Tiger's Destiny Book Review

Author: Colleen Houck. Release date: 2012. Publisher:  Splinter. ISBN: 9781402798436.

Annotation: After being captured by Lokesh, Kelsey uses her cunning to escape the clutches of the evil sorcerer and must travel to a fiery underground realm to complete the final quest and end the curse that has plagued Ren and Kishan for centuries.

Personal thoughts: This is one of my favorite series for young adults, so I was very excited to get an advanced reader copy. I think that Tiger’s Destiny might be my favorite installment thus far, for a variety of reasons. I really enjoyed all of the action in the story. In past novels in the series, I was a bit critical of Colleen Houck’s very descriptive writing, but this actually worked really well in terms of setting the stage for Kelsey, Ren and Kishan’s journey underground and in the epic battles that ensue. I also liked how Kelsey and Kishan’s relationship was intensifying, adding another layer of conflict to the love triangle between Kelsey and her tigers. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this series concludes, and to finding out what Colleen Houck comes up with next.  

Plot summary: The quest to end the Tiger’s Curse is almost complete, but Kelsey finds herself imprisoned by the evil sorcerer Lokesh. Using her cunning and convincing him that she wants to be his bride, Kelsey learns that Lokesh wants a son, a strong heir who can continue his father’s legacy of treachery. Before she can be wed, Kelsey is rescued by Ren and Kishan and the three return to India where Mr. Kadam informs them of their next task. The final gift of Durga, the Rope of Fire, lies in a fiery underground realm full of vampire-like demons, the walking dead, and powerful phoenixes. Kelsey wants nothing more than to complete their quest and end the curse that has plagued Ren and Kishan for centuries, but something is proving more difficult even than venturing deep into the Earth and battling vicious creatures: although she is in a relationship with Kishan, Kelsey can no longer deny that her love for Ren has anything but diminished. Can one girl from Oregon end the Tiger’s Curse, defeat Lokesh once and for all and decide where her heart truly lies?

Review: Colleen Houck’s epic story continues in this fourth installment in her best-selling series. What draws so many readers to these novels are the combination of fantasy, romance and action, and Tiger’s Destiny is chock full of all three. What differentiates this fourth book from the previous three is the amount of battle it contains. Kelsey, Ren and Kishan are always fighting some mystical creature in their efforts to break the Tiger’s Curse, but Tiger’s Destiny is the first novel in the series to have full on warfare as a major part of the story. Houck does a good if incredibly descriptive job of setting the reader down in the midst of a battle, and fans are sure to enjoy scenes of Kelsey and her handsome tigers wreaking havoc on their enemies. The romance aspects of Tiger’s Destiny also get more intense, with Kishan and Kelsey’s relationship becoming more serious, along with her conflicted feelings towards Ren. The end of the novel is sure to leave the reader clambering for the fifth and final installment in the series, Tiger’s Dream, which is set to be released in 2013.  

Genre:  Adventure/Romance

Reading level: Grade 7+

Similar titles: Previous installments in the Tiger’s Curse series by Colleen Houck

Themes:  Destiny, romance, magic, curses, India, adventure, war.      

Awards/Reviews:  Fourth installment in best-selling series.   

Series Information: Fourth installment in the Tiger’s Curse series. Previous novels in series: Tiger’s Curse (2011), Tiger’s Quest (2011), Tiger’s Voyage (2011).

Discussion questions:

-       Including Tiger’s Destiny, which is your favorite novel in this series? Why?

-       Why do you think Lokesh wanted to marry Kelsey? Do you think it was a smart move for her to convince him that she felt the same way? Why or why not?

-       Do you think that Kishan realizes that Kelsey still loves Ren? Would you want to be in a relationship with someone who had feelings for someone else?

-       Describe the role that each of Durga’s weapons plays in the novel. Which is your favorite? Which was the most important? Why?

-      What are you hoping to see happen in the fifth and final novel in this series?

