The Tiger at Midnight
The Tiger at Midnight follows Esha, the rebel assassin known only as the ‘Viper’ to her enemies, and Kunal, a Blood Fort soldier tasked with hunting the Viper. But nothing is as it seems, and quickly both Esha and Kunal are forced to reevaluate their beliefs as they struggle to fulfill their missions.
“Never greet a tiger at midnight, for they are the manifestations of your past misdeeds.”
SPOILERS AHEAD: PROMISES, PROMISES.
Swati Teerdhala is a talented writer. Her style is engrossing, her world is built beautifully and she will draw you in. I picked up this book and the first two thirds were incredible. I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t wait to find out what the next part of the cat and mouse game between Kunal and Esha would be.
But then the cat and mouse game ended. Kunal and Esha came bonded over a shared past that neither realized they at originally. The pass accelerates and the plot falters. The cast of characters increases almost exponentially, and a fantastic book quickly deteriorated into an okay one. It made me desperately wish that Teerdhala had split the first two thirds into its own book and spent more time there, then made the last third its own novel.
For most of this book, I couldn’t wait to pick up the sequel. I desperately wanted to recommend it and shower it with the same level of praise as books like the Daevabad trilogy. But I can’t. The Tiger at Midnight is decidedly okay. It reminded me why I don’t usually read young adult novels. If YA is your jam, this book may be worth your time. But it’s not a series I will be continuing with.
3/5 stars
L.J.
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