by Julia Riew
First published 2025
Sixteen-year-old Seung Lee serves the wealthy Choi family in a world where the Dragon Empire has conquered the Tiger Republic. When he discovers Eunji Choi wandering alone without a chaperone, she strikes a bargain to keep him quiet. She will tutor him for the Adachi Training Academy exam that could free him from servitude. Between lessons, Seung shows Eunji the streets she has never seen, filled with food vendors and hidden paths. Their friendship deepens until they encounter the last surviving tiger and realize their feelings for each other. After the exam, their paths split. Seung descends into the mines like his father before him. Eunji faces an arranged marriage to a Dragon family's son. Both know where the last tiger hides, and both set out separately to find it. They must choose between accepting their assigned fates or embracing powers they never knew they possessed.
Genres: adventure, coming-of-age, fantasy, young-adult, fantasy-romance, historical-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, bittersweet, emotional, lyrical, romantic
Tropes: chosen-one, forbidden-romance, friends-to-lovers, star-crossed-lovers
Setting: Dragon Empire, Tiger Republic, Adachi Training Academy
416 pages · Paperback · Kokila