THE LAST TIGER by julia riew and brad riew [ @penguinteenca #gifted ]

historical fiction meets fantasy in this story about a young boy and girl during the japanese occupation in korea. mix in animal spirit ki, a battle of morals, and some surprise plot twists and you get THE LAST TIGER.

Theoretically, The Last Tiger should have been exactly my kind of book. An Asian-inspired fantasy with threads of historical truth, themes of resistance against oppression, and the mystical power of dragons? That’s usually an instant win for me. Unfortunately, despite the promising premise, I ended up DNF-ing the book at around the 50% mark due to a number of issues that made it difficult to stay engaged.

Let’s start with what worked. I really liked the concept of ki—a spiritual force that grants power through a connection with a dragon spirit. It was fresh and intriguing, and had real potential to ground a powerful magical system. Eunji and Seung were characters I wanted to root for, and their individual arcs held promise. I appreciated that their paths cross, diverge, and (I assume) reunite later in the story—there’s emotional weight in that kind of narrative structure.

However, the book’s flaws were too significant for me to overlook. The pacing was probably the biggest hurdle. Entire months seemed to pass within a paragraph, making major story developments feel rushed and weightless. The abrupt time jumps left me disoriented, and often robbed key moments of the emotional buildup they needed. The writing itself also felt uneven—some passages were vivid and evocative, while others fell flat or felt oddly modern in tone. For example, using the word “gotta” in a setting that otherwise feels rooted in a historical or fantasy world was incredibly jarring.

And speaking of setting, the worldbuilding lacked cohesion. While I’m not an expert on the Japanese occupation of Korea, the early parts of the book felt vaguely 1600s in tone and detail, only for modern elements like electricity to suddenly appear with no real explanation. On top of that, the way women were treated in this society didn’t line up. The narrative suggests they’re heavily discriminated against, yet they can attend the same academy as men and even hold powerful positions? The inconsistency made it hard to buy into the world or its rules.

All in all, while The Last Tiger had elements I wanted to love—strong characters, a rich cultural backdrop, and an epic magical framework—the lack of cohesion in the setting, the rushed pacing, and the uneven writing ultimately pushed me away. Maybe there’s a satisfying payoff in the second half, but sadly, I didn’t have the patience to find out.

Thanks to Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group and Kokila for the chance to review this eARC.

A Stunning Tale of Magic, Memory, and Hope

The Last Tiger completely captivated me from the very first page. The world Julia Riew and Brad View created is rich, magical, and deeply rooted in Korean history and folklore.

What made this book even more special for me was how the characters, especially Seung and Eunji, are that they portrayed Julia and Brad's grandparents. I especially loved Jin's fierceness. It was moving to see their journeys unfold against the backdrop of a world that echoes the kind of life many of our ancestors might have lived. This is a story of resilience, of deep love, and the kind of hope that refuses to fade even in the darkest times.

Seung's quiet courage, Eunji’s fierce heart, and Jin’s unexpected tenderness made me fall in love with each of them in their own way. Their bond, struggles, and triumphs made me feel everything, from the aching sadness to the joyful wonder they felt.

This book is not just a fantasy. It’s a love letter to heritage, memory, and the power of believing in something more. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I can't believe this is their debut novel. It is absolute perfection.

This was a YA historical fantasy retelling of the Japanese occupation of Korea. It was an enjoyable easy read, but was a bit on the nose for me. No subtlety here.

The story is predictable and the characters feel flat. Seung is poor, with big hopes and dreams along with a big heart. Eunji is the naive rich girl who doesn’t initially understand or appreciate her privilege as she feels trapped in her golden cage. The two meet, they grow together, they separate and go through their own individual growth arcs, then meet again. Jin, a Tiger rebel, is probably the most interesting character.

This is a good basic book introducing the ideas of colonization as well as the trauma and pain of a subjugated oppressed nation. Probably good for younger YA readers.

