How to Escape a Tiger Cult: A Thriller

by Briana Morgan

Sarah is out of options. Living in her car with no money and no future, she jumps at the chance to work at a wildlife park, a sprawling facility housing tigers and other exotic animals. It’s not glamorous, but it’s a paycheck. And Vega, the park’s magnetic owner, makes her feel like she belongs.

At first, Sarah tells herself she’s lucky to be there. But the job isn’t just cleaning cages and feeding tigers. She’s expected to perform in elaborate shows, smiling for an audience while the animals obey on command. Behind the scenes, the rules are stricter. The compound isn’t just a sanctuary—it’s home to the Order of Perpetual Youth, a cult that believes blood is the key to eternity. Obedience isn’t optional. And those who try to leave don’t get far.

Sarah wants to believe she’s special to Vega, but she isn’t the only one drawn into his orbit. There are other women—devoted, secretive, watching her too closely. She doesn’t know if she can trust them, or if they’d turn on her the moment she steps out of line. With the rituals growing darker and the walls closing in, she has to find a way out. Because if she doesn’t escape soon, she’ll end up like the others—either a loyal disciple or something much worse.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 6, 2026

About the author

Briana Morgan is a horror writer, editor, and author of The Tricker-Treater and Other Stories, which won a Godless 666 Award for Best Audiobook. With more than a decade of experience scaring herself and others, Briana has a fresh voice that shines through in her latest book, The Reyes Incident, which has sold more than 16,000 copies to date. Her other books include Mouth Full of Ashes, Unboxed: A Play, and more.

Briana has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She is also an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When not writing, Briana loves reading disturbing fiction, playing video games, and traveling with her husband.

Reviews

[Natasja · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost DNF'ed this book, but I wanted to get through it and review the whole book. I liked the premise, but it needs a ton more work. There are so many plotholes and inconsistencies. The descriptions of some of the characters are questionable at best and problematic at worst. I think this needs a lot of rewriting and editing, and I would love to give it another chance after. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Spoilers down below describing the plotholes and inconsistencies:

Sarah gets one negative and one positive pregnancy test and without any follow-up, it's suddenly like she's almost pregnant enough to give birth the next week. Sure, we don't need a whole chapter of her doing checkups for confirmation (which would also be difficult in the compound, since they don't have an OBGYN in the staff), but the timeline and her suddenly acting so pregnant don't make any sense. Twelve weeks later, in chapter 17, she's visibly pregnant and feeling the baby move. Shortly after that, in chapter 20, she's already giving premature birth while she must only be somewhere between 16 and 24 weeks pregnant. But the baby somehow lives and is fine, and they even have a tiny blood pressure cuff that fits a premature baby's arm.

Sarah literally drove to the job interview at the compound. She even lived in her car and also tells Vega that in chapter 1. But in chapter 16, it says: "When she interviewed for her job, she didn't drive in. All she had to do was walk. If she walked out now, she'd never make it." Maybe her car was destroyed, moved or sold by Vega or someone from the car, but that is never said. So why is getting in her car and leaving not an option? The park must be open for the visitors, so is there no way of walking out the gate and getting to her car (if it's still there)? There's even a description of a torn fence she could possibly have gotten through.

In chapter 7, Sarah already talked with Naomi about her miscarriage, even addressing the stain on the floor in Sarah's cabin (Naomi's old cabin). And yet, in chapter 14, it's as if that conversation never happened. Sarah has already noticed the stain on the floor before and knows that it's blood, but now she only "guesses it must be blood". Then, Sarah and Naomi are doing laundry and talking about Naomi having had to move to the smaller cabin, and then Naomi tells her she lost a baby in what is now Sarah's cabin - as if that whole conversation in chapter 7 never happened and as if Sarah never noticed the stain before.

There are also random switches from third person to first person, examples:

In chapter 10: "One afternoon, Vega invites Sarah back to his trailer. --- here it switches to first person --- My heart races as I follow him, the sound of her own footsteps echoing in her ears. I'm not sure what he wants, but the tension between us is thick".

In chapter 13 when Sarah is talking with Roy. Instead of saying "nothing would make ME happier", it's written: "nothing would make HER happier". So Sarah is randomly talking about herself in third person.

