Tiger's Curse (Book 1 In The Tiger's Curse Series) Read Free Books and Download eBooks
The first book in the nationally bestselling Tiger's Curse series is now available in paperback! Would you risk it all to change your destiny? The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.But that's exactly what happened.Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.Packed with magic, action-adventure, and romance, the epic Tiger's Curse series will keep you breathless and yearning for more.Winner of the 2013/14 Wyoming Soaring Eagle Book Award!
Series: Tiger's Curse (Book 1)
Paperback: 456 pages
Publisher: Splinter; Reprint edition (May 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781454902492
ISBN-13: 978-1454902492
ASIN: 1454902493
Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5.8 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (598 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #45,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #39 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Lions, Tigers & Leopards #368 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Fantasy #392 in Books > Teens > Romance > Science Fiction & Dystopian
Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 and up
First Impressions: Tiger's Curse had been on my wish list for a very long time and I was excited to finally get the chance to read and review it. I'll admit that the cover art definitely had a major impression on me, but the subject matter is awesome too. I've always loved tigers and I thought that the plot of this book was very unique. I don't think I've read any other books about Indian curses and white tigers! I've heard nothing too negative being said about Tiger's Curse so I had very high hopes that I would enjoy it as well.First 50 Pages: I immediately really liked Colleen Houcks writing style. It is very simple, yet her plot is intricate and generally well done. One of my favorite parts of the story was the Indian setting and the attention the author paid to details when she set up her scenes. The mythology aspect of Tiger's Curse was wonderful and it was one of the best aspects of the story. It was pretty apparent that the author did her research in regards to the Indian culture. Now with that said, there were some grammatical errors that slightly bugged me and the dialogue wasn't as good as it could have been, but overall, the beginning of the book had me hooked and I couldn't put it down once I started to read.Characters & Plot: The plot of Tiger's Curse follows the story of a girl named Kelsey who works at a circus taking care of a rare white tiger named Ren. A few weeks into Kelsey's job, a man named Mr. Kadam shows up to give Kelsey and Ren an opportunity most people only dream of having. The man buys Ren and Kelsey goes to India to be Ren's caretaker. I did find it kind of strange that Kelsey's foster parents had no issues with allowing Kelsey to go away, especially to a completely different country, but hey! This is just a story, right? The journey from plain, old Oregon to the wilds of India is fascinating and completely unique in every way.Soon it becomes quite obvious to Kelsey that Ren is no ordinary tiger since she is able to speak with him and it will be up to her to break a curse that has lasted centuries, not only for Ren, but for herself as well. The whole love story reminded me of Beauty and the Beast and it was obvious that Ren wasn't truly a tiger.As I stated before, the journey that Kelsey makes is gorgeous and I love all of the Indian culture that was so carefully placed into Tiger's Curse. It had a romantic flare and the descriptions were just gorgeous. It must have taken the author a long time to research India in order for this book to come across as realistic as far as the setting goes.I had some issues with Kelsey, our protagonist. I really enjoyed her character through the first half of the book despite some character flaws, but she took a turn for the worst at one particular point. I liked her because she was a strong and independent character, but some of the choices she made (especially in the latter half of the book) made me angry and extremely annoyed with her. Everything between Kelsey and Ren was going so well until Kelsey decided that she was going to be as mean and nasty as she could be to Ren, because she thought that the only reason that he is attracted to her is because he can speak with her and he is unable to speak to anyone else. This is, of course, not true but Kelsey believes it is and she treats Ren horribly. I didn't really understand where all of her anger was coming from, it just sort of happened. It frustrated me because everything seemed to be going just fine for the pair. I was enjoying their slow developing romance and then it just kind of feel apart. I was also annoyed by the introduction of a love triangle out of nowhere. It wasn't necessary!By the end of the story, I felt more invested and could connect with all of the other characters besides Kelsey. Ren was a delight and Mr. Kadam was a neat grandfatherly type that I enjoyed very much. I'm sure many young girls will be swooning over Ren and cursing Kelsey for the way that she treats him. There is also Kishan who is interested in Kelsey, but he doesn't play a huge role in the story, at least not in this book.Final Thoughts: Despite some flaws, large and small, I thoroughly enjoyed Tiger's Curse. There was just something about this story that I can't quite pin-point that made me want to keep reading. I'm tempted to run out to a bookstore to try to find the next book in the series so I can find out what happens next. For a debut author, I don't think that Colleen Houck did a terrible job constructing this story, but I do feel as though the story could have used some editing. I'm sure that the second book will be much better.The plot was so unique and the setting was so beautiful, that it made it impossible to put down. If you are a fan of adventure and romance, I would recommend checking out this book!
