I really wanted to love this cozy fantasy by Louis Sachar but alas, I did not. The writing is lovely and it has some funny moments but I did not really love any of the characters and the plot was slow-moving for me.
I will most likely recommend this to readers because it is after all, Louis Sachar, but with some reservations.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A royal magician in the mid-1500s is tasked with saving his kingdom in a last-ditch effort to also save his career. When the princess and heir to the throne is promised to a prince from a much stronger kingdom, the king orders the magician to brew a potion to make the princess fall in love. The problem? The princess is already in love with a kingdom underling. Newberry Medal-winner Louis Sachar, known for his quirky, delightful books for middle grade and young adult audiences, releases his first novel for adults in the equally quirky and delightful novel The Magician of Tiger Castle.

Anatole is the royal magician in the kingdom of Esquaveta, which has been struggling for a while. King Sandro has looked for ways to boost the kingdom’s economy, and Anatole promises to make significant contributions toward that end. His latest venture? Turning black sand into gold. So far, it isn’t going that well.

King Sandro decides a political alliance can help with Esquaveta’s financial woes and promises his only daughter, the Princess Tullia, to Prince Dalrymple of Oxatania. Never mind that Dalrymple is two decades older than Tullia; she’s expected to do her royal duty for the betterment of Esquaveta. Tullia, however, is conflicted. She’s fallen in love with the new scribe, Pito, who has absolutely no prospects of making his own economic situation better, never mind an entire kingdom’s.

Even though Anatole hasn’t made any serious strides toward the financial health of Esquaveta, he’s the only choice King Sandro has to change Tullia’s mind. King Sandro demands that Anatole create a potion that will force Tullia to fall in love with Dalrymple. Anatole is torn; he’s known Tullia since she was a child and thinks of her as a surrogate daughter. More than that, he’s listened to the way she talks about Pito, and their love is strong and pure. How can he destroy it?

Yet Anatole also has his own wellbeing to consider, so he comes up with a compromise that he believes will satisfy everyone involved. He knows he can’t tell anyone the true nature of the compromise, but he thinks it’s the best option given the situation. It requires him to go out on a limb with his magic, but if Tullia and Pito can go out on a limb with their love then he can surely do this for them. What he doesn’t anticipate—at all—are the consequences of his ministrations. His solution takes him, Tullia, and Pito on an adventure unlike any other.

Author Louis Sachar brings his trademark wit and whimsy from his middle grade/young adult novels to his first book for adults. Anatole is an incredibly likable protagonist. Readers will be charmed right away by his cluttered workshop, his earnest efforts at saving the princess, and his selflessness while also battling self-doubt. Sachar’s decision to start Anatole’s story in present-day Italy will keep readers turning pages as much as his story in the mid-16th century will.

Some readers might feel like the title of the book is more of a tangential connection to the plot itself. The novel does, in fact, include a castle and a tiger; while the castle is described in detail, readers might be forgiven if they forget the tiger from time to time because of more pressing matters on the page. That Sachar is able to make readers forget the tiger altogether is testament to his talent as a storyteller. There are so many other wacky elements in this fairy tale for adults that the tiger adds to the colorful backdrop, always there but not always immediately noticed.

The book’s ending might disappoint some readers, which goes right back to Sachar’s ability to craft an engaging tale. It’s a wonderful story that feels like it comes to an end too quickly. The final chapters could have benefited from a little more definition, especially for those readers who want reassurances that what they’d hoped for most had happened. The fuzzy edges might seem somewhat off-putting to some.

Nevertheless, readers who enjoy dabbling in fairy tales and fairy tale-like novels will definitely want to check this one out.

I have followed Louis Sachar since I began teaching HOLES in my English classes. Now, as a retired teacher, who loves to read, I was thrilled to see an adult book by this author. You will have to be young at heart as you travel from now to the story in the 1500s, with a fascinating Royal Magician and his sweet rat, Princess Tullia, who stands up for her rights, a peasant boy, Pito, who loves a certain princess, and some very helpful monks. This story will entertain you as well as help you stop and relaxed let your mind travel to magical days.


Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing House, and Louis Sachar for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I featured The Magician of Tiger Castle in my August 2025 new releases video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq3pme6mIno&t=858s and though I have not read it yet, I am so excited to and expect 5 stars! I will update here when I post a follow up review or vlog.

