Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

DNFed at 50%. I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with this book, but I do think it’s tailored towards a younger reader. It very much does a lot of telling and not showing. I was pretty excited to read this because the lore sounded so interested. I didn’t know that the Korean government wiped out all the tigers, so I was curious to see how the authors incorporated that history into this fantasy world. I also loved the idea that the love story is based on a real couple. But overall, the execution didn’t work for me. I expected something a little more advanced, but this would fit well for a younger reader.

What a beautifully written story. I loved reading about how Lee and Choi’s relationship evolved.

You can tell how much they truly cared for each other. And I was really rooting for both of them. They both had difficult lives in different ways but they seemed to bring out the best in each other.
Unfortunately they must go separate ways because she is set up to marry Kenzo, even though she doesn’t want that. What will she do?

Both Lee and Choi learn that they need to make their own destiny.

“I know now that sometimes you have to be willing to step away from power to truly find your own”.- Choi

I loved the ending of the book! If you love forbidden romance or books based on true stories, I would recommend this book. It was really good. I can see myself reading this again.

Thank you so much NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Julia Riew and Brad Riew for the ARC!

Publication Date: July 29 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#NetGalley #TheLastTiger

Friends to enemies to lovers and and forbidden romance in a fantasy setting...everything you could want. I love that it's based on the authors grandparents lives in Korea. As a Korean American I can't get enough of these books. The representation was done respectfully and in such a great way. This is definitely going to stay as one of my top reads of the year!

Based off the authors grandparents love story, this book is captivating! I love the cover so much! Such a beautifully written forbidden romance!

The story didn’t hold the attention of my class. We tried but most were disengaged. The cover was attractive and seemed interesting