Fearful Symmetry (The Tyrant Sagas Book 1)
Contents:
Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. May 22, Alexandra added it Shelves: I really enjoyed this series. Jun 16, Mara rated it it was ok Shelves: Two things kept me from truly enjoying these books: It has the same plot all over, the never ending battles, betrayals and twist without any depth to both characters and plot to make anything believable.
In book one we are told that the heroine has a daughter and that she's fighting to go back to her. Not once in 3 bo Two things kept me from truly enjoying these books: Not once in 3 books and a short story you did get a glimpse that's the truth. Oh once in a while she talks about her daughter, or her husband. But there's no anguish. She never really fights to go back to her. I mean she gets derailed every time for 7 or 8 books it seems. You know by book 3 she should be frantic. Her husband too is basically a prop. You don't feel her love, her pain.
Or the shocking betrayal. She drools about an other man when she's not mourned him yet.. I am not even sure I buy into her morality or lack thereof. Her wit is nice, but again it can't take the place of plot, characterization and world building. Even the big divide was, I don't know, fake. If you have ever read Medair , you'd really see the difference. I spent a few hours on a summer Sunday. There's not much else I can say. Except I don't plan to read the rest of the series. View all 4 comments. Jun 14, astaliegurec rated it it was ok. Last Command I rate it at 2 stars out of 5 1.
Fallen Empire, Book 2 I rate it at 3 stars out of 5 2. Starfall Station I rate it at 3 stars out of 5 3. I'm not sure if they're included solely as part of this omnibus or if they come bundled with the individual full novels. Ignoring the prequel, in general, the series starts out fairly good and then tapers off to something less than OK. The prequel is not very good at all. In general, again, all the books are fast-paced and show that Buroker has good technical writing skills.
But, unfortunately, they all suffer from several issues: Between the start of each book and its end, there's a lot of action, but there's no progress toward any of the proclaimed goals. It looks to me like Buroker is just churning out these formulaic books as a means of making money instead of any desire to tell a good story. This gets pretty bad by the last book. If I average out my ratings for all five stories and truncate, I get an overall rating of a Pretty Bad 2 stars out of 5 for this omnibus.
If I round up, instead, that turns into an OK 3 stars out of 5. Because the negatives keep building as the stories progress, I'm going with the lower score. But, if you like "bodice ripper," Romance-type books, maybe the higher rating would be more appropriate to you. Regardless, I won't be reading any more of this series.
And, since I've read a book in another series by her and didn't like it, I won't be reading any more of Lindsay Buroker's books. Aug 25, Kay Dee rated it really liked it. New Worlds, New Suns: Jun 30, Charlie rated it it was ok Shelves: I promised myself that I would finish this entire compilation. I get that there is a larger overall story, and I want to follow that. However, each individual story has to feel complete.
The first did have a full arc, and while there was a bit of convenience, it was a semi-satisfying end. My complaints are that the captain always snorts at least five times a story , the engineer hates her job and wants to leave the ship, but doesn't; a security guard that just wants to be a BBQ chef; a I promised myself that I would finish this entire compilation.
Even with all of this information, I haven't spoiled the story. I just don't like a rag-tag crew that tries so hard to not get along and yet it all works out in the end I read the first 2 stories and the short before the third, and I can do no more, Captain.
Lord of the Shadows
Mar 06, Peter Brockert rated it really liked it Shelves: A story about what happens when people have a popular uprising against everything they have that keeps them safe in exchange for extra freedoms. While I appreciate the point of view of the protagonist in her struggles, I am enough of a realist to know that any form of organization that developed after the uprising would probably resemble very closely the government they rose up against. It is nice that the author placed as her protector an old guard from the previous government.
The symmetry bet A story about what happens when people have a popular uprising against everything they have that keeps them safe in exchange for extra freedoms. The symmetry between the people and the sides in the conflict are a pretty good mirror of each other. Jun 16, Picky Virgo rated it it was ok Shelves: The series began well for me, but it failed to hold my interest. Run here, blast a hole there, end up on a different ship somehow Oct 24, Scott Gries rated it really liked it.
I downloaded first three books as a free Kindle copy set. There may be some spoilers below, but I'll keep them fairly vague - nothing plot destroying. I'm torn on my review. First, a few negatives: Perhaps it can't be helped in any kind of space frontier type story and I'm sure someone could point out to me a ton of "borrowed" ideas in Firefly as well , but: It just keeps pulling me out of the story at odd moments.
Without going into details, some of the escapes, while harrowing, are pushing credibility a bit. The equivalent to regularly! On the positive side, it's nice to have a fairly strong female protagonist, although perhaps less sexual tension would be less distracting for full disclosure, I'm also not fond of sexual tension distractions even when it's a male lead; that's a different adventure story.
