Thank you so much for the arc!

I was so excited about this one after learning that it is inspired by the authors’ grandparents’ love story and their resilience during one of the darkest times of Korean history - when Japan occupied Korea. And it exceeded all my expectations! ⁣
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I enjoyed reading all the letters from the authors’ grandparents in the opening of each chapter. It made it all the more raw and real for me. ⁣
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I loved the meet cute between Seung and Eunji and it was nice to see how they taught each other that you can still feel trapped and barely surviving even though you are in a different ruling class. It’s not all rainbow and sunshine even if you’re rich! ⁣
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I was rooting for their love story and I was even feeling torn for Kenzo 🙈🙈⁣
I had to keep in mind that this is YA so the love story might not be too deep but I did feel for Seung and Eunji. They are both strong, brave and great people.
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The fantasy element with the ki powers was so epic! I loved getting to know each power and how people used them either for good or for evil! ⁣
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Overall, I really had a great time reading this one, in just two sittings too! I highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley, Kokila, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Last Tiger now.

Julia and Brad Riew did a wonderful job integrating their grandparents' iconic love story into a YA fantasy novel based on Korean history and mythology. I loved the snippets of their actual storytelling, as well as the way the beginning of the book depicts the clear class difference between our protagonists and how impossible their love affair seems. Eunji and Seung had a sweet friendship that slowly turned into something more, until circumstances pushed them apart.

While the rebellion plotline and hunt for the last tiger were intriguing, I ultimately wish we'd been able to see Eunji and Seung spend a bit more time together throughout the middle and end of the book. It would've made the ending a tad more believable, especially when Kenzo started to make an impression on Eunji while they hunted the tiger together.

But overall, this was a quick and entertaining YA fantasy!

It’s been 40 years since the Dragon Empire conquered and colonized the Tiger Kingdom, and both Lee Seung and Choi Eunji feel the weight of the Dragon Empire’s oppression in their lives, albeit in very different ways. Seung’s family is close to starving because his work as a servant and his father’s job in the mines don’t provide enough to counter rising food prices due to the Dragon Empire’s ongoing war with the Serpent Kingdom, and the droughts caused by their hunting and killing of tigers, the symbol of the Tiger people and the guardians of the land. Eunji comes from a wealthy Tiger family, but knows her future is to be forced into marriage to secure her father’s position as a collaborator with the Dragon Empire. The teens strike a deal with each other: Eunji will help Seung study for the Adachi Training Academy exam, which would guarantee him a well-paying career, and Seung will help Eunji escape from her family compound and experience life outside of her family’s strict expectations. Their friendship sparks into something more, but as they each seek better lives, they will find themselves on opposite sides of the quest for the final, mystical tiger, who may hold the key to the Dragon Empire’s downfall. Based on the Japanese occupation of Korea, as well as the love story of the authors’ grandparents, The Last Tiger will appeal to fans of both historical fiction and fantasy.

Inspired by true stories from the author's grandparents' lives - a friends-to enemies-to lovers story of forbidden romance set in a fantasy spin on Korean history - the concept seemed like a really interesting novel idea and it did not disappoint me.
The writing was absolutely beautiful and powerful, portraying the colonial oppression, propaganda, and a fight for hope and freedom. From what I've seen of this book at first I expected the romance aspect to be much more prominent part of the book, which turned out not to be the case, as there was a fair amount of them being apart and working on their separate things and separate goals - however I really enjoyed how this was done, and them trying to get back to each other despite all odds. All the characters were really amazing, and I especially loved Eunji and her rebellious nature, which developed into a very strong and smart FMC. The side characters were also a good addition to the story, and I especially liked Jin - mostly because of her absolutely tragic backstory, which explained her crazy nature, her braveness, and why she was so determined to save the Tiger Colonies from their oppressors. Her power was really OP, and I am glad that she was able to get it and change her life around from the horrible life it used to be to something better, a life with purpose and a use for her powers. Speaking of powers, I truly loved the animal Ki based power system, it was the first time I've read about something like this so it felt really unique to me and I loved learning about it.
Lastly, I want to mention the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, I saw some people say that they didn't enjoy them because it took them out of the story into reality. While I see that point of view, I wanted to also add my point of view to the topic - I thought that the quotes tied the story together nicely, we got to see the account of the grandparents, what actually happened according to their story and how it ties to the fantasy story we are presented with. So, maybe they weren't completely necessary, however I loved that they were added, especially since the whole story is based on the grandparents' story and this is a nice way to honour them and their recount of the events.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

I've apparently been on an Asian literature kick recently, and it's been fascinating to me to see all the different perspectives as I sample literature from different the different cultures and contexts. For example, I recently read "When Sleeping Women Wake" by Emma Pei Yin, and that book also dealt with the Japanese invasion of continental Asia and the consequences, but it was historical fiction and focused on Japan's actions in China. Going into this book, therefore, I was excited to see the story through the historical fantasy lens and also through a Korean perspective. The fact that it was based in a real-life romance and story only added to the intrigue (also, the cover artist deserves a raise. That cover is stunning!).