When the Dragon Empire invades the Tiger Empire, their goal is to eradicate all the tigers and the powers (Ki) that go along with it. However, one tiger has survived. One night in the woods, it passed its Ki onto the unsuspecting Seung, a poor member of the tiger clan with aspirations of making a better life for himself, his family, and all the tiger people. With the help of a local rebel Jin, Seung sets out to save the last surviving tiger by bringing it to Mount Tagung.
The story of Seung and Eunji was a classic forbidden love story enhanced with the fantastical magic of Tiger and Dragon Ki. Eunji, an upper-class girl yearning for the freedom to make her own choices, gets caught sneaking out of the house by one of her servants, Seung, a young man struggling against poverty and an oppressive government. Eunji offers Seung tutoring for a civil service exam in exchange for his silence and help experiencing nightlife outside of her upper-class home.
After many months of tutoring, Seung ends up failing the exam, and Eunji’s family tries to force her to marry Kenzo, a son of one of her father’s business partners.
The Last Tiger is a dual POV YA forbidden love romantacy. If you love "K-pop Demon Hunters", you’ll enjoy this. What I found unexpected and loved about this book was the inclusion of their grandparents’ love story, which was also told in dual POV. That is such a precious thing to have, and I am grateful they shared it with us. Thank you to the authors Penguin Publishing, and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

A moment for the cover please. Like stunning. Then you open to an even more stunning story, it was impressive.

This was just an okay read for me. In fact, there were parts I genuinely had fun with. but overall, I just wasn’t that moved by it. And trust me, no one is more disappointed at that than me cause the premise was intriguing and the fact that it is based off the REAL love story of the authors’ grandparents just gutted me because that was one of the stronger points of this book.

The Last Tiger reimagines Korea during the occupation of Imperial Japan with ki, a power granted by spirits. The world is loosely based on real history and real horrifying facts during this time period such as the hunting and extinction of Korean tigers which is represented in the book. The story of authors’ grandparents’ meeting and falling in love during the Japanese occupation of Korea prior to the Korean War was my favourite part. The little excerpts and quotes at the beginning of each chapter was a tug on my heartstrings.

Unlike the authors’ grandparents’ romance which was so endearing and had me wanting more, the main characters Eunji and Seung’s romance felt a bit lukewarm to the point that I won’t even consider them love interests? They definitely worked better as friends. I felt like Eunji and Seung only spent a few moments together in the beginning of the book and only met up by the end of the book so there wasn’t enough development there for me to consider them as couple. Ironically Eunji wanted to escape an arranged marriage, yet she had more chemistry and development to very man she was running away from than to Seung 😭😭

One character who did stand out for me was Jin, the rebel. Her backstory was so tragic and tied to the reality of comfort women. She deserved more page time, and I wish her journey had been further explored.
I was really interested in the magically Ki powers bestowed to the humans by the beast/spirit animals. How each animal had different powers. I wished it was further development as it was just surface level.

Overall, I think this was good read for what it was, the resolution at the end felt a little too easy for me especially given the wartime setting? But I understand that it’s a YA novel so it can’t go too dark? But personally, I needed more to feel satisfied.

Thank you @ PenguinTeen for the ARC!

The Last Tiger has something special. It's a historical romantic fantasy based on the author's grandparents' romance. I loved reading their grandparents' quotes at the beginning of each chapter and how those real pieces of history had to do with what happened or the characters' emotions in each chapter. It was so smart and made me feel really connected to the story.

I loved that this book was broken up into 3 parts. Part 1: we see our characters meet and their relationship grow. Part 2: we have a time jump and see our characters grow separate from one another. Part 3: we see our characters reconnect and how their relationship has changed.

The history incorporated into this story and interwoven with the fantasy world and magic was really smart and intriguing. I easily saw the parallels the authors were making and learned a lot about the political dynamics of Korea and Japan during WW2.

This story was beautiful. I enjoyed everything. I wish our MCs had given us a little bit more of their emotions and towards the end I felt like I was being tugged to many different locations and it was rushed. But those are my only gripes with the story. I loved the character dynamics and the amount of plot in the story. Such a good storyyyyy!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early copy!

I really enjoyed how the chapters preface with excerpts from the interview with the authors actual family experiences. It gave a real feel to the story we know it was built around. All characters were enjoyable and felt real and valid. Even Kenzo, who I didn't like in the beginning, obviously. I wish we were given more info on what happens to him and Jin in the epilogue, though. The story itself was lovely and I enjoyed it and how the perspectives of the chapters were alternating for a more indepth perspective.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of The Last Tiger by Julia and Brad Riew.

