Review 'The Tiger at Midnight' by Swati Teerdhala
“Never greet a tiger at midnight, for they are the manifestations of your past misdeeds.”
“If only they had met in another world, another life. Instead she had found him in this one. Bound by duty and honor, sworn to protect and serve.”
The Tiger at Midnight is a riveting tale of heartbreak and hope, devotion and betrayal.
A cat-and-mouse game between a vengeful assassin and a loyal soldier; two people, who will do everything to save their dying land.
Through Teerdhala’s beautifully detailed prose writing that will pull you in from the very first sentence, we follow our assassin, Esha, and Kunal, a devoted soldier, as they both set out on their mission. As their paths intertwine on numerous occasions, we get to know who these characters really are. We see their cuts and creases, their hopes and dreams, their fears and realities.
It is impossible not to fall in love with either of them. Esha is a headstrong girl who has been fighting for herself the majority of her life. She knows how to handle herself in the face of danger and doesn’t mind dropping in a bit of sass as she does. Kunal, on the other hand, may look like a tough, soldier, but he’s the softest of them all. He’s a dreamer, beaten into blind obedience, loyal to a fault.
As they face off for the first time, it is clear that they stand on opposite sides. But with each word they share and each step they take towards each other, their ideals and beliefs come crumbling down.
I loved reading and absorbing each word as their animosity turned into a slow burn romance. The journey of these characters is so intricately intertwined that you find yourself so breathlessly impatient that you’re already grasping the next page before you’ve fully read the previous one. As you read on, these characters, who have closed themselves off so vigorously, slowly start to unfold like a tiger stretching itself awake from slumber.
Having now read and reread this first installment, I can most definitely say that the character growth of both Esha and Kunal is extraordinary. It doesn’t happen like the snap of fingers. It comes slowly, like waves in the middle of the ocean drawn to shore. Up and up it rises until it finally comes crashing down and you realize that this is where they needed to be. Esha, who was blinded by rage and agonizing over loss, found trust in the hands of the enemy, along with a long lost friendship. Kunal, blindly loyal to a tyrant of a king, realized there is more out there to fight for. I loved watching them grow individually as well as together. They make a formidable team and I cannot wait to read The Archer at Dawn and see them work together! If you’re a fan of Roshani Chokshi, Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal, then this book is for you.