Tiger Queen

Princess Kateri is hungry for power, and she is willing to fight for it. To inherit her father's crown, she must survive the arena and defeat every suitor who stands between her and the throne. When she learns that her final opponent is one she cannot beat, she runs to the desert and begs for training from the enemy she despises most, the only person who might help her win.

In the desert, far from palace luxury, Kateri starts to see her father differently. The longer she stays, the more she questions what she has been told about how he has treated her people. Her journey back to the kingdom is shaped by what she has learned, and the life of the person she loves now rests on a choice between two doors in the arena, one offering happiness and the other unleashing a tiger.

Secrets, rival suitors, thieves and a fierce heroine fill this young adult fantasy retelling of Frank Stockton's short story “The Lady, or the Tiger?” The novel blends a slow-burn romance with fast-paced adventure and is set in a world marked by fascism, classism and climate crisis. It works as a standalone read.