ARC REVIEW | The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala

Title: THE TIGER AT MIDNIGHT

Author: SWATI TEERDHALA

Releases: 23RD APRIL 2019 by KATHERINE TEGEN BOOKS

Genre: TEENS + YA/FANTASY

🐯Never greet a tiger at midnight, for they are the manifestations of your past misdeeds🐯

GIVE ME MORE REBEL ASSASSIN LADIES, NOW, PLEASE!

To say I loved this is an understatement, this story took my breath away. It’s so unlike most of what I’ve been reading lately, and I’ve always been fascinated by Indian culture and history. I really enjoyed the connection between the two MC’s, Esha – the Viper – and Kunal – the soldier. They were so well written and relatable! Both have flaws, but are still such wonderful people. They’re actually a lot alike, yet still on separate sides of a conflict.

The story is told through alternating POV’s chapter to chapter, so you get a lot of information regarding each side. I really loved that sometimes you would read one chapter and go through an entire scene from one POV, but then the next chapter would backtrack a bit to the beginning of the same scene. So you would get the other character’s POV and oftentimes more information that explained motivations and actions you wouldn’t have gotten from just the one POV. It made for a more complete picture of what was happening.

Now, I don’t know if you know this about me, but I absolutely love multi-dimensional characters. Especially when their various sides seem mildly incompatible. For example, KUNAL – THE SOLDIER – LOVES TO PAINT! He’s an artist, not a killer, forced into the solider life because of events in his childhood. My heart is crying for this child and I want to cuddle him. Although, I think Esha is taking care of that quite nicely! And Esha, she is just one of my favourite characters ever! She’s so wily and slippery like a snake (see what I did there?) hehehehe

There’s also a huge connection between Esha and Kunal, which I loved. They wrecked my heart and I enjoyed every minute! The connection goes deeper than just romance and I really adored the way Swati Teerdhala approached their story. It wasn’t the focus, but added nicely to the rest of the story.

100% a FIVE STAR read for me, and I wish I could rate it higher!

There’s also a pre-order campaign at swatiteerdhala.com/preorder

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.

Drawing inspiration from ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology, the first book in Swati Teerdhala’s debut fantasy trilogy captivates with electric romance, stunning action, and the fierce bonds that hold people together—and that drive them apart.

Thank you so much to Swati Teerdhala and Katherine Tegen Books for the ARC.