaGalReads

Love Annie Sullivan and love Tiger Queen. A female who has to fight suitors for her right to win the throne, but if one suitor beats her, she loses everything and simply becomes a queen to the king. She was raised for this, so why does everything seem so wrong now that she almost has everything she wanted?

As soon as I saw this announced I knew I needed to read it- it’s “Lady or the Tiger?” (my favorite short story) meets an Arabian inspired desert world. So when I was beyond thrilled when I received a free e-copy for review from Net Galley.

This book isn’t at all what I imagined but I’m okay with that because it was amazing. The story world is vast and vivid and so well developed. The characters are dynamic and real. The plot is intense and gripping. The retelling elements are so fantastically done.

It’s funny because this book has a lot of things that usually draw me away from a book- a lot of training/fighting scenes, a closed off main character, not a ton of friendly/playful character interactions (at least not for a while). But the author does such an amazing job pulling you into the story regardless. Kateri isn’t someone I would usually connect with and as a character she has so many walls it’s hard to fully get to know her, at least at first. But the author lets us see beyond the pride and the ferocity she wears like armor into the pain its hiding. You see tiny gaps in her walls, chinks in her armor, that let you know this character is worth loving, even if she doesn’t believe that herself. Her growth is amazing and happens in ways I didn’t expect but felt so natural and real. And then once she starts to let people in, just a little, you’re introduced to a whole world of wonderful characters that you won’t be able to help loving.

The story does a good job following the elements created in the original short story it’s based on while also knowing when to deviate. Even the ways it’s different it does a good job paying homage and respect to the original tale. The author is on no mission to fix or change the original story (a problem I often find with retellings) but instead has taken a beloved tale and is making it her own.

The story was twisted and unexpected. Even the things I guessed were going to happen came about in unexpected ways. I had a sense of knowing how the book might end (or at least a guess in what direction it was going) but finding myself wondering how that was going to come about. The biggest piece of writing advice all writers receive is “give your readers what they expect in the most unexpected way” and the author NAILS that. Everything that happens felt natural to the flow of the story. But it’s not predictable.

Speaking of natural- I love the way the romance progresses. It’s gentle and slow and just sort of sneaks up on you, the way love often does in real life. It’s not forced or steamy or even really a driving point of the story. But it’s there and it’s natural and I SHIP IT SO HARD

I absolutely loved this book. I’m excited for its release so I can read it again and pester all my friends to read it. It’s everything I wanted it to be and nothing that I expected. And I love it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this ARC.

This book was amazing and well written. I loved it. It was a fabulous 5 star read that you don't want to miss out on. It reminded me of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and of The Remnant Chronicles by Mary Pearson.
It is also a retelling of a short story called "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton, which I didn't know until after I read it, but regardless, I really enjoyed this story and am now curious about the original short story as well.
In this story, Princess Kateri is the heir to the kingdom of Achra, but she has to fight in the arena to prove herself to her father the King and to be able to take over and rule the kingdom and also to keep her promises to her late mother about taking care of the people who are suffering in the drought. She always is trying to figure out how to prove herself to her father and feeling like she's failing and unworthy of love, wanting him to love her.
When it comes down to her last fight and she finds out who she's supposed to defeat, she knows she needs help to win and seeks it out in the desert where the Desert Boys are hiding for refuge with the drought. After things seem dark, Princess Kateri finds the strength she needs to face her last opponent, also finds hope and love that she didn't think existed or she would ever find or be deserving of in the desert.
I highly recommend this. Everyone should make sure to read this, it's a wonderful story that no one should miss out on.

Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Annie Sullivan’s Tiger Queen in exchange for an honest review. The book releases September 10, 2019.

Annie Sullivan acknowledges the roots of her novel Tiger Queen in the book’s epigraph in which she thanks her “middle school English teacher, Mrs. Desautels, for first asking the question, ‘The lady or the tiger?’” As a fan of retellings of classic literature, I was hooked. I’ve always loved the complexity of the original story, which offers up a princess who’s barbaric enough that she may just send her lover to his death by tiger rather than see him in the arms of another woman.