I saw this book advertised by the authors on Instagram as a reimagining of their own grandparents' love story midst the turmoil of the 20th century in Korea, and knew I wanted to read it. I love when people pass on the stories of their loved ones in new forms, and beyond that, they reimagined it in a fantasy world, which is my favorite genre.

The Last Tiger reimagines Korea during the occupation of Imperial Japan with ki, a power granted by spirits. The world is very loosely constructed so the authors can focus on the relationship between Eunji and Seung (the characters representing their grandparents). I feel like a lot of impetus coming from the real history is lost in that loose worldbuilding, like with Jin's backstory.

Where I feel like this book really fell short is in the relationship between Eunji and Seung: they don't feel like lovers in the book, more like friends, which is disappointing because the book is based off of their grandparents' story.

In addition, a lot of the ki and spirit part of the worldbuilding does not happen. Seung's powers aren't really explained and he never really struggles with how to use them, despite not being trained or having another tiger ki user to work with.

The ending felt rushed, with Seung and Eunji still feeling, above all, like friends over lovers. (Slight spoiler ahead, but no context given) I wish Fluffy had been named differently-for instance, a Korean name to really hammer in that their people were reclaiming who they were as they moved forward from occupation.

I found the inclusion of real snippets of the grandparents' story from the grandparents themselves more engaging than a good 40% of the book.

While I appreciate the authors' commitment to writing a version of their grandparents' love story, I feel like it would have done better as historical fiction, with much more gravity given to the real suffering experienced by the people, rather than glossed over in favor of magic that doesn't really get explained.

Fantastic storytelling. Heart wrenching scenes. A beautiful love story for the ages. Many tears were cried, happy and sad. Absolutely gorgeous tribute to true heroes. Although fantasy was added, you can see the authors real life Grandma and Grandpa’s love story shining through. Well done. Cannot wait to read this book again when my physical copy arrives!

Tigers are being hunted to extinction. Lee Seung is a servant yearning for freedom, and Choi Eunji is a noble girl defying tradition. The two join forces but soon find themselves on opposite sides of a battle over the last tiger, a symbol of their people’s lost freedom and key to the liberation of their country. Seung and Eunji have conflicting loyalties, so tensions rise—especially after a charming princeling of the empire becomes a rival for Eunji's affection.

This novel is heavily influenced by the story of their grandparents meeting and falling in love during the Japanese occupation of Korea prior to the Korean War. We have an introduction explaining this, as well as quotes from their grandparents regarding writing the book, fictionalizing their history, and quotes about their lives. This becomes part memoir as well as fiction.

The Dragon Empire took over the Tiger Colonies from the Serpent Queendom, calling them backward and superstitious, needing the benevolent rule of the Dragon Empire to take care of them. The Choi family are collaborators, eager to keep power and influence as much as possible in this regime. Seung is part of the bullied lower class, with police forces coming into his home to take whatever they want whenever they want. He hopes to someday take the exam to enter the Adachi Academy and get gifted with ki, but doesn't have the tutors or books the upper classes do. In return for his silence about seeing her outside without a chaperone, Eunji will tutor him. This begins a friendship that becomes more in time. The energy of the last tiger and a revolution are also present, complicating life in the colonies.

While the story starts out how you'd expect for a romance novel, it doesn't follow those same conventional beats. There's the supernatural element with ki and the beasts of each kingdom, able to gift it to humans. This means other creatures of myth are real, and we have some cameos later in the book. The revolution is scattered and not well defined, given the strength and vicious methods that are used to eradicate the entirety of Tiger culture. The main characters are complicated and feel like real people, while some of the Dragon Empire stand-ins feel like caricatures. The finale was relatively quiet compared to some of the earlier events, though the epilogue makes it clear there's still a lot of work to be done to recover. The authors' grandparents got their happily ever after, so we know this world will find its way as well.

Real-life brother and sister Julia and Brad Riew have come together as a writing duo to reimagine the real-life love story of their grandparents into a historical YA fantasy novel with a dash of magic. As soon as I heard about the inspiration behind The Last Tiger, I felt intrigued, and the many TikToks only made me more excited for it. While the prose was easy to read and the short chapters were appreciated, this book ultimately fell flat for me. Especially when the truth hinted at in the actual correspondences from their grandparents at the start of each chapter was interesting enough on its own. Ultimately, it feels like the writers were trying to do too much with their book, leading to confusion about the story they truly wished to convey. This is unfortunate, as the premise could have been a compelling one if they focused on one aspect of the story; instead, by choosing to incorporate so many different elements into one book, everything from the characters to the romance to even the world-building felt underdeveloped. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the ending felt somewhat rushed, as if the writers were keen to wrap up everything quickly, which was inconsistent with the book's pacing. All in all, despite the promising potential, The Last Tiger, while not a terrible read, failed to live up to the hype.