There were a couple things that I thought were really fun about this book. First, I thought the animal symbolism/magic in the story was a fascinating approach, and I loved being able to see how that played out and how it connected to real-life events that happened during the Japanese occupation (thank you author's note! I never would have noticed the connection otherwise). Second, I loved being able to connect the dots between this book and the other books I've read recently that dealt with the same time period and see the similarities and how this book was grounded in historical fact.

I think my biggest complaint with this book is that it seems to be telling two very different stories. Story one is the story of the main characters: Seung and Eunji and their romance. Story two is the story of the authors' grandparents and their romance. From the blurb and the marketing, I had expected the two stories to be largely the same story, but the author's note explained right out of the gate that one of the biggest plot points that defined Eunji as a character just... was the exact opposite of the real life story? That paired with the quotes from the authors' grandparents at the beginning of each major section only served to highlight the apparent differences between the fictional story and the grandparents' real life story, and that bothered me. Now, in all fairness, I don't actually know the grandparents' story, so maybe I'm missing something. It just seemed like the story the quotes told had several similar elements to the fictional story while telling an very different narrative. Both stories were interesting on their own, but, if I'm being honest, my curiosity about the real-life story and the ways it seemed so different from the fictional story made me significantly less invested in the fictional one, which meant that the fairly standard YA plot that the fictional story used bothered me much more than it normally would. So, yeah. I'm pretty confused about the choices the authors made in how they connected the two stories because from my perspective they felt like two fairly distinct stories that happened to have similar situations. (If the authors ever want to write a nonfiction account of their grandparents' story, though, I will read it because I am now very curious.)

If you love YA or are new to the genre, then you'll probably enjoy this book as it sticks pretty close to the standard YA formula with the fun exceptions of the historical Korean setting and the magic system. I've seen some other reviewers talk about how this would be a good book to give to much younger YA readers, and I think they're right--especially if the child is old enough to have a conversation about war crimes and the atrocities that the Japanese committed during WWII. I think it just wasn't quite right for me, and I was too invested in the story the authors weren't telling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Riew based this story on their grandparents' experience in a subjugated Korea. Using a fantasy setting with animals that are core to the mythology and history of the region was a brilliant choice. The Dragon and the Tiger are animals that are associated with power, strength, and cunning. The colonial power attacked the heart of the people by erasing their language and cultural practices, ensuring that generations coming of age under colonial rule would question the worth of their heritage and choose to follow the path set out for them. A path that promised a future of prosperity that always seemed out of reach.

Even though I enjoyed the friendship and bond that formed between Seung and Eunji, that paled when compared to how their societal standing was used to illustrate the fortunes of those who stood with the empire, leveraging their contacts and business to gain favour and retain an element of prestige while those less so would have to toil and be policed and targeted to remain cowed and non-threatening.

But where a people have been violated and downtrodden, there's always a spark of revolution and I loved how they approached the final reckoning.

An engaging debut. The minute I heard the book was inspired by the author’s grandparents’ love story I requested it immediately. The Last Tiger is a historical fantasy set in a setting based on Japanese occupation of Korea. We follow two main characters, Eunji the daughter of a wealthy family who is working with the occupying dragon empire and Seung, born into a family of the occupied tiger colonies. Similar to the grandparents story, both were a match the family would not allow based on their class.

The story read to be younger than YA, I think if I read it in middle school, I would have really loved it.I found the pacing to be uneven at times and wanting more development on the relationship between the main characters. Overall, I still love the heavy themes, the focus on identity, and the social commentary on colonialism and classism. The start of each chapter included email correspondence from the grandparents which made the story richer. The book is packed with political intrigue and complex family dynamics.

3.5/5

This was great for a YA debut. I put it firmly in the category of 'entertaining books' for when you need a fast read to keep you busy. I loved that the pacing didn't slow at all for the entire book, and the whole story had a very movie quality to it. Overall an enjoyable read.

It isn’t bad, but it isn’t an amazing read in my eyes. I had high hopes for this, especially since part of it was rooted in reality. I love where stories take true stories and blend them with Fantasy.
But it just fell flat. I felt like the actual main characters were boring, their relationship didn’t feel real.

