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A review by picklesoup
The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera
Rating: No rating
Finally getting to review this book. Okay so I want to get the most major thing out of the way, this book was inspired by a mixture of Japanese, Chinese, and Mongolian culture. Many reviews have stated how the Asian representation was not done correctly in this book. There were a few times where I definitely was questioning the content that was shown, but due to me not being apart of the cultures that this novel was based on, I can not say whether or not it was done properly, so I heavily suggest reading other reviews based off of this. This review will be solely speaking on the plot, characters, and my own enjoyment while reading.
The Plot: If I'm being honest, I don't have a single clue what the plot of this book is. There was no true overarching plot that was featured in this book. This story is following two warriors, Shefali and Shizuka, throughout their childhood. In the beginning, we are introduced to Shizuka, who is now Empress Yui, who had just received a total of six really long letters from her lover, Shefali, who is somewhere out in the world, away from her Shizuka. From there we are thrown into the history of the two as they grew up with one another and leading to the current day plotline of Shizuka reading these letters. This book was more of a series of events that had occurred to the pair throughout their life, which ultimately leads up to why we had not seen Shefali within the current plotline with Shizuka. So in the end, this book has no true plot, just events that can feel very insignificant unless you read until the end, which can be a problem for many if there is no general plot or conflict to keep someone reading.
The Writing: The writing is obviously the most important thing about a book. In this book, it was definitely something that took me a while to get used to, but eventually, I had fallen in love with it. Being written in a hybrid of first, second, and third POV. With the plot split into two different timelines, we have Empress Yui, or better known to us as Shizuka, is written in the third person. While the main plotline, focusing on both Shefali and Shizuka's childhood and growing up together is written in a letter format. Making us read the book as though we are Shizuka reading the letters that Shefali has sent her, making it a hybrid of first (Shefali's POV) and second (Shizuka's POV) person. Many people had found the writing style very annoying and confusing, which is completely understandable as it does take a bit of getting used to. For me, once I had got the hang of it, it was something I truly enjoyed reading and the way it was written made it easy for me to fall into the story and get into the headspace of the novel.
The Romance: The romance in the book is truly the main focal point of this novel and the only reason why it made me continue reading it and enjoying it as much as I had. Being a sapphic novel that falls under the childhood friends to lovers trope, it was something that I had loved reading. Watching Shefali and Shizuka become friends and then growing into young ladies and falling in love with one another. It was so beautiful watching them work throughout their struggles and still being there for one another. The chemistry that brewed between them and the love ugh, it made me feel so lonely. The romance was the most enjoyable aspect of this book and it was just done so beautifully. The romance is a solid yes.
In the end, this book was very enjoyable to read, all to watch Shefali and Shizuka fall in love with one another, and to be able to experience how it came to be was a journey that was something that I had not expected. There are a few major flaws throughout this book that I definitely counted against the rating, but in general, it was a read that I had truly enjoyed.
Finally getting to review this book. Okay so I want to get the most major thing out of the way, this book was inspired by a mixture of Japanese, Chinese, and Mongolian culture. Many reviews have stated how the Asian representation was not done correctly in this book. There were a few times where I definitely was questioning the content that was shown, but due to me not being apart of the cultures that this novel was based on, I can not say whether or not it was done properly, so I heavily suggest reading other reviews based off of this. This review will be solely speaking on the plot, characters, and my own enjoyment while reading.
The Plot: If I'm being honest, I don't have a single clue what the plot of this book is. There was no true overarching plot that was featured in this book. This story is following two warriors, Shefali and Shizuka, throughout their childhood. In the beginning, we are introduced to Shizuka, who is now Empress Yui, who had just received a total of six really long letters from her lover, Shefali, who is somewhere out in the world, away from her Shizuka. From there we are thrown into the history of the two as they grew up with one another and leading to the current day plotline of Shizuka reading these letters. This book was more of a series of events that had occurred to the pair throughout their life, which ultimately leads up to why we had not seen Shefali within the current plotline with Shizuka. So in the end, this book has no true plot, just events that can feel very insignificant unless you read until the end, which can be a problem for many if there is no general plot or conflict to keep someone reading.
The Writing: The writing is obviously the most important thing about a book. In this book, it was definitely something that took me a while to get used to, but eventually, I had fallen in love with it. Being written in a hybrid of first, second, and third POV. With the plot split into two different timelines, we have Empress Yui, or better known to us as Shizuka, is written in the third person. While the main plotline, focusing on both Shefali and Shizuka's childhood and growing up together is written in a letter format. Making us read the book as though we are Shizuka reading the letters that Shefali has sent her, making it a hybrid of first (Shefali's POV) and second (Shizuka's POV) person. Many people had found the writing style very annoying and confusing, which is completely understandable as it does take a bit of getting used to. For me, once I had got the hang of it, it was something I truly enjoyed reading and the way it was written made it easy for me to fall into the story and get into the headspace of the novel.
The Romance: The romance in the book is truly the main focal point of this novel and the only reason why it made me continue reading it and enjoying it as much as I had. Being a sapphic novel that falls under the childhood friends to lovers trope, it was something that I had loved reading. Watching Shefali and Shizuka become friends and then growing into young ladies and falling in love with one another. It was so beautiful watching them work throughout their struggles and still being there for one another. The chemistry that brewed between them and the love ugh, it made me feel so lonely. The romance was the most enjoyable aspect of this book and it was just done so beautifully. The romance is a solid yes.
In the end, this book was very enjoyable to read, all to watch Shefali and Shizuka fall in love with one another, and to be able to experience how it came to be was a journey that was something that I had not expected. There are a few major flaws throughout this book that I definitely counted against the rating, but in general, it was a read that I had truly enjoyed.