fav character: Seung
fav quote: “Anger is the right response to injustice.”

4.5⭐️

i LOVED this book. the story is based off of the authors’ grandparents and how they met/loved but thrown into fiction/fantasy!
Seung and Eunji are such strong characters in their own way and came from incredibly different lives so learning how they come together (and how it is written so) is amazing
the plot itself with a government trying to take over the entire place and having a rebel group and people are terrified to say no to anyone in power??? i hate it but i LOVE it
the ending chapter seemed to tie some things together so i get that an epilogue was a good idea, however, im not totally sure how i feel about it. are we getting a second book? do we get anymore of our favorite characters??

overall, definitely something i would recommend to people who enjoy books with fiction/light fantasy, injustice but overcoming it, mild friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, and Korean history.

Set in a world where magic and history collide, The Last Tiger follows two teenagers, Lee Seung and Choi Eunji as they navigate forbidden relationships, unlikely friendships, betrayal, and dangerous secrets.

The story unfolds in a colonized land where tigers are hunted to extinction and ancient magic is stirring. During the hunt for the last tiger, Seung and Eunji's relationship becomes complicated, and they end up on opposite sides of a battle for freedom. Blending fantasy with historical settings inspired by the true stories of the authors' grandparents, the novel offers a unique and immersive backdrop as the characters discover their own inner strength and the power to shape their futures.

While the magic and fantasy elements were intriguing, they often fell flat for me. I was hoping for more depth and excitement in the magical moments, but instead, they felt somewhat dull and underwhelming. The pacing also struggled, with conversations between characters frequently feeling lifeless. The sudden shifts from casual exchanges to major plot points were jarring—one moment, the dialogue would feel light and unimportant, and the next, a major development would unfold without much buildup. This inconsistency in tone and pacing made it difficult to fully connect with the stakes of the story.

Overall, while I enjoyed the characters and the setting, the pacing issues and underwhelming magic system kept the book from being a favorite. I gave it 3.5 stars because, even with its flaws, I still very much enjoyed it and would recommend to certain audiences.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc through NetGalley! All opinions are my own honest opinions.

This was such a fantastic debut! The courage and resilience to takes to be the voice of a people and to stand up for them, to enact real change, is immense. This was a great read!

The Last Tiger by Julia and Brad Riew is a young adult fantasy novel inspired by the authors' family histories during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It tells the story of two teenagers: Lee Seung, a servant with dreams of freedom, and Choi Eunji, a noble girl defying societal expectations. Set in a world where tigers—symbols of magic and independence—are nearly extinct, the pair must confront their own differences as they become entangled in a struggle over the last tiger. The novel beautifully intertwines themes of love, identity, and resistance against oppression, blending historical elements with magical realism. content mentions blood stabbing forced marriage.

The Last Tiger by Julia Riew and Brad Riew is a touching and beautifully written story, inspired by their grandparents' love story. The way the authors blend that personal history with folklore is incredibly well done—heartfelt and seamless.

At its core, it's about two teens from completely different worlds—Lee Seung, a servant dreaming of freedom, and Choi Eunji, a noble girl pushing back against tradition. Their relationship shifts and evolves—first as allies, then adversaries—finding themselves on opposing sides in a conflict centered on the last tiger.

The book is split into three acts: Jeong explores their budding relationship, Nunchi focuses on their personal growth, and Han brings everything together, highlighting the emotional weight of their shared grief and the wider conflict. The first act is a slower build, laying the groundwork for their relationship, while the second and third acts pick up the pace and pack more of an emotional punch.

The historical backdrop of colonized Korea adds so much depth, and the symbolism of the last tiger gives the story real heart. The authors approached Korean history and culture with deep care and respect since it is a personal story. The political tension between the Tiger People and the Dragon People felt meaningful and relevant, adding another thoughtful layer to the story. These were the strongest parts of the book—it has a ton of emotional resonance.

Kenzo and Jin, as side characters had super compelling backstories. Kenzo especially feels like a character who deserves more page time—I’d love to read more about him. I also wish the concept of Ki had been explored more deeply, since it played a significant role in the story and could’ve used a bit more explanation.

Overall, it was a really good story, and while I wished we could see more emotional background of why the Ki's were chosen specifically, and some more character development. It's worth checking out.