I do enjoy a bunch of the backstory and overarching dual-plot elements. I wish Alisa was a little less dependent on her male counterparts to survive conflict - she's a bad ass in the seat of a fighter, but not quite as self-sufficient outside of that. I found the slowly unfolding story about the monk's orb and connections to the empire interesting - and that's drawing me in more than a search for Alisa's daughter.
There's a decent chance I will purchase the rest of the series on Kindle something I essentially never do from freebie intros , so we'll see where it goes. Jun 19, Phillip Murrell rated it did not like it Shelves: Sci-fi is my genre, but this was terribly slow and full of cliches. It felt like the author took what were thought to be the best parts of Star Wars and Firefly and watered them down into a romcom. The characters were annoying and rarely did anything that felt genuine.
If she is still rationale ha! You can't have it both ways, but author wants us to believe we can. The other huge problem with this story is how each book is the same. The plot goes like this: The Monad lands on a planet. Elisa realizes it brings her no closer to finding Jelena. Elisa gets captured by that planet's threat. Rather than focus on the problem, Eliza focuses on Leonidas' body. She wants him, "But alas, he is not a scrawny hardline my husband was. I could never enjoy an Olympian's body!
The Monad flies to a planet from the new leaf on Jelena's whereabouts that conveniently was revealed in the last act. This story wasn't for me. If I kept reading it, my eyes would fall from my face from constantly rolling them. The CW could have a bit show for them if they used this series as source material.
Jun 05, benebean rated it really liked it Shelves: I enjoyed this series immensely. It was a bit of guilty pleasure since there was a lot of sexual humor and one or two scenes with naked people in the later books. In general, it stayed a tad cleaner than your average sci fi books, but I wouldn't label these clean either. This is the first series that I actually wanted to know what happened so much that I ended up purchasing the rest of the series, which is saying something since I come from a long proud line o I enjoyed this series immensely. This is the first series that I actually wanted to know what happened so much that I ended up purchasing the rest of the series, which is saying something since I come from a long proud line of stingy people.
By the end of the series, the repetitive battle scenes became a bit too frequent for me taste it seemed like every other scene was a battle scene , but for the genre that's to be expected. This book also lacked the oft idiotic noble or airheaded protagonists I find so often in books these days. So yes to sum it up, great story, reasonably smart hilarious characters, a lot of fun-- I'm very conflicted about whether to read more of Lindsay Buroker's work, because what little hope I had of doing anything productive with my life went out the window when I started reading this series Aug 13, Violet H Harmon rated it really liked it.
Yes, the ships owner has an amazing group of ppl on board with either a price or their head, or other reasons someone is after them. But she is rather between a rock and a hard place. No money and no way to get home to get her daughter without help. A journey you'll never forget The Fallen Empire Omnibus Books and Prequel introduced us in a far distant trinary system full of planets and countless moons. Far removed from Sol System, humanity thrived and developed in ways similar yet different from Earth and its history. Full of intrigues, politics, and personality clashes, different characters were forced to face and make decisions for survival in a world where the hunters are now the hunted.
Past allegiances are tested every turn. Biase A journey you'll never forget The Fallen Empire Omnibus Books and Prequel introduced us in a far distant trinary system full of planets and countless moons. Biases brought to the front and has to be confronted. Life and death hangs in the balance for everyone.
If you love this kind of twists and turns, of drama and adventure, this is a trilogy for you. Sep 23, Phoebe Wilby rated it it was amazing. Exciting space-faring adventure I enjoyed this collection so much that I had great difficulty putting it down and read well into the wee hours until it was over. Only it wasn't over! I now find there are at least four more stories to go before I finally find out what Leonidas was trying to accomplish, if Alejandro ever unlocked the mystery of the Orb, and, more importantly, did Alisa ever find her daughter? However, each story is complete in that the mini adventure is resolved at the end of the b Exciting space-faring adventure I enjoyed this collection so much that I had great difficulty putting it down and read well into the wee hours until it was over.
However, each story is complete in that the mini adventure is resolved at the end of the book. I particularly enjoyed the way Lindsay uses dialogue to give us an insight into the quirks of her characters. A good read and I look forward to reading the rest of the story soon. Jul 27, BobTheElder rated it it was amazing. This time they travel by ocean searching for Durga's necklace. But, Ren is still suffering from his amnesia while Kishan seems to be falling more in love with Kelsey. Their voyage requires the help of five enchanting Chinese Tiger's Voyage, the third book in the Tiger's Curse series, is amazing!
