Title: The Tiger at Midnight
Author: Swati Teerdhala
Format: Audiobook
Narrator(s): Sneha Mathan
Run Time: 12 hours, 44 minutes
Source: Purchased
Trigger Warning(s): Death, gore/violence, loss of a loved one
Summary: Esha is a legend, but no one knows. It’s only in the shadows that she moonlights as the Viper, the rebels’ highly skilled assassin. She’s devoted her life to avenging what she lost in the royal coup, and now she’s been tasked with her most important mission to date: taking down the ruthless General Hotha.
Kunal has been a soldier since childhood, training morning and night to uphold the power of King Vardaan. His uncle, the general, has ensured that Kunal never strays from the path—even as a part of Kunal longs to join the outside world, which has been growing only more volatile.
Then Esha’s and Kunal’s paths cross—and an unimaginable chain of events unfolds. Both the Viper and the soldier think they’re calling the shots, but they’re not the only players moving the pieces. As the bonds that hold their land in order break down and the sins of the past meet the promise of a new future, both rebel and soldier must make unforgivable choices.
Inspired by ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology.
You know those books that are kinda average but with a hint of hope that the series could drastically improve from here? Ya know, like when you really like some aspects of the book but other aspects, well...not so much? Yeah. The Tiger at Midnight was One Of Those. And in being such, it feels a tad bit difficult to describe my overall feelings about this book.
The Tiger at Midnight is the story of a rebel assassin and a soldier who get into a cat and mouse chase. Esha is a famed assassin and Kunal is a soldier with close ties to the ruling regime. When their paths cross, Esha and Kunal must decide what's more important—their sense of duty or their growing feelings. But more is at stake than the two realize...
W H A T I L I K E D
- The Characters! I think The Tiger at Midnight is definitely a more character driven book and I honestly didn't mind because I adored Esha and Kunal! Their characters were so layered, full of wants and desires and flaws and complexities. More than anything, I think this book drives home the grayness of the concept of "doing the right thing" and that was very reflected in the morality and subsequent questioning of Esha and Kunal. I definitely want to learn more about them and go on more adventures with the two!
- The World! Honestly, I'm conflicted on this point but I feel more positive than negative about it. I loved what we learned about the world of The Tiger at Midnight. Rich descriptions of the luxurious, lush world painted vivid, tempting images of the world...Buuuuuuut...that also meant I wanted more than we got? Which I suppose is a good thing, since we already got a decent amount! I can't wait to find out more, though!
Never greet a tiger at midnight, for they are the manifestations of your past misdeeds.
W H A T I D I S L I K E D
- Repetitiveness. A cat and mouse chase took up about 60% of the book and, while it was intriguing at first, it quickly fell into being extremely repetitive.
- Loose Plot. The plot could've used a lot of tightening, especially towards the middle of the novel when the cat and mouse chase (finally) ended. It felt like at that point, Teerdhala wanted to get from point B to point Q but didn't know the exact details of all of the points between so she tried to fudge it and it just didn't work. There was a lot of info suddenly dumped on readers out of the blue with absolutely no foreshadowing whatsoever, which made it even harder to believe the information.
Overall, I enjoyed The Tiger at Midnight, despite feeling like there were a couple of areas where it needed work. It's defintiely a promising start to a new series and I want to keep a lookout to see where the story goes and how Teerdhala grows as an author.
R A T I N G
★★★☆☆
T E L L M E A L L A B O U T I T
- Have you read The Tiger at Midnight? What are your thoughts on it?
- If not, do you plan on reading it? Why or why not?
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