The Tiger at Midnight

The Tiger at Midnight, the first book in a YA fantasy trilogy inspired by Indian history and Hindu mythology, follows two characters who become entangled in a game of cat and mouse. Esha, who is secretly a vigilante known as the Viper, is trying to discover who framed her for an assassination, and Kunal, a soldier, is trying to capture the Viper, believing the rebel to be responsible for the murder of his general/uncle???but their lives and missions are made more difficult by their growing fondness for each other.

Although the characters do not have the kind of dimension that tends to make a book memorable to me, I had a great time reading this book and found it to be just the type of diverting read I've needed many times this year. It's especially fun because the author seems to really understand what makes the tropes she incorporates work and adds some suspense by letting the reader in on secrets the characters do not yet realize.

3 1/2 Stars

Full Review on My Website

I may have postponed reading this book for almost an year despite being very excited for it, but I'm glad I finally had the chance to read it now. It was the exact kind of fun fast paced YA fantasy I needed during these anxiety inducing times.

I really liked Kunal and Esha as characters. Their cat and mouse chase, banter, a bit of a slow burn relationship development was all a lot of fun to read. I also thought they both were great individually, with their own values and convictions, and how understanding each other changed them was written beautifully. The plot is also very fast paced, with something happening and unraveling all the time, and the author's use of short chapters also kept the tension going. I also listened to the audiobook in parts and thought the narration was excellent.

Now I know why all my friends love this book so much and I'm actually happy that I only have about a month to wait for the sequel's release. I hope that one will turn out to be as lovely as the this super entertaining debut.