The Last Tiger by Julia and Brad Riew: A Korean-Inspired Fantasy Romance

The Last Tiger by Julia and Brad Riew takes a familiar romantasy setup—a young woman and a servant drawn together by a bargain—and places it inside a fantasy shaped by Korean history. The novel’s central tension grows from the gap between private feeling and public power: Choi Eunji and Lee Seung are drawn to each other even as the forces around them threaten to put them on opposite sides.

A bargain with consequences

Eunji is 16 and feels the pressure to become the perfect daughter her family expects. When Lee Seung, one of the household’s servants, sees her outside without a chaperone, she turns the encounter into an arrangement. He’ll help her keep sneaking out at night, and she’ll tutor him for the Exam.

That exchange gives the two characters a reason to spend time together, but the Exam soon takes on a larger meaning. Seung discovers that the ruling Dragon Kingdom uses it to rewrite history and keep powerful dragon ki from the citizens of the tiger colony. What begins as a personal bargain thus opens onto a system that shapes what people can know and what power they can access. The growing feelings between Eunji and Seung make those stakes intimate: their connection develops while the world around them keeps tightening its grip.

Their relationship also faces a sharp change in circumstance. Fate separates them, placing them on opposing sides of a battle for the last tiger. That premise gives the romance a source of tension beyond misunderstandings between the leads. Readers can expect their choices and loyalties to matter as the fantasy conflict gathers force, though the central appeal remains the bond forming between two people whose lives are constrained by their positions.

Fantasy informed by family history

Julia and Brad Riew are siblings, and they drew inspiration for the novel from the true story of their grandparents’ secret courtship in Korea under Japanese rule. The book transforms that family history into a fantasy setting rather than presenting the romance as a direct account. Choi Eunji and Lee Seung are members of the Tiger Colony, a group intended to represent Korean ethnicity under colonial rule. That connection gives the imagined conflict a historical echo: the struggle over who controls history in the story sits alongside the authors’ stated inspiration.

The novel alternates chapters between Eunji’s and Seung’s points of view. This structure lets readers follow both sides of the bargain and the relationship as each character encounters the world’s pressures. It also gives the story room to show how the same conflict can look different depending on where someone stands. For readers who enjoy dual perspectives in romance, that approach can make the growing connection feel shared rather than filtered through only one character.

The Riews describe the book as an action-packed romantasy, but the reviewer found its first half slow and its plot somewhat scattered. That response matters for readers deciding whether the setup matches their taste. Someone looking for fast-moving action from the opening chapters may need patience; someone who enjoys watching a relationship develop alongside a fantasy conflict may be more receptive to the gradual build. The reviewer’s assessment is personal, and other readers may find the blend more compelling.

Who may enjoy it

The review gives The Last Tiger an optional recommendation for middle and high school readers, with appeal to some readers in those groups. It may especially suit tweens and teens who seek romantasy, an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, and fantasy with relatively little world-building. The premise offers a clear route into the story: a secretive daughter, a servant with an important exam ahead, a tutoring deal, and a romance tested by a larger struggle. Readers who want extensive explanations of a fantasy world may find the lighter world-building less satisfying.

Families and librarians may also want to consider the content notes. The book is rated PG for language, with five swear words and no use of the f-word. Its mature content is rated PG-13 and includes brief kissing, a mention of physical abuse, and a character who says she was sent as a “comfort woman” at age 14; that reference is not graphic. Fantasy violence is also rated PG-13. These details give adults a clearer sense of the material before recommending the book to younger readers.

Publication details

The Last Tiger runs 416 pages and was published by Kokila in 2025. The listed price is $22. The review notes that the book has a high average rating on Goodreads, while making clear that the reviewer’s own experience was less enthusiastic. For readers weighing that difference, the strongest reason to pick it up may be its combination of a family-inspired courtship, teen romance, and a fantasy conflict about who gets to shape the past. Its appeal will depend on whether that blend—and a patient opening stretch—sounds like a good fit.

Review by E. Powell, Junior High Librarian.