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katastrophi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Gore, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Child death, Sexism, Slavery, Stalking, and Death of parent
ameliabee33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This story could have done without the romance though, specifically the love story between Ji Lin and her stepbrother, Shin. I can't get around the incestuous undertones of their relationship. They were made stepsiblings from a young age, his father abuses Ji Lin's mother, he got the college education Ji Lin desperately wanted, Shin treats Ji Lin as his property. It is frequently mentioned that Ji Lin is the smarter sibling and that she has progressive views on a woman's place in the world. Yet Shin just repeatedly doesn't seem to respect it. Also I did not want to root for this relationship!!! The book kept oushing for them to Yes they aren't biologically related to one another, but they are still siblings!!! I really draw the line at incest, it isn't a taboo I want to read about at all. So tw, if you also don't like that trope
Like I said before really enjoyed the mystery with magical elements, and i would have liked to have heard more from a character named Lydia. I think she would have added to the story as an unreliable narrator, which could have added to the big reveal at the very end. I did enjoy the povs we did get though.
Overall, stars are for plot sans romance.
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Sexual content
obfuscatress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Minor: Incest, Infertility, and Murder
sweekune's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Audiobook narrated by the author.
Told from several points of view, The Night Tiger is a mysterious tale that draws you in. A dressmaker's apprentice, an orphaned house boy and a British doctor are drawn into the same mystery from different angles, surrounded by weretigers, amputated fingers and Chinese & Malay folklore and superstition.
- The different point of view were very distinct. some are told in first person, others in third and they all had their own separate voice and personality. I enjoyed Ren's parts (the house boy) the most but all were well done. informative but leaving enough unseen and unsaid to keep the intrigue.
- The whole book was very atmospheric and the feel of the different places and environments came across well. There were some dream sections where this was particularly notable.
- The author's narration was excellent and brought the story to life. As above, it was easy to tell which character's point of view was the present one due to the tone.
A strange but fascinating mystery story. Perfect for those who enjoy magical realism, Asian folklore and a good winding mystery.
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation
pun1sher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Miscarriage
Romance between step siblingselliejhnsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
unsure's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Almost every chapter has a narrator change. Of the 3 narrators, 2 are likeable. They're loyal, hard-working and smart. Li Jin is a girl/young woman stuck in a life where she can only watch others accomplish her dreams but still finds a way to be true to herself and protect her mother. Ren is a young, orphan boy who has a seemingly impossible task while navigating a new place and new people. Watching as their lives interwove was enjoyable. The 3rd narrator is not that good of a person, but he's a good foil for Ji Lin and ren.
The pov change were difficult though. With each switch, the tenses changed. This, along with the flashbacks, made reading a bit irritating. Additionally, the pov changes would sometimes start at the beginning of middle of the last pov, meaning you had to backtrack, which was especially frustrating when it was right in the middle of a tense scene and the characters were with eachother the whole time.
The mystical aspect was both enjoyable and overwhelming. I think it could have benefited from some streamlining. The 5 Confucius values were really cool, and I liked the is -he-isn't-he bit with the weretiger, but I think the concepts were kept too separate that it was difficult to accept that they'd both show up in the same storyline without some connecting factor.
The big problem was the characters' individual endings. The main villian doesn't get their proper comeuppance
Honestly the ending just disappointed and rather infuriated me. Massive spoiler-filled rant about the William-Ren storyline starts here
In summary, it was filled with ups and downs, and I ended up upset that the ending had some really bad bits when most of it had so much potential
Moderate: Death and Colonisation
Minor: Domestic abuse, Incest, Infertility, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
turtlebrainlibrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
Minor: Incest
ckameley's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The last few chapters rushed to tie-off each thread in the story, and unfortunately there were too many threads which felt like they were added just for the sake of adding them.
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexism
samanthaleereads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Incest