I absolutely loved this story, and the real life love that inspired it was chefs kiss. The difference in societal class, the expectations, family pressure are real life elements embedded in this magical story. I looked forward to the beginning of each chapter and when you read story, you will understand. I loved the characters even though they were young people I felt like they were old souls. I love the element of the tiger and the representation of it, I wish I had Tiger ki in real life. It was an adventure reading this book. I want to thank @NetGalley, @penguinteen, and the authors brother and sister duo @juliariew and @Bradriew for allowing me to read this valiant book in advance.

eARC Review: The Last Tiger (by Julia and Brad Riew)
Rating: ★★★½

As a fan of Korean dramas, I was really looking forward to The Last Tiger and it definitely gave off major historical K-drama vibes. The premise of a noble girl falling in love with a servant boy instantly reminded me of the K-drama, Mr. Sunshine, which I loved. I was also excited to check this out because I’d heard Julia Riew worked in theatre, and the fact that the story was inspired by the authors’ grandparents’ love story made it even more special.

That said, I have to admit the pacing was kind of all over the place. It started out fast, then the middle part slowed down a lot. I found myself skimming a few chapters because they were heavy on internal monologue. While I get that those parts were important for character development, I think I would’ve appreciated it more if the story had been told in just one POV. The dual perspective sometimes broke the flow and made it harder to stay fully immersed.

Still, the world was really atmospheric, the fantasy elements were unique, and I did enjoy the emotional depth. If you like historical YA fantasy with a hint of romance and cultural inspiration, this one’s worth checking out.

Special thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the eARC!

I came across the authors on Tiktok and needed to read their Korean enemies-to-lovers historical fantasy. While the romance, queer rep, and story were great, I was a bit let down by the comparrisons. It was compared to The Fifth Season, both of which are high fantasy. So I was a bit disappointed that this is more on the YA side. But it is perfect for fans of YA romantasy and the elemental dystopia is very relevant. Thanks to PRH and NetGalley for the ARC.

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♟️Rating: 1.5/5⭐
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Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review!

Let's just start off this review by saying that my disappointment was immeasurable. I had high hopes for the premise since it was based off the authors' grandparents' story during the war, which was one of the main reasons why I picked up this book. However, reading this novel doesn't feel like reading someone's anecdote or a well-recounted one in the form of historical fiction. In a nutshell, this book had a good premise but awful execution.

The writing took me out of the world for the most part since the words used often felt jarring to the context. For instance, the characters would use words like 'relaaax', 'pro', 'snitch', and 'gonna' when these characters are meant to be a reflection of the people living in the 20th century. Not going to lie, reading these conversations is giving me flashbacks to bad Disney films. Case in point: I seriously can't imagine my grandparents using such words when we meet up. If my grandfather ever used these words, I would just stare at him for a straight minute. Moving on, this book overused onomatopoeia to the point where it's almost as hilarious as watching Death Note. At some instances, the authors also capitalise the sound effects, so it's written as "CLANG! CLANG!" or "BANG! BANG! BANG!". Well, I don't think this needs any further explanation when almost every sound is written in this manner. It's also partly because this book over-relies on a lot of telling, where almost every character's emotions, actions and motives were written out explicitly. For instance, "A hopelessness tugging down on her soul . . ." And "The black cloud enveloping Jin fades for a moment. A single, yellow-orange ray of hope peeks through the cloud, illuminating her face." Listen up; I don't need to have everything explicitly spelt out for me. And all of these metaphors are giving me primary/elementary school writing phrases flashbacks. The metaphors used aren't even interesting but rather a literal repeat of the character's emotions. (Eg : rust-red anger)
Even though this book is marketed as a YA book, it feels very much like a middle-grade book (I'm looking at KOTLC series), but then again, I have probably read much better books written by middle-grade authors.

