The Last Tiger

by Julia Riew, Brad Riew Narrated by Julia Riew, Joshua Hyunho Lee, Brad Riew, Intae Kim, Sue Jean Kim

Overview

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ¿ Inspired by true stories from the authors' grandparents' lives during one of the darkest periods in Korean history, The Last Tiger is a debut young adult fantasy novel about the power of love to give voice to a broken people.

In a colonized land where tigers are being hunted to extinction and ancient magic stirs, two star-crossed teens-Lee Seung, a servant yearning for freedom, and Choi Eunji, a noble girl defying tradition-join forces to try and reshape their respective fates.

But their relationship evolves from begrudging accomplices to bitter adversaries as they 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. As the ties between Seung and Eunji are complicated by their conflicting loyalties, tensions rise-especially when a charming princeling of the empire begins to rival for Eunji's affection.

In this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story of forbidden romance, antagonists turned allies, oppression and liberation, neither Seung nor Eunji can abandon their mission-or each other. And as they embark on separate quests to find the elusive creature, each must also find the power within themselves to make their own destiny.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Praise for The Last Tiger by Julia Riew and Brad Riew:

July/August 2025 Kids' Indie Next List (Young Adult)

★ “A reminder that knowledge and kindness are powerful tools.” —Booklist, starred review

“A gripping story with inspiring familial roots that champions the deeply human need for love.…[a] captivating YA historical fantasy.” — Shelf Awareness

“… the story vividly highlights the plight of Koreans during a traumatic era.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The sibling ­authors imbue their extensive fantasy worldbuilding with a mixture of real history and folkloric symbolism.” — School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

2025-05-03
In the Riew siblings’ debut, inspired by their Korean grandparents’ experiences during Japan’s early-20th-century colonization of Korea, a hunt is on for the last surviving tiger.

In the Tiger Colonies, this fantasy world’s version of occupied Korea, tigers have been nearly wiped out by the Dragon Empire. These oppressive rulers believe that tiger ki, or powers, strengthen the Tiger people, and therefore, the animals must be exterminated. Lee Seung, who’s from a poor Tiger family, works for the wealthy Chois, a Tiger family who collaborate with the Dragons. Choi Eunji might live in material comfort, but her home feels like “a cage” thanks to her parents’ high expectations and control of her every move. She offers to tutor Seung for the Adachi Training Academy’s entrance exam; graduates attain elite, powerful positions. In return he’ll help Eunji experience life outside her cloistered manor. Despite their class differences, both teens long for freedom, but Seung fails the exam, and their paths diverge. They reunite during a frantic search for the last tiger—but are their motivations aligned? Some plot developments feel contrived, and the introduction of real historical elements at times feels deliberately educational rather than naturally emerging from the story. Nevertheless, the story vividly highlights the plight of Koreans during a traumatic era.

An unwieldy but emotionally intense fantasy. (authors’ note, diary excerpts)(Fantasy. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940193497615
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	07/29/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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