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The Tiger Saga #2

Tiger's Quest

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Kelsey Hayes’s eighteenth summer was crazy. The kind of crazy that nobody would ever believe.

Aside from battling immortal sea monkeys and trekking the jungles of India, she fell in love with Ren, a 300-year-old prince.

When danger suddenly forces Kelsey on another Indian quest with Ren’s bad-boy brother, Kishan, the unlikely duo begins to question their true destiny. Ren’s life hangs in the balance � and so does the truth within Kelsey’s heart.

Tiger’s Quest, the thrilling second volume in the Tiger’s Curse series, brings the trio one step closer to breaking the ancient prophecy that binds them.

Audio CD

First published June 7, 2011

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About the author

Colleen Houck

26books9,196followers
New York Times Bestselling Author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, science fiction, and romance. Formerly a student at the University of Arizona, she worked as a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter for seventeen years before switching careers to become an author. Colleen lives in Salem, Oregon, with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers. Follow her by signing up for her !

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Profile Image for Cait.
76 reviews1,766 followers
June 15, 2011
Oh, oh, oh! I just have one thing to say about this novel, wow.
This one was sooo much better than the first (and the first was amazing), and if I had any questions or doubts or misgivings about this series, they were completely destroyed by Quest.

First off, Kishan. Most bad-boys in novels always stay aloof, and I know that they are supposed to be irritating like that, but most YA novels have crossed the line, heck, practically leaped over it, and have annoyed me soo much that I've just wanted to put down the book. So when Colleen Houck introduced Kishan in Curse, I was a little scared, but, in Quest, Colleen totally solves this for me by making Kelsey travel with Kishan, and we learn that beneath all of his cockyness and down-right rudeness, is someone who lives every-day with the pain of his decisions that he made hundreds of years ago, and that he truly cares, unlike most bad boys who are either totally evil or we never get the total character-fleshing that we got in Quest. If anything, he's got more character depth than Ren at least in this book, due to his struggle throughout with accepting both sides of himself and integrating back into society through those small windows that Houck shows us when he doesn't pretend to be devastatingly shallow in order to hide all of that pain; like the scene in the dream meadow where we get to see his true side (that was sooo cute). And guess what, he's not pretending to be angsty and shallow because he wants to keep Kelsey distant so that she falls in love with his douchy self! He actually has a normal reason other than he's "dangerous!" Gasp! But he wasn't just dark and moody, he was absolutely hilarious! He has a very snarky voice, kind of like Will and Jem in Infernal/Mortal devices series by Cassandra Clare; which I found utterly refreshing. Houck really made me grow attached to the bad-boy character that most authors just can't seem to work out. He's just a piece of work in more ways than one ;)

Have I said I love this book? Because, yeah, I love this book.

And Ren. Ohh boyyy. In Quest, his complete, total, and utter devotion to Kelsey is revealed even more, and, especially in the beginning before he takes a little hiatus so to speak (I"m trying hard to not ruin this for people! Hahah) I felt my breath get taken away whenever he talked to Kelsey; like he was looking up at me with his baby blues and talking to me, it was so real. He is just sooo beautiful, and kind, and smart, and just yummy, but not totally perfect like a lot of novels portray his type of character. He worries for kelsey, can be a little bit like a mother hen, and impatient, instead of being overly patient and almost apathetic like, dare I say, a vampire , and a lot of other "perfect" guys.

And the little contest that him and Li have is hilarious! It adds that little bit of funny so I don't get annoyed with the whole love-fest that him and Kelsey have going on. Plus, two totally hot guys who actually have character depth fighting over you? Too much to resist ;) Another shocker for me is that Ren and Kelsey actually date! I mean, that's practically un-heard of for YA novels! Most star-crossed lovers *gag* just make out and argue all the time. This, for me, felt like a much more real and intimate relationship than that. Then when he's gone, Kelsey still has what I will call 'waking dreams' and his total love for her is astonishing. He will do whatever he can to keep her safe, which brought tears to my eyes. And the whole twist that is thrown in at the end literally knocked me off of my chair. It evoked all of the feelings that I wanted when I read a book: of total shock, betrayal, anguish, and even anger at some points as we wait for Kelsey to catch up with what we already know. I almost shouted "YOU BASTARD" at the one part with Ren and those tribe girls. Ughhh! Houck just writes it all so well, and ties everything in, that it's just all the more devastating at the end of the novel when all those emotions hit me in that swift torrent that I never would have expected :'( She gets you all roped into Ren through Kelsey that when things happen, you feel like it's happening to you as well. Colleen Houck, you are one sneaky little author.

Also the relationship that Ren and Kelsey have is just so breathtakingly real, and pure, and just good. It was like I could have seen them down the street holding hands, totally in tune to one another, just the perfect love birds. The kissing scenes are swoony, deep, and just incredibly personal; I almost felt like I was intruding. Their love caught me up in the rush of it all, and it was their relationship, since they didn't have much of one in Curse, that was one of the best things about this book. Colleen Houck did what few can, something so simple, but seems to be incredibly difficult for some authors: their relationship just WAS. And that, in and of itself, sold the book for me.

And all this love brings me to Kelsey. I adore how Coleen writes her. She's not necessarily confident, but shes stong, and brave, and her love for Ren just leaves me breathless. Plus she's not totally oblivious to the world or how much Kishan and Ren obviously love her like in many other books where the idiots, I mean, girls, are like OMG there's way two guys could POSSIBLY ever like ME, so I'm going to go do something extremely stupid and life threatening! (and trust me I've wished that they would just die, many, many times) Mrs. Houck handles the forbidden love triangle angle very well, and at some parts, I really do feel torn on who she's meant to be with (don't tell me the baby scene didn't have you thinking twice! And all her dreams!) She is really able to smoothly integrate it into the story; the triangle feels very natural to me. She really lets Kishan grow on you instead of him automatically declaring his love to her the first time he sees Kelsey.

Also throughout the whole story, it's not like *cough cough*Twilight where this is a forbidden love, and Kelsey loves Ren because he's all dangerous, and she seems to love all of the opposite things that are considered normal. In this story she's just a girl, who loves a guy, who happens to turn into a tiger. And during the whole quest with Kishan, even while he's trying to make out with her later on (the little scoundrel!), she's one of the most devoted people to Ren that I've seen before in a character, and never gives up on him. Not to mention that being able to shoot lightning from your hand is about the most badass thing ever! Come on, don't tell me you've never wished that you could be able to do something totally awesome like that! Just give a little zap to an annoying person at school or a sibling... just any annoying person in general, really ;) Houck including that power helps me see that Kelsey's not just cowering in the corner while Kishan fights, she wants to get right in the action and help, which makes her all the more likable. I like a character that can stand up for herself like Kelsey can. Besides all that though I love the inner dialogue that has continued on from the last book. I feel like Houck took exactly how I, a totally normal person, would have felt in the situation and had Kelsey say them in such a funny, charming way that I would literally burst out loud in laughter at those parts.

Did I get some weird looks from the family who thought I was possibly seizing or having some sort of epileptic fit? Ohhh yes I did. Did I care? Ohhh no I didn't. Because, yeah, I'll say it again, I. Love. This. Book.

And I loved the journey, just in general that they had. Houck wrote it so eloquently that I was swallowing up every word, and I didn't even realize that it was done until I had reached the last page. It had a lot of action and suspense, but not so much that I felt like Kelsey was fighting every other second in a mini-Matrix, and also had those really deep, infinitely personal moments that I just adore to help even it out. The quests and trials that she went on were engaging, fun, with enough danger to keep you roped in throughout (with some pretty good facts all interwoven into the expedition, as well). Houck also does a superb job with tying everything together, even from teeny tiny things from the last book that I didn't even remember, and it all coalesces wonderfully in this part of the series into something that is truly a masterpiece. Long review short, if anyone is debating whether or not to pick this one up, DO. It will seriously leave you so happy, sad, and wanting the next one so badly that you're literally counting down the days. It was simply amazing.