As a former child(one of many!) I was excited to see Louis Sachar coming out with a fantasy novel for adults. I loved Holes and the Wayside School books, but unfortunately as an adult reader, I needed more from this book. While the characters/setting are unique and quirky, the plot failed to motivate me to keep reading. There is nothing 'wrong' with the writing - it is descriptive and believable, but there needed to be better hooks to keep readers engaged in the short and long term. There are probably many readers who will enjoy this story for what it is, but as a modern fairy tale for adults it fell short for me.

I love cozy fantasy and have a special soft spot for narrators who add their own commentary, so I was very excited for this book. And as an avid reader since 2002, I’ve read my fair share of Louis Sachar books. And in the nicest way possible, I think 10-year-old me would’ve been a more suited reader for this book.
The storyline for this book is just about as traditional as you can get for a fairytale story. The princess has been betrothed since she was 3, and now that she’s come of age, she’s fallen in love with a commoner and is refusing to get married to the 40-year-old man that bought her hand in marriage. Our narrator is the kingdom’s magician, Anatole, who is as snarky as he is clumsy, and has been tasked with drugging the princess into acquiescing to the wedding.
Despite the high stakes, the plot is very slow. The majority of the book is just Anatole reminiscing about his life, walking the reader through his many lotions, potions, and motions, and correlating everything to other historical events. The princess and her pauper were the two characters I cared about, and I was disappointed in their amount of time in the story. Instead, I was forced to read the 27th example of Anatole being a very disappointing main character.
If the only selling point about this book that attracted you was that it’s the same author as Holes, or that it’s a cozy fantasy book, I’d skip this. However, if you’re looking for a slightly-adult skewed fairytale, this would be a fun option!

Solid 4 stars.

I love Louis Sachar. My favorite childhood stories are from him, such as Holes and Sideways Stories from Wayside School. These stories had such a lasting impact on me that he will always hold a special place in my heart. Which is why I jumped on this ARC like a wild tiger. (Thank you to NetGalley)

Louis Sachar has this amazing ability to tell you exactly what is going to happen, but somehow you don't know that it is actively happening. He sets it up in the first chapter about how the entire story will go and the main points of it. I remember reading this but it doesn't all fall into place until you are at the moment. Sachar does purposely leave some things to the imagination or for you (the reader) to put together yourselves, and that is one of the things I love about him. He does it so effortlessly (or so it seems) and it just makes for a calming read.

I enjoyed this story. I know it's Sachar's first attempt at adult fiction, and it shows. I assumed that he would attack more adult themes in this story, and he does, but it's done in a childlike wonder. Almost like Anatole is looking back on his life with nostalgia, but he skips over more of the adult descriptions. He still skims over them like a children's book would. I imagine that's a difficult habit to crack and fear of going "too far" with it, but I was kind of hoping for that.

The few things I found disappointing where the lack of tigers. The title is the Magician of Tiger Castle and yes there was a tiger in a moat...but it was just that. A tiger in a moat. It didn't get much deeper than that. And yes, the story is about Anatole, but you can't dangle a tiger and not give me the description of it eating someone. I understand the story is much bigger than that, but still. You can't tease me with a tiger and not deliver.

This story gave me Romeo and Juliet vibes, but if there was a wizard with them. The Princess and the scholar are young, and I think that's were a lot of the child like vibes come from. Tullia is a 16 year old princess, full of teen angst and the "I'm an adult and I can do what ii want" attitude, while Pito is just a philosopher and preaches an 'ideal' world. Now add an arranged marriage and a wizard who is supposed to make sure it all goes off without a hitch, boom, we have a story.

I want to give it 5 stars because of my love for Sachar, but I don't feel like that would be fair here. I will still recommend it to people and I loved the story, but I feel like there could have been more for an adult fiction book. It still feels slightly juvenile, and that's ok. I, personally, just want more.

Our story begins as an immortal storyteller approaches tiger castle, and reminisces on his time as court magician 400 years ago. His story has it all - a headstrong princess, a dastardly prince, and lots of mice.

I am absolutely smitten with this book! It’s historical fantasy mixed with a fairy tale framing. It’s cozy and completely enchanting. Anatole’s story of love, mischief, and second chances sweeps you away immediately and doesn’t let you go. It reminds me so much of The Princess Bride in the way the tale is presented by a storyteller with a lot of heart and humour.

Anatole was the perfect storyteller. Sachar really imbued him with a great sense of people and describing their intricacies and personalities. This was beautiful and I immediately want to pick it up again for a second read.

I was really excited for this, and while the reading experience wasn't necessarily a let down (it is still a good book by a great author) it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I think the biggest thing was the tone of the book. This was marketed as an adult book, but at times it could feel very Middle Grade/Young Adult. Also, now I know this was a cozy low-stakes fantasy novel, but going into it I was expecting a little more umph from this narrative.