Their voyage requires the help of five enchanting Chinese dragons and of course are being hunted by a number of undersea creatures which include a kraken. Oh yea and don't forget Lokesh who is still after them. Lots of action with tons of suspense and of course the romance. Tiger's Voyage will not let us fans of the series down. View all 51 comments. They are sent to get information on one of Durga's prized possessions. Lokesh is now more determined to find and get Kelsey for his personal reasons that had existed when Ren and Kishan were younger and their parents still alive.
In the meantime, Ren and Kishan are bent on showing Kelsey their love for her and that she should make the choice of who to be with. The Love Triangle I wasn't particularly pleased to see the 4. The Love Triangle I wasn't particularly pleased to see the love triangle forming but it was okay.
It caused a little too much drama for my taste. I thought that Houck should have focused more on the problem at hand but a little romance was okay. Picture the girl watching as a guy Characters The characters were overall good. Kelsey Kelsey is a smart and resourceful young lady in this series. In this book, though, she seems to be more dependent on the guy. I wish to have seen her be more independent and possibly have less drama.
She was in love and loving two guys but she should just make the decision of what to do. Ren Ren had amnesia and it affected his love life with Kelsey. The entire time I was wishing for him to just remember her since I know that they are meant to be together. He is handsome, romantic, funny, and protective. He cares a lot for Kelsey and wants to protect her.
Kishan Kishan is and has been in love with Kelsey. He is jealous of Ren and that he still has her affections. He is funny, relaxed, and wants Kelsey to be happy with either decision that she makes. The Ending There is a definite cliff hanger and I can't wait to get the fourth book when it comes out of hard back. You should read it. Sep 23, Clair rated it did not like it Shelves: As the trio continue their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections - leaving Kelsey more confused than ever. Fraught with danger, filled with magic, and packed with romance, Tiger's Voyage brings Kelsey and her two tiger princes one step c With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: Fraught with danger, filled with magic, and packed with romance, Tiger's Voyage brings Kelsey and her two tiger princes one step closer to breaking the curse.
The second part of that blurb is false advertising. Just so you know. What follows before that? Now we have Chinese dragons to contend with, because apparently every square inch of Asia is exactly the same. Then again, this is the series known for Japanese kappa showing up in a mythical Hindu realm. You know something, though? I did have some hopes for this book. In fact, it starts out fairly well enough. Lokesh is angry that his plans failed. He's so angry that he not only throws a henchman out of a sixty storey window, but also magically opens up a hole in the pavement below to bury him alive.
But still, it sets in stone that he is going to seriously redouble his efforts to defeat our protagonists. He was set up as a force to be reckoned with in the previous book, so hopefully Kelsey, Ren and Kishan are going to have to contend with more monsters and such than ever before! I mean, he's this big dangerous guy and in the last book, you had to work around fake identities, and Lokesh even sent a squadron of men in black to capture Ren so he could torture him for the rest of the book.
Problems I had with the other two books crop up here as well. Nobody has ever said to Kelsey that the Golden Fruit should perhaps be used for more altruistic means. All for selfish gain, of course! Ren and Kishan are utterly creepy jerks in this book. It is NOT romantic to hear your boyfriend talk about how he enjoys hunting you down, or that he gets angry at the idea of you wearing a dress and make-up because perhaps another boy might catch your eye.
The Houck Hand-Wave is also still in full effect. Kelsey doesn't share with us her research on dragons. Nope, we just get a sentence about her "spending hours researching on the Internet. There really is this awful tendency to just hand-wave away details that might be interesting, conversations that could be revealing, or subtle actions that reveal character motivations in favour of some of the most utterly unriveting, godawful dialogue that has ever been put to paper.
Any man who comes close to you will end up with a face full of quills! The main conflict of this novel is not the fact that Lokesh is going to get our heroes and potentially torture them into giving up the pieces of the amulet. I'd give him props for that masterful bit of cock-blocking if only it didn't induce some of the whiniest outbursts of the book.
Exposition is not weaved into the narrative in Tiger's Voyage. That burden falls onto Mr. Kadam knows everything about everything, from the details of yachts and microchips to Kadam is basically Aranea Serket. And like her, he should totally set up a booth. But that's doing a disservice to dear Aranea, who really does appreciate good storytelling. So yes, a festival akin to Tanabata is celebrated in India partway through the book, and our white-bread heroine gets to wear yet another culturally appropriative costume and dance around saying she feels like a princess.
Oh, wait, there's an Texan guy who speaks like a cowhand who shows up a little later. The princes have motorbikes and Kelsey drives around on one and compares it to an amazing adrenaline rush. We also have Dead-Weird Cullen's insistence on modesty: Ren looked me up and down. I think we should go back and get one that covers more of you. Ren gets a girlfriend later, and during this time, Kelsey gets a haircut.