Sarah gets her hand chopped off by Vega and gives birth to a premature baby, but after that just walks around as if nothing happened. There's no mention anymore of her missing right hand.

In chapter 23, Sarah gets her hands tied to her ankles. While she's missing one hand?

[Summer R Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you BookSiren for the ARC and thank you to the writer and publishers for all your hard work. This review is voluntary and happily left!

So to start off this for some reason made me think of some show i had seen in the past but everytime i try to look it up i cant find it so maybe it was all in my head? Who knows, but i swear I remember a crime show about a cult with tigers and a man and his wives. That's all though. I won't go into anymore details as I dont want to spoil the book. So it was like I was reading something ive already read before until I got more towards the middle. That's when things picked up for me. The characters were vastly different from one another and you can only want the best for Sarah the entire time.

This book is twisted and very dark. I had so many emotions running through me as I read this book. I did have questions about a few things too. There are dark themes throughout the book, some are disturbing which hope you can find them later once the book is published and if not im sure other reviews will spoil it and tell you.

This is a book about a cult and its going to be dark. Cult: Rituals so just think about that. It thats not your thing dont look any further. There is violence and death and sadly there is animal abuse and death. Amongst those there are more things involved, darker things so you have been warned.

Even though the book was interesting I just didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. There was just a lot of things that weren't answered and if you watched the Tiger King episodes and other things involved this seemed to be kinda tied to that in my opinion.

[Tiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the immense pleasure to read an ARC of How to Escape a Tiger Cult and, as always, Brianna doesn't disappoint.

HTEATC is an intense psychological thriller that investigates what a desperate young woman is willing to do to ensure stability when her world turns upside down, then the lengths to which she will go to ensure her survival when she realizes her would-be hero is a monstrous cult leader.

Through her masterful storytelling and impeccable grasp of the pacing of thriller fiction, Brianna takes the reader on a twisting psychological adventure into the inner world of Sarah, the new cult initiate, complete with all the mystery, confusion, resistance, and hazy grasp on reality that entails. Set against the backdrop of eastern Florida in the steamy heat of summer, a compound filled with a variety of wild animals (including the titular tigers), and 0a cast of complex characters with divided loyalites and motives, HTEATC is a whirlwind thriller that begs an answer to the question "what would you do if it was your life?"

With an explosive ending that both clears up confusion and leaves questions unanswered, you'll be flipping the final pages like a tiger is chasing you down. HTEATC is a thriller the likes of which I have not read in some time, and is sure to ensare, engage, and entertain readers of all kinds. My heart was pounding through the majority of the story, and for a good while after finishing reading it!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with a copy for review.

The idea of a thriller that combines Tiger King with Jonestown immediately caught my attention, and I thought the unique premise was one of the book’s biggest strengths. The story does a good job balancing suspense with the psychological side of cult dynamics, showing the manipulation, control, and desperation that can keep people trapped in dangerous situations.
The tension builds steadily throughout the book, and I always had the feeling that something was about to go wrong. I found myself wanting to know how everything would unfold, especially as the pressure within the compound continued to increase.
I did notice a few plot points and characters that were introduced but never really went anywhere, which left me wondering why they had been included in the first place. There were also a few minor plot holes, but they didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. While I wasn’t deeply invested in the characters themselves, the premise, suspense, and exploration of cult psychology were enough to keep me interested.
This book does come with a lot of heavy triggers, so readers should check those beforehand if they are sensitive to difficult subject matter. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining and memorable thriller because of its unusual concept and the constant sense of unease it creates.
If you like cults and psychological manipulation then you will enjoy this book.

[Tia Credle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGallery and author

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of How to Escape a Tiger Cult and was excited after seeing the synopsis on the Booksirens website. As a fan of psychological thrillers, I was drawn to the premise. The author does a great job showing how people get involved in cults and why they stay. We connect with Sarah, a woman with few options who’s desperate for work I enjoyed the nerve-wracking tension between Sarah, the other characters, and Vega. However, the book feels underdeveloped and could have used another round of editing and revision. There were too many inconsistencies in the point of view, shifting from third person to first, as well as in the timeline.

