3.5 ⭐ thank you to negalley for allowing me to take a look at the ARC!

the cover art is beautiful and, although i'm not one to usually read anything pertaining to wild west fiction, i did find myself enjoying a lot of what i read due to the setting itself.

i was not familiar before with the short story of the lady or the tiger that this book heavily references and builds upon in its own way. i'm always a sucker for anything that leaves the ending up for interpretation as it often garners the best kind of discussion. the story itself has a lot of gripping elements as well as a handful of twists at the end, however, i found myself questioning many of the actions of the side characters we meet throughout.

belle king has the potential to be a very fascinating protagonist. what drives her to kill, grow, and act for herself is enticing, and i enjoy how heavily she prioritizes her independence and self-worth during the story's events. i think the message is a powerful one for women in general, especially those who may find or have once found themselves in belle's shoes regarding how trapped she once felt.

however, here is where most of my criticism comes in. i have never been one to enjoy a piece like this where the main character directly addresses the reader. it feels like a very juvenile tactic to grab the reader by the shoulders and tell them what's what when, personally, i thought belle's story would've been so much more intriguing if she hadn't talked to *us* at all. there is so much mystery within the short story's ending: did the man come face to face with the lady or the tiger? i think it would've been interesting for the reader to craft a similar opinion regarding belle and even, potentially, her relationship with cal. who i wish had a little more substance to his character.

Heather Herrman's Lady or the Tiger is a tense and wild tale exploring women's power in the face of male violence.

I requested this book because of its title- I had read the short story of its namesake. I was hoping that the story would give me an insight to how it would end- I’ve never been more wrong in my life. Instead, I am left with not one, but two questions in my mind that won’t leave for years.
The plot of this novel is very unique, everything happening out of order, in a way that keeps you guessing until about 90% through the book. I quite liked the Wild West setting, and the 1800s is where I thrive as a reader. For the characters, I can’t say I actually liked any of them. This is fair though, as the first chapter of the book establishes that you won’t like Alice, in fact, she’s the one that will tell you.
I really enjoyed the twist near the end, even though I didn’t much care for Alice at all.
My main complaint is that this is labeled Young Adult. The content within (language, violence, and some more mature situations) doesn’t really fit in this category and I would suggest that it at least be placed in the New Adult category.
Overall, I found the plot to be engaging, the characters complex, and the setting intriguing.I’m

3.95 ★ — belle king is my favorite type of female lead and i truly cannot get enough of her. she's cold, unflinching, and even in love, always chooses herself. i liked the depiction of grooming in this, and how it affects a victim's mental health—belle's spiral after reginald and her slowly becoming more able to shake the blame off herself and label him the [redacted] he is was masterfully portrayed. i don't know if grooming is exactly the correct word because she never sees him in a romantic light, but belle's thoughts around her first kill and her evolving past them (and reginald, who planted the thoughts inside her) and grabbing control of her life was my favorite part of the book. i liked the suspenseful atmosphere—no one ever knows what belle will say next—but i did find it hard to keep up with the switching timelines occasionally. there is a twist towards the end, well three really, that make the whole thing worth it. i don't really like western/cowboy-esque fiction, so i'm surprised i liked this as much as i did.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
“Not all little girls are born murderers, but every woman
becomes one.”
3.75/5
For starters, I enjoyed this book tremendously. I loved the characters and the story but my biggest issue was the changing timelines in each chapter. The reason behind this is because i would forget the other half of the story and have to give myself a second to remember what had happened previously. Belle King has to be one of the coolest heroines I’ve read about. I loved her characteristics and her attitude towards others. The western setting is something I am new to buy oh man I need to find more books with this atmosphere. If you grew up loving westerns and cool fmc who always know what to say, this is THE BOOK!