He sees this, and gets angry that he can no longer braid or run his fingers through her hair. Oh, and he forcibly kisses her several times throughout the book. And Kelsey's just all too happy to accept it because he's so hot omg u gaiz i luv him. I mean, look at how charming Ren is with these snippets of dialogue! It's kind of amazing how Ren's behaviour is never brought into question. You're just supposed to accept it, because he loves her and later on it will be revealed that his connection with Kelsey is actually 'cosmic. The obsession with kissing is back again.
They're ALL kissing books. The romance is so ridiculously chaste that about the only thing that's explicit are all the stupid kissing scenes. Kelsey remains as useless as ever. And I mean useless. She panics and winds up concussing herself on a nearby rock. That's a character you want to root for, isn't it? That's the true mark of somebody, who, out of billions of people around the world, was chosen as a warrior goddess' champion. Squealing about sharks and snakes and whinging about blood and talking about how scared she is to go into the ocean.
Nearly getting eaten by a kraken or eviscerated by a shark because she was too dim-witted to think to defend herself in time. Thing is, though, it's not like Kelsey is completely defenceless.
Upcoming Events
But yes, this is around the two hundred and fifty page mark of a five hundred and sixty page book. I should not be looking at the remaining page count and wondering how in the hell they're going to defeat dragon number 5 when they're spending AGES with dragon number 2. Dragon 3 even puts Kelsey up in a castle tower for Ren and Kishan to rescue her.
A girl who should rightly be able to defend herself is instead suckered into playing the damsel in distress, sighing up in her tower and watching events passively through a magic mirror. The writing also really takes a hit during this time. Short, punchy little action sentences like: I did that because he did this. He continued to do that. In fact, I should have been really looking forward to the scenes with the dragons, and I should have found them really memorable. But no, these events are almost completely overshadowed by the fact I had to sit through so much piffle to get to them.
Dragon number 3 is only defeated roughly pages in, leaving us just pages to defeat dragons 4 and 5 and wrap everything up with a nice little conclusion. In fact, Kelsey has a vision of Lokesh and that's when everything goes to hell, he gets his band of pirates to take over the yacht, and Kelsey has to give herself up for the princes' safety. Where Lokesh intends to make her his wife for Boom, end of book. I'd also like to take some time to address some of the really uncomfortable ableism in the book Yeah, I'm sure the people reading this book who have prosthetic limbs or other physical disabilities really appreciate those comments.
Dragons, a high seas adventure, a Kraken And yet we seem to only gloss over all of them, because it's far more important the reader knows that Ren and Kelsey and Kishan are still having their little romantic dramas. The mythology makes no sense, the characters are ridiculous and there are flies with higher IQs than them. That's insulting to flies, though. That might be forgivable if it's a region of India that borders China But no, it's not.
It's thousands of miles further west of the Chinese border. People who feel utterly homeless and without a culture because they're either a member of the worldwide diaspora or essentially had a Western education shoved down their throats which clashed with the traditions and culture they were told about at home. And neither will the author of this book. When was the last time you saw a YA author from India get this big, presenting his or her culture and mythology for what they had experienced it as? Rather than lazy "well I want to set it in India but I'm not going to do much research beyond a few online searches and books on basic world mythology.
Or the Chinese dragons? What, what, and what some more. This is a book set in India that uses Asian mythology and yet somehow makes it all about a white girl. A white girl whose destiny it is to save others from this tyrant. A white girl championed by a Hindu goddess, rather than an actual Hindu girl. It's a white saviour story, plain and simple.
White saviour stories, by the way, were often written to legitimise or downright excuse colonial atrocities, because: Kadam is just a walking exposition machine, who just needs to be poked and prodded a bit to deliver info-dump after info-dump on whatever is necessary to the plot at that current time. India is nothing more than a pretty backdrop in these books. There's very little description of life in India, or the heat or the surroundings.
All Kelsey does is drift around and complain about how much she dislikes curry whilst being praised by Mr. This review is also available on my blog: View all 11 comments. People who want to break the record for long lives. You will laugh THAT hard So, I guess I should explain why I bothered to read this third book. See, my lovely cousin Abby read my review on the second book and thought it was hilarious. So she got all four books from her library and started reading them. And every once in a while she would start laughing like a demon.
I needed to know. I hate unsatisfied curiosity. And now I know. Am I a better person for it? Probably worse for it. But am I better writer from it? Now I know what NOT to do. So, they need to find these items for Durga in order to break the curse, right? So now they need Durga's necklace. Want to know how they FIND said necklace? Well, only a certain dragon knows where it is. We'll call him BOSS dragon, because I don't feel like writing all of their names out with the little accents and whatever.