Sullivan’s young adult novel uses this story, Frank R. Stockton’s “The Lady, or the Tiger?,” as a springboard for a story about class division, corruption, and power. At the novel’s heart is Kateri, the daughter of the powerful king who rules a small kingdom built on a formerly lush oasis. Now, the kingdom suffers because of a murderous drought that requires strict rationing of water for its citizens.

Kateri’s father has raised her in luxury but with a hatred for the Desert Boys, a wild gang of outcasts who killed her mother and infant brother when Kateri was a child. She has trained as a warrior both to defend her home—she promised her mother that she would take care of her people and rule with kindness—and to seek vengeance on those who broke her family.

Kateri lives in the world that Stockton first imagined, one where justice is meted out by chance. Kateri’s father forces criminals into an arena, and they are given a choice between two doors: the first holds a bloodthirsty tiger, and the second holds some sort of treasure. As the novel opens, a young Desert Boy is in the midst of his choice, and his prize is the cart of goods that he had tried to steal. Kateri watches as the boy makes away with the object of his theft . . . and then comes to realize that her father had controlled the fate of this criminal all along.

Since Kateri is old enough to marry, her father has set up another series of competitions: she is to fight twelve potential suitors. If she wins the battle, the suitor is banished from the kingdom. If he wins, the suitor will marry her. As he does with the sentencing of criminals, Kateri’s father controls her fate, wresting from her the power she thought she had earned.

The plot really ramps up as Kateri begins to realize the full scope of her father’s betrayal and seeks to regain control over her life by leaving the kingdom and seeking training among the Desert Boys. Along the way, she comes to see herself, her father, and her world hold depths—good and bad—she had not dreamed.

While Sullivan’s novel kept my attention throughout, and I appreciated the world building and mythology that she weaves into the story, I was disappointed by the predictability of the plot. Kateri is the typical strong female protagonist whose epiphanies about the world around her spur her to work for change and to make a series of correct decisions. Those epiphanies come so easily that they are nearly instantaneous. Her training montage—one of my favorite elements of any action book or movie (think The Karate Kid or Rocky IV)—is enjoyable but also so, so quick. She picks up incredibly difficult skills in a day because she is so preternaturally gifted. The novel’s revelations progress as expected for those who have read this type of YA novel before, which means that moments meant to have great emotional resonance fall, unfortunately, short. Tiger Queen is a pleasant enough read but not one that offers anything new . . . or anything as complex and sinister as its source material.

This story centers around Princess Kateri who lost her mother and younger brother to a gang called the Desert Boys. Their is a water shortage in Achra which is a desert kingdom. So water is a huge deal here. The crime for stealing water during this drought is to choose between two doors in the arena one holds a tiger the other your freedom. On top of all this Princess Kateri according to an ancient law must fight in the arena to prove that the dessert has chooses her to rule.

Their are lot of twists and turns to discover as the Princess goes from fighting to really discovering who is behind the drought that plagues her kingdom. She ends up more then once putting her life on the line for the desert boys that she ends up calling family. Their is some romance but it not the central part of this story and it really only comes into to play toward the end of the book.

Their are some scenes that could be triggering and emotional but i did not feel they were out of the place in this type of story where a kingdom is so hungry for water that the people will do almost anything to get it. I really enjoyed the world building and the training in the desert against the sand. It a very creative story and most of all it told all in one book. Make sure to check this book out in September of 2019.

Reading Tiger Queen was like taking a breath of fresh air. Annie Sullivan is definitely one of my new favorite authors. This book was so atmospheric! It was definitely a movie playing in my head, and I could so see it being made into a movie.

I loved the character development and journey of Princess Kateri. She is definitely a main character worth rooting for! The author's writing style is beautiful. It builds and flows so well drawing you completely into the story.