Moving onto the characters! *sighs* Where do I even begin? This story is written in a dual POV but the voices of both characters feel so similar that at times I end up forgetting which character's pov I'm reading from. Seung's POV was definitely more bearable than Eunji's POV. Eunji is portrayed as someone who is very sheltered and bratty which I wouldn't have minded if there was a character arc at the end. However, we saw none of that. Eunji kept making questionable decisions which were clearly for the sake of the plot. She kept on believing that her oppressors would free her as she listened to them (I'm guessing this is to allude to propaganda) even though she had literally witnessed the consequences numerous times after listening to them. This made her a frustrating read.

Seung was OK I guess, but I found his character boring, which was such a shame since he's clearly based off the author's grandfather, and I definitely enjoyed reading their grandfather's anecdotes even though they were pretty short. Seung's personality felt plain, and I feel that their grandfather's determination wasn't really shown through him. For the most part, it feels like Seung was dragged along for the sake of the plot rather than him actively seeking out something. At one point, Seung self-praised himself for being determined even though he has done nothing at all. The only character I found mildly interesting was Kenzo, but his character arc was super rushed. For the most part, most of these characters feel like 12-14 years old kids even though they are literally 18. When I read Pachinko, where we follow Sunja, who is also a teenager, I can really see her quiet determination in trying to raise her family by taking in numerous jobs despite not being in the front lines. We don't see any of that here in The Last Tiger even though they are supposedly on a 'high stakes' mission. I don't think the authors managed to capture the bleakness, bitterness and struggles the people faced during this time period. (I will talk more abt it later)

And honestly, don't even get me started on the love triangle. I mean, it's obvious who Eunji is going to end up with, but when Eunji spends most of the middle-end portion of the book with Kenzo, they ultimately made a more interesting pair when Seung literally disappeared from Eunji's life for the most part. Jin is a rebel leader in this story with a traumatic past. There was a scene where she started talking about her traumatic past, but I found it insensitive when the authors didn't give her the nuances and grace that she deserves.

Honestly speaking, I don't think the authors needed to make such drastic changes to their grandparent's story. The anecdotes at the start of every chapter honestly felt more interesting to me than the story itself. For most part, the plot felt draggy at times, and the themes were either quickly glanced over or heavy-handed, leaving little room for contemplation. The ending was pretty rushed and felt like a deus ex machina as the oppressors suddenly fled and everyone is happy again because "forgiveness and people can change!" I don't think this book gives enough nuances to show the struggles and losses the actual people had to go through in order to get liberated. The lack of accountability the coloniser and collaborators face also baffles me. Of course, it's not my place to decide if I should forgive the colonisers my ancestors lived through, but at least I can acknowledge the atrocities of their actions.

All in all, this was a pretty disappointing and frustrating read for me. I really wanted to like this work since it seemed so earnest. I highly recommend checking out the interview (Life As A "Comfort Woman") by Asian Boss, which I feel would do more justice to Jin's character.

The Last Tiger is haunting, urgent, and deeply human. Julia Días delivers a story that feels both intimate and expansive—a powerful reflection on extinction, identity, and what it means to be the last of something.

With prose that cuts and lingers, this book explores survival in its rawest form—not just in the wild, but in memory, myth, and the quiet corners of grief. The emotional weight sneaks up on you, and by the end, it’s impossible to look away.

Heartbreaking and breathtaking in equal measure—this is not just a story you read, it’s one you carry.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC! And all my love to the very talented authors!

Wow, I'm not sure how to put this into words—I'm in awe of this book. I think the most important stories are the ones that are shaped by truth. The Last Tiger is so many truths in one: it's an homage to storytelling, to one's ancestors. It's a retelling of one of Korea's darkest time periods, rooted in folklore. It's a tale of love, perseverance, and the power of hope. There's not many fiction books I read where I come out feeling deeply moved and inspired, and I think that's a testament to the authors' skills.

You can feel the deep love and care poured into each page—especially knowing the inspiration behind the story. I truly mean it when I say that, as a writer, this is the type of story I aspire to be able to write. A creation that will exist on it's own, but will always be intricately linked to me and my life experience.