So, they talk to this dragon's brother. Who tells them where a 2nd dragon they need to visit who will tell them where the 3rd dragon is who will tell them where the 4th dragon is who will tell them where a 5th dragon is who will tell them where the BOSS dragon is. So, BOSS dragon tells them where a key is. They get the key, which gets them the necklace. Then Kelsey gets kidnapped, the end. In between these "major events" fill in with long montages of Ren and Kishan declaring their undying love to Kelsey. I'll let you know when we get there.
IS there a plot? Problem the first--can it get any bigger? Cuz I guess that's really relevant to the plot. Does anyone else have to stop for a few minutes to try and unsuccessfully figure out what the heck she's wearing? I eventually just gave up and kept reading. Or I googled whatever italicized word she randomly had in there. You'd think after the first time of "not recognizing yourself" you'd be a little more open to surprise.
And what is the purpose of these random "Kelsey's dressed up by magic" montages? Seriously, the bit where the dragon makes her hair grow and dresses her up or whatever for fun Neither was the bit where Kelsey is dressed up as Parvati. Or the bit where Kelsey gets dressed up in event a, b, c, d, e, f, whatever, you get it.
Kelsey, as everyone knows, is just plain annoying. She plays around with both Ren and Kishan's feelings because she "doesn't want to hurt either of them" or whatever, but I hope she realizes that the longer she strings Kishan along, the more it was bound to hurt when the truth all comes out. That's gonna come back to hurt ya later. Plus, what is with Ren and Kishan being so dang determined to love this crazy girl?
Kelsey describes herself as pudgy, brown-haired, and plain. And don't tell me it's her personality. But she acts like she's 15, so I think everyone reading the book and their annoying siblings reading over their shoulders saw that one coming, KELLS. Am I the only person really irritated by a Kelsey's name and b Kelsey's nickname and c Kelsey's millions of Indian nicknames?
Please tell me I'm not alone. Seriously, if I am, I need someone to just tell me already. Don't leave me in this agony for so long. I don't know if I'm the only one who noticed this Cuz she's the amazing Kelsey. No, really, run away. I think I've covered everything else that irritates me about Kelsey in the other review I wrote her hair braiding?
And Ren's obsession with said braids? I'm sorry Kells , but every time you mention putting your hair into two braids with ribbons, I think of Pippi Longstocking. Not a year-old girl trying to look mature. Clearly this just happened to make Ren happy. It wasn't necessary except for that whole bit with Ren getting angry about her cutting her hair.
Him getting angry about her cutting her hair Isn't it HER hair, Edward? Houck's world is gorgeous. Because that's how Kelsey seems to describe them all. Sorry, the mental imagery is just too much for me to handle. Randi is annoying, blond, stupid, anorexic, and a cliche. An overly used cliche that apparently Ren thought he should use to try and make Kelsey jealous.
What IS it with female authors now-a-days who think they need to have a bitchy blond girl character to pick on their poor, plain, brunette heroine? Seriously, this is just getting on my nerves now. Is it possible to NOT use cliches and get a point across? Randi is an awful person, fine whatever. But she was also completely unnecessary to the plot. And all you authors out there? Enough with the Bella Mary Sue girl characters, would you?
We really don't need a bunch of "I'm a badass man-lover" brunettes running around in random pieces of clothing I can't even bother to pronounce let alone begin to understand what they mean. Enough with the cliches, please. If I can complain about them any more, I will. They are generally used by inexperienced authors and, sadly, they are being accepted by people if Houck's gettin' rich off of stupid people who love cliches.
This is a bad lesson to teach an author give them a bloated head, why doncha and a bad lesson to teach teenage girls. Real life isn't like that at ALL. Welcome to the real world. If we can get a decent heroine in modern fiction who I do not despise, that person gets a happy face sticker on their review.
Again, even Nilima is a source of jealousy. That poor girl is seriously just a plot device who shows up when she's important and then disappears again. I actually stopped reading at one point and asked my cousin "wait I found that out later when she was randomly inserted back into the plot. Also, apparently she was fasting because of some random reason or another that somehow justifies her being gone for previous chapters.
And now for the men. Is every man in the world in love with Kelsey? Well, let's see so far: Is there a reason here? Because apparently it's now socially acceptable to date multiple guys at once. Texan diving instructor guy. Because I guess we can only get a year-old diving instructor randomly in India. Instead of an old veteran who would NOT become another love interest. Whoops, did I say that out loud? I'll get back to that later. Have to flip back to the book and remember WHO Lokesh is again, don't you? Because you forgot that there was supposed to be a villain in these books.
