The Last Tiger by Julia & Brad Riew

Release date July 29th
Debut YA Korean fantasy dual pov

This book is inspired by the author’s grandparents love story.

43 years after the Dragon Empire defeated the Tiger (kingdom) Colonies, the people are still divided. Seung a poor servant and Eunji the daughter of an upper class family work to break through social divides and fight for freedom.

This was a fun well paced, and well written book. Political intrigue, action, loyalty, Korean mythology and history all wrapped up in this wonderful book.

I liked our main characters as well as the side characters. I also felt the magic system of ki was very interesting and something I’ve never read about before.

If you’re a fan of Asian mythology, K-dramas, or Kpop Demon Hunters you’ll enjoy this book.

First: excellent cover art.

This was an interesting way to tell a piece of the authors' family story, adapting an oft-untold period in history to a fantasy setting. I thought the adaptation was very well-done, and had no difficulty immersing myself in the world that sibling writer team Brad and Julia Riew developed. I liked the quotations from the Riew's grandparents at the beginnings of sections. They worked well as reminders that even though this is a fantasy book, it is inspired by real people's lives.

Here's the thing though: there are some moments that happen in every colonization romance narrative, and these rolled out in fairly predictable ways, but it annoyed and appalled me to have to read about tigers being slaughtered (whether beheaded by bad guys for vile reasons or stabbed by good guys for "noble" reasons, dead is dead, and I'm never okay with cat deaths, particularly ones that take more than half a page to describe). I understand why the Riews chose to write the deaths (they're basically required in this type of story), but the manner in which they were written soured me on the book as a whole.

As an aside, I don't know if this will be the case in the print version, or the final version of the ebook, but the version I read on NetGalley was difficult to read: the font was tiny and the reader gave me no means of enlarging it, and ctrl+ actually made it smaller (ctrl- only enlarged it back up to its original size). I was also not given the ability to read in a two-page spread, which is my preference when reading on a desktop. I hope both of these issues are fixed, because they did make reading the book more of a chore than it should have been.

Memoir and fantasy quest come together in a tribute to history, families overcoming adversity, and the resilience of peoples in the midst of colonial oppression. Each chapter begins with a short testimony from the authors’ grandparents, presenting snapshots of personal history as Seung and Eunji’s more mystical but equally difficult story unfolds. This framing creates a strong parallel between the narratives, toeing the line of allegory, and to that end, it powerfully communicates the dynamics between colonized nation and oppressor. Mandates to use a foreign language, no civil rights, extortionist policemen/tax collectors. Something Seung has to come to terms with is seeing the humanity in the Dragon people - the man who would trample him into the dirt is not an embodiment of evil, just a man, but at the same time that can make him more monstrous, for how can a fellow human condone such despicable things as Seung and the Tiger people have endured?

Considering the story in isolation, it’s fairly simple. The first half establishes the world, the lives they wish to change; in the second, Seung and Eunji are forced to act. I felt it skipped over some elements that make for a traditionally satisfying narrative (characters taking risks and reaping the reward or learning from the failure; establishing patterns and breaking them, etc) but as a tribute, there’s no mistaking what the book wants to say.

With dual first-person POVs, this is a very accessible read for the YA audience in history and how key events can shape a nation’s collective spirit and identity. The dialogue is modern (sometimes oddly so). Between the action (rebels in the woods, an impending wedding) and the characters’ internal thoughts and commentary on events, the latter gets at least half the page time, maybe more. This isn’t a story of revolution, but the desperation and courage to join the fight.

Thank you to netgalley & the publishing company for giving me an e-arc !

.ೃ࿔*:･ "I choose to step out and beyond. not to be led by fear, but by purpose. I know now that sometimes you have to be willing to step away from power to truly find your own." ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

This is my 100th book of the year !

The last tiger is such a beautiful book, inspired by the true forbidden romance story between the authors' grandparents. Set in Korea post-Korean war, it follows our FMC Eunji, the daughter of an important lord in the kingdom who gets caught sneaking out of the house by one of the servants in her household, Seung. In return for his silence, she tutors him for a prestigous academy test, which determines whether or not you get dragon ki (basically super strength powers) and train to be in the army, or in Eunji's case, a presentable bride her future husband can show off. The dragon people have been focused on hunting tigers into extinction.

There is a bit of a love triangle in here that in my opinion, crashed and burned before it could begin, but I would love to see a novella about what happened to Jin & Kenzo after the tiger people declared independance !

ੈ✩‧₊˚ Tropes ੈ✩‧₊˚

✧.* Forbidden romance
✧.* Quests
✧.* Magical animals
✧.* Powers
✧.* Arranged marriage

very interesting and well done fantasy story with some interesting vibes and cool settings. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This is a Korean inspired fantasy, where Koreans are the tiger empire, while the Japanese are the dragon empire. This book is based off the authors grandparents, it’s their story, but with fantasy elements mixed in. It is dual pov alternating chapters, which I really enjoy. Eunji is our FMC, you can see how her privileged life is really just a gilded cage, set for her to marry into a family that will benefit her father. Seung is our MMC and he is a servant in Eunji’s household, you really see how different his life is barely having food to survive on. You get to see how their bond grows, only to be separated later for a year. From there our story takes off. I really enjoyed the magic elements to this book, I thought it was rather unique, in how they get powers, but also what the powers are. I didn’t want to put this book down once I got started with it and really felt immersed in this world. The action is rather fast paced and super entertaining. I think that the romance is very subplot to the book, with everything else going on, a little love does bloom. I would recommend this book if you are in a reading slump to help get you out of it.