I am so excited for Annie Sullivan, and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

At first I wasn't sure that I was going to like this that much but the last half of the book saved it. The concept is similar to another ARC that I recently read so I was hoping that it wouldn't run along the same lines and bore me.

Kateri is the daughter of the King of Achra. Her goal is to fulfill the promise that she made to her mother before she died, to take care of her people. She is not to automatically inherit the crown. She must literally fight for her place on the throne and that means defeating a suitor every month of her 16th year. If she fails, the suitor becomes king, marries her, and leaves her with no power. When her father announces her final opponent, she knows that being the highly trained fighter that she is, she cannot beat him. So Kateri does the only thing she knows may give her a chance of winning. She flees to seek out the one person who can train her to beat Roderic, her enemy, Cion, the leader of the Desert Boys.

The story kept up a steady pace and although I enjoyed the first half, the second half had me totally engrossed in the story. I adore Cion and his dedication to helping the people of Achra. He agrees to train Kateri even though he sees her as the enemy, because they both have a greater one in common.

From what I can gather this is a stand alone, and from what I read, a very good one.

*Posting on Aug. 5, 2019 on my blog http://pastmidnight.home.blog**

Thank you to Blink and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eArc.

Here we have another story about a Princess, who needs to prove herself in order to be the next ruler of her kingdom. There are so many similar books out there so I started reading Tiger Queen without any expectations and I was pleasantly surprised.

Princess Kateri can kick-butt. Kateri has to be the best fighter because the only way her father will let her rule is she has to defeat royals in the arena. Rodric, the captain of the guard and a ruthless fighter himself, is her trainer and then some. Now the enemy in this story is supposedly the Desert Boys, a group of stealthy urchins who steal water from the wells of Achra. Being a desert kingdom, water is precious, water is life, and when there is not enough to go around, the person who controls water, rules the people.

When Kateri finds out the truth about what is going on in her kingdom, she learns she has to be able to beat the last opponent in the arena or else she will lose her dreams of ruling and helping her people. She starts her training in the desert and only the strong survive there.

Achra is not a place I would like to visit. I am not someone who is seduced by sand, unless it comes with an ocean. 😅 Just knowing the people in this book were so thirsty made me feel parch reading this book. I can definitely understand and feel the desperation these characters have for water. And another reason I wouldn’t enjoy Achra? Oh the snakes, poisonous lizards, blood beetles and scorpions that seem to be everywhere in this landscape. And if avoiding them is a problem, well – guess what is on the menu in Achra? Yup, snakes, lizards, scorpions…😂. I thought it was actually really funny how most books usually make me hungry with their description of food but nope, not this book!

There is a lot of action in this book and the fighting and training scenes were really exciting. This book moves at a fast pace which was nice. The story is predictable but not in a bad way, I still found it enjoyable even though I knew what was going to happen. I also loved that there was no magic in this book, the characters had to rely on just skills and learning the ways of the desert. I love magic, but sometimes it’s just cool to see people fighting with their wits.

The stakes are high in Tiger Queen because who can live without water? No one. I enjoyed this story a lot and I think if you like desert landscapes in books, then you will really like it too.

The story line was so catching to my eye as soon as I read the description. I loved reading about this character and their journey to prove that they are able to rule the kingdom. I loved that it wasn’t easy for the character, considering a lot of YA novels tend to wash it all down and make everything easier to do.

Tiger Queen is a standalone fantasy inspired by the famous short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?" and it was filled with action, heart-stopping romance, and most importantly, real stakes. Kateri is a hero that i can get behind because her character actually develops as she learns new information. This was such a satisfying read with a conclusive ending.

I really enjoyed A Touch of Gold, so I was sad when Tiger Queen didn’t wow me.

My main problem was the predictability of the story. There are so many YA fantasies like this one—royals vs rebels, fierce princess, evil dad and suitor...and it doesn’t help that the very first plot twist I guessed one chapter into the story.

