BOOK REVIEWS

Tigress Series

Jade Lee

ISBN:  9780843956894 

Reviewer:  Jennifer Andrew

Cornered Tigress is another book in the Tigress Series.  Shi Po, a teacher of the Taoist teachings as well as one of the greatest Tigresses, finds herself in trouble and unable to return to her household.  This installment is about how her cook and one of her Tigress students, Little Pearl, is left behind to look after her house in hopes of her teacher’s return. 

The story is still set in Shanghai in the 1800’s and the harshness of life for women is strongly depicted in the author’s next book.  Little Pearl must protect herself by succumbing to the hands of both Chinese and Caucasian men, otherwise known as the “ghosts” and “barbarians”.  Little Pearl soon finds out about Jonas, who is a ship’s captain in search of Kui Yu.  When he did not show up at the docks to retrieve his cargo, Jonas came searching the house for him.

Little Pearl discovers Jonas is not like every man in Shanghai.  In turn, Jonas begins to understand the ways of the Tigress and how her techniques can send them both to Heaven and back.

Sexuality is still the theme of the story and it runs rampant, especially when Little Pearl teaches the Captain, whether he wants to learn or not.  The author shows how brave and ambitious the student tigress is in this story.  The reader’s heart goes out to what she is left to endure when her mistress disappears.  When she finds out Shi Po had been captured in the middle of the night, she is torn between running to save her life or trying to salvage what is left of the house for her occupant’s return.

The name of this book definitely fits the plot of the story.  Little Pearl is practically cornered into showing her loyalty to the woman who took her in from the cold when she had nowhere to go.  Fighting off both creditors and strangers known only to her mistress’s husband, she doesn’t know who to trust.  As in a feline cornered before a possible enemy, Little Pearl bears her fangs to show her strength and cunning in this distressing situation. 

Cornered Tigress is for mature adults who enjoy reading stories that are outside the normal genre.  I may never understand the ways of the Tigress and how the teachings of human sexuality can bring you to heights unimaginable.  Jade Lee certainly makes you want to comprehend every facet of this unique religion.