And, if you're like me, who wants to desperately read Voyage and thinks that it should have come out yesterday *groan*, we've got a loongg wait folks. Five months :/


My own little stuffed white tiger <3 (if you can only see a little question mark box sorry about that, but it's a really cute picture hopefully I'll get it working again)

Edit: Found a picture that perfectly describes my feelings of this book!

[image error]
hahahha :)
Profile Image for Mizuki.
3,250 reviews1,321 followers
January 23, 2015
0.5 star, there's no way in hell I'll give this book more.

Take my words, Colleen Houck totally fails as an 'author', she offers us nothing bout cardboard cutout characters, empty headed heroine who seems to have no thought of her own, uninteresting and unrealistic dreamboat love interests, supporting character (Mr. Kadam) who's only there for the inform dump and being an all-knowing, all-useful plot device.

Beside all these, we also get a silly, painful-to-look-at love triangle--when one of the brothers is captured---and being tortured nonstop, the other brother still has the guts to flirt and make out with the captured brother's girlfriend. And before that happens, the 'heroine' somehow manages to date three different guys at once, and none of the guy thinks that's a problem with her dating so many fellows.



The main character Kelsey, for most of the time she doesn't even look and feel like an real person to me. Remember she supposedly had lost her parents? But you wouldn't know it by reading Tiger's Quest, for Kelsey never spent a second to think about her late parents. Instead at the first half of the book, all Kelsey thought about is Ren and her three different dates. *sighs*

And Kelsey was faced with Goddess Durga and all the Eastern mythology, the belief of reincarnations and stuff, those new experience and knowledge never provoked her to think about life and death, the meaning of life and the world she lived in. All she thought about is still her boyfriend. *sighs*

I mean, Kelsey met a Goddess in person, but she never ever bothered to ask the Goddess: "Have you seen my mom and dad? Are they alright now?"

I mean, even Zoey Redbird from the House of Night series, bothered to ask her Goddess what had happened to her late mother after she was murdered!

KELSEY, ARE YOU FOR REAL?


As to the quest to find one of Goddess Durga's holy objects which takes up most of the book, DON'T GET ME STARTED WITH IT! For the whole time I feel like I'm trapped in the freaking Disneyland when Kishan and Kelsey are on their quest.

Also, don't ever get me started with how Houck bastardized the Hindus myth and mixed it up with those Greek mythical figures and fairies and shit.



During the whole progress of reading, I kept asking myself: "Why am I doing this to myself!?" Reading this book is so painful, so unbearable an experience, I kept turning pages just to get the whole thing over with. It's that bad.

You know what? I had gone through five of the Twilight books before, but right now I'm not one bit certain that I can survive the next book...
Profile Image for Μaria Vrisanaki .
189 reviews174 followers
February 25, 2019
description

Με πλήγωσες Ρεν!

Θα ξεκινήσω λέγοντας πως δεν περίμενα με τίποτα να απολαύσω τόσο αυτό το βιβλίο. Οι πρώτες 150 περίπου σελίδες ήταν ανυπόφορες, ηλίθιες και ανούσιες. Η Κέλσι έκανε τη μία βλακεία μετά την άλλη. Επίσης με εκνεύρισε και ο Ρεν. .

Χαίρομαι που του έδωσα δεύτερη ευκαιρία!

Η συγγραφέας έχει μελετήσει μυθολογίες. Σε κάθε βιβλίο της με μεταφέρει σε άλλους τόπους, με ποικίλους μύθους και ιστορίες πανέμορφες, κόσμους διαφορετικούς, μαγικούς και ιδιαίτερους. Αυτή τη φορά ταξιδέψαμε στο Έβερεστ!
Αγάπησα τον Κίσαν, συμπάθησα την Κέλσι, λυπήθηκα μαζί της στο τέλος.
Κάτι μου λέει ότι η Θεά έχει παίξει ��ολύ βρώμικο παιχνίδι. . Βέβαια δεν καταλαβαίνω τον λόγο.

Ανυπομονώ για το επόμενο!

description
Profile Image for Aimee (Getting Your Read On).
3,057 reviews288 followers
August 16, 2011
Here is my review:

No, no, no.

YES! YESSSSS! Finally, YES!

NO, NO, NO, NO.

NOOOOOOOO! This cannot be happening. NOOOOOOOOOOOO! NO NO NO NO NO!

The End.

Slam the book shut.

November is WAY too far away.

(and that really is my review because saying much more would give it all away. Oh, and I'm still a bit worked up.)
Profile Image for Erica (storybookend).
405 reviews291 followers
May 30, 2011
So incredibly heartbreaking. I don’t know if I’ve ever cried so much while reading a book. The ending just.. It broke my heart and trampled on it. Why?! Why did it have to happen? I hate it when authors do this to us readers. But, I can’t help but respect and love Colleen Houck for creating such an emotional ending. It’s books like this that I love utterly, books with real, endearing characters that latch onto my heart so securely and refuse to leave, no matter how well the writing is, or how well the story is executed. A book could be lacking a bit in those aspects, but if there are characters that I come to love, I don’t care how amazing or not so amazing the rest of the book is. The characters are enough. This isn’t to say that Tiger’s Quest was lacking. It had adventure, mythology, magic, intrigue, danger, adventure, romance, so much more than I could have asked for. Aside from perhaps the beginning (I'll get to that), this book is incredible, breathless, utterly amazing, leaving me with the same feelings as in and that unbearable cliffhanger it left me with. But this cliffhanger, in Tiger’s Quest, is so much more horrible, I’ll die if I don’t find out what happens.

I won’t say this book is for everyone. There are some who will find more problems with it than I could, things to nitpick at. But for me, I loved this book entirely, because of the emotions I felt while reading it. The emotions portrayed were so believable and real. The characters, oh, I just loved them all. Kelsey is one of my favorite heroines. She’s strong, determined, loving, would fight to her death to save the man she loves. And the love triangle is intense. But it is most possibly the best executed love triangle I’ve read about. Most of the love triangles in YA books are fickle and annoying and reincarnations of Twilight. Tiger’s Quest though, while it may bear some resemblance to Twilight, it was not nearly enough for me to be annoyed at, and it is so much more believable and well written than Twilight and so many other novels.

I have never felt so torn between the two male love interests before. Well, I guess I can’t necessarily say that. Ren and Kelsey belong together, I know that, I want it, anything else and I wouldn’t like it. I love Ren, he is so perfect for Kelsey, his love for her is undeniable, never ending, as it is with her love for him. But I can not help but mourn with Kishan that he can’t have Kelsey. I loved Kishan in this book. He is just so unbelievably charming, and handsome, and endearing, and, I just want him! I do not want him to be in so much pain. But what I love about him is that he loves his brother so much that he wouldn’t take Kelsey from him, unless Ren didn’t want her and Kelsey didn’t want Ren. But, Kishan and Kelsey had chemistry. It sizzled, it made me swoon. And that kiss..! Oh my gosh! But I loved the moments with Ren and Kelsey so much more, because not only did it sizzle, it shone brilliantly with such love and adoration that melted me completely.

I hope you’re sensing at least a little bit of my dilemma, and Kelsey’s (especially with this ending that could possibly shatter everything for Kelsey if they don’t find a way to rectify it). I love Ren, I love Kishan, I love Ren with Kelsey, but I want Kishan to have what he wants, which is Kelsey. Jeesh, Colleen, are you watching this turmoil you’ve given me? Thanks a lot.