Also, the men in general Because they seem to do that a LOT. Just go back and count. And the best bit? Because she's destroyed a lot of history and culture in an attempt to fit it into her book. First off, a lot of these sections are just randomly put into the story. And I have before. First, Houck does not accurately portray Durga or Parvati. I had to study a lot of Indian myths and culture in Honors English class and if the goddess she's talking about is supposed to be the same goddess in those myths Yeah, I know that she talks about it in the 2nd book, not the 3rd one, but I don't have room to do it on the other review.
It has little to do with Gilgamesh being "clever" or about him sneaking into the realm of the gods or snakes shedding their skin. Snakes shedding their skin? And no, I didn't label it an epic, that's actually what it's called. You didn't embrace the show not tell law. Kill it with fire and all that. The only way the word "epic" could be used to describe this book is if the word "fail" came after it.
I don't think Ren is really her boyfriend. I think he's a guy she hired to give her compliments. You think I'm joking? Kelsey, if you have to hear a guy tell you he loves you a million times in order to believe him, then maybe You're 19 years old. Possibly, there will be other men out there. You've already proven THAT. Possibly you should wait a few years before trying to get married right away?
And let me just remind everyone the one big pervert similarity between this and Twilight: They want to marry her that's disgusting, really. Almost as bad as what's coming up next So have you had time to go back to your book and remember Lokesh? You know who he is? He IS the hundreds of years old villain who wanted to kill Ren and Kishan's father and marry their mother. You remember that part? Because THAT's so original. I'm getting Dust Land flashbacks. Oh, sorry thanks for the correction, Abby he doesn't want to marry her just to marry her, he wants a son.
Because we certainly needed that there. This reminds me of yet another series that tanked. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then consider yourself lucky. Please, don't go looking for it. You'll only hurt yourself. Another note to new authors: You'll notice I said please twice. I'm getting desperate here. So, in an attempt to maybe??
This thing tore my soul out all right. And stomped on it. And killed my laugh box. And by the end, I was wondering why stuff like this ever gets printed. A quote from my lovely cousin to describe these books: Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. And now another quote from a different source no, not me. What sort of ego-maniac do you think I AM? Now kill it with fire. I wanted to absorb all that I read for a few days before reviewing this book.
So here it is my official review. I loved the action packed adventures. The way Colleen describes the details makes it so easy to "see" the kraken and the dragons. The emotional writing makes me love, hate and envy the characters-- which is why it took me a week before I could write this review. I know Colleen won't lead me astray, and I now long to know the next chapter in the story.
I don't want to post an I wanted to absorb all that I read for a few days before reviewing this book. I don't want to post any spoilers so I'll simply say I am and will always be Team Ren. Kadam, Durga and Phet remain my favorite insightful writing by Mrs. I identify strongly with Kelsey's sense of self and dedication to the journey ahead and her extreme loyalty again -- still Team Ren. Kadam is less apart of this book than the previous two, so I savored the times he was shared with us.
I am so glad he got to go into Durga's temple this time. I feel like it was such an honor for him to be a part of that experience, I was so excited for him. And Phet- I love this crazy little old man. His wisdom how ever strangely delivered is fabulously on target and I loved his interactions with the brothers. Oh the boys-- I personally married a Kishan, so I love him for his careful, watchful, thoughtful, trust in Kelsey, he is such a deeper character than we've seen in the last two installments.
His support and unfailing love for our girl is breathtaking at times. Oh Ren- I loved you from your first hello, and at times in this book its a good thing your fictional because I wanted to shake you until you'd snap out of it, and stop with the standoffish behavior and the flaunting of the floozy??? Alas though when it came down to those final chapters and the tears were streaming down my face - the tears were for you dear Ren. Everything I know will be fully explained in books to come and it's hard to understand right now the why's, but I have faith.
Super powered golden lightening has to mean something more right?? In closing I am such a huge fan of Mrs. Houck's books and her way with her characters that I couldn't not love it more thoroughly than I do. Being able to read it ahead of schedule was and honor and a privilege I can't thank you enough for Colleen.
As promised, here's a review. I read this around the middle of last month, October. So forgive me if my memory is a little weak lol. There are spoilers ahead! Let me begin by saying this book is the best out of the three books in the Tiger Saga so far. I've been a hardcore fan since the first book came out, and it just keeps getting better and better.
It was that vivid. I could picture the scenery perfectly, especially when t As promised, here's a review. I could picture the scenery perfectly, especially when they went to the dragons lairs. That was a fun ride all by itself, even though that was the main thing lol. There were other little fun things in there as well that made it all the more better. That was pure gold. Wesley just cracked me up each time he opened his Texan mouth. Not just the deal where it's like "Oh I've got my memories back, but I'm still the same as I was.
Not the old me. I'm still the new me. If that happened, I couldn't take that. I would've definitely threw the book across the room, lol. I think my most favorite though would have to be when they visited the green dragon's lair. Anyone who has read it would probably be like, " Wtf is wrong with you?!