Everything element in this book felt well fleshed out and crafted, especially the characters. I was so impressed at how complex each of them were—how they wrote such real, evolving people who are full of pain and grief, but exist outside of struggling. And we get to watch them learn the different ways to find hope while growing up under authoritative rule. Great authors can write loveable characters that you can't help but root for, even when they're making the wrong choice.

I really could gush about this book for pages on pages! Big contender for best book of 2025 for me. I also blog on Instagram @alavenderlibrary

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It is a re-imagining of the author's grandparents and how they fell in love with little excerpts from them sprinkled throughout the book with some fantastical elements as well. It also deals with historical elements from when Korea was invaded by the Japanese and under their reign until the 1940s and the consequences of cultural assimilation and political/economic power struggles.

It is a YA novel that tied in all of the elements well, and we do get a friends to enemies to lovers trope, which was executed well. The characters were all interesting, and it really made you root for Eujin and Seung. I am definitely interested to see what else the author has in store!

The best stories are those inspired by the ones we love. They do transcend and can really grip others in a way that the will be able to relate deeply. The authors personal family history woven in with a fictional fantasy world, and culture really worked here. I enjoyed and think this is a well written YA with a slightly slow pace but the great characters, and plot twists made up for it.

THIS WAS AMAZING!!!! AS AMAZING I HAD HOPED IT WOULD BE!!!!

This is a story inspired by the authors' grandparents love story, and the authentic, genuine emotional waterfall bled through the words and pages. The longing and love while desperately trying to survive was unmistakable and resonated with me so much. We have friends to enemies to lovers romance and forbidden starcrossed romance! And I'm going to cry again because this was sooo good.

It is inspired by Korean history, and tigers sympolize the heart of the nation, which is true in Korea. Dragons may symbolize the royal bloodline, and tigers do represent the nation's beating heart. I loved how the authors wove this true element and made it into a fantasy element. The book also explores colonization and oppression, and they portrayed it so well. I'm a Korean history buff, so I was so impressed and in awe of everything. The authors didn't make a single wrong move here.

Romance? PERFECTION. Fantasy? PERFECTION. You all need to read this book!!!!

I think this story had a lot of potential. But it was just lacking so much that I was so uninterested. Lacking in what? It just felt like a lot of it was immature writing -- like a 12 year old. I really did try my best to look at the bright side of things, like the cultural awareness and history of the plot. The true story behind this one sounds beautiful, but it was just not working for me. I really hope though that the author continues to write and share stories.

While this one had a descent plot, pretty good world building and interesting characters, I think I was a bit disappointed because it didnt deliver what was promised 😅
When I saw it promoted I was told it would be an incredible love story where a man (inspired by the authors grandfather) would fight with everything he had to not only help his people but to stay with the woman he loved.
Instead I get a "couple" who dont actually spend all that much time together on the page and who seem more like enemies than lovers. Also the FMC's selfishness and willingness to do evil made me angry 😅 which then made me NOT want the couple to end up together 😂
But again, the actual journey and the mythical aspects behind the Tigers fascinated me. I felt for the tigers so much 😭
So while the "romance" didnt do it for me or the FMC, I think others (especially fans of enemies to lovers) will really enjoy this story 😊

This was a really fun and exciting read! It was special seeing that it was inspired by a true love story between the authors’ grandparents, and I liked that some of their actual messages to each other were included. I loved the fantasy element in the book with the ki, and there were some fun twists with the different ways powers manifested across characters. I also felt that the historical aspects were handled really well, and I learned a lot. The writing was solid, with vivid descriptions and well-developed characters. I was rooting for them and loved seeing the friendships and relationships develop between the characters throughout their adventure. The themes were a little heavy-handed at times, but they did come through clearly and that might work well for a YA audience. I also felt that the main conflict wrapped up a little quickly in the epilogue, but overall, I feel like there are a lot of fun possibilities to be explored with the story and the ki powers, and I’d love to see where the story goes next! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

4/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, forbidden romance, romantasy

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 6/4 and will be posted to Instagram 6/17 and to my review blog 6/19.

