My rating: 4 of 5 stars
3.5 stars if I'm being honest.
Let's start with this, I am very harsh on books that are set in my own culture. To date, I have not finished a single book that explores Indian culture.
Why? Because I hate the way authors generally overuse Hindi. Literally no one cares about what the MC is eating for dinner, yet, you'll notice every single book with a South Asian MC will have a couple scenes describing their food using foreign words, just for the sake of using them.
"my stomach rumbled at the hot smell of fresh rotis covered in ghee"
I dare one of you to find me a book with South Asian characters that does not, in some form, have a version of this line. It is beyond annoying. *Screech*
That being said, Tiger at Midnight did have these food descriptions (sigh), but kept it to a fair minimum. The author focused on the story and mythology where use of foreign words made sense..
They weren't just thrown in to "make it diverse."
Esha is a hoot. She's sarcastic and witty, but has a heart she tries desperately to bury where no one can touch it. Kunal is a soldier who thinks he knows who he is and what he wants , but his path in life become unclear hen he meets the infamous revel, The Viper.
This story ties together plots of mythology, politics, and dystopia - all rather impressively if I'm being honest. It even leaves time for a side of a coy romance.
Expect lies, truths, new friends, new enemies, trust, a s betrayal. All intricately woven into the 400-something pages of this novel.
Tiger at Midnight gets my south Asian stamp of approval and I am So happy (and relieved) to say I will be picking up the sequel.
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