The Lady, The Tiger and The Girl Who Loved Death

Earlier this summer, I was delighted to be added to the reviewers list over at one of my favorite publishing houses, Titan Books!

While I think I have done pretty well sprinkling in other genres beyond my beloved thriller/mysteries, the first selection they sent over was just the breath of fresh air that my TBR needed!!!

Synopsis:

“As Sara Sidorova hovers between life and death, she is visited by Amba, the tiger god who will devour creation if he is released from the chains that bind him. Amba gives Sara an extraordinary gift: a glimpse into the future.

Years later, her granddaughter Irenda will grow up in a war-torn country where survival means obedience. When a devastating attack robs her of her parents, she travels to Hrana City. There, her grandmother agrees to teach her the ultimate secret: how to tame death. In the circus, amongst the magicians, the strongmen and the contortionists, she will start down a dangerous road, to carry out a revenge decades in the making… and bring justice into the world for herself and for her family.

Rich with glamour and strangeness, brutality and deceit and the dark magic of the circus, this haunting fable from a multi award-winning author will chill your bones and make your heart ache.”

From the first few pages of this story, I could tell that it was one that wouldn’t be content with 30min, short burst, reading sessions.

It, quite simply, wanted to be devoured.

The book opens with a scene of Sara Sidorova, becoming injured and seemingly drifting into an afterlife scenario, where she meets three entities…The Evening Star, The Morning Star and a Tiger (Amba), who give her an opportunity to see in to the future.

Admittedly, it took me more than a few pages to figure out the flow of what was happening but once I did, it was a difficult read to put down. The past, present and future danced between chapters, unraveling the heartbreak, difficulty, sadness and determination that comes with existing in war-torn/fractured times.

The character’s stories intertwined throughout, in a way that made it feel like my story was in there somewhere also, leading me to my favorite quote…

Maybe all stories are one story in the end.

The contrast of violence/war/opression and the deep bonds of love woven within, helped make this the compelling read that it is.

Any time a book takes me to it’s depths, pricks me with some discomfort, shows me something about myself and brings me to the most heartwarming of tears, it gets my seal of approval!!!!

The Lady, The Tiger and The Girl Who Loved Death at it’s simplest, is a story about a grandmother and her granddaughter. On a very personal note, my grandmother passed away shortly after I finished this book.

I can’t help but feel like it was meant to happen that way. She was born in 1939 and lived through things I’ll never be able to fully grasp and in a way, this story helped me see her life…

So, perhaps we are all apart of one story after all and “now the sum of all my joys is greater than the sum of my sorrows”.

Or at least that’s what I am choosing 🙂

Much love to you all ❤