REVIEW: The Night Tiger (Yangsze Choo)

Book: Night Tiger

Author: Yangsze Choo

Premise: When Ren's master dies, he makes one last request of his Chinese houseboy: that Ren find his severed finger and reunite it with his body within 49 days. Ji Lin moonlights as a dancehall girl to help pay off her mother's debts. One night, her dance partner leaves her with a gruesome souvenir: a severed finger. As the 49 days tick down, and a prowling tiger wreaks havoc on the town, Ji Lin and Ren's lives intertwine in ways they could never have imagined.

This book had a lot of promise. Its set in 1930s Malaya and is full of Chinese and South East Asian mythology. The story is full of mystery, magic and danger. It's split between Ji Lin and Ren, with a couple of bits from another character's point of view. At first, I found Ji Lin's chapter more exciting and fast paced.

There were a few plot lines going on, each with its own mystery, and I was hoping for one big climax at the end that would be super clever and tie it all up. But I thought it fell flat and some bits weren't tied up. Also, the plot lines didn't get resolved together but remained separate, giving it a disjointed feel. Maybe I set my expectations too high.

A fun read but left me slightly disappointed.