It was hard for me to connect with Ketari as well. Again, I think it’s because so many YA fantasy heroines are like her. There was no connection to the villains either.

I think those who are new to the genre would enjoy this, but it wasn’t for me.

This was a good story. It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did I could not put it down! I love the strength of Princess Kateri. All of the character development was great.



**Provided by NetGalley for review***

This thrilling YA novel, by Annie Sullivan, is an expansive, adventurous retelling of Frank Stockton's short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?", which is one of my favorite short stories. I enjoyed the fast pacing of this story, the well-rounded character development, and the political mysteries of the desert kingdom Achra. The story left me constantly thinking about it, and I had to have my water nearby because I was always thirsty. The descriptions and dialogue were clear and compelling. It is a worthy retelling.

I think the strongest part of this book is the character development. Our main character, Kateri, starts off as a villain. She is a strong fighter, trained to beat her suitors in an arena to prove she is the strongest in the kingdom. But difficult circumstances mold and shape her into a completely different character, and I grew to love her. I do wish other characters in this book had as strong of a character arc. And I do wish that the romance wasn't so slow burning.

All in all, I liked this book. I would recommend this book to those who love retellings, and settings in mythical deserts.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, NetGalley and Blink, for the ARC! This book will be released on September 10, 2019.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blink Publishers via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The fight scenes were great and had me on the edge. I especially liked the close bonds Kateri had to her family and people and her willingness to make great sacrifices for them. I enjoyed the twist on the short story "The Lady or the Tiger." Princess Kateri is such an all-around strong character.

With that being said...the prose is good, the characters compelling, but neither was fantastic, so I'm left kind of meh. Additionally, very little happened in this book that was surprising.

The synopsis of this book intrigued me and I went into it expecting a lot. On some aspects it delivered and others I felt it didn't quite meet the mark. Princess Kateri was a wonderful character and seemed to be richly thought through, with a realistic portrayal, having plenty of strengths and positives but also some weaknesses and negatives. This all made her more realistic to my reading. The world building was also good and compelling. The other characters and interaction between characters seemed a bit too shallow to really stand up to the story as a whole. This was a small detraction. Overall this is a wonderful read and recommended to fantasy lovers.

#TigerQueen #NetGalley

I haven’t read a stand-alone in such a long time and this book was just amazing! I loved the world, the characters and the twists. I live for those jaw dropping moments. This is my first book by Annie Sullivan and can’t wait to pick her last book A Touch of Gold.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review 😊.

Tiger Queen is a retelling of Frank Stockton's famous short story, "The Lady, or the Tiger?", which is one of my all time favorites, so this book was a must read for me! It is an interesting take on a classic that I highly recommend!

I don’t know what to say after reading this story besides wow. This tale was based upon the short story of A Lady, or the Tiger and I feel that Annie Sullivan has done the story justice by creating a world in which a princess learns that life is meant to be filled with family, love, and the strength that comes from the spirit as well as the body.
This tale is phenomenal and I would definitely recommend it. The author lives up to her first book by continuing the creation of wonderful stories based upon previous works.

This book surprised me quite a bit. I went in thinking I would love it. I mean, a strong female lead, story based around a fairytale/myth, a unique world...how could I not love it? But at first, I just couldn't get into the story. I still wanted to finish the book, but I wasn't dying to pick it up every spare second. It took me three chapters before something clicked. Then, to my surprise, I suddenly couldn't put the book down. I devoured the rest and was so sad when I read the last page.

I mentioned before that this was a unique world. It was so interesting to read about a city who's society is impacted so heavily on water, or lack there of. I had so much fun learning about the people and the history.

I think what hung me up at first was the characters. It was hard for me to really get a read on them at first. They were all interesting, but I just didn't feel like I had any connection to them. But once I began to feel that connection, I couldn't wait to see what would happen with them.

So, all in all, I'd recommend giving this one a read. It's a somewhat short book, and a standalone! I had so much