I think it's because that Ren and Kishan basically had to battle their way through the green dragon's obstacles just to prove that they both love Kelsey. As if they needed to do that in the first place. Or it might be just because that Ren and Kishan were dressed as fairy-tale princes. That is a hard thing to answer. I love Ren, I've loved him since book one. I mean, who wouldn't? But Kishan has my heart. Not only do I feel incredibly sorry for the guy, but I do love him. He's sweet as can be, and he's just plain adorable. He also needs a happy ending, and it doesn't look like he's going to get one.
But what do I know? I could be totally wrong. I hope I am! So I hope she keeps her word! The ending wasn't as bad as the second book. I know some people might disagree with me. But I was okay with the ending for this one. I'm definitely going to read book four, and cry my eyes out. Lokesh just needs to go. Like to another planet and stay there. I'm trying not to go to drastic measures on that one. Also, I did read the exclusive content they had put in the back of the book. Wasn't that some crap?
I would say it was cruel, to make Kelsey fall in love with Kishan, then I guess you gotta do what you gotta do with your story to make it 'better. I loved every minute of it and everything about it! View all 10 comments. All kelsy complained of was 'hmm which brother should I choose next?..
View all 3 comments. I was so excited to receive my copy and start reading. I really enjoyed the setting; the whole crew sets off on a mega yacht. I enjoyed how all of them were crammed together and we get a lot of Kishan-Kelsey-Ren time. They once again have a lot of challenges and new obstacles to over come.
There are a few new characters as well that added a lot to the story. I would like to know more about Nilima. She seems like she could be an awesome character, if we could just get to know her. Since her and Kelsey are the only girls around I would have liked to see them doing more together. I did feel that this book suffered a little from Middle Book Syndrom, kind of dragged a little.
It just makes her look bad, in my opinion. If you want to hear my ratings, read below, but I caution it does contain spoilers. I have no idea where Houck is going to take these characters. This section contains spoilers, and lots of venting. For the most part I really like Kelsey. This silly love-triangle really weakens her character in my opinion. I have lost a LOT of respect for her because of it.
For where we are in the story I can understand why Kelsey is hesitant and even angry with Ren. There are a lot better ways for her to deal with that without involving Kishan. It was fine for the first couple books, but she knows she is not in love with Kishan so she should not lead him on.
But, she is not IN love with him. Instead of feeling sorry for Kelsey, it makes me dislike her. One more thing that makes me irritated with Kelsey is the double standard she has for Ren. She is mad at Ren for leaving her, purposefully forgetting her and for flaunting other women in front of her. Which I totally understand, I would be mad, hurt, and scared also. But come on, she left Ren and broke his heart in the first book.
And, she is constantly flaunting her relationship with Kishan in front of him. Kishan lost himself in this book. Where was the snarky, flirty Kishan that I fell for in the first two books? He becomes a total doormat in this installment. But, to me it came across as boring and kind of pathetic. Dude, you know she is completely in love with your brother and will NEVER feel the same way about you…move on! Stop letting her use you to make herself feel better. Personally, I think he should have gone for Nilima.
Ren is just awesome. I really like his character. He understands her and really knows her. He knows her fears and knows that together they can overcome them. View all 12 comments. View all 15 comments. I want Kishan back Kishan, what happened to you? Where did all that charisma and bad-boy charm go? That sizzle and electric connection and chemistry vanished, leaving love triangle drama in its wake. I think even killing off one of the vertices of your love trian I want Kishan back I think even killing off one of the vertices of your love triangle which I also dislike is better than morphing a beloved character into something so unrecognizable that you can barely remember why you wanted the girl to end up with him anyway.
Kishan oozed with charm and temptation and allure in Tiger's Quest. He was Damon to Ren's Stefan. And you know, I never really thought Kelsey would end up with Kishan anyway I've been predicting Kishan's death for two books now--hello! I once called this love triangle one of the best in YA, but I fully take it back.
It has descended into absolute drama and chaos in this book, with Kelsey being the definition of fickle and toying with both boys' emotions with her indecisiveness. And then there's Ren getting his Edward on, becoming all possessive and jealous in a way that I think is supposed to be hot but just isn't. And it's sad it had to be this way because this book has one of the most unique premises in YA.
It's bursting with potential--that setting! I've said it before, but this series needs an editor to toss about pages from every book, especially Curse and Destiny. This book is H. I'm cursing the golden fruit right now for how it's opened the way for Colleen to write even more description about every. Really, pages should be the max or this series is really going to get bloated.
