Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee || Korean Mythology Meets Space Adventure

Tiger Honor (Thousand Worlds, #2)

Sebin, a young tiger spirit from the Juhwang Clan, wants nothing more than to join the Thousand World Space Forces and, like their Uncle Hwan, captain a battle cruiser someday. But when Sebin's acceptance letter finally arrives, it's accompanied by the shocking news that Hwan has been declared a traitor. Apparently, the captain abandoned his duty to steal a magical artifact, the Dragon Pearl, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Sebin hopes to help clear their hero's name and restore honour to the clan.

Nothing goes according to plan, however. As soon as Sebin arrives for orientation, they are met by a special investigator named Yi and his assistant, a girl named Min. Yi informs Sebin that they must immediately report to the ship Haetae and await further instructions. Sebin finds this highly unusual, but soon all protocol is forgotten when there's an explosion on the ship, the crew is knocked out, and the communication system goes down. It's up to Sebin, three other cadets, and Yi and Min to determine who is sabotaging the battlecruiser. When Sebin is suddenly accused of collaborating with the enemy, the cadet realizes that Min is the most dangerous foe of all...

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Perfect for readers who want:

• Military-esque space adventure.
• Science fiction set on a spaceship. You know . . . in space!
• Filled with Korean mythology and culture.
• Gumiho and tigers with special powers!
• Also ghosts. Living their best afterlives.
• And even a good doggo, too.

Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Not gonna lie, I didn’t love the first book, Dragon Pearl, even though I was sure I was going to. Mostly, though, I didn’t particularly like the main character. So I was especially excited when I realized that this book would be written from a different perspective. Tiger Honor ties nicely into the first book, despite being from a new perspective, and will introduce new faces as well as bring back some old ones.

Tiger Honor is a science fiction adventure filled with Korean culture and mythology where the non-binary protagonist needs to choose between familial loyalty and honor. But as it turns out, the right thing isn’t always the easy thing.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this book going in, because it’s kind of strange to have a sequel that’s a completely new perspective. I thought it worked really well in this instance, though! Sebin carries the novel nicely, and since I didn’t particularly like Min, it felt like an improvement. Amazingly, I also didn’t hate Min as a secondary character, so it was win-win.

This book is wonderfully diverse and filled with all sorts of important representation.

Carrying on from the first book, the Space Forces has pins that show preferred pronouns, which I think is super neat. That means everyone involved knows that our protagonist, Sebin, is non-binary, as are a handful of secondary characters. There are also LGBTQ+ characters and usage of sign language, which is always exciting to see in books. Best of all, Lee doesn’t make a huge deal of these characters. They’re just a fabric of the book, existing as if they’ve always belonged, as it should be. I love how seamlessly these characters existed and interacted, without a big spectacle being made of them!

Tiger Honor picks up where Dragon Pearl left off as far as sequence of events. However, it’s told from a completely new point of view and has its own unique feel separate from the first book.

I’m used to sequels that just sort of continue the story from the initial character, so this surprised me at first. I absolutely loved the idea, though! As I said previously, I wasn’t a huge fan of Min, so it was nice to get a different point of view character. More than that, though, I think furthering the overall story from the point of view of another character really helps to show just how large this plot is and how many people end up swept up in it.

That’s not to say that there aren’t throwbacks to the first book, because there are! Min still makes an appearance. It feels different, though, getting to see her from someone else’s perspective rather than being in her head. I really liked this approach. (Though, I was a little confused about Min’s appearance, because she’s described as looking 16, when she would really be Sebin’s age? Either that or she’s in disguise, which makes no sense because there’d be no reason to be. I could just be misremembering things, though.)

Sebin is a very different character than Min: reserved, disciplined, analytical. I loved the way his story focused on familial obligation vs. honor.

If we’re being honest, the tiger clan Sebin is from is basically a cult. Family members swear fealty to the clan and obey the matriarch without any question. Young tigers are raised in the family’s territory with very little contact with others. In basically all matters, Sebin’s family demands unwavering loyalty. However, everything the family wants goes against what Sebin will have to do in the Space Force, which is put the Thousand Worlds and all its inhabitants first. Quite the dilemma!

I actually really enjoy these sorts of character struggles, because they feel so natural and relatable. Most people want to be loyal to their families and do what’s asked, even if they may question it sometimes. That’s a pretty natural desire, especially for younger people (remember, Sebin is only 13!). My only qualm is that I wish this internal struggle hadn’t been resolved so easily, because it’s a good one.

As one might expect from a Rick Riordan Presents book, Tiger Honor is filled with adventure and mythology.

This series, in particular, is based on Korean culture and mythology. This is a culture I’m not as knowledgeable about, so I love all the little cultural aspects that come into play, even if it’s technically science fiction, like the food and such! In this case, though, this is a little bit of a space adventure. Mostly because it’s set in space, on a spaceship. Which is always a fun place for an adventure. I wouldn’t say this was fast-paced, especially since a lot of internal struggle happens (my favorite!), but it moved at a pretty good clip and I didn’t get bored. There was definitely a lot going on for Sebin. What a way to begin your Space Force career!

Sebin’s arc unfortunately flops a bit around its climax, with sudden character growth that feels unearned and unexplained.

Considering that I otherwise liked Sebin, despite his frustrating (yet understandable) obsession with service and family, the fact that his arc doesn’t feel like it quite peaks is a little disappointing. The build-up is there, and it’s obvious that his arc is moving right along. What I expected was some give-and-take and gradual shift of opinions. Unfortunately, Sebin seems to make up his mind over paragraphs and then wholeheartedly devotes himself to it without any real logic or explanation about his sudden change of heart.

Without any spoilers, suffice it to say that this seems unlikely, given everything we know about the character up to that point, and I was disappointed that he didn’t wrestle with it more. It’s such a small complaint for an otherwise enjoyable book, but darn it, character emotional drama is delicious!

About Yoon Ha Lee

Yoon Ha Lee (yoonhalee.com) is the New York Times best-selling author of Dragon Pearl, a companion to this book and winner of the Locus Award and the Mythopoeic Award. He has also published several books for adults, including a standalone fantasy entitled Phoenix Extravagant, and the Machineries of Empire space opera trilogy: Ninefox Gambit, Raven Strategem, and Revenant Gun. Yoon draws inspiration from a variety of sources, e.g. Korean history and mythology, fairy tales, higher mathematics, classic moral dilemmas, and genre fiction. His website can be found at yoonhalee.com and his Twitter handle is @deuceofgears.

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3 winners will receive a finished copy of TIGER HONOR, US Only.

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