A Beautiful Dark Book Review

Author: Jocelyn Davies. Release date: 2011. Publisher:  HarperTeen. ISBN: 9780061990656.

Annotation: On her seventeenth-birthday, Skye Parker meets Asher and Devin. Cousins with a strange, turbulent relationship, Skye isn’t sure what to make of the pair or their presence in her small Colorado town. When she learns the truth of who they are and their role in her past, Skye’s once simple life is changed forever.

Personal thoughts: One of the most telling things for me about this novel was how the author describes herself as a lover of all things angsty on the book jacket. That is exactly the word I would choose to describe the overall tone of the novel: angsty. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, however. I think the right level of angst can make for a good story, and Jocelyn Davies does a good job of keeping the angst, for the most part, at a manageable and enjoyable level. I think the whole concept of the dark, bad boy vs. the clean-cut, good guy is a classic, and I liked how it was used in this novel. I thought the mix of romance and paranormal was well done, and I especially enjoyed the support characters and the attention the author put into developing them sufficiently. I would definitely recommend this book to Twilight fans and could see many 13 to 16-year-olds relishing Skye’s “dilemma” in having to choose between two chiseled hotties. I plan to read the sequel.  

Plot summary: On the night of her seventeenth-birthday, Skye Parker meets cousins Asher and Devin. New to her small Colorado town of River Springs, the two are complete opposites. Dark and wild, Asher is the more flirtatious of the pair, instantly charming all the girls at Skye’s high school. Fair and quiet, Devin is far more reserved, showing more than a little contempt for Asher’s boisterous personality. What’s far more strange, however, is how the two seem to be inexplicably interested in Skye. Since her parents were killed in a car accident on her sixth-birthday, Skye has lived a quiet life with her Aunt Jo, spending her free time with best friends Cassie and Dan, and competing on the ski team. She has never been one to draw the attention of a lot of guys, especially two handsome, mysterious ones like Asher and Devin. As Skye gets to know the cousins, however, she learns that their presence in River Springs, and their interest in her, is no accident. Who they are and the role they play in Skye’s past, and future, will change her life forever.

Review: Book editor turned author, Jocelyn Davies, delivers a healthy dose of romance, angst and adventure in A Beautiful Dark, the first novel in a new paranormal romance series for teens. Fans of Twilight are sure to relish this book, and the story seems to be tailor made to appeal to that target audience. As an editor for teen books, it is clear that the author knows what “works” in this genre, and the novel seems to have all the necessary elements: a beautiful but naïve heroine, a love triangle involving two sexy guys, the paranormal twist, and a sizable cliffhanger to keep readers longing for the sequel. There is very little new material in the novel, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining. Readers are sure to enjoy the dynamics between Asher and Devin, and how Skye finds herself falling for them both for different reasons. The Colorado setting is also interesting, giving the novel an icy, wintery tone. Skye’s friends, particularly Cassie, are also likable support characters, as is her loving adoptive mother, Jo. Overall, A Beautiful Dark doesn’t break through any walls, but does make for an entertaining read that many tweens and teens are certain to swoon over. The second installment in the series, A Fractured Light, is set to be released on September 25, 2012.

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Reading level: Grade 7+

Similar titles: Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon, Tiger’s Curse series by Colleen Houck, Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan M. James.

Themes:  Angels, destiny, rebellion, orphans, love triangle, romance.

Awards/Reviews:  Positive reviews from Kirkus and VOYA.

Series Information: First novel in Beautiful Dark series. Second installment, A Fractured Light, set to be released September 25, 2012.   

Discussion questions:

-       Why do you think birthdays are so difficult for Skye?

-      Who do you like better: Asher or Devin? Why?

-      Why do you think Skye is so important to both the Order and the Rebellion?

-    Do you think Skye is a good friend to Cassie? Ian? Dan? Why or why not?

-       Explain what you think happened in the final chapters of the novel. How do you think those events will play out in the sequel?