A retelling of the Korean liberation from Japan, set in a fantasy world in which the Tiger Kingdom has been colonized by the Dragon Empire. Eunji is a rich girl; whose parents directly serve the Dragon Empire and the governor who controls their home. Seung is a servant boy who rapidly becomes disillusioned with the fact he can never climb the ladder or ever be seen as equal to the Dragon people. A tale of resistance against colonization, what it takes for your oppressors to see you as human, and how far one would go to save their people. It’s a direct parallel and fantastical retelling of the authors’ grandparents’ love story, with quotes from their grandparents at the beginning of each chapter. I thought this was such a unique premise to retell your family’s love story and people’s fight for freedom. Jin was the best side character ever and her story broke my heart. Kenzo was also there, as a side character. It felt like the authors wanted us to start liking Kenzo, but I just couldn’t even. My only criticisms were the authors trying to convince me to like Kenzo after he was manipulative and cruel the entire story and how fast everything moved at the end. Very unique story!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars)

The Last Tiger by Julia Riew and Brad Riew offers a thought-provoking exploration of occupation, identity, and survival against the backdrop of Korea’s history. The story follows two young people from different walks of life, Seung and Eunji, as they navigate the hardships of a tumultuous era. The historical context is fascinating, and I appreciated the personal connection the authors clearly have to the subject matter, which adds depth and sincerity to the narrative.

The writing is strong in places, and the setting is vividly brought to life, evoking a palpable sense of time and place. Some moments in the book truly landed emotionally, particularly in the way the authors portrayed the struggle for survival and the quiet acts of resistance. However, I found it challenging to connect with the characters at first. While their arcs were compelling, their motivations sometimes felt rushed or not fully explored. The pacing, particularly in the second half, was uneven, leaving me feeling like the build-up was leading to something powerful but ultimately didn’t quite reach its potential.

Despite its flaws, The Last Tiger is a solid historical fiction read with a unique focus on a lesser-known chapter of Korea's past. It’s not a book I’d return to, but it’s worth picking up for those interested in character-driven historical narratives.

For a debut story, this author duo did a decent job! What initially drew me to this book was inspiration behind them writing this - the grandparents’ love story and that this was a fictional story of it. I did enjoy the story, and it did pull me in enough to want to keep reading even when I didn’t really have the time. I found the world, the magical powers of ki, and the animal spirits really interesting! I would have love to learn more about them all in the book, but it’s felt more like a surface-level type thing.

I went into this knowing it was YA, but it was a bit younger than I was originally anticipating. I think there are younger YA readers that would enjoy the story for what it is.

Overall, it was an entertaining read. I did find there were times where phrases or words threw me out of the fantasy world the authors were trying to create.

I love how this book blends fantasy with reality, weaving two stories into one. Each chapter starts with an email excerpt from the author’s grandparents, whose love story inspired the book, adding a deeply personal touch that in a way made me think of The Notebook. Additionally, certain elements reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender, especially the Avatar State, while the overall feel of the story gave me strong Mulan and Aladdin vibes. It hits that perfect mix of nostalgia, adventure and romance, taking my imagination for a ride.

Now the pacing starts off a bit slow but builds as the story progresses. And although it’s told from two POVs, the transitions between them are smooth and never pulled me out of the narrative.

This book was such a lovely surprise to me.

It's not easy to come across a korean historical fantasy and especially one that clearly takes advantage of all the beautiful korean myths, historical intrigues and the most extensive issues of Japan colonization. It had everything in just 320pages and it somehow it worked pretty well.

The story follows Seung a commoner whose family live in complete proverty and struggle to survive under the oppressive rule of the Dragon Kingdom. Then we have Eunji from a yangban, nobility, family with privilege tho as a girl with no "voice" she feels trapped and yearns for freedom.

As we follow each character through their own povs we get to see the differences social class and gender plays in this society and how it shape their lives as individuals.

The story revolves around the themes of identity, loyalty, power and survival
It's a wonderful story and even more beautiful since its based by authors grandparents.

However, there were some issues, in terms of world building. I feel like magic system could have been bit more deeply crafted. I also struggled with certain language details as "dude" "buddy" and "thumbs up" since its a historical period of a culture so particular those words just put me off.


Thanks to Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really interesting. It’s different from what I usually read but I enjoyed some parts of it. I loved that it was inspired by the authors’ grandparents love story, that was very heartwarming. This is a solid debut novel but I would’ve liked more showing and less telling.

I actually liked this one more than I thought I would when I realized it was YA (which is totally my bad - I didn't realize that until I was actively reading). I thought the story was really sweet, and knowing it's based on the author's grandparents is a huge draw. It definitely read as YA, which isn't really my cup of tea, but I can see how the younger generation would like this. My rating is based on the understanding of the intention and target market. The story was beautiful and the pacing was good - so all in all, an enjoyable read for someone that's more of the YA target age.

3.5/5

a powerful novel that introduces very complex, dark, and heavy topics to younger audiences. reviewing from the perspective of the 12 and up intended audience, i think this story will be captivating to them -- it has many twists and turns and very fast pace. i thought this was a well done and very tasteful depiction of colonialization that clearly depicts the realities of these situations from the points of view of many times of people.

i was initially drawn to this because it was a retelling of the authors' grandparents love story and while reading i wished that they had presented it without the fantasy component. HOWEVER i agree with the decision to add it as it makes for a more palatable read to its intended younger audience. the key distinction i need to make is that some critiques this novel may receive some from the perspective of a review for a book written for adults. if that is what you are looking for, this is not it. it is critical to remember that it is meant for YOUNG ADULTS.

i feel as though there was some disconnect between the seung and eunji's perspectives. at times i felt that their stories had strayed so far apart that it felt like 2 books in one as opposed to one cohesive narrative. the relationship between seung and eunji was very sweet but felt a bit flat at times. jin was the character with the most depth to me and i wish the others got more of that.

overall, a book i would certainly recommend as a description of colonization and learning the history of korea to those who may not be as familiar.

thank you netgalley for the arc!