If you liked Holes and/or Wayside School by Louis Sachar you need to read this. It is a fun adult novel that has a Holes vibe, with a little bit of middle grade humor, it is written for adults and has complex but lovable characters. I have to confess I was waiting for a lovely wrap up like in Holes where everything was eventually related but, this didn't have that. A truly fun read for adults.

*Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way effects my opinion*

This was a low stakes cozy fantasy involving the life of magician Anatole. Anatole is the castles prodigy magician. But with every up, there where always be a downfall. After a long list of failures, Anatole is no longer the prodigy but the laughing stock of the castle. The King demands Anatole brew a potion to ensure his daughter agrees to a wedding so wants no part of. Is Anatole willing to risk the princesses betray or his reputation?

I never read Holes when I was younger so I'm not sure how the writing in this differs; however, I will say that it did feel like a fairytale while I was reading. I am a sucker for cozy fantasy but this sadly did not hit the mark for me. I didn't feel super connected to the characters which is a big reason I ended up rating this 3 stars.

The concept was interesting but I was expecting something.... different. To me, a magician is someone with some kind of magical powers. Anatole just felt like an alchemist. This is also considered a fantasy but I had a hard believing it was. For example, Anatole would state things he was concocting to treat different things but would later state something like "this is how penicillin was discovered". I just had a hard time believing if Anatole actually had "magical properties" or if he was just a "scientist" doing experiments. I'm not sure if that makes much sense.

I did love the banter between the characters. Those were some of my favorite parts. I also like how it's a story being told by the main character. It felt almost like reading a diary entry. And I'm disappointed in the ending. I was lots of unanswered questions.

With that being said, this was still a super interesting read. It's bad but it wasn't amazing either. It had it's own sort of magic to it. It's the perfect book if you want to just sit down and read for awhile but don't want to be stressing about anything bad happening!

The Magician of Tiger Castle was such a joyous reading experience that upon picking it up, I never put it back down again! I simply had to finish this story in one go. This tale of immortality, princesses, apothecaries, kings, and lost love, was like a warm cup of tea personified. The adventures of Tullia and Anatole were incredibly cozy, yet kept me GLUED to the page. The whimsy was strong, and will bring fans of the TV show Merlin RIGHT back to the feeling that the first season brings. The narration is silly, charming, and informative at that! This is a five star read for me, and a world that I am so happy to have gotten lost in. I’ll be recommending it to teens and adults alike at my library, as a quick little something to get totally lost in.

The news that Louis Sachar was writing his first fiction for adults put me over the moon. I enjoyed his middle grade Holes immensely—both sharing it with my boys when they were young and rereading it on my own once they were adults (perhaps my first read of 2019). [I found the Holes sequel, Small Steps, fun, but not extraordinary.]

It might be unfair of me to hold Sachar to the Holes standard for his adult debut . . . at least that's what I'm trying to convince myself. It's not at all long, but it felt long because I wasn't excited about picking it up for each reading opportunity. By the time I reached the quarter point, my overwhelming thought was that the humor was so immature that maybe Sachar was still writing with middle-graders in mind. Another sticking point for me was that Anatole (Natto, for short) explained too much to the reader, as if they hadn't learned anything about the development of science, printing, language, medicine, or history during their schooling. Just over the halfway point, the story takes a dramatic and dark turn, which improved my interest level a bit.

While the book includes some sex and violence, I don't think there's anything so severe in the The Magician of Tiger Castle that today's middle-graders would be alarmed. However, as always, I would advise parents to preview the story before making decisions appropriate to their own families.

My followers know that I sometimes say “I'm not mad that I read it.” This is one of those cases. I'm glad I read it once, but I don't expect to reread it. I hope Sachar will continue writing for adults—hopefully addressing his adult readers' concerns.

I think this book a very fun read. A lot of humor, intrigue, escapes and a few surprises, especially the ending. A book aimed at the tween and teen readers it was lighthearted and flowed smoothly from beginning to end. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and recommend it to other readers.

I was thrilled to read an ARC for this author, having loved several of his books in the past. For me, this was such a disappointment. For this to be an adult debut, the writing still felt very juvenile. I know that the main character is trying to tell us a story, but other authors have done similar things and still managed to have the main character tell the story in a way that makes us experience it instead of just being told. I feel like the characters lacked depth and were not characters that I could root for. I wanted to enjoy this story, but unfortunately, it fell very flat for me. I would try another adult work by this author, but as it stands right now, I like his juvenile works better.

