The Last Tiger by Julia Riew

The Last Tiger

Julia Riew, Brad Riew

Penguin Young Readers Group · Hardcover · July 29, 2025

"Sit tight and sink into this spellbinding debut.

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Who it’s for
A sharp, atmospheric read that leans into folklore and the pull of explanation.
Genres
YA Fantasy Romance, Historical YA Fantasy, Historical YA - Asia
Published
Penguin Young Readers Group, July 29, 2025

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About this book

"Sit tight and sink into this spellbinding debut. It brings the very best of fantasy." —Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Inspired by true stories from the authors’ grandparents’ lives during one of the darkest periods in Korean history, The Last Tiger is a debut young adult fantasy novel about the power of love to give voice to a silenced people.

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The gorgeous first edition hardcover features: a metallic foil cover, illustrated endpapers, custom designed edges, and stunning foil stamped case. In a colonized land where tigers are being hunted to extinction and ancient magic stirs, two star-crossed teens—Lee Seung, a servant yearning for freedom, and Choi Eunji, a noble girl defying tradition—join forces to try and reshape their respective fates. But their relationship evolves from begrudging accomplices to bitter adversaries as they soon find themselves on opposite sides of a battle over the last tiger, a symbol of their people’s lost freedom and key to the liberation of their country. As the ties between Seung and Eunji are complicated by their conflicting loyalties, tensions rise—especially when a charming princeling of the empire begins to rival for Eunji's affection. In this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story of forbidden romance, antagonists turned allies, oppression and liberation, neither Seung nor Eunji can abandon their mission—or each other. And as they embark on separate quests to find the elusive creature, each must also find the power within themselves to make their own destiny.

Folklore With Bite

A sharp, atmospheric read that leans into folklore and the pull of explanation.

Come here for

  • Edgy fairy-tale energy
  • A sustained, immersive read

Expect

  • Teen-centered fantasy framing
  • Historical-leaning fairy-tale texture

Where it sits

Historical YA - Asia56%
YA Fantasy Romance52%
Historical YA Fantasy42%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Historical YA Fantasy
  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Historical YA - Asia
Authors
Julia Riew, Brad Riew
Publisher
Penguin Young Readers Group
Published
July 29, 2025
Format
Hardcover
Reading lane
Historical YA Fantasy