The Tiger at Midnight (Tiger at Midnight, 1)

I liked the writing and I liked the story, few flaws but nothing that pulled me out of the storyIt was a little tell don't show for how good she is at fighting since she gets bested a lot. Unless it was just that shes exceptional at sneaking around and gets a lot of surprise attacks I don't see how she could be such a revered and feared assassin but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯I wish there had been some kind of family tree along with the map, my biggest confusion was the himyad vs samyad vs jansan vs dharkan, (I'm probably not spelling those right) who's who of royalty and where the main characters all fit together, it sounded like they were all cousins and brothers and distantly related which was hard to keep track of and I kept having to say wait, Kunal uncle is so in so, his mom is this lady who is sisters to this one, his dad's brother is this guy and his cousins are these people and....it was a lot to keep track ofPossible spoiler?*For someone who's been a secret spy/assassin/general BA rebel Esha makes rookie/amateur mistake after amateur mistake. Kunal figures out she is the viper so easily in just a couple of meetings, I'm sure we all knew he would figure it out but it felt too easyOverall I enjoyed it and I will read the rest of the trilogy, I liked their cat and mouse and I liked that they didn't instantly fall in love and that you can tell they each struggled.

I am very happy that I bought the book because we need to support more fantasy by POC, but it just wasn't great. And I think I want to elucidate why.World-building: we see the difference between the two lands, but there's no compelling explanation of what the janma bond is that elevates the stakes for the reader. We get a little bit of this when Kunal speaks to a merchant in a town while eating a meal, but moments like that should have been littered throughout the novel IMO. And not just with Kunal's character evolving, but Esha's as well. Good world building impacts character development, but I only saw glimpses of that here.Characters: I was way hyped for this novel because, in addition to other things, the characters - especially Esha - were a big part of the marketing. I even got an Esha trading card for preordering the book. How cool! The problem is that the Viper is never shown as a bad ass. Does she sneak past security and take out a couple guards outside the general's room during her first mission at the opening of the book? No. Are there any thrilling fight scenes where she shows she's so clearly superior to Kunal despite his military training? No.Writing: I thought the author was holding my hand during the book in a way that created distance. She would explain things too much instead of trusting the reader to put it together themselves. Reading the book reminded me of Children of Blood and Bone, except that novel was perfect in many ways - including how it used prose to make the stakes clear and make you feel for the MC.Plot: It was just boring, ultimately. Esha runs a little ahead, and Kunal catches her. Then she escapes and runs a little ahead...and Kunal catches her. I really enjoyed a part of the book where Esha makes it clear to us why she can't be with Kunal (basically, she thinks she's no good for him), but I just did not believe enough had happened during the first half of the novel to convince Kunal that he should give up his worldview as a soldier and be with her.Maybe because I follow this stuff, but the book was mega-hyped IMO as an epic romance with high-stakes fight scenes and it just did not deliver on that premise at all.

“When their eyes met, he knew they both were aware the performance was over and the game had begun. No words had been exchanged, but Kunal knew in his marrow that he and Esha understood each other. She wouldn’t stop running and he wouldn’t stop chasing her.”In The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala, Esha and Kunal are on opposite sides of a war. Esha is the notorious Viper, a legendary assassin, and Kunal is a soldier on the opposite side. When their paths cross, it seems they are destined for something bigger, and they may have a much deeper connection than either could have expected.I honestly surprised I don’t hear more rave reviews for this book. It was a fast paced fantasy with a wonderful forbidden romance. The writing was smooth and a delight to read and the characters stood out and were easy to connect with. I will definitely continue reading this series. I give this book 4.5 stars.“The soldier and the Viper.Both could cut a man down without blinking but couldn’t talk about a kiss.”

"A broken bond. A dying land. A cat-and-mouse game that can only end in bloodshed."The Tiger at Midnight follows the story of Esha, a rebel assassin, and Kunal, a fort soldier on a mission to honor his murdered uncle. Their paths cross and the ensuing chase across a dying land left me spellbound.Things I loved about this book:1. It's a gorgeous fantasy set in a place *other than* a vaguely European land2. Seriously, I loved the world building and the infusion of Hindu mythology and ancient Indian history3. Esha is a well-rounded person who happens to be an assassin and isn't a flawless female character4. Kunal is such a cinnamon roll, but also a little bit of a SINamon roll5. The romance is a major subplot, but honestly, the story would have been just as good without it. I love a good romance, but I also love that these characters had development outside of "oh maybe I like him/her"6. I enjoyed it even more the second time through (whoops I read this in January for the first time and then listened to the audiobook this week)7. WOW WOW WOW WOW so much subtle foreshadowing that I completely missed on the first read through