This book was entertaining, but it reads a little young. Eunji and Seung are supposed to be (I think) 17/18 years old, but their interactions by and large don't read like people who are entering adulthood. Eunji I can at least understand, she's been sheltered her entire life and hasn't really had a chance to interact with other people her age. Seung, however, doesn't have that excuse, and has moments when he feels his age and moments when he feels much younger.

I would also definitely classify this as romantasy. There's little in the way of plot aside from Seung and Eunji growing close and falling in love. The occupation of Tiger lands and the resistance against said occupation is a footnote for most of the story, only becoming prominent in the last quarter of the book. While reluctant heroes have always been a thing in literature, I would've expected Seung to be a little more enthusiastic about resisting the Dragon regime, considering his stance on his and his family's lives.

The first portion of the book is focused on Seung studying for the imperial exam. Eunji acts as his tutor and helps him catch up to where he might be able to get a passing score. In exchange, Seung shows Eunji around Kidoh and she gets to live on her own terms for once. I wish we got to see more of them together during this period because it feels like it's largely glossed over. They meet and go on a few adventures, and then suddenly it's eight months later and they're great friends.

Likewise, the second portion of the book picks up after a year has passed. Eunji is finishing up her final exam at the academy and preparing to graduate, and we get told all sorts of cool stuff about her training, but we never actually get to see any of it. I would've liked to see the academy and the hard work Eunji puts into being the top of her class rather than just being told about it.

This kind of speediness also carries through into the quest portion of the book, where Seung and Jin are trying to bring the last tiger to a sacred place while Eunji and Kenzo are trying to find the last tiger for their own means. This 'quest' only takes about 3 days and honestly doesn't seem to be that hard. I really struggled with the stakes at this point in the book and felt like things were just too easy. It was kind of boring, actually. I wanted more tension, more stakes.

Seung is a cleaner for the Choi family, and then later follows in his father's footsteps and becomes a miner, and is someone who yearns for a better life. He sees the inequality of society and rails against it, and against the people who benefit from it. Over the course of the book, his views develop more nuance and comes to understand the various situations people are in that might lead them to certain decisions. I feel like he mellows out quite a bit over the course of the book, and would've liked to see a little more fire.

Eunji is someone who doesn't know her own privilege. She's unable to leave her parents' estate unless escorted by someone, so she's had very little chance to see the outside world and doesn't quite realize that being stifled isn't exactly the same thing as being starved. Like Seung, though, she does learn and comes to understand what's been happening to Tiger people under Dragon rule. Despite that, she's still quite ignorant and naive, and has a very childlike view of things (she wants power, not necessarily to help people but so she can be free and be with Seung). She did something particularly irritating toward the end of the book and I wanted to yell at her. It's Eunji's way or the highway.

I actually think the side characters had more compelling stories here. Jin is a resistance fighter against the Dragon regime. I didn't like her at first, she's got quite the attitude and a rather unhelpful disposition, but once she and Seung are properly introduced, her character grew on me. Jin's seen and experienced a lot of terrible things and is very righteously angry. She's also very tired. The last tiger is really a last ditch effort for her to win against the Dragon regime, but she's already been through so much she doesn't seem to want to hope.

Kenzo is the son of General Isao and also was not someone I particularly liked. He stays unlikeable for roughly the same amount of time Jin does, and once he and Eunji set off on their adventure, I begin liking him more. He has a complicated past, and while there isn't too much room for him to grow here (though he does!), I could definitely see him having a super interesting arc if the book went more in depth with him.