Because I’m a hopeless romantic, and I love a good love story in any book, the romance is more of what I focus on. But this book isn’t just the trying romance. The adventure was intense and adrenaline rushing, especially at the end. I think it would make a fantastic movie. Well, at least a movie that I would love and enjoy, what with the adventure, mythology, were tigers, monsters, magic, romance (with the kissing…alright, so I swoon at kiss scenes, so what?) Oh yeah, I would so love if this series became movies. (oh, and I totally loved the divine scarf, and the magical qualities it possesses.)

One gripe I may have is with the dating part in the beginning when Kelsey was trying to forget Ren by dating other guys. She went on several dates with three guys, one that she actually liked (but only as a friend) who liked her a lot in return. But then Ren entered the picture, and Kelsey didn't want anyone else. Because Ren wanted Kelsey to be sure of her decision of what and who she wanted, Ren wanted to date her, and have her still date this other guy, Li. Honestly, I didn't quite like the way this was handled. Ren and Kelsey were playing a game, to see who would cave under love and need first, and Li was just a pawn that Ren wanted to pummel for even thinking about Kelsey, and that Kelsey didn’t mind playing with. She liked Li, but she obviously didn’t think about his feelings when she agreed to do to do this whole dating thing that Ren wanted. How could Li even stand a chance against someone like Ren, especially when Kelsey still undeniably loves him, and only ever felt friendship with Li?

Girls, if you’re dating two guys, and you’re in love with one, don’t lead the other guy on. It’s cruel to him, unfair to the one you do love, and only messes with your mind and possibly destroying the chance you could have had with your love. When this plot was resolved, I actually didn’t hate it as much as I was kind of originally starting to. It ended nicely (obviously, since she chose Ren, and had some moments that melted my heart, mmm-hmm), and I can understand that it was to help Kelsey firmly cement her decision. Because of her indecision she ended with in Tiger’s Curse about her relationship with Ren, there had to be something like the whole Ren/Li thing to push her in the direction that was right for her. And the rest of the book was so incredible that I can forgive this more readily.

And the ending, it’s so awful. How can Houck put her characters though this? And me for that matter. You’re killing me Houck. And I have to wait until November 1 to read ?! Oh, I may just die. Dang it, I hate endings like this, hate hate hate. But I stupidly love them for making me feel the way I do. Wouldn’t the world be a better place without heartbreaking cliffhangers in books? I wouldn’t be reduced to a pathetic sobbing mess, I wouldn’t be wasting all my energy anxiously awaiting the sequel. You know what, this is kind of what I feel with , with its stupid unbearable cliffhanger. Not as bad as Tiger‘s Quest, but still the same. Colleen, do you think we could speed up the publishing process a bit? *wishful thinking, I know :( *


Sorry this review is so long, I really had no intention of rambling on like that.
Profile Image for Amanda.
94 reviews63 followers
October 27, 2015
This book is no better than the first. Kelsey is still an annoying teenager who talks like an eighty-year-old grandmother's version of teenagers. The stilted romance is still ever present complete with love triangles. Myths are thrown into a blender and mangled and Kelsey retrieves another mystical object meant to help all of India but uses it for her own selfish reasons.

This review may contain spoilers.


The Characters:

Kelsey
In spite of declaring that she's being witty or sarcastic most of what comes out of Kelsey's mouth is extremely G-rated. Just a bunch of 'Oh yous' and 'watch it mister's.' Her type of dialogue is more of a lobotomized Christian youth group leader than an eighteen-year-old.

She spends a lot of the book training and taking wushu classes but when fights break out, she's all but useless. Her style is curling up into a ball or freezing in terror until she's tiger rescued.

Kelsey is also a huge brat. The last book she came in possession of the Golden Fruit, which could keep all or India fed. It just magics up whatever food you ask for. Kelsey never really gives this thought beyond wishing up food for herself and her tiger harem. In this installment, she gets a scarf that could clothe all of India but forget about that she's got tents, pillows, and clothing for herself to wish up.

Ren
He actually wasn't present for a lot of the book. But he still Indian Edward Cullen's about. In fact when it comes to showering someone with inappropriate gifts he kind of kicks Eddie in his marble balls and runs off with the prize. He gifts Kelsey with a house, a car, appliances for the entire house, a wardrobe, college and books paid for, grocery services, wushu classes, and her own unlimited bank account. He still thinks he knows what's best for Kelsey and becomes territorial to the point where you expect that he would just pee on her.

Kishan
If Ren is, Tiger Cullen than Kishan would be Tiger Jacob. And that includes rape kisses that Kelsey is made to feel guilty for enjoying. He spends a majority of the book grabbing and manhandling Kelsey because he's in love with her and has determined she likes him too deep down so it's okay. We're not supposed to find this appalling or creepy because he's just a sad sad soul.

Mr. Kadam
The poor dear is just here to praise Kelsey's mediocrity and regurgitate Wiki pages.


The Romance:

Kelsey states that she wants to be with Ren. Because apparently that's all couples in love do. Ren's kisses are really all that Kelsey focuses on in the relationship. It's boring. There's nothing to the relationship other than face sucking.

Kishan also likes Kelsey as well as a few guys at her school. Can't imagine why all these guys like her so much but I guess if being blander than vanilla worked for Bella Swann it has to work for Kelsey Hayes.

The other boys at school aren't really romance competition and I don't really see their point in the book at all. Other than to prove that Kelsey really misses Ren and that, in spite of constantly telling us how plain she is, Kelsey is extremely pretty.

Kishan shows up to be real love triangle competition. Though in the same manner Jacob was competition to Edward. Kelsey's decided on being with Ren, but Kishan needs to hang around flirt and make it weird.


The Story:

Unless you're super invested in Kelsey dates boys but thinks about Ren the entire time you could probably skip the first 30% of the book. Even when Ren finally shows up and then Kishan the plot gets put on the back burner because we have to have dates and Valentine's dance and brother's arguing about peanut butter cookies.

Even when we get back to the actual quest itself, it doesn't really amount to much. Kelsey is able to provide solutions to an Indian quest that Mr. Kadam who has been studying it for years can't see.

And Houck just takes whatever cool bits of myths and throws them into her story because why the hell not? Odin's ravens make an appearance. Yup. Norse mythology entwines itself with Indian mythology.

Even when our heroes confront the villain, Lokesh Kelsey admits to letting him get away. She flat out says she could have stopped him but didn't. Which I assume is for no other reason than to pad this dribble out for two more books.
February 23, 2016
Η αγωνία συνεχίζεται και κορυφώνεται έως το τέλος του βιβλίου.
Περιπέτεια, κίνδυνος, σχέδια διάσωσης, ταξίδια σε μαγικά μέρη και εξωτικούς κόσμους.
Παραμυθένια πλάσματα, νεράιδες , μυθικά όντα , ιστορίες και φοβερά μυστικά περιπλέκονται άψογα στην αναζήτησή του τίγρη με μοναδικό οδηγό την αγάπη.
Περνώντας από μέρη σκοτεινά και αδιάβατα , τρομερά και απόκρημνα ή παραδεισένια και ειδυλλιακά προσπαθούμε να αποκρυπτογραφήσουμε το σατανικό σχέδιο του κακού που όπως πάντα καραδοκεί για να αφανίσει το καλό.
Σε αυτήν την μάχη το αποτέλεσμα κρίνεται ισόπαλο με πολλές απώλειες από την πλευρά του καλού που δείχνει να τις διαχειρίζεται με όπλα την πίστη και την αφοσίωση
Μια πολύ μεγάλη αγάπη εξισορροπεί τις αρνητικές αντιδράσεις και παλεύει για να μπορέσει να ολοκληρωθεί.
Η μεγάλη αυτή καρμική αγάπη έχει χωριστεί σε δυο κομμάτια και όλο το σύμπαν παρακολουθεί το πεπρωμένο να εξελίσσεται ακολουθώντας μια αρχαία κατάρα.
Λίγο πριν το τέλος του βιβλίου ο πόνος η θλίψη και η απογοήτευση επιπλέουν και κρατούν πρώτη θέση στην καρδιά. Το αποτέλεσμα δεν ειναι το αναμενόμενο. Η εξέλιξη έχει αποβεί αναπάντεχα θλιβερή που φτάνει τα όρια της δυστυχίας.
Η αγωνία κορυφώνεται και κάπου εδώ τελειώνω την κριτική γιατί δεν βλέπω την ώρα να ξεκινήσω το τρίτο μέρος!!