✧ thank you netgalley & penguin teen for the arc ✧

seung, a servant boy, accidentally crosses paths with eunji, a noble girl, and the two of them start spending more time together because of a deal they made. however, more tragedy strikes in seung's life and the two separate indefinitely. after a year, the two accidentally meet again while trying to hunt down the last tiger, but for very different reasons.

rating: 3/5 ⭐️ | spice: 0/5 🌶️

i was first drawn to this because of an ig post i saw about how the authors were writing a fantasy book inspired by their grandparents' true life love story. like how is that not the cutest thing ever. i'm also a sucker for any romeo-and-juliet type of secret forbidden type of romance, so i knew i had to pick this one up.

it was quite cool to see the romance, fantasy, historical elements, and korean folklore all tie in together. i wouldn't say the fantasy elements are prominent in this book, only really seen in to the ki (powers) that some people have. but the historical elements, especially related to colonialism and the japanese occupancy of korea, is quite prominent. i liked that it put something so significant to korean history and made it digestible for readers to get to understand the context a little better.

i don't know if it's because i was expecting a bit more of the romance because it was marketed as inspired by a real-life love story, but i wished that the love story was fleshed out a little more. like i feel like i was constantly looking for the sparks between eunji and seung, but could only really see it because i knew it was inspired by a true love story. especially after they meet up again after a year. hehe, i do still think that seung and eunji are pretty cute though.

i should have known because it is YA and for teens, but the writing really was a lot a telling and not enough showing. in a way, it made the book very easy to breeze through and understand, but also just a little boring. i would totally recommend this for any teens, but only for any adults that don't mind juvenile writing.

overall, i am not mad that i read this book. the premise of it is really cool, and i do just love seeing a love story that has transcended time and history. if there was a spin-off for kenzo, or even jin, i would be interested in reading it.

it pains me to say this, but tell me why i was like more drawn to kenzo than i was to seung?? like if there was a spin-off book for him, i would totally read it. i thought kenzo's character had a little more depth, and wish to see more behind the complexity of his decisions. i don't condone him betraying the tiger and getting it killed, but everything else i'm like oh??? intrigued...

The Riews deliver a compelling romantic fantasy with exceptional historical elements. The setting is tangible and raw while the character emotions and motivations play into comfortable YA tropes. The added personal connection of interviews with the authors' grandparents enhance the sense of historical realism, despite adding some distance between reader and story due to their interspersion in the text. Overall, an engrossing novel that will delight teens and make a great pick for book clubs due to its page turning appeal and thematic depth.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC!

The Last Tiger is a book based on the Korean Independence from the Japanese. I quite enjoyed the setting and the world-building. However there were a few problems I had with this book. The romance was just not it for me. The eight months that the two MCs spend together is summarised in a few paragraphs which doesn't provide enough material for us to understand their chemistry and root for them. I felt as if Eunji had more chemistry with Kenzo, I really liked his character development. My most fave SC was Jin, I was rooting for her happy ending. Also something that put me off so suddenly was how the FMC was willing to sacrifice the freedom of her own people for only her freedom, I didn't enjoy how she even thought of that and was just forgiven?? The ending also felt weird and just too sudden. I enjoyed the action scenes, they had me at the edge of my seat. All in all, other than the romance and the FMC I quite enjoyed this book.

Rating: 3 stars

2.5⭐️

i am so disappointed because i wanted to love this and was so excited when i got approved for the arc early this year and tried reading it right away but count get into it and decided that’s okay - try again later book comes out in summer still time.

i tried reading this book 3 times and put it down before i finally managed to make my way through it on my fourth try.

mostly that is the way it is written and the characters.

it reads very young - i think it might be a great book for the young end of YA and maybe even a good introduction to korean history if the preteen isn’t overly interested in history but enjoys a bit of fantasy.

but honestly this felt like such a strange mixture to me.

there was this magical ki which somehow worked with spirits but i didn’t feel it ever was really explained how it actually really works and why it works that way. it just felt utterly unexplained for being a pretty big part of the story since it is one of the things that feels like it makes the “dragon empire” strong - because it has control over this ki and who gets to have excess to it and learns to use it.
which would make more sense if it all would have been given an actual good explanation which sadly never came.

the writing is overall okay but feels very simplistic and just too easy and more like something that still needs to be worked over - and i have the published book which i bought since i loved the beautiful edition that it came out in so it’s not just the arc having that issue.


and for a story that is promoted as “after the real romance story of the authors grandparents” the two main characters have zero romantic connection in my opinion. they feel like kids play acting and not getting where they wish they could and overall the characters never feel like they connect and actually get to a love story part especially since i expected a bit of a heartbreaking romance with how people of different classes and status come together and try to find their way of life together.
but it just felt dull and the characters never managed to actually make me feel like the felt anything more than “that’s a better option or a good person”.
which just doesn’t sit right with me with how this book was promoted and what that promised.

overall this read like a debut that didn’t get the necessary work over by a experienced editor and their team to make this the book it promised to be.

all in all sadly for me this didn’t work. and i don’t think a lot of older ya and adult readers will love this with how it is written.

