Author: Annie Sullivan
Genre: YA fantasy, retelling
Release Date: September 10th, 2019
Publisher: Blink YA
Source: Physical ARC from publisher which did not influence my opinion
My rating: 5 stars
Synopsis:
From Annie Sullivan, author of A Touch of Gold, comes Tiger Queen, a
sweeping YA fantasy adventure that tells the story of a fierce desert princess
battling to save her kingdom. Fans of Rebel of the Sands and Meagan Spooner
will devour this retelling of Frank Stockton’s famous short story, “The Lady,
or the Tiger?”
In the mythical desert kingdom of Achra, an ancient law forces sixteen-year-old Princess Kateri to fight in the arena to prove her right to rule. For Kateri, winning also means fulfilling a promise to her late mother that she would protect her people, who are struggling through windstorms and drought. The situation is worsened by the gang of Desert Boys that frequently raids the city wells, forcing the king to ration what little water is left. The punishment for stealing water is a choice between two doors: behind one lies freedom, and behind the other is a tiger.
But when Kateri’s final opponent is announced, she knows she cannot win. In desperation, she turns to the desert and the one person she never thought she’d side with. What Kateri discovers twists her world—and her heart—upside down. Her future is now behind two doors—only she’s not sure which holds the key to keeping her kingdom and which releases the tiger.
In the mythical desert kingdom of Achra, an ancient law forces sixteen-year-old Princess Kateri to fight in the arena to prove her right to rule. For Kateri, winning also means fulfilling a promise to her late mother that she would protect her people, who are struggling through windstorms and drought. The situation is worsened by the gang of Desert Boys that frequently raids the city wells, forcing the king to ration what little water is left. The punishment for stealing water is a choice between two doors: behind one lies freedom, and behind the other is a tiger.
But when Kateri’s final opponent is announced, she knows she cannot win. In desperation, she turns to the desert and the one person she never thought she’d side with. What Kateri discovers twists her world—and her heart—upside down. Her future is now behind two doors—only she’s not sure which holds the key to keeping her kingdom and which releases the tiger.
BOOK LINKS
My Review:
If you follow me, you know I love any kind of a retelling, and while I hadn't ever really read The Lady or the Tiger, I know the gist of that story, so it made this work for me. I love that we once again have a strong female character who is fighting to be her own person. The characters really had a lot going on, lots of good background stories that really tied in to wrap the whole story together. Each little history for the characters brought it all in to make the ending and the way things wrapped up perfect. The fight that you knew had to come at the end was different than it was originally planned or even how you thought it would be as the story progressed. But it wasn't just an easy win for her, an all of a sudden it just is easy for her, she's suddenly better than Rodric after her short time training with Cion. It was still a hard fight, and she had to use the things she'd learned, but also apply them to new situations or things as they happened in the moment.
The setting was beautiful, the whole story was beautifully told and imagined, and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future!
Author Interview:
1.
So far the stories I've read from you are retellings. What
are some stories that you'd either like to do retellings on in the future,
would like to see someone else do a retelling of, or that you feel do not need
any more retellings?
I love retellings and
could probably never get enough. I have a few more retellings in the works.
Nothing I can talk about right now. Some are very classic stories, but some are
a little more off the beaten path. Honestly, one of the few I HAVEN’T written a
retelling of is Beauty and the Beast. I think I just love that story so much
that I’m not sure that I could retell in a new way. But who knows! Maybe
someday I will.
2.
I am an aspiring writer myself, and so I always wonder if
authors edit as they go or wait till they finish before editing. How many
times would you say you go over it yourself before you are ready to have
another set of eyes look it over?
I do edit as I go along.
If something changes, I cannot move forward until I’ve gone back and changed everything
that might have been affected by that change. I need everything before where I’m
currently writing to be pristine before I move forward. So typically, once I
finish a draft, it goes straight to my beta readers because it’s a clean copy
with nothing left to change.
3.
Are you part of a writers group that gets together and helps
each other with their writing?
No, I’m not. I found it
hard to find one that did full length novels, and I’ve never been a fan of
reading chapters at a time. I like discussing an entire book so I can give
feedback on character arcs and things that are only visible when you read the
novel altogether instead of spread out over months or years. I do know writers
who love these groups though, so don’t discount them. They may work for you!
4.
Where is your ideal place to write? Do you have an office
or do you like to go sit in a coffee shop/library, etc?
Ha! I do most of my
writing from either my bed or my couch. In my house, I have a library (aka an extra
bedroom that I just covered with bookshelves) that I put a desk in specifically
for writing. I’ve maybe used it twice in 2 years for writing. I guess I just
like being really comfy when I’m writing.
5. Some fun questions:
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin? Gryffindor all
the way!!!
Lannister, Stark, or Targaryen? So full confession, I read the
books years ago when they were coming out, but I never watched the TV show. So
I know enough to discuss them, but I don’t know where they all ended up in the
show. So I don’t want to pick one without knowing that!
Captain Kirk or Captain Picard? Can…can I pick Captain Kirk
played by Chris Pine? If not, then Captain Picard!
DC or Marvel? Marvel.
Physical book, ebook, or audiobook? Physical book!!!!!!!!
About the Author:
Annie Sullivan is a Young Adult author from
Indianapolis, Indiana. Her work has been featured in Curly Red Stories and
Punchnels. She loves fairytales, everything Jane Austen, and traveling and
exploring new cultures. When she’s not off on her own adventures, she’s
teaching classes at the Indiana Writers Center and working as the Copy
Specialist at John Wiley and Sons, Inc. publishing company, having also worked
there in Editorial and Publicity roles. You can follow her adventures on
Twitter and Instagram (@annsulliva).
Website: https://anniesullivanauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annsulliva
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annsulliva
Giveaway:
Prize: Tiger
Queen poster and signed bookplate (USA only)
Starts: 9/4/19
Ends: 9/13/19
TOUR SCHEDULE