Καλή ανάγνωση!!
February 6, 2016
I loved this book, maybe more than the first. The second book starts when Kelsey goes back to Oregon. She is heart broken but still feels that she should separate herself from Ren. This reprieve soon comes to an end when she has to back to India yet again on another journey. When they set off though, they are attacked and separated. Kelsey has to continue her journey with Kishan and throughout the months that follow, she and him form a deeper bond. They are hoping to continue to find the second item and finding Ren, whose life depends on them. Kishan is a major character in this novel and is described and shown to have developed much more. Kelsey has more romantic roller coasters.
Profile Image for Dr. Andy.
2,533 reviews251 followers
February 19, 2020
Wow, this was worse than the first one...

After Kelsey's ridiculousness at the end of , she is now back in Oregon and attempting to live her own life. However, the specter of Ren lingers everywhere. Probably because the sod won't leave her alone. When Kelsey returns to the US, she finds that Ren has not only bought her a car, but also a gigantic house and paid her tuition for college (into a program she didn't even apply to). Kelsey basically accepts this without blinking her eyes, and the fact that she doesn't live with her foster parents anymore without a sweat. The girl is only like 17, how the fuck are her foster parents not concerned???

The whole first 25-50% of this book was dumb as fuck. It was a huge love triangle times like 5 between Kelsey and all these guys who suddenly like her (including Ren). So while Kelsey starts dating them all, she constantly pines for Ren. Supposedly, Mr. Kadam is still working on deciphering the next piece of the prophecy, but the amount of times Ren's curse is mentioned is basically negligible to the plot. All that matters is who will Kelsey choose. I really liked the character Li, a Chinese-American who teaches Wushu with his father. Besides the fact that Kelsey couldn't even be bothered to figure out how to pronounce Li's father's name was beyond enraging. Guess it's not enough to make fun of Indian people and their way of speaking Colleen??

When the book finally gets back on track with the quest and the overall plot of breaking the curse, Ren is kidnapped. My immediate reaction was good riddance since I don't like him one bit. He's still possessive and controlling. I don't like how Kelsey will basically do anything for his dreamy face, bleh. Kelsey & Kishan set off to find the next item for Durga. I liked Kishan until this book. Unrequited love is a reality many people go through. Just because you're alone with said person, doesn't give you carte blanc to go and start touching them. Especially when you were told not to, repeatedly. Kishan's utter lack of respect for Kelsey's personal boundaries was annoying and irritating. He kisses her multiple times despite the fact that he knows she loves his brother and wants to be with Ren. Who fucking does that???

Another thing that annoyed me to no end, was the fact that Indian mythology isn't the only subject in this book. I wanted to learn more about Indian mythology, but what you're actually getting is a mix of several different Asian mythologies and Norse mythology! Like WTF. Norse and Indian mythology are not the same??? Also, India is huge with a population of millions and a long history. There is no reason to be drawing from other mythologies when I am sure India has more mythology and gods/goddesses with stories to draw from.

I'm still going to finish this series since I own all of them, but I'm not going to enjoy it.
Profile Image for Iliana Simeonova.
383 reviews49 followers
May 6, 2016
Добре... прочетох книгата и отново съм.... емоционално разбита, съкрушена оставена с кървящо сърце?
Дълго отлагах книгата с надеждата да се подготвя емоционално, каква голяма заблуда. Нищо не успя да ме подготви за раздиращата болка, която в момента присвива сърцето ми. Книгата започна бавно, после предостави на читателя една малка частица от рая, само за да бъде отнета грубо и читателя да бъде хвърлен на вълците, да се бори с всички сили, да изживее приключения и после наистина да бъде хвърлен в ада.
Невероятна, ама наистина невероятна книга, чието продължение нямам търпение да докопам.
Цялото ревю -
Profile Image for Sandy.
290 reviews191 followers
June 3, 2011
I liked Tiger's Curse, but I LOVED Tiger's Quest. I initially gave this book four stars, but I'm upping it to five because I cannot stop thinking about it. As soon as I turned the last page, I preordered Tiger's Voyage because I am in desperate need of a resolution for that cliffhanger!

Colleen Houck is a storyteller. The writing is not perfect, but I am willing to overlook the flaws because the characters are so compelling, the romance so sizzling, and the quest so epic. Reading this book evoked so many emotions--from swooning to laughter to heartbreak--that I can forgive the book if it's heavy on descriptions or the dialogue's awkward at times. Reading this book makes you FEEL so much, which attests to the strength of Colleen's storytelling.

I felt smothered with details when I read Tiger's Curse, but maybe I'm just used to the writing now because I could not put Tiger's Quest down. Every writer has her strength, and Colleen knows how to write chemistry between her characters. Aaaah, the romance. These books ooze with swoony moments--little fleeting touches, captivating gazes, and delicious kisses that all leave you breathless. (I think I'm starting to sound like I'm 13.) Let's just say Colleen knows how to write a compelling, clean romance between endearing characters.

Yes, there's a love triangle, but Colleen lets it develop so naturally, so believably that I now find myself rooting for both brothers. I can't remember the last time I loved both sides of a YA love triangle this much. The triangle is actually integral to the plot and serves a purpose instead of an author just throwing in another male character to up the amount of kissing scenes and sell Team Whoever t-shirts.

At the end of Tiger's Curse, I didn't know how Colleen was going to make me cheer for Kishan (I mean, I liked him, but it was obvious Kelsey should be with Ren) but Colleen managed to make Kishan so charming and endearing that I now want both brothers to get their happy ending. (And yes, Cait, I had to read the baby part several times because it was just tugging at my heart.) The dynamic between these brothers is riveting, and I'm eagerly anticipating their interactions in Tiger's Voyage. Kishan, I don't know how this can end well for you--you just know there's heartbreak in store--but you made Tiger's Quest entrancing.

Colleen has woven magic, romance, and adventure into this captivating tale of betrayal, redemption, and love. I am so invested in these characters at this point. And after that amazing sneak peek at Tiger's Voyage, November has never felt so far away.
Profile Image for Booknut 101.
849 reviews997 followers
July 5, 2012
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

It ended.
Wait...wait...what's this...?
The Acknowledgements page?! *squints* What?! Are we just leaving it with HEARTBREAK AND DESPAIR? Does this mean I now have to scramble around to find the next book before I die of emotions?

