When my editor at Sasquatch Books pitched Full Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest to higher-ups in the publishing world, they...
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Candace @ LoveyDoveyBooks, September 11, 2012 (view all comments by Candace @ LoveyDoveyBooks)
From Oregon to the jungles of India, Tiger's Curse proves to be a phenomenal and captivating fantasy in which Colleen Houck immerses readers in Indian culture. Houck's beautifully written story captures India in such a way that everyone will feel as if they'd experienced the language, cuisine, and mythological tales first-hand!
Kelsey is fresh out of high school and preparing to face a future of work and college. When a temporary job at a traveling circus turns into a cross country trip to oversee the care of a beautiful white tiger, Kelsey's future becomes filled with more adventure than she bargained for. The white tiger is revealed to be a 300 year old Indian prince in need of help to break the curse that keeps him and his younger brother, Kishan, tigers. Kelsey's connection with the tiger, Ren, is adorable and would make any animal-lover proud, but with Ren, the man, it's even stronger, and certainly steamier.
Houck's ability to write such an epic fantasy while keeping close to reality is astounding. Tiger's Curse is written at a pace that allows one to bask in the adventure while creating an unbreakable bond with the few main characters, Kelsey, Ren, Kishan, and Mr. Kadam. It's a treat to journey with Kelsey as she puts the welfare of others before herself. Her selfless character surely endears her to the many readers of this series!
jessika_levine, January 27, 2012 (view all comments by jessika_levine)
This book was a fresh idea! It has some of the best chatracters I've read since The Hunger Games and the story is so enticing! I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the fourth one in this series to come out!
coastiecolellas, September 19, 2011 (view all comments by coastiecolellas)
Oh my my How do you express this book, it was fantastic and a page turner if i ever read one!! Its Must read and a beautiful story that continues on to book 2 thats just as good. The history and the depth put into this book is breath taking! Make sure you get your copy!
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Houck's debut YA fantasy, which she self-published in 2009, is richly imagined, but pacing and technique lag behind her inventiveness. Eighteen-year-old Kelsey Hayes gets a temporary summer job working at a one-ring circus that features a white Bengal tiger named Dhiren. Kelsey and Ren, as she calls the tiger, form an immediate bond, and when a mysterious businessman purchases Ren, Kelsey is asked to escort him to his new home on an Indian reserve (despite her complete lack of experience). Given extensive foreshadowing, it's no surprise that Ren turns into a man once back in his native land, inspiring Kelsey to break the ancient curse that forces Ren to shape-shift. The attractive premise is let down by wooden dialogue, excessive detail, and wobbly mechanics; Kelsey's plainspoken narration more often befits a preteen than a high school graduate ('Poor thing. All alone with no girl tiger and no tiger cubs'). Houck doesn't quite realize her potential in this outing. Two companion books, Tiger's Quest and Tiger's Voyage, are due later in 2011. Ages 12 and up. (Jan.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)
"Review"
by Booklist,
"Houck's first novel is part Twilight, part Indiana Jones, and part fairy tale. Although her book — the first in a proposed series — is sometimes derivative, she tells a good story filled with chaste romance that will keep readers turning pages."
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"A smart, vibrant adventure romance wrapped in a quest...takes the protagonists through adventures that would make Steven Spielberg proud...Full of danger, dash, allegory, and love under the banana tree."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
Seventeen-year-old Oregon teenager Kelsey forms a bond with a circus tiger who is actually one of two brothers, Indian princes Ren and Kishan, who were cursed to live as tigers for eternity, and she travels with him to India where the tiger's curse may be broken once and for all.
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