For instance, in chapter 1, Sarah is living in her car and drives herself to the interview at the compound. Yet in chapter 16, a passage says she could walk away to safety... So where is her car? What happened to hers and others’ cars? A couple of paragraphs or even a full page could have explained that in a subtle way.

Another example is her pregnancy; how far along is she really? The book states that twelve weeks later she is visibly pregnant and feels the baby moving, but just three chapters later, she gives birth early???

[Heaven Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forget Tiger King….this is a Tiger cult! 🐅

I’ve been anxiously waiting to read this book since Briana first started posting about it. I’ve always had a soft spot for cult stories, and the concept of being inducted into a tiger cult was so intriguing.

And honestly, I don’t blame Sarah for getting sucked into this terrifying world! While I immediately started to notice that things were suspicious (and I wanted to shake Sarah for not noticing these red flags), I can’t deny the fact that the idea of working with tigers sounds seductive and alluring. But eventually the glamour fades and the newfound safety is ripped out from under Sarah as she starts to realize what exactly she’s gotten herself into.

The juxtaposition of the women being treated like caged animals, just like the captured tigers they work with, was striking. Nobody in this world matters except Vega. Even when he’s not on the page he’s a commanding presence, and there was so much tension throughout the story. There were some scenes where the physical pain made me wince, but the psychological warfare the characters go through is so much worse than any scar or bruise.

“Tiger Cult” is a tense, claustrophobic story that will have your heart simultaneously aching and hoping that these girls can one day be free. It will have your holding your breath until the very last page.

Thank you so much Briana for letting me read this early!

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

***When I saw that Briana Morgan was looking for ARC readers for her latest novel I pounced like a tiger. Pun intended. To read a book before its release is a rarity for me and it was an opportunity that I did not want to miss. I do believe this story takes its inspiration from Tiger King, but I must confess I've never seen that so I guess you could say I went in blind. Isn't that often the best way though?*** 

This is a fantastic story. It's full of engaging characters, desperate choices and bad decisions and all of these are woven together into a dramatic patchwork quilt of chaos. Vega is the man you will love to hate. What an absolutely despicable human being. He is a man of expensive taste and absolute power. I pictured him as being a very disturbed version of Masrani from Jurassic World. His look and his vision for success are similar, but Vega has been consumed by his power over women and his extreme narcissism. That is where they differ. I would highly recommend checking this out if you like your fiction dark and disturbing. This comes out in October but you can pre-order it now.

[Azzurra Nox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a wild ride.

Sarah turns to Vega for a job after being kicked out for being queer and forced to live in her car. He welcomes her with open arms, offering her a place to belong as she joins the zoo/circus attraction featuring tigers. At first, she has no idea she's walked straight into a cult. By the time she realizes the truth, she's already deeply entangled in life on the compound.

Vega is equal parts charming and terrifying, making it easy to understand why Sarah stays—even when leaving would be the safest choice. Morgan masterfully explores manipulation, coercion, and the seductive pull of belonging, creating a story that's as fascinating as it is horrifying.

As the pace ramps up, the tension never lets go, hurtling toward a finale drenched in rage, blood, and heartbreak.

If you like your thrillers dark, unsettling, and impossible to put down, this one is well worth picking up.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being kicked out and left with nowhere to go, Sarah jumps at the chance to work at an exotic wildlife park. What begins as a fresh start turns into something much darker as she realizes the park is hiding a terrifying cult that demands loyalty and leaves no way out.

This was an unsettling read. The mix of cult horror and psychological manipulation created a tense atmosphere. Seeing Sarah gradually uncover the truth and grow more entangled made it hard to stop reading.

Vega is a remarkably effective villain. Charismatic, controlling, and unhinged, he made every part he was in feel unpredictable. The story explored the need to belong and how easily that can be exploited.

Overall, this was a gripping and disturbing read that kept me invested from beginning to end. It balanced everything well and delivered a memorable story.

Thank you @brianasspookyspace for the #gifted earc! All opinions are my own!

[Joey Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most frightening account of cult psychological terror I’ve read in quite some time. Morgan sinks her claws into the reader’s skin from the very first chapter and doesn’t let go until the final page.