The Last Tiger

Gr 7 Up–For fans of Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea comes a historically inspired fantasy romance with a magical quest. Lee Seung works as a servant for the Chois, a wealthy and prestigious family of Tiger collaborators who’ve maintained power under the Dragon Empire. Choi Eunji is their youngest daughter, subject to her parents’ tight control and high expectations—which don’t include sneaking out to see a Slaying Ceremony. To keep her trip outside secret, Eunji offers to tutor Seung for the Civil Service Exam so he can attend the prestigious Adachi Training Academy and learn how to use ki powers. Ki gives “the strength of ten normal men,” something Dragon soldiers have used to suppress the Tiger population for decades. Romance blossoms during their secret meetings, but when Seung fails the exam, he rejects Eunji, and the arrival of a royal suitor further complicates their relationship. Circumstances force them apart, until a tiger appears and pulls them back together. Inspired by their grandparents’ lives and Japan’s occupation of Korea in the first half of the 20th century, the sibling authors imbue their extensive fantasy worldbuilding with a mixture of real history and folkloric symbolism. The pacing is slowed considerably by detailed historical context that does not always arise organically in the scene. The Tiger Colonies represent occupied Korea, while the Dragon Empire represents Japan.