The author of Holes has come out with his first adult fantasy novel! Though listed as adult, I felt it read more like a YA book - true, there were references to some rather raucous and scandalous situations, but overall, it's very mild compared to what you'd normally see in the adult market. The story itself was a cozy fairy tale filled with magic, real history and science, and adventures.

It did start out a little slow and took me a while to get into it. I think once I did though, it was hard to stop. Our narrator, the magician named Anatole, is confident and a little bit arrogant, but he is also humorous and self-deprecating enough so that we just can't help but like him. I found Thullia and Pito quite lovable, because despite what happens in the story (no spoilers!), you can see what a great match they are together. The adventures and magical mishaps and consequences were all quite fun to follow. I also loved all the history facts sprinkled in throughout the story!

I think if you go into this book expecting it to be an adult novel, you might be disappointed, and perhaps, that's why it took a while for me to get into the book. Once I accepted that it was not going to be a typical adult fantasy and to just read it and enjoy it as a fairy tale with romping adventures, it was easier to fall into the story. Once my expectations re-oriented, it made the read so much more enjoyable and fun, hard to put down, and made me laugh out loud at certain points!

I was given an eARC by NetGalley for an honest opinion. This book is released in a few days (August 5, 2025!) and if you enjoy fun fairy tale adventures and Sachar's writing in Holes, you'll like this one too!

As a child of the 80s, when I heard the beloved author of the Wayside books wrote an adult novel, I immediately had to know more. I'm absolute not a fantasy girlie, but I wanted to give this a chance, and I was pleasantly surprised. Well plotted and paced, the story kept me interested. The characters are well rounded and I generally liked the main character and his journey. While this wasn't something I would pick up if it were another author, I'm glad to see that Sachar still has magic in his writing.

This is my first time reading a cozy-fantasy and tbh I felt like yawning and bored because maybe I’m just not used to the idea of the book being low-action-packed or it really is boring. However, it had potential, storyline was great, I liked the setting, the magic, some of the characters.
The chapters were so short I can’t imagine I finished this book in one day, it’s a good escape, like a quiet life with some severe moments, calming yet stormy, I feel I would like to read this on a windy afternoon with a hot chocolate, yup, that’s the vibe, see? It’s a good book, the only thing I felt was boredom, the writing sometimes felt awesome and at other times it felt just immaturely dull. Maybe if I read this at a different time or if I felt that I want to read a breezy book, then yes, I guess I would pick this up.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of a honest review.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for this arc.


Anatole, the magician, is the first person narrator of the story and at first I liked him. But then he, for Reasons, needs to brew up a potion to remove the princess's memories of someone she loves whom she can't be allowed to love. To do that he must first develop the potion by testing it on someone else while fending off snide attacks by another courtier.


There's an awful lot of this potion testing stuff. At first it is fun. Watching his developing friendship with the guinea pig potion tester is nice. But no matter the reason, he's working on something to give the princess that will take her memories away. In order not to mess with the intended result, he also doesn't tell her what he's actually doing. Let that sink in. And she's not the only person whose memories are being erased in this increasingly meandering section. Then all hell breaks loose. Not leaving would have been bad but after they left, not one thought is ever spared for the people of this country. Yeah the king and queen are assholes but what about the little people who will suffer?


As the book goes on, the less I like Anatole. He's a coward which he admits. He also decides to do something, not to save the princess, but to get revenge for himself. At one point he relates how he once shut down a woman's (supposed) sexual advances and was then in her bad graces and says something like "a woman might forgive an unwanted advance but she'll never forgive being spurned." So a woman might forgive being assaulted but will hate a man forever if he ignores her? F*ck that.


Let me also say I am not very impressed with some of the reckless actions of our trio of Anatole, the princess, and the scribe after their escape. Anatole admits they were probably rash but then basically shrugs that off. The relationship between the princess and the scribe might have started in the vein of the princess bride but quickly switched to much bickering and sniping - which is definitely not banter - or much fun to read. Based on how the book starts and the conceit that is quickly revealed, I expected more of a wrap up in the end. What I get is not worth the wait. Like, what happened? Where are the resolutions?


This is more of a dark book trying to add some coziness and ending up in a bit of a mess. It's a fast read, though it rambles a lot, and I liked it at the start but having finished it and thought more about it, the less impressed I am. In the end, there's just not really a plot or a point to it all. C-/D

Anatole is failing at figuring out how to turn sand into gold when the king asks him to brew a potion to help the princess agree to an arranged marriage to a man she detests. What follows is a tale of his escape from the castle to avoid death. Sachar's first adult book isn't too demanding of the reader and has a cozy feel to it.