This novel suffers from an unfortunate case of poor execution despite a great premise. I completely agree with all the 1-star reviews here, and as a sucker for shifter fiction and paranormal fantasies, I desperately wanted to like this book. But alas. I'm no stranger to suspending my disbelief to crazy stuff. It's the "ordinary" stuff, the way it's written, that throws me off.The biggest problem for me is the forced, stilted, and unauthentic voice of the main character. I'm not much older than her, and believe me, no eighteen year old ever talks like that. The nerds (including myself) don't talk like that. My high school's valedictorian doesn't talk like that. Even in period drama like Downton Abbey (big fan, by the way) I've never heard anyone say "a sad sequence of events." So if even the stuffy yet well-versed post-Edwardian aristocrats don't talk like that, you've got a problem. The main character reminds me of those gunners and overachievers in my pre-med classes, who throw around big words to sound smart. SAT words stay in the SAT, kids. When you can't make the main character believable and relatable, it's all the reader ever thinks about instead of enjoying the story. Mundane things are drawn out with soporific, sleep-inducing description, while the scenes that actually need impact and attention barely get both. That's not how it works. Perhaps it's to keep from writing dialogue, which seems to be the author's weak point. All this keeps me from enjoying what could potentially be a compelling narrative. Unfortunately the whole thing falls flat on its face.Finally, as a POC myself, I'm all for more POC characters, cultures, and mythologies being featured and given justice in the world of writing, but this isn't the best place to find that. I can't help but feel this novel is the author's thinly-veiled act of self-fulfillment: the white girl fantasizing over some hot exotic guy. I don't need another white savior story, thank you very much. Like, are we colored people just inherently incapable of saving the day, let alone saving ourselves? Gee, I guess that's why we've been oppressed, enslaved, and persecuted all throughout our oh-so-happy histories. The fact the "chosen one" is a white American, who conveniently breaks an old curse that plagues a former colonial nation, is one that rubs me the wrong way. Is the bland white Mary Sue really necessary? Why couldn't the main girl be an Indian-American? She could be estranged from her culture, but interested in veterinary medicine, which is why she got involved with the circus tiger. There, that's much, much better. I'd gladly shell out my money for a refreshing, believable idea.Want a story about a tiger and a young Indian that's done right? I recommend "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. Rent "Tiger's Curse" from the library for a few laughs, and perhaps despair at what the YA genre has come to, but don't waste your money buying it.
When I first heard the premise of this book, I was excited. Instead of werewolves, there were tiger "shapeshifters". I thought this would be refreshing. Unfortunately, the writing of this book ruined what could have been a fantastic idea. Like another reviewer said, it sounded like the author telling the story instead of the character telling her story. Almost none of what the character thought or said sounded like anything close to what a seventeen year old girl would say, instead it was what a grown woman seemed to think a seventeen year old would say/think. Even if you get past the main character's dialogue issues, the characters themselves were horribly cliche. The girl had self-esteem issues and the boy was perfect, it was even said over and over again in the book. Although sometimes the book can be redeemed from poor characterization by an excellent writing style, unfortunately the book lacked this as well. Even the writing style itself was horribly cliche. So all in all the book gets two stars for what was a good idea, but very poorly executed.
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