Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan

Tiger Queen

by Annie Sullivan

"TIGER QUEEN is a gorgeous, lush YA fiction...Highly recommend for anyone looking for a beautifully crafted stand-alone book." (YA and Kids Book Central)

Two doors.

Two choices.

Life or death.

Kateri, an arrogant warrior princess, has to fight in the arena against her suitors to win her right to rule, and she is desperate to prove to her father that she is strong enough to take over his throne and rule the kingdom. But when she finds out her final opponent, she knows she cannot win. Kateri flees to the desert to train under the enemy she hates the most and the only one who might be able to give her a shot at winning. But what Kateri discovers in the desert twists her world-and her heart-upside down. There in the sand, away from the comforts of the palace, Kateri's perception of her father is challenged and she discovers the truth about his treatment of her people. When she returns to the kingdom, the fate of the one she loves lies behind two doors in the arena-one door leads to happiness, and the other door releases the tiger.

Secrets, suitors, thieves, and a fierce princess await readers in this YA fantasy re-telling.

Tiger Queen:

  • Is a fantasy re-telling of Frank Stockton's famous short story, "The Lady, or the Tiger?"
  • Features a slow-burn romance wrapped in fast-paced adventure
  • Is set in a fantastical world wrought by fascism, classism, and climate crisis

Reviewed by tweetybugshouse on

5 of 5 stars

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This story centers around Princess Kateri who lost her mother and younger brother to a gang called the Desert Boys. Their is a water shortage in Achra which is a desert kingdom. So water is a huge deal here. The crime for stealing water during this drought is to choose between two doors in the arena one holds a tiger the other your freedom. On top of all this Princess Kateri according to an ancient law must fight in the arena to prove that the dessert has chooses her to rule.

Their are lot of twists and turns to discover as the Princess goes from fighting to really discovering who is behind the drought that plagues her kingdom. She ends up more then once putting her life on the line for the desert boys that she ends up calling family. Their is some romance but it not the central part of this story and it really only comes into to play toward the end of the book.

Their are some scenes that could be triggering and emotional but i did not feel they were out of the place in this type of story where a kingdom is so hungry for water that the people will do almost anything to get it. I really enjoyed the world building and the training in the desert against the sand. It a very creative story and most of all it told all in one book. Make sure to check this book out in September of 2019.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 2 August, 2019: Finished reading
  • 2 August, 2019: Reviewed