Yes. So off I go.
Profile Image for Annie Brewer.
Author14 books785 followers
December 22, 2011



*BEWARE.......SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!*



I have no idea where to begin. This sequel to the outstanding Tiger's saga, was absolutely riveting and emotional. I am still trying to wrap my brain around the events that unfolded at the end of this book!!! I can totally understand what the hype was all about for these books. They truly speak to the heart. I live Tiger's, breathe Tiger's, fantasize Tiger's.....it's crazy!! I haven't felt this way about a series since The Hunger Games and before that was The Mortal Instruments! On this journey, there is so many discoveries the characters face. It is unbelievable. But this rollercoaster is one I would ride for the rest of my life. I felt so connected with Kelsey. She is such a brave, generous and kindhearted female. I truly love her like a friend. I don't blame her for falling for Kishan. I fell for him too, eventhough I am still Team Ren and always will be. Though I didn't give anything away about the ending of Curse. Most of you that have read it, already knows. So instead of reiterating the sad ending of Curse, I want to talk about the dynamic of the characters. They have each grown so much in Quest.

Kishan. Okay so I didn't like him in Curse. In fact, I almost hated him for betraying Ren the way he did. But (against my will) I fell for him almost as much as I did for Ren. He is a great guy and I do want him to find happiness. Just not with Kelsey. But he took some bad falls and such on this adventure. He sacrificed alot to keep her safe. The thing I did not like about Kishan was the fact that he KNEW Kelsey belonged to another and still pressured her to love him. I get he is lonely, but it was not fair to put Kelsey in that position. OMG I was so mad. Yes she has feelings for him. Any girl would. But she already gave her heart away and now has joined Kishan on a quest to save his brother (who by the way sacrificed himself to save them BOTH). So that is not the way he should repay him. Seriously, he needs to back off!! I like Kishan. I do, eventhough I told myself I wouldn't. But after spending so much time with him, I see he is actually a caring, sweet man trying to find his way. And I see he does love Kelsey. But she loves another, accept it.

Kelsey. She has grown so much as a girl. She showed us all how far she'd go to save her tiger. She went through Hell and never gave up. She fought a bear, birds, harrassed by the Sirens, almost died. She never gave up hope. I truly admire her strength and heart. There are so many heroines that stay the same throughout a series. But Kelsey has really shown her true spirit and capability to surpass any obstacle that came her way. Colleen did a fantastic job with her character!! I love her so much! I felt all the pain, grief, confusion, love, happiness(shortlived) that she felt. It breaks my heart that she hurt so much and was so close to death but I understood why she wouldn't give up. I think she is my absolute favorite female heroine from all books I've read. I love how she loves Ren so much. I mean, who wouldn't?

Mr Kadam. What do I say about him? I forgot to mention him in my review for Curse. Or at least to elaborate on him more. He is the sweetest, kindest man I have ever met. He is truly the definition of a teddy bear, one you wanna hug so tightly. I was so glad he and Kelsey became so close. His faith in Kelsey never faultered. OMG, the money he spent on her. The house, car, the college......hey could I get some of that fortune please?? I was sad when she left India, it became more her home. But he took such good care of her even from another country away. Although, I was sure it was Rens' idea and maybe even money) but now I can't remember.

That brings me to REN. Oh Ren how I love thee. Eventhough he wasn't in this book that much. He was still there, in her dreams, visions but most of all he was always in her heart. We did get to see their love and connection deepen, once Kelsey finally confessed her love for him. I don't know how anyone could dislike Ren. Honestly, he is the epitome of a Romeo. Learning poetry and singing while playing guitar for her, reading books. Omg when he wrote poems for her, I melted like a popsicle. Then he gets captured by Lokesh and I almost die. He sacrifices himself to keep his brother and Kells safe. Ahhhhhh, I wanted to throw my nook but thought better of it. There were so many sad moments but one of my favorite moments with these two lovebirds was when they were playing games with each other. We all knew they loved each other before they did. The guys Kelsey dated made me laugh. Artie, really?? I did like Li but that was only because he reminded me of Ren. OMG, the dating game was awesome! Ren was so jealous but he was such a gentleman. He never pressured her to pick him. He gave her space and she was the one that was upset about it. Serves her right. But they were so cute! I kept thinking "okay Kells confess your love for him already"!!! I did feel bad for Li a little. Anyway, there is nothing else to say about Ren except I love him truly, madly, deeply. Even after the ending.....because I know it's not his fault. But God I hope he gets his memory back quick before he looses Kelsey to Kishan!!!!

The ending........OMG, I sobbed!! It was so heartwrenching!!! Why Colleen, would you do this to your fans?? I still love you though! This book was better than Curse. I imagine Voyage will be better than Quest! I reccommend this book TO ALL!!!!!! I loved the history, cultures, the journey. ALL OF IT! It was the best adventure and I felt like I was there!! This series has my heart and has now taken first place above The Hunger Games and Mortal Instruments!! I didn't think they could be replaced, but Colleen has a way of outdoing everything!! So, everyone....PLEASE READ THIS SERIES!! You wont regret it, I promise!!

Profile Image for Syndi.
3,436 reviews987 followers
October 13, 2017
a bit diappointed with this book. the first book is such promising. the second book waste on chapter and chapter and chapter on ren and kelsey. i have to skip several chapters.

then in the middle book it starts to get interesting. indiana jones like plot. and i fall for kishan. oh poor kishan.... my heart break a little for him.

then at the end of the book, again chapter after chapter after chapter about ren and kelse. i have to skip those too.

i give it 3 stars necause of kishan.
Profile Image for HeatherH.
381 reviews68 followers
March 2, 2020
Hi. Can we not romanticize sexual assault/aggressiveness? Kay, thanks.
Profile Image for Julene.
146 reviews3 followers
February 21, 2010
I read this book in a day. I could not put it down. I was laughing out loud and in tears by the end. I won't spoil it but it is an emotional roller coaster. I want to read the 3rd book and don't know if I can wait for it. I love how the author weaves all the myths and legends in with Kelsey and her quest. Colleen's writing is so descriptive that you can see the pictures in your head like a movie as you are reading. I was on the edge of my seat the whole book and I didn't want it to end.
Profile Image for Lia Angelidou.
262 reviews25 followers
August 29, 2015
[“One’s enemy is often the best teacher of tolerance.”]

Tiger’s quest has the right dose of adventure and romance a reader needs. And admit it, it’s a combination us hopeless romantic readers can’t resist!

Writing Style

I think Colleen Houck succeeded in wrtiting this book. There are many different types of scenes and I was satisfied with the way they were discribed. There were romantic scenes were we could easily relate with Kelsey because we were inside her head all the time. There were thoughts, feelings and great transition to dialogue. I also find amazing that even though it was a first person POV, the rest of the characters were described that way that the readers could also catch a glimpse of their feelings.

There were action scenes, detailed enough but yet not tiring and that’s important because I can’t stand too much information. I mean yeah ok it’s good to know the surroundings of the characters but get to the point cause I don’t really care about the rest. I could easily picture what was happening in my mind and it was like I was experiencing the adventure with Kelsey.

Last but not least there were descriptions about scenery and India and small villages and I loved the way they were portraited. I feel like I have to visit India after reading the book.

Plot/World Building

I think the first third of the book was absolutely unessacery drama. There was no point in writing it at all. Kelsey was in love with Ren and Ren was in love with Kelsey, the end. The book would be awesome if it wasn’t for the first (tiring) third. I felt like I was reading a different book at first and then transformed back into Tiger’s Quest. The pace was so slow at first and I was struggling to keep reading. At the end I got the adventure I was looking for.

Because of my lack of knowledge about Indian History and world’s history in general, I can’t really tell if any of these stories and information is real. My guess is that they’re based in history and in facts and that makes the author well informed. It’s good that she studied and researched about what to write and how to connect her story with facts or to come up with new facts.

I am not even sure If I make sense but I love it when the world that the author builds has no flaws and when I want to know more about it.


