Love stories come in all shapes and sizes. Most of the ones I read are young adult novels. I read them because unlike adult novels, the love stories are pure and innocent. They aren’t looking for anything long term or even 6-months down the road. For the people involved, they are looking for instant gratification – which involves companionship, kissing, conversation something that I find lacks in some adult novels. Tiger’s Quest and Tiger’s Voyage are the middle 2 books of a four-part series focusing on Kelsey Hayes and her sudden pull into a 300-year-old curse to save 2 men from being tiger’s forever. And of course a love triangle that makes everyone’s head spin.Following the events of Tiger’s Curse Kelsey is back in Oregon trying to move on from Ren whom she believes she doesn’t deserve. She comes “home” to her own house, car, money all set up by Mr. Kadam for helping him and the tigers with their curse. He tells her that there is more to come but for now we can lay low. She enrolls in college (or rather Mr. Kadam enrolled for her) and starts to begin a new life as a regular, normal 18-year old college student. She meets friends and even goes on a few dates, trying to keep the memory of Ren at bay. She does start to see a boy named Lee and things start to go well until Kelsey returns home one night – and Ren is standing in her kitchen. They begin a very hesitant friendship, with both Ren and Lee vying for her affection until she does make a decision to be with Ren. That is until the tiger’s nemesis shows up to try and kidnap Kelsey. Ren sacrifices himself to save his brother and the woman he loves so they can get away. They do and here starts the journey to find the man she loves. And this is just Tiger’s Quest.
In Tiger’s Voyage, Kelsey and Kishan have rescued Ren only to discover that he has no recollection of Kelsey at all. She has been erased from his mind. This sends Kelsey into a tailspin and when she recovers (if she really does) she is a different person. When the love of your life forgets about you, you can’t come out of that the same person. A part of you is erased from you just as much as with the other. Whether you can get that back is the question.
These books and the series are powerful, emotional story telling from an author who weaves fables and history together for a miraculous story of intrigue, fear, desperation and love. There is a lot happening in this series but Houck weaves them together so well that the reader never knows just how much information they are taking in. They never get bored while reading the books and they never know why.
I do read a lot of science fiction/mystery/young adult novels and the 2 series that have really stuck out in my mind (besides Harry Potter that will always be my favorite) the Twilight series and the Tiger series are my favorite. I find myself comparing all of the other genre books to those 2 and nothing can compete. With the Tiger series, you have a very strong, independent, capable heroine who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and fight for what she believes in and wants. On the opposite end of the spectrum, she is also not afraid to let her feelings show when the opportunity allows it. She might wear her heart on her sleeve but she knows when to hide it and does it fairly well.
I honestly cannot say exactly what draws me to these books and this series (besides a very human and strong heroine). It could be the intrigue, the love story, the mythology – who knows. It all interests me. I can’t seem to get enough of Kelsey, Ren and Kishan. And with one book left in the series, this reader will have to savor every moment she spends with these characters. Hopefully it doesn’t end badly J
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