I have so much to say, everything good though., from the way authors mixed fantasy with historical fiction and events.
The plot was fast paced and both the main characters were incredibly written, and the romance had my heart warming. One of my favorite part was the little anecdotes by their grand parents before each episode.

*The Last Tiger* by Julia Riew is a touching story about a young girl struggling to balance her family’s traditions with her own dreams. As she learns more about her culture, she discovers the importance of being true to herself. The writing is beautiful, and the characters are easy to connect with. The book explores themes of identity, family, and courage, making it a great read for anyone looking for an emotional and thought-provoking story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kokila for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This books is a great concept, covering a harrowing period of time, but I felt there was way too much "telling" and not enough "showing" when it came to the storytelling - this impacted the prose style heavily, so I sadly had to DNF.

If it sounds interesting to you, check it out because you might enjoy it.

In a colonized land where tigers are being hunted to extinction - the story follows Lee Seung, a servant yearning for freedom, and Choi Eunji, a noble girl defying tradition; and how they join forces to reshape their fates.

The plot is rooted on /han/ and colonization - the oppression from the colonizer and the privileged which unbury the common grief and therefore, rebellious essence. Seung is the typical heroic character whom one easily root for, yet the most interesting aspect is the character arc of Eunji, the youngest daughter of one of the most powerful families and especially, the side characters, whose characterization acquire further importance throughout the novel.

Inspired by the author's grandparents love story, the plot is a parallel of the Japanese-occupied Korea, which the alternation between real-life letters (opening the chapters) and fantastical elements adds a spark to this part of Korean history. I always appreciate the folkloric touch, manifested through Korean mythological creatures symbolizing each colony.

The plot moves quick and escalates towards the end (it might be a bit too much happening) - I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters and wanted more of the backstories. The ending, while satisfying, tied up too nicely.

This is about unlikely alliances, loyalty, survival and power - with the characters with their own mission, what's the cost of freedom?

"True power comes from making your own choices."

THE LAST TIGER is a compelling Korean historical fantasy with friends-to-enemies-to-lovers love story. I thought it was rich and well-done.

I recall seeing the author post on tik tok how she is writing the book with her brother about their grandparents and I was hooked right away. I already have this book preordered and have no intention of cancelling it after reading the ARC. It was a unique way to read the love story of their grandparents. I really liked how the story changed perspectives. The setting of the book is during a pretty tense period historically so I was curious how the author would write it out. I wish there was more world building to this book and better connections to fantasy and life experience from the grandparents (two young main characters). I think it has A LOT of potential. I would def gift this to my niece or nephew (middle school/early high school) I think it works well for the teen audience. I would check this book out!!!

3.5 stars!
I've been a fan of Julia Riew's since discovering her from her song 'Dive' a few years back. So, when I heard that she was writing a book with her brother, I was immediately interested.
This was a good debut, and I liked how the story was based on real events that the authors' grandparents lived through. The direct quotes before each chapter were a great insight into their lives as well. I do think this book would be great for readers transitioning from middle grade to YA, as the writing style reminded me of some middle grade books I really enjoy.
I'm giving the book this rating mostly due to the fact that I only got truly interested in the story 50% into the book, and I found the romance to be a little lacking. I did like the realism of the ending (not everything is perfect and happy), though I do want to know the fates of some of the other characters.

I have mixed emotions over this book. I was intrigued by the concept and inspiration of the book because it is a fictionalized retelling of the love story between the authors’ grandparents. The book begins with the explanation, as well as an excerpt from an email from their grandfather asking them to write a fantasy version of what they had been through. The story itself is a thinly veiled fantasy setting of Japanese occupied Korea and the staggering differences between social classes. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from their grandparents’ perspectives - these were more interesting and captivating than the novel itself. The fantasy setting was so light and the magic system not well explained or executed. It felt like a disservice to the actual events because it was such a thin layer of fantasy. However, I understand if that is what their grandparents wanted I can see why the authors leaned into some fantasy - it just felt out of place. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it left out the fantasy aspects and dug deeper into the motivations of the characters. Either that or they needed to lean much harder into the fantasy side of things - the in between made it feel like the worldbuilding and the characters were left two dimensional rather than the deep, poignant love story they wanted to share. Overall it is still an interesting story - I just wish the story was executed better. Thank you to NetGalley for and Penguin Group / Penguin Young Readers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. These thoughts and opinions are my own - and I hope you enjoy The Last TIger more than I did!