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♟️Rating: 1.25/5⭐
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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.

Review: 2.75 stars

The Last Tiger is inspired by the real-life love story of the author’s grandparents, who lived during the Japanese occupation of Korea during WWII, with hints of fantasy elements thrown in. As much as I had high hopes for this historical romance, I struggled with the book's execution.

The plot premise was promising to start, but fell to being underdeveloped, given that the political world building and the magical elements added very surface level. There was also quite a lot of use of modern language like buddy, pro and gonna, which doesn’t make sense for a historical book - I can’t ever imagine my grandparents talking like that! This book also uses the descriptions of sound effects a lot! Words like “BANG! Bang!” are present and capitalized - I’ll probably be drinking at least a shot in every chapter at the rate of finding these words!

The story is told through the POVs of Seung and Eunji, the main leads of the story. I struggled with both their characters. I sometimes have to double-check whose POV I am reading, given that they do not have a distinct voice. I especially struggled with Eunji’s POV given that her character tends to side with the oppressor, where her reasoning for doing what she is doing is hoping she could “free” her family and herself from them, even seeing examples of that NOT happening. At times, I want to shake her for her questionable decisions.

On the other hand, I find Seung’s POV boring - his character development felt wishy washy at times - his lack of determination to free his country from the oppressors or fight for his rights is sadly missing. It feels like both characters are going through the motions at times, and their romance felt flat to me. Oh, do not get me started on the red herring of a love triangle between Eunji, Kenzo and Seung - I was so close to shipping Kenzo with Eunji since he was much more interesting! I also did not like that Eunji and Seung were not together for at least one-third of the book to reunite close to the ending.

Finally, let’s talk about Jin, the rebel who has been accompanying Seung on his quest. I felt the authors didn’t do her character much justice, and her traumatic past was highly glossed over…I also feel like heavy topics were too glossed over with no real consequence or accountability, especially the ending of the book with the dealing of the oppressor.

The only saving grace about this story is that it is very easy to read and the flows make sense, making it a quick read overall. I did like that the author provided a blurb that hints at their grandparents’ real-life story, and wished that they stayed true to following that story to be more historical biography vs historical fantasy.

Thank you, Penguin Teen for the lovely physical copy and Netgalley for the eARC.

Growing up in the Tiger Colonies under the rule of the Dragon Empire is a struggle for everyone, no matter their social standing. On one end of the income spectrum is Seung, whose family must stretch every morsel of food as far as it can go. On the other end is Eunji, who, despite her wealth, must unquestionably follow the desires of the Dragon empire in order to preserve what status she can. Both characters are preparing take an exam to determine whether or not they can attend the prestigious Adichi Training Academy, and they begin studying together. But what starts as mutual assistance quickly grows into something more than their world can accept.

This historical fantasy novel is based on the true-life love story of the authors’ own parents who crossed societal lines to be together during Japan’s ruthless rule over Korea. While the Tiger Colonies and the Dragon Empire are fictional, they are very representative of Korean and Japanese culture, respectively. In addition to the warring people is the magical element of ki that is taught at the Adichi school. Magic softens the blow of the disparate class structure in Seung and Eunji’s community by introducing an idea of hope and wonder to an otherwise bleak world.

Written for a young adult audience, the novel alternates between Seung and Eunji’s perspectives utilizing a lyrical, engaging writing style that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Quotes from the people upon whom the story is based are included at the beginning of each section of the book, providing an anchor point in reality for this otherwise fictional tale. Though the chapters are relatively long, they move quickly and are told from alternating points of view, giving readers the drive needed to progress through the book. Scenes of light romance, difficult family dynamics, illness, and peril add intensity to a plot that is well suited to its intended audience. This is a rich and memorable addition to library collections for young adult and older readers.

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

Firstly, thank you NetGalley, Kokila/Penguin Group, and of course Julia and Brad Riew for the ARC. I was super excited to get this ARC after finding out that it was inspired by the authors’ grandparent's love story during Japan occupied Korea, but with a magical twist throughout the story. A story about love and hope!

So Eunji, let’s just say I was not a fan of her at first. But that's because I fell for the “poor rich girl in her lofty palace” mentality. However, after her first little adventure with Seung, I started liking her more. Then when she left home to start her training, I liked her even more because she was determined to succeed and pave her own path. I was rooting for her!

Seung though, I loved him the most. He was by far my favourite character out of all the ones that were introduced. Without revealing too much, he had the best growth in my opinion. He went from being so broken down to slowly filling himself with hope and determined to fight for freedom even when things seemed so bleak.

The whole magic/power system was insanely cool. I just loved the idea that each power was different, and each one was powerful in its own way. Trust me, I’d love to be able to use Seung’s Tiger ki.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was a fun read, and I’d definitely read it again when I need a pick me up.

Okay, am I the only one that lost it when they started sing Arirang? I came to know this song some twenty years ago, and it’s stuck with me since.

As odd as it sounds, it is through our suffering that hope and beauty shine. This is a beautiful and complicated book. I appreciate that the authors not only included their grandparents’ story, but the history of what Korea has had to go through. It weaved seamlessly with the fantasy elements they have created.

Overall, this is a beautiful and touching read.

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.

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.