Characters

I want to make it clear that I don’t like Kelsey. She is one of the most annoying character’s I’ve ever read about and the minus two stars in my rating is because of her.

She is the biggest drama queen ever, she is immature and even though she claims to be loyal, I think she’s not. She left the man she loved because she thought he was too good for her and that he would break her heart. Let me quote for you~

[“Why did you leave Ren?�
�.
“First of all, he is gorgeous, and I am� not. He is also very wealthy. In fact, he comes from royalty. He is from a different culture and background, and he hasn’t dated much and-“]

Do you people realize as well how stupid this sounds? Am I the only one? Are these reasons to leave the person you care about the most? Apparently, she is too insecure and has trust issues.She doesn’t really deserve a man like Ren. Most people feel insecure but that doesn’t mean that they should just give up. Following that logic, I shouldn’t leave my house because I am always afraid of being hurt and I should break up with my boyfriend because I am afraid of loosing him. Are you for real?

And then there’s Kishan. If she loved Ren she wouldn’t have allowed anything to happen between them. That’s cheating and I do not approve. If someone tried to kiss me I would have slapped him and pushed him away on the spot because I know I love my boyfriend. Kelsey might love Ren, (I don’t really think so) but she’s looking for trouble.

So, I really don’t like Kelsey and her way of thinking and acting.

Ren is one of the most well written characters. Charming and sweet and he feels like royal. He can act his real age and he is so mature and gentle that I got chills everytime I was reading about him. He is sincere and his love is touching and deep and inspiring. He could be fair and he knew the right thing to say. if it wasn’t for Kishan I would have found my new book boyfriend.

Mentioning Kishan� he is my favorite! He is such a tragic character and he is so intruiging. It’s not his bad boy side that made me feel so many things about him but his kind nature. Yes, he made mistakes and yes he was jealous of his brother but I find his regret to be genuine and pure and real. Kishan seems more realistic because he has flaws in addition to Ren who’s the perfect prince. Kishan needs love and it’s tragic that all the girls he’s loved belonged to his brother. It’s not Kishan’s fault that he always comes second. He is living with the guilt and he is blaming himself and even though I understand, I wish he could get over of what he did. He deserves a great well written heroine and definitelly not Kelsey.

Overall

I really liked the book a lot and I’ve already started reading the next one. If it wasn’t for Kelsey, the book would have been in my top 5 favorites. Sadly I can’t get over the fact that she is annoying and that she caused all this trouble. It is true that if she wasn’t like that, the story wouldn’t turn out the same but I would have preferred a more important reason for her to leave Ren. Anyway� 3 stars for this book.
Profile Image for Cindy.
816 reviews48 followers
August 3, 2011
LOVED this book, it was soooo goood! Everything I had hoped for and more, wrapped up in a beautiful, well done package. Tiger's Quest picks up were we left off. Kelsey is back in the states and off to college, and completely heartbroken over leaving Ren. Which she should be what was she thinking. I see her reasoning, but still... I am not going to be able to tell much of the plot in this story for fear of ruining it for you. Sufficed to say that once again Mrs. Houck takes us on an amazing journey full of adventure, intrigue, romance, and HEARTACH. The language of the book flowed with ease. I was so caught up in it and didn't wish to put it down. I had to find out what happend to my favorite characters. I have to say Mrs. Houck has made me so invested in these characters. I was laughing, crying, and shaking my head.(especially at the ending). I love Kelsey's desire to do what she think is best for herself and others, whether that is the case or not, she is courageous, kind, a little lost at times, flawed, sweet,endearing and in love. Ren is well perfect, right? He makes the most perfect boyfriend out there, I think, he is sooooo in love with Kelsey, sacrifices(and in a huge way in this story, oh my), full of chilvary, brilliant, sweet, and knows how to treat the women he loves. Kishan *swoon* he is all that his brother is only with a dose of edginess to him, which makes him all the more desirable. I feel for him because he is in love with Kelsey too, and he knows her heart is with Ren. Mr Kadam is the best he is there for his family, and wants to see all of them happy. He is one of the best examples of a best friend, he has sacrificed, and given much to/for Ren and Kishan. I love his character in this story.
I have to talk about the ending, without talking about it because it was just so so so, how do I put it, took my breath away, broke my heart poor Ren, Kishan and Kelsey. What are they going to do now/next?All I can say is that I wish November was yesterday so I could be reading Tiger's Voyage right NOW!! Great series if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.


Clean language
Clean romance
Profile Image for Tifferz.
263 reviews
May 10, 2011
I am lucky to have received an ARC copy of Tiger's Quest. I was simply giddy when I got it in the mail. I even did a little happy dance. You see, I have become obsessed with the Tiger series all over again. (I actually read the first two books in the series when Colleen was self published) I just love these books. It is going to take a awhile to get them out of my system.

Tiger's Quest will be take you on an emotional roller coaster ride as Kelsey, Ren and Kishan's adventure continues to break the second part of the curse. The book has two main parts: In the first part of the book, Kelsey is back in Oregon going to school. I like seeing how she copes with Ren back in India. The second part of the story details the adventures of Kelsey and Kishan as they are tested both individually and together. I know you all love Ren and I do too, but in this book we get to know Kishan a lot better. Though I am a true fan of Ren the white tiger, Kishan the black tiger has warmed his way into my heart as well.

I really can't thank Colleen enough for sharing her Tigers with us. This book has everything. Trust me you will love it. I am hoping as the adventure continues and they break more of the curse both Ren and Kishan will have a happy ending. But we will have to wait and see as book three Tiger's Voyage comes out this Nov. 1st, 2011.

This is a MUST have for your library. I just finished it and am going to read it again. I have already pre-ordered my hardback. I hope one day to meet Colleen and have her sign my books. So come to NC Colleen!!!!
You can pick up the book here:




Profile Image for Myth.
241 reviews160 followers
March 29, 2021
I read this by request despite my friends trying to ban me from doing so for my emotional health, and honestly I should have listened.

Everyone involved in the publication of this racist, sexist trash heap should be ashamed of themselves. That's it. That's my review. The world would be better off without this book in it.
Profile Image for Lex’s Library.
443 reviews48 followers
July 13, 2023
The ending did surprise me, but that’s where my praises end.

[REVIEW]

*Trigger/content warnings in this book for animal attack, blood, gun and knife violence, kidnapping, physical assault, and torture*

A lot of the things that I didn’t like in the first book weren’t fixed in this one. From the slow pace to the dialogue to the love triangle, I struggled to read this.

I’ve split my review into two sections. The first will be thoughts that were similar to the ones I had while reading the first book, Tiger’s Curse. The other section will be some new thoughts and observations I had.

SIMILARITIES TO THE FIRST BOOK:

•There was hardly any foreshadowing. I mean, there were a couple of hints at Ren losing his memory, but that’s it. I know not every story needs to have extensive amounts of foreshadowing, but I feel like this could’ve helped the book There were SO MANY objects, pieces of information, and actions that could’ve been taken advantage of as foreshadows and major plot points. A LOT. From Lokesh’s workers searching for Kelsey to Kelsey discovering her lightning powers, I wish we’d gotten more hints and red herrings leading to these plot points.

•You know what else both Tiger’s Curse and Tiger’s Quest needed? A time crunch. Things happened so slowly in this book that I ended up skimming through some scenes—or entire chapters. In this book, there was no urgency or fear about time running out, both with breaking the curse or rescuing Ren. Even when Ren was kidnapped, Kelsey, Kadam, and Kishan still took their sweet time finding and saving him.

•Just like the first book, there were TOO MANY details of the mundane things and not enough on the important stuff. Kelsey would talk about all the things she packed up to go to the beach. She’d talk about everything she did before going to bed. She’d talk about waking up, taking a shower, brushing her teeth, having breakfast…and it QUICKLY got annoying.