The plot was very character-driven. Thankfully, the characters were very well fleshed-out.
I do think this suits a younger audience rather than YA, considering how juvenile the conversations between characters were.
It was interesting to see how the authors incorporated the extinction of tigers implemented by the Korean government into this fantasy novel.

This was an absolute miss for me. I was looking forward to a lush historical Korea, a love story that'd warm my heart, and fantastical elements during a time that was devestating to a whole nation.

What I got was a tepid romance turned mediocre love triangle, detrimentally light history and world building, and characters that are merely sketches - underdeveloped, lacking depth and personality, and sparse actual interactions that left me wondering what was the point of this book.

My favourite part was the excerpts from the grandparents, but that wasn't enough to save the story from how far sideways it went.

Also, idk about their family, but if I made my great grandparents Japanese sympathizers, my ancestors would rise from the dead and beat me. I don't know if their grandmother, who is still alive, approved the choices, but idk how I feel about that change in history.

All in all, I feel like this had a lot of potential, especially with the happily ever after baked into the concept, but it just didn't hit the right notes for me.

TW: war, colonization, animal death, violence, death of a parent, poverty, injury detail, murder, physical abuse, classism, sexism; mentions illness, death

Plot: 1/5
Characters: 2/5
World Building: 1/5
Writing: 2/5
Pacing: 1.5/5
Overall: 2/5

“We have the blood of Tiger people in our veins. We stick together. We support each other. We love each other. That’s all we can do, at the end of the day. And I hope someday you’ll see that that’s enough.”

This is a young adult book about the Tiger Colony under the rule of the Dragon Empire which heavily inspired from real life (and the authors’ grandparents love story!) so it will be Korea as the Tiger Colony and Japan as the Dragon Colony.

Seung, filled with rage because of how him and his family are treated under the Dragon oppression, believes that he can change his family’s fate by joining the Exam to earn Dragon Ki. As the servant of the Choi’s family, he caught the youngest daughter, Eunji, sneaking out to the slaying ceremony. In order to not get caught by her father, Eunji and Seung made a deal to settle things between them.

“Don’t doubt your anger, Seung. It’s the most important fuel you’ll ever have.”

Seung - his life is definitely hard, being the oldest son who wants to uplift his family’s circumstances. So he is always hardworking, studying for the exam almost every day for 6 months. I love that he is not the type of mc to be so kind, it’s just shows how realistic his character is. He is also funny and sometimes kinda annoying like I questioned his love for Eunji but never doubted it tho.

Eunji - our powerful unnie 😝 she is tje only one who wants to escape his older sister’s fate so she works extra hard to be on the top of her class at Adachi Academy. Her character development is great, I love it so much because she went from this rich good girl to a badass girlboss. Even though sometimes i just felt like she was too cruel to Kenzo lmaooo

“What do we do, when the world tries to crush us?” Jin says, her voice breaking with emotion. “We survive.”

Jin - my babyyyyy i love how she is so strong and always come to the rescue, especially if it’s Seung. She is powerful like not just her ability but also in her beliefs to stand up for the Tiger people. But it can also prevent her from not stereotyping that not all yangbans or the aristocratics are cruel. I would say her character is similar to Venka from The Poppy War. So that’s why i want to know more about her and her past and her journey.

Kenzo - omg my fav lowkey because he kept me wondering whether he was kind or not. But he is neither, always makes decision based on self interest, which is realistic. But i guess he just wants to conceal what beneath, acting as a strong person when deep inside he is also scared. I respect him so much for being truthful to Eunji about his feelings and not ruining her relationship at the same time.

“We’re a resilient people. We’ve survived centuries of abuse, occupation, colonization, only to emerge from the ashes every time”.

Overall, the pacing is good from the beginning until the end. The storyline is also promising with likable characters with sometimes terrible decisions. I really love the system of Ki powers and the differences between them and how much sense they make.

