The Tiger at Midnight

Tiger at Midnight, Book 1

By: Swati Teerdhala

Narrated by: Sneha Mathan

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The first audiobook in an epic heart-pounding fantasy trilogy inspired by ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Renée Ahdieh.

A Book Riot most anticipated novel of 2019.

B&N Top 50 most anticipated novels.

A broken bond. A dying land. A cat and mouse game that can only end in bloodshed.

Esha lost everything in the royal coup - and as the legendary rebel known as the Viper, she’s made the guilty pay. Now, she’s been tasked with her most important mission to date: taking down the ruthless General Hotha.

Kunal has been a soldier since childhood. His uncle, the general, has ensured that Kunal never strays from the path - even as a part of Kunal longs to join the outside world, which has only been growing more volatile.

When Esha and Kunal’s paths cross one fated night, an impossible chain of events unfolds. Both the Viper and the soldier think they’re calling the shots, but they’re not the only players moving the pieces.

As the bonds that hold their land in order break down and the sins of the past meet the promise of a new future, both the soldier and the rebel must decide where their loyalties lie: with the lives they’ve killed to hold on to or with the love that’s made them dream of something more.

©2019 Swati Teerdhala (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Didn’t realize there was magic in this

From the summary, I was expecting a medieval Indian tale, perhaps with some mythology and superstition. I was not expecting actual magic or paranormal elements. And, for the first two thirds of this story, there’s only mention of the land dying because of a broken bond. Then, all of a sudden, poof, an animal shifter. Although I welcomed the twist, I also felt dissatisfied that magic was so sparse for the majority of the story. I think there was a lost opportunity to make this world more vivid and complex.
I would love to have heard a prologue about the magic-rich world that existed before, and a rundown of how the magic died.

Which isn’t to say I didn’t like the story. This opening book gave engaging cat and mouse intrigue between an assassin and a soldier. I enjoyed the slow burn fight-flirting between Esha and Kunal. I appreciate the focus on storytelling instead of violence, sex, and cussing. There is no foul language, only kisses and indirectly referenced sex, and, other than an opening death scene, any violence isn’t graphic.

The story is hyper-focused on Esha and Kunal, when development of other characters would have been nice. For instance, there’s only one brief episode where a second strong woman enters the mix, yet as quickly as it passes the Bechdel test, poof, the story is back to having a single girl in a sea of testosterone. Esha being 17 years old also felt off, because her skil set and manner befitted mid-twenties.

Things bog down in the middle, with the chase running overlong without any other activity to keep things interesting. There’s also a lot of reflecting on their respective lots in life. Some judicious editing could have ensured the “thrilling” pace promised in the summary kept up until the end. Ah well, nothing that a little speed-listening couldn’t fix.

This was solid enough that I moved on to book 2, only to be disappointed in an even duller slog through 11.5 hrs of palace politics to get to a final .5 hour info dump of reveals and twists. I was aggravated by of the factions, lack of communication, and clever characters from this book becoming impulsive idiots, each carrying out their own agendas at the expense of the greater good. There’s slightly more shapeshifting, but not enough to make up for the drop in banter, action, or likable characters,
Frankly, I’m not sure I’ll get book 3, even if offered for sale and with my OCD need to finish out the trilogy.

Listened to it as fast as I could

I love this story!!! I couldnt put it down!
🗡adventure
🐅romance
🐍 amazing character development

outstanding

absolutely loved this book. so excited to start book 2. action and romance and mythology blended so well.

Loved this book

Woman warrior, romance, exciting, escape from reality. Narrator’s voice is lovely. Three books in the series.

a delightful bantering enemies to lovers story

I LOVED this book. It's exactly what I'd been looking for to read, and the audiobook performance was stellar. I can't wait for the next book, but thankfully this one didn't end on a cliffhanger. There was a bit of info dumping in the beginning, but the pace picked up quickly and the interactions between Kunal and Eesha were wonderful. Overall, a delightful alternating POV cat-and-mouse game between an assassin and the soldier who's been ordered to capture her. Add in a healthy dose of attraction and banter and the slow realization that the game is bigger than either of them had imagined and muddying, shifting loyalties, and it's near perfection

interesting all around

fun, easy to follow, good details and story
lovely narrator who takes you a long the adventures so well

Enchanting. If I could give it 10 stars I would.⁸

This is a wonderful story full of intrigue, wit, humor, passion, and truly interesting characters. I was invested in the fate of our heroin from the very first chapter.

This is fantasy of the highest and most enchanting order.

The performance is so in sync with the story and prose that it was seamless.

Intriguing Indian myth

The story isn’t what I expected. It was more. Action, myth-based lands with full histories, complex characters and impossible choices. All here. A twist on the chosen one trope that created mystery. The story gives both sides of evil, treachery, conquest, and power. Very deep, thoughtful, yet always moving and shifting. The rich culture is a plus. I highly recommend for youth and adults alike.

Very Enjoyable

Held my interest from beginning to end. Likeable characters with depth and mystery. I like that there was an ending yet a clear path to a sequel.

you're in a book slump

please read this book because it took all of the dumb and same book tropes and redesign them and actually made them good like this author does so well with plot twists and how to change the standardized Love story into something that's actually worth reading because I was in such a book slump and now I'm not it's so amazing I love this book I can't wait to read another one