The book feels somewhat unfinished. I know this is telling the story of the authors' grandparents, but Eunji seems to have started to have feelings for both Seung and Kenzo, and that indecision doesn't particularly feel resolved by the end of the book. It's just kind of there, and she ignores it, and gets with Seung, but it doesn't feel satisfying as a reader because there was tension there that never got resolved.

I will say, something else that contributes to the book's younger feeling is the message it seems to tell. 'Everyone is human' is a good message...the peace and love Seung seems to want for everyone is less good. Seung, like Jin, starts off resenting anyone who represents the Dragon regime and develops nuance over the course of the book. Eunji and Kenzo go a ways to humanizing the enemy and showing not everyone is bad. At the same time, people like Officer Hiyoshi and General Isao still exist and should still pay for their crimes, even if they say sorry. And what about Eunji's father? Both Eunji and Seung come to understand that people put in tough situations sometimes make bad choices, but do regret and desperation erase the harm that was caused? In my view, no. You can be in a terrible situation and do terrible things to survive, and while that's understandable, it does not absolve you. The way the ending is written kind of glosses over all the bad things that happened to people in favor of 'well everyone's human, hopefully the victims remember that.'

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, Lee Seung, a poor boy and Choi Eunji, a rich girl from a collaborating family, meet and have adventures. Those adventures turn deadly when Seung learns that the tigers that are being exterminated contain the magic of his country.
I was very interested at first but lost interest at around 40%. I didn’t fully connect with the characters and the ending was a bit jumbly. Drama was happening but I didn’t feel it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this DRC.
#TheLastTiger #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book and learning more about the history behind it. At some points I had a hard time understanding the perspective and the death of tigers was a bit of a trigger. Overall, it was a great read and I would recommend it to my students.

I'm newer to the sci-fi/fantasy world and found that books stemming from Asian cultures in this genre are some of my favorite. This one fit the bill for me!

While this does read like a young adult novel, it keeps things clear and concise. Sometimes what I don't like about fantasy is a too-complex world building which this avoids.
The Last Tiger combines forbidden love, magical powers, adventure, finding oneself and coming of age into one masterful story.

I love that the authors based a fiction story on their grandparents real story. It was interesting to see snippets of the real story at the start of every chapter.

This is not a book to just read and forget about, but one that will stick with me for a long time coming.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Kokila for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Tiger presents an intriguing premise rooted in Korean mythology and a colonial setting, centering on themes of freedom, identity, and resistance. The characters, especially Lee Seung and Choi Eunji, have moments of depth and complexity, and their evolving relationship adds emotional weight to the story.

That said, the pacing at times feels uneven, which affects the overall momentum and engagement. Some plot points and character motivations could have been developed more fully to create a stronger emotional connection. While the world-building is creative and immersive, certain elements feel underexplored or rushed.

In summary, the book offers a meaningful message and an interesting mythological backdrop, but the narrative doesn’t always fully deliver on its potential. It’s a decent read for those interested in stories about identity and cultural resistance, but it left me wanting a bit more in terms of character depth and plot cohesion.

Historical fantasy portraying the occupation of the Tiger Kingdom by the Dragon Kingdom, that somewhat reflects the Japanese occupation of Korea. I liked getting to see various sides of the situation: rich, sheltered girl, daughter of a collaborator; poor boy whose life is mostly a struggle to survive while maintaining his integrity; abused orphan girl determined to change her world. I thought the characters were well-developed and the plot was good. I also enjoyed the fantasy elements.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

it was not exactly what I expected and you could tell this was a debut novel from the writing. I appreciate the effort and work that went into writing this book as I know it is also based on the writers grandparents story. The world building was immersive

I was given the opportunity to meet the authors of The Last Tiger at Yallwest and it was such a privilege! They were so kind and you could definitely tell that they were siblings!! The Last Tiger is a book that was based off of their grandparents love story that Julia and Brad decided to change to a YA fantasy and I have to say that it works really well. I like the way that the book was written and I appreciate the pacing of the story. I can't wait to read more from this writing duo!