In these dark and frightening times of isolation and quarantine, sometimes all it takes to bring a little levity to your life is a fantasy debut that is nothing but fun from start to finish.Full review at Write, Read, RepeatThe Tiger at Midnight is a rich and intricate fantasy that draws from ancient India and meshes mythology and gods, painting a world tipping over the edge with my all-time favourite trope at its center: enemies-to-lovers! As you would expect, this book is heavy on the political side of things, but the implications of past events take this story to a point of high stakes that has me curious about where it will go. I found this world to be rather interesting and somewhat fresh. The historical thread of the queendom being torn down and a pretender King on the throne who has doomed the world through his greedy actions is fascinating! And for some reason I really loved the idea that there's a secret princess out there that could save them all.The chapters are arranged a little odd—but definitely in a way to make me keep reading—and follow our two main characters:🐍 Esha - Better known to the world as the Viper, a legendary assassin who has remained faceless for several years. She's a feisty and resourceful girl with a whip and the skill to back it up. I really enjoyed her scenes and wanted more of her than I did Kunal.🗡 Kunal - The nephew of the general, he is a soldier who has not known much outside his military life. He's a sensitive, noble and thoughtful young man that I absolutely ship with Esha. I would like to see him go a little more dangerous next book, though.As I mentioned, this is a story that is built on the foundation of a reluctant romance between Esha and Kunal. The rebel assassin and the soldier. They meet each other within the first few pages of the book, and while it's not at all an insta-love situation, there is definitely an instant connection between. I figured out what it was pretty quick, but it wasn't entirely earth-shattering or book-ruining. The enemies-to-lovers trope was well done, even if it could have hit a bit harder on the enemy portion of the romance. Not everyone can do it like Serpent & Dove, which is now the gold standard for me, but not the point here. I still enjoyed it and the lovers portion was worth the journey.I admit I struggled a little in the beginning to get into this book. I had a hard time getting into the scenes and figuring out the characters, as well as understanding everyone's relationship. I also thought this could have been a bit shorter because there were some scenes that just felt like repeats in an effort to draw out the enemies-to-lovers trope and keep them enemies a little longer. All that said, by the end of the book I forgot why I felt that way at all.I'm thrilled to already have an ARC of The Archer At Dawn and will be diving in tout suite!

I bought this after a recommendation from a Booktuber and as soon as I saw the cover I was drawn in. I won’t buy a book just for a cover, but a solid cover will draw me in to see what it’s about.Let’s start with the cover, it is gorgeous! I have the hardback version, the cover is a beautiful mix of purple and black to signify midnight. The young women, who is the main character Esha is in a shiny gold whilst squatting on a rooftop. The writing is a fade of the gold and purple with a foil effect.I was so excited to read this book, largely because it’s inspired by Hindu mythology. I really love Greek and Egyptian mythology and any other type of mythology sparks my interest. So, I was really keen to learn and understand some Hindu mythology through reading this. I also enjoy a good old cat and mouse narrative, in books like these it can be a familiar thread that can keep me grounded during narratives.I found the pace of the book healthy, if not predictable for the first half of the book. I expected this knowing it’s a series, you gotta lay the ground work. As the book goes on the intensity of the plot and narrative increases. I really enjoyed the flow, it worked with the main arc of the plot and by the end of the book you can see it’s been done that way to lead into the second book.The relationship between to the two primary characters, Esha and Kunal, was very cute. Their relationships development was cliché for a cat and mouse style book, but their personalities make their interactions sincere and heartfelt as they learnt more about each other and developed trust. There was humour and flirting between them throughout but it’s a slow burn romance. I found Kunal’s personal development was a key to this book highlighting him as a main player and I was not expecting what happened to him during it. Esha was a typical bad-ass who kept her emotions and heart closed, I don’t think this changed much as the book went on but there was a slight change from each time she reflected on the past. I’m hoping we see more development for her.I loved the world building and learning a little of the Jansa and Dharka culture. I wish there was more time spent on this as I felt it was maybe skimmed over. I found the idea of the Janma bound super interesting, that it’s needed to keep both lands thriving and how it works. Again, I wish there was more on this, but I have an inkling I’ll learn more about it in the next book.I left the writing fed the story in a really light and interesting way. The whole read felt smooth and this is 100% a YA novel, older readers might struggle with how the author has chosen to present the information. I loved the descriptions throughout the story of different areas of Jansa and Dharka bringing parts of the puzzle of this world together. I’m looking forward to learning more about the culture of this world and where the plot is going to go next.I’ve given this a 4 star rating, I enjoyed reading this but the predictability despite how expected it was has lost it a star. I also wish there was more on the world building and the powerful Janma bound that keeps these peoples lives thriving. I really hope that I’ll fund out more in the next book.

I had been excited about reading this book ever since I heard about it! It’s inspired by ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology and I immediately added it to my tbr. This book did not disappoint!This book is fast paced and intense especially in the second half of the book. I really loved reading this and kept wanting to read just one more chapter which kept me reading well into the night! I adored Esha and Kunal and watching their story unfold was so much fun!This book is told from two points of view so we get to see things from both Esha and Kunal. I really loved that as we get to see both sides of the story and it gives us a view of the world from both their opposing sides. The world building is incredible, it was intricate and detailed. I adored the vivid descriptions from the landscape, to the food and clothes. I absolutely loved the way Indian culture was incorporated into the story and how different Kunal’s clothes were as a soldier compared to other fantasy books. I loved that Esha wore sari’s and the food they ate and even the way that people lived and the traditions they had. It was all so refreshing to see that in the book!Both Esha and Kunal are really complex characters, as the story progresses we learn more about each of them and we realise that there is more than meets the eye. They show themselves in a certain way to everyone else yet they are so much more than that and it was so nice to see them slowly discover that about each other. We quickly realise that it isn’t as simple as just black and white, good and evil. They are all morally grey and especially in the case of Kunal and Esha, they have both killed but they both justify why they do these things. Kunal is a soldier and Esha is trying to save her people.They both start out on opposing sides of the war that has ravaged their countries for years yet they are attracted to each other and I loved seeing the enemies to lovers trope! They don’t immediately fall in love but as they interact and learn more about each other they develop feelings for each other and the slow burn romance killed me! I was literally screaming at them to admit already! Another thing I loved about their interactions was the banter and sparring that happens whenever they meet. It left me with a big smile on my face each time.The end of the story where mysteries are unveiled and we find out what has been happening, it kept me on the edge of my seat! We find out some things that I can tell will play a huge role in the next book and I am already excited to read the next book!