NEW THINGS I OBSERVED IN THIS BOOK:

•I had mixed emotions about the first 100+ pages. One part of me did like the subtle foreshadows of Ren losing his memory. But for the most part, the first 100+ pages were COMPLETELY unnecessary. I nearly DNFed because I didn’t see the point of it. The subplot of Kelsey’s three dates, as well as Kelsey and Ren getting back together, didn’t add much to the story. There were so many times I thought, “Umm, okay, but when are we getting back to breaking the curse???� If there WERE going to sentimental scenes between Kelsey and Ren, then they should’ve been either been stretched out, or left in the first book.

•Tiger’s Quest had a few things that happened that wouldn’t take place in real life. The biggest example was at the beginning when Kelsey is given a free phone, free car, free house, AND an acceptance into Western Oregon University.

How was this hard to believe?

First of all, Kelsey decided to live in the house and not think once about her foster parents. I get having your own house is neat and all, but she doesn’t even MISS them? AT ALL??? Also, her foster parents seemed okay with her moving, too. Almost as okay as they were with letting Kelsey go to another country, another CONTINENT with a total stranger.

Second of all, there are A LOT of flaws with how Kelsey got into WOU. Let’s go through them:

When applying to colleges and universities (in the USA, at least), applications are typically open from August to November of your senior year. Seniors usually start getting acceptance letters in April, and admit to a college/university by May. Also, there are SO MANY things seniors have to fill out in the college app, including essays, high school classes, ACT/SAT scores, current financial situation, etc. (applications differ from college to college, but these are the common things you’ll see in them).

So let’s go through the timeline of Tiger’s Curse, shall we? In the first book, Kelsey met Kadam and Ren the summer AFTER her senior year (so at the earliest, June). She flew to India a week or two later and left at the end of summer (so at the latest, August or September). Therefore, there was NO way an application would’ve been accepted, let alone submitted, in the summer. Even if an application WAS submitted, that would mean Kadam and/or Ren were somehow able to go through Kelsey’s high school records and finances, AND write the essay(s) for her. I seriously can’t believe Kelsey didn’t even think about this. Or the author for that matter.

•What else…Oh yeah, Kelsey also discovered she had lightning powers. Again, no foreshadowing, it just happened. And within one chapter, she ended up controlling her powers fine (as well as becoming skilled in archery). Kelsey struggled *a little* at the beginning of her training, but she was flawless by the end of the chapter. I wish there’d been more struggle, including during some of the action scenes when she uses it for self-defense. Because her becoming perfect was just underwhelming to read about.

•Let’s move on to relationships. Kelsey and Ren’s relationship was VERY possessive, especially on Ren’s part. Some might argue that Ren DID give Kelsey space while she went on dates with all the other guys. He did this so she could figure out whether or not she wanted to be with him.

This IS true. However, he still flew all the way from India and moved into HER house without permission. Why couldn’t he have left her alone? Why did he HAVE TO be there for her to “figure it out�?

Plus, as soon as Kelsey and Ren got back together, they couldn’t go a few pages without getting jealous and/or possessive of each other. What’s worse is that their jealousies were brushed off as being “romantic.� This entire subplot was already unnecessary to read about, and it only got more frustrating reading about Reb getting angry when Kelsey talked to someone of a different gender (and vice versa). Hence why I couldn’t root for Kelsey and Ren to get back together.

•I wasn’t a fan of Kishan much either. I didn’t believe in ANY chemistry between him and Kelsey. Seriously, someone please explain to me WHY they like each other. Plus, Kishan did and said a few things to Kelsey that IRKED me to my core.

One big example is this exchange of dialogue between Kelsey and Kishan. The context is that Kishan had wrapped his arm around Kelsey’s shoulders and was stroking her arm. Kelsey squirmed and responded to it:

“[Kelsey] ‘Sheesh! Take liberties much? Ever heard of asking a girl first?�

Kishan leaned over and spoke softly, ‘Deal with it.’�

Nope. Not flying with me. I know this was supposed to be a flirty exchange, but Kishan shouldn’t have made a joke about that. This reminded me of another comment Kelsey made to Ren in the first book when he asked for permission to kiss her:

�...asking permission is just...just old-fashioned. It’s not spontaneous enough. It doesn’t scream passion. It screams old fogey. If you have to ask then the answer is...no.�

Comments like these brush off consent as unromantic and unnecessary, when in reality it’s the total opposite. Ren and Kishan were supposed to be seen as these AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, HOW-WILL-I-EVER-CHOOSE love interests, but they weren’t. Ren got more possessive and jealous in this book, both before and after he and Kelsey got back together. Kishan disrespected Kelsey’s personal space several times and kept trying to convince Kesley that maybe THEY should be together (even though he KNEW Kelsey and Ren were still together). Let me make this clear: THIS. IS. NOT. ROMANTIC.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I don’t have much to say that I haven’t mentioned already. All in all, this book was messy, irritating, and difficult to get through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kogiopsis.
814 reviews1,605 followers
September 27, 2014
Edit: 9/27/2014 Retroactively reducing my ratings for these books because when I first read them I did not notice the racism/cultural appropriation.

(I thought I'd take a leaf out of Jillian's book and load up with tags. I love the way her shelves are basically a miniature review before you even reach the text.)



Okay, Colleen Houck, you win. I am actually glad I read this book. There, I admit it. After the torturous struggle that was the first one, I persevered into this because I already owned it and to my surprise, I enjoyed myself. I still won't read the third because I've heard the drama gets even worse and really, my delicate system cannot handle that shit. But props, Ms. Houck. You've won me over. When you start your next series, I will be waiting, because I think you actually have what it takes to be a good writer. I'm not sure you are one yet, but you can be. Keep working.


There are a lot of things here that I liked. The pacing is still kind of shit, but at least it's slightly improved. The writing is technically a lot more readable. In Tiger's Curse I would occasionally hit pages so bad that I could not finish them and had to set the book aside for the day. There were none of them here. Oh, and Kelsey is actually turning into kind of a badass, which was a pleasant surprise. No more of this given-a-divine-weapon-but-it's-really-for-the-guy nonsense. She is blowing shit up and shooting down giant metal birds and yeah, that was FUN. As for Ren and Kishan - their rivalry and all the mushy bullshit with Ren was annoying as hell and gave me major MAJOR Twilight flashbacks, but Kishan's development was about 90% good here and I like him considerably more now than I did before when he was just kind of a creeper.

Now, bad things: needless drama. Strange pacing (chapters spent on Kelsey juggling three boyfriends because... because I have no fucking idea why she didn't just dump at least one of them who she was obviously not interested in - but then the whole central event of the big quest goes by in one chapter despite it consisting of four separate 'tests'). 10% sloppy Kishan characterization, in the bit where all his guilt about his past is basically erased by magical ravens who grant him the understanding he needed to forgive himself. Kelsey, despite blowing shit up all the time, still not being able to stand up to people and just speak her mind (though credit where credit is due - she may grow into this over time and it could be part of an arc). Kelsey-without-Ren sounding so much like New-Moon-Bella that I could honestly see Bella saying and thinking and doing the same things, and that is not a compliment. The use of the phrase 'alligator tears' - that means fake, Ms. Houck, not large. Absurd glorification of Ren's appearance. Unnecessary and sloppy 'look at me I did my research' infodumps that have nothing to do with the story. Kishan continually kissing Kelsey when she can't resist him and generally being an ass way too often until he finally grows up a bit more at the end. The villain, Lokesh ("Lokesh had the conniving persona of Emperor Palpatine mixed with the sadistic cruelty of Hannibal Lecter. He craved power at any price, like Lord Voldemort, and he displayed the pitiless brutality of Ming the Merciless who, like him, had killed his own daughter." Are you KIDDING me? Does it get more over the top?). The way the climactic rescue scene was confusing and hard to follow and explained afterwards for no good reason. The descriptions of obscene wealth in a country plagued by poverty.