BUT i do think it’s a good story for 12-14 year olds.

I loved this book so much and it was the cover that made me want to read it. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Now I am off to buy a physical copy for my shelf.

3.5 stars

“The Last Tiger” is a historical fantasy set in a factionalized version of the Japanese occupation of Korea, with characters based on the real-life grandparents of the authors. Seung is the son of a miner in the occupied Tiger Colonies, trying to help his destitute family. Eunji is the daughter of the wealthiest collaborator family with the occupying Dragon Empire, who use their ki powers to keep the population in check. Eunji carries the expectation that she will attend the prestigious military academy, and then marry well to ensure her family’s security. When Seung catches her sneaking out at night where she is not allowed, in exchange for his silence she offers to tutor him to pass the entrance exam to the military school so he can improve his chances at a bright future.
I loved that this story was based on real people and even includes emails that the Riew grandparents sent to Julia and Brad to explain their history; this was such a nice touch. The story, while a little predictable, was interesting and well paced. There were a few anachronistic phrases that would jolt me out of the story every time (including profuse use of the word “literally”). I also felt that the authors created fascinating characters in Kenzo and Jin, and then did not utilize them fully - I would have appreciated more satisfying conclusions for their arcs or even being able to read from their points of view. Overall an enjoyable read that I would recommend, especially for YA readers.

Thank you NetGalley, Kokila, and Penguin Young readers for the eARC.

When I first came across the authors video about them writing a book based off their grandparents’ lives back in Korea, I was excited to read it. And I was even more stoked that I was approved an eARC!

I believe this book did a fine job portraying both sides of the of the people. It was somewhat difficult to root for Eunji as her motives were mainly selfish. She never really saw the full picture of things even after being told about the suffering happening, and was constantly thinking about her own suffering. Seung was a refreshing gentler MMC and was very down to earth. That boy has suffered so much. The development between the two was okay. It was obvious and I just wasn’t that invested. Jin was a very interesting character and I wish her peace. The pacing could be improved. I feel like it speed up at the beginning to quicken part 1 and then was dragged out in part 2 and then sped up again at the end.

I wish we got more of the dragon spirits, like why weren’t they helping restore balance? Why did they think? I also found it strange that the tiger spirits were desperate to restore hope, but they weren’t desperate enough to grant more people ki. And for a whole year Seung’s ki didn’t appear again? There was just more questions that kept arising. I also had problems with sudden temp dashes being used, especially during one scene. They pulled me from the story and was just plain confusing in their usage.

I also wasn’t liking how the story was ending but I kept reading and it got better. A very nice tribute to their grandparents’ story and debut novel overall.

The Last Tiger is a powerful blend of fantasy and history, intertwining a tale of rebellion with a love story inspired by the authors’ own grandparents. That emotional foundation gives the novel real heart, and the concept of Ki—Tiger, Dragon, and Serpent—adds a unique layer of cultural symbolism and depth.

While the imaginative magic system and real-life roots make this story stand out, I did find the relationship dynamics underdeveloped at times, and the pacing occasionally dragged. Still, its emotional resonance, historical grounding, and fresh worldbuilding made it a moving, memorable debut—and a beautiful tribute to love, identity, and legacy.

Thank you Netgally and the publishing company for giving me an arc.
≫5⭐≪
This book was soo good. I don't have any words. The fighting scences were amazing. I love how they hated each other and ended up falling in love. Know this is a forbidden romance and enemies to lovers

This was such a sweet and interesting story. I loved the characters and how well the story fleshed out their lives and challenges. The adventure was equally intriguing and kept me engaged in the story. The ending wasn’t my favorite but overall I really liked this book and think everyone should give it a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

The Last Tiger by Julia and Brad Riew is a fun and masterful blend of fantasy, myth, and history. Loosely based on the love story of the authors' grandparents, the authors weave a story or forbidden romance and rebellion that can resonate with people from any culture or background. Both Seung and Eunji are compelling characters and their POVs both added to the story in a balanced way. The magic system was unique and full of surprises. And can we talk about that beautiful cover? I would definitely recommend this book! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.