I really feel the tension and the frustration of the journey to escort the last tiger to Mount Tangun. Like i was so mad when Eunji pulled the Tiger outside of the cave because it seemed like it almost worked but then again we don’t know what will happen to Seung if the memories of all the Tiger people keep coming to him and to Eunji’s defense, she just wanted to save him. The ending was not as I expected, I thought it would be more dramatic and not just agreeing on what was being asked. I lowkey wished there was more punishment for Governor-General Isao because of everything that he did to the Tiger people but i think that will not prove the whole point.

“It’s such a simple reason. The simplest of all. But it’s something more powerful than I ever knew. We are all human.”

I mentioned that Seung is not the type to be the kindest but he is the most understanding. His father’s words to him were very touching and basically the whole point of this book. I really love what the book was trying to convey, the fact that we as humans can also be selfless, even to those who have wronged us in the past.

"The Last Tiger" by Julia Riew and Brad Riew roars to life as a gripping saga of love, betrayal, and the quest for freedom, set against a colonized land where tigers teeter on the brink of extinction. This tale is a tantalizing cocktail of emotions and cultural richness, perfect for historical fiction fans with a sprinkle of fantasy. A shoutout to Netgalley and Penguin group for the early read!

In a world where ancient magic starts to rumble, we meet two teens from worlds apart: Lee Seung, a servant dreaming of his own wings, and Choi Eunji, a noble firecracker defying her gilded cage. Despite their polar-opposite lives, they unite to save the last tiger, a fierce emblem of their people's lost freedom and a flicker of hope for their nation's liberation.

As Seung and Eunji morph from uneasy allies into fiery rivals, their personal dramas unfold alongside the bigger political whirlwind. Toss in a charming princeling, and you've got a love triangle that tangles up Eunji's allegiances even more.

Julia and Brad Riew's prose is a feast for the senses, conjuring a vivid realm where history kisses fantasy. The lyrical writing adds a magical twist while anchoring us in the harsh truths of the characters' battles. The story's tempo is pitch-perfect, keeping the suspense and enchantment humming throughout.

"The Last Tiger" is a skillful weave of historical fiction and fantasy, serving up a moving exploration of love, loyalty, and the freedom fight. With richly crafted characters, a twisty plot, and mighty themes, it's a must-devour for genre lovers. Julia and Brad Riew have spun a yarn both timeless and of-the-moment, nudging readers to ponder the everlasting quests for justice and self-rule.

I can tell this book meant a lot to the authors given the love story is based on their grandparents who beat the odds to end up together. That makes it harder to say that this book needed a lot of work. Many aspects felt very superficial or underdeveloped, especially given the serious topics with real life influences that were included.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review,

This book has rekindled my love for YA fantasy. After reading a handful of books in the genre that didn't quite do it for me, this one gripped me from the first chapter. I loved the themes in this and some of the twists were the cherry on top, mainly at the end. I was afraid that it would all be convenient and Kenzo would turn out to be secretly good and decent, but I was glad he turned coats many times, it had me celebrating. The final solution to the bigger plot left me a little underwhelmed, although it makes sense with what had been built throughout the book, so it is a 4.5 stars for me. And I wish there was a little bit more development in the romantic relationship, it would have helped with character arc, too. Overall, it was a very enjoyable book with a message.

While this wasn't for me, I think this would make a decent intro to colonialism for younger readers.

The mix of fantasy and history makes this easily understandable for young YA readers to make sense of Imperial Japanese occupation and its brutality, and possibly even draw connections to world history and current events. It also shows how wealth and social standing (and social proximity to oppressors) play complex roles when people make decisions, especially young people.

But being an adult, this wasn't really all that exciting or interesting to me. The plot was very predictable, and the MCs weren't all that memorable. Jin was the only character I liked, and I actually wish she was a main character.

It's been almost a month since I read this arc and I can't remember anything that stood out to me other than the authors' grandparents' diary excerpts at the beginning of each chapter. While those were interesting (if you're into history), they didn't flow well at all with the story. It almost made me wish that this book was strictly historical fiction, à la June Hur's novels.

This book was okay for what it was. I just wish it had more of an impact on me.

Thank you to Kokila and NetGalley for this arc.