Looking at that, it seems like the bad far outweighs the good, but here's the thing: the bad were mostly small things, things I have faith that Houck can improve in as an author. Now, while I will not be continuing with this series (Jillian gave the third book and it was her glowing review of the first that convinced me to make them a priority in the first place) I'm content with having read it to this point. Net gain, I think.
Profile Image for Lori.
116 reviews
March 10, 2010
ok, now we're talking Tiger's Quest. This book was much better than Tiger's Curse. Same simply written story. Great action, adventure, a couple of fingernail biter episodes! I could envision all the different quests that they were on. My favorite was the fairyland. I couldn't put this book down. Then I got to the last page and scre-e-e-med! Where is book 3!!! I was frantic... what's happening, what's going on...what will happen now. I got so into this story that I thought I was in it. It's taken me a couple of weeks of telling myself, It's just a story, It's just a story. I keep looking around like I'm going to see one of the brothers on the street or something. Crazy!...I like how the author gets around the sleeping together before your married bit, by having the tiger have to be in tiger form. sneaky. I wish there was a pronuciation guide with each volume. I'm unfamiliar with the foriegn words, places, and names and how to pronouce them. Sometimes stories have a map in them too, of places where the characters travel, that would be nice. Looking forward to the next volumes in this new series.
Profile Image for Teodora.
589 reviews44 followers
September 6, 2016
Bulgarian review:

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
'Tiger's Quest', even though more interesting than the first book, still was missing something for me to give it a full rating. I'm taking half a point because while intriguing it also had some boring moments and it didn't make me want to give my full attention. Anyway, the story was once again action-packed and full with mythology that i liked, just some of the chapters were extremely long which wasn't the best idea, in my opinion. I still enjoyed it very much though.
Profile Image for Nasty Lady MJ.
1,097 reviews16 followers
February 17, 2014
How about no stars? Is that a legitimate option. This one is pretty much horrible. I didn't really expect much for it. I'm doing it for my yearly I force myself to read an awful series just to see how much I can test my sanity challenge. That and I like to dissect these horrible books so that I have an idea what I'm getting into. To see full review click on one of the following links:



Profile Image for Elena Toncheva.
513 reviews83 followers
March 3, 2017
Не ми хареса. Изобщо не ми хареса.
Не ми хареса, че отначало всичко беше окей, а после се превърна в ужас.
В момента страдам. Сърцето ми се свива, заради тъпата привързаност, която имам към героите. И заради шибания край. МРАЗЯ КРАЙОВЕ ОТ ТОЗИ ТИП. И на филми, и на книги, защото това, което се случи на края на тази книга е по-лошо от смъртта.
Да го бяхте убили тоя Рен нямаше да ми е толкова зле в момента!
О, по дяволите имам нужда от четиво пропито с по-малко емоции, на чиито край няма да плача...
Profile Image for Carolyn.
14 reviews3 followers
November 29, 2009
I thought the 2nd book in Colleen's Houck's series was better than the first. I liked how she took a step back and allowed us to get to know Ren better and watch Kelsey's and his relationship really grow. At the same time, I liked how the story turned and I found myself cheering for others to succeed as the book progressed. The book is a mixture of adventure, love story, comedy, and magic all rolled into one. Colleen has made learning about India and mythology fun as it relates to her story. I can hardly wait until book 3 so I can see what becomes of the characters that I've come to know and love.


Merged review:

I thought the 2nd book in Colleen's Houck's series was better than the first. I liked how she took a step back and allowed us to get to know Ren better and watch Kelsey's and his relationship really grow. At the same time, I liked how the story turned and I found myself cheering for others to succeed as the book progressed. The book is a mixture of adventure, love story, comedy, and magic all rolled into one. Colleen has made learning about India and mythology fun as it relates to her story. I can hardly wait until book 3 so I can see what becomes of the characters that I've come to know and love.
Profile Image for Gamze.
572 reviews98 followers
July 9, 2016
İnsan yaşamı, zamanın dokuma tezgahı üzerindedir,
Göremediği bir desendir,
Dokumacı çalışır ve mekikler hareket eder,
Sonsuzluk doğana kadar.

Bazı mekiklerde gümüş iplikler vardır,
Bazılarınınki altındır,
Ama çoğunun sahip olduğu şey,
Daha koyu renkli tonlardır.

Ama dokumacı usta gözlerle,
Gidip gelen mekikleri izler,
Tezgah ağır ağır, kendinden emin işlerken,
Hünerle dokunan deseni seyreder.

Deseni planlayan şüphesiz Tanrı'dır,
Her iplik, koyu veya açık renkli olsa da,
O'nun usta elleriyle seçilir,
Ve dikkatle desenin içine geçer.

Güzelliğini sadece O bilir,
Altın ipliklerin yanı sıra,
Gösterişsiz gözükenleri de barındıran,
Mekiklere kılavuzluk eder.

Ancak tezgah susunca,
Ve mekikler hareketsiz kalınca,
Tanrı deseni gösterir,
Ve sebebini açıklar.

Dokumacının yetenekli elleri,
O'nun planladığı desen için,
Altın ve gümüş ipliklerin yanı sıra,
Koyu renklilere de ihtiyaç duyar.
Profile Image for is mee... kissa.
322 reviews
May 4, 2012
2.5
okay, my little bouts of annoyance with Kelsey has reached the stage of constant annoyance. to make matters worse, said annoyance has unconsciously made me pinpoint all mistakes in the author's writing that otherwise, i would not have noticed. so now, i'm annoyed at Kelsey, and mildly annoyed with everyone else too!

The Hero
she does a little bit of work and all the credit goes to her. what the hell does she do?! she tags along with the real heros, does small thing to help, and then returns where everyone is like "we couldn't have done it without you!". undue credit gets on my nerves horribly! and the worst part is, the heros actually believe she's the one that is the hero. again, what the hell does she do besides answer the occasional question and act as assistant to the hero? although I'll admit she did step it up in the end - thankfully!

Contradictions
that girl is always contradicting herself! sure, a few contradictions i can handle, but it's happening too much! my favourite ones so far are about Kishan. you know, like the "i love Ren, I can't be with you." to the "even though there's a lot of space on the floor, i'll move to the side a little so that you can come sleep directly next to me." it's like she's inviting him to love her more (who the hell knows why he does) so that he can: A. get his heart broken, or B. get his heart broken after experiencing great hope that he will actually have a chance with her. How much can she really love Ren if she's offering his brother, who she knows likes her a lot more than a sister, to sleep next to her? mean! and she's so insensitive about the Kishan-Ren issue too. I feel sorry for Kishan having to be exposed to her like that for so long.

Boys

The Chosen One
Plus, she seems to know so many things about what she's practically never heard of before. Right, i get that she's some 'Chosen One' and it comes naturally to her, but would it kill the author to add a little struggling here and there?



and lastly, I've just figured out who Kelsey reminds me of.
*drumroll* none other than Bella Swan. *shudder*

my favouite part was the epilogue. okay, that sounds bad - i don't mean that i was happy it was over, i mean I got a break from Kelsey's stupidity and actually saw her express some serious emotion. although what happened with Ren was predictable due to constant references throughout the Kelsey-Kishan quest, I liked that it allowed me to see Kelsey sincerely for once.
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