Could she please have a job to do besides getting Kelsey lemon water and picking out pretty dresses for her? This series has immense potential, but the love triangle drama needs to be resolved stat. And Kishan, I'm hoping you get to be more than Kelsey's second choice. Could you please find your true character from wherever Colleen buried it? View all 9 comments. When I stop crying I'll try to make a proper review. It was really really good. I can't say enough about how much I love these books. The Tiger's Curse series has captured my heart never to let go.
The surprise that Darren will be returning to where his life took a deadly turn manages to keep things exciting, but there's still no real action until later on. View all 23 comments. Exciting space-faring adventure I enjoyed this collection so much that I had great difficulty putting it down and read well into the wee hours until it was over. I'd give him props for that masterful bit of cock-blocking if only it didn't induce some of the whiniest outbursts of the book. A white girl whose destiny it is to save others from this tyrant. If Kishan left me, I would cry.
It's been about a month now and I thought I should write a little more about what I think. By far of all the Tiger's Curse books this one has the most adventure, the most sadness, most love between the character, pretty much the most of everything. Colleen Houck, the author, definitely brought t OMG!!! Colleen Houck, the author, definitely brought this one up a notch. I love the way the characters have been developing in these books. They have all had to make a lot of hard choices, which I hate to say I like, but I do.
Life is not made up of easy decisions. So its refreshing to read a book that's more realistic in the way that people actually think, feel, and live. Apart from the magic and some of the strange creatures I can actually imagine the world Colleen has made and most definitely would love to live in it, without hesitation.
While reading Tiger's Voyage I had that never-ending-story feeling. Like the little boy in the movie I felt like I literally got sucked into the book and was actually a part of the story line. It made me happy and sad at the same time. I really wished I could have been apart of it, so I could have been there for the characters I love. This is one of the best stories I have ever read. To say I'm obsessed would be an understatement. I recommend these books to everyone that loves adventure, magic, mystical creatures, love, and to everyone that doesn't mind getting totally mushy, literally crying, obsessively in love with a book series that it almost hurts, then these are the books for you.
This book was emotionally exhausting! Just like the first two. The ending didnt make me cry though, which is a first. The first ended with view spoiler [Kelsey refusing Ren and returning to Oregon, which was a very moving scene hide spoiler ]. Then the second ended with view spoiler [Ren losing his memory and Kelsey overhears him telling Kishan that he doesnt love her anymore. That was heart wrenching and I cried more at the ending of the second hide spoiler ]. But the third ended with view This book was emotionally exhausting!
But the third ended with view spoiler [Kelsey being kidnapped by Lokesh hide spoiler ] , which is quite a cliffhanger, but an action one not an emotional one.
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I am quite excited to find out what happens next. The setup of this book was a bit different from the previous two. The first two start out with Kelsey in Oregon, until she returns to India, then the bulk of the book takes place on their adventure in another realm. This one started out in India and Kelsey does not return home between her second and third adventures.
Which is good because I dont really enjoy the parts in Oregon as much. The first half of this book is set on a yacht, before they start their adventure. Kelsey, Ren, Kishan, Mr. The usual group, while they prepare for their next adventure. It is during this time that the love-triangle is taken to a whole new level.
So much back and forth and fighting between the three of them. I think it may have been taken a little too far and shifted the focus of the book a bit too much away from the curse. I was impressed that she so strongly resisted such a hot, flirty guy when Ren wasnt around. I had new found respect for her. But Kishan is unlike most back-up guys and I knew it would be possible to turn the triangle around, and that Colleen Houck would likely do it.
Although I couldnt figure out how it could be done without Kelsey betraying Ren. Well, it was done very well. Not on Ren's part of course, I am still mad at him, but on Colleen's part.
She convincingly took Kelsey away from Ren and gave her to Kishan, in my opinion. She did it without me having to lose respect for Kelsey. Although I did lose a little respect for Ren, which is unfortunate. But I have a new found, immense love for Kishan which I am very happy about. I love him so much I could cry!
Haha, maybe not literally but when you read so much teenage romance your emotions can get a little confused. Even after she listed all the reasons why she chose Kishan Chapter 24 , which were all good reasons imo, she could barely stay focused on him. She kept making horrible analogies like how Kishan was the steady player who would last the game but couldnt score the three-pointers. I found it extremely unfair to Kishan and I think he deserves more.
He loves Kelsey a lot so I would want him to be with her so he could be happy, but at the same time I think he deserves someone who could love him more thoroughly. Although I would never want Colleen to do that thing where you throw in a new girl at the end so everyone can be happy. I hate it when that happens. But the girl always ends up with the main guy.
Colleen will find a way to get Kelsey back with Ren, and she will most likely find a way to do it smoothly and naturally like everything else. But will she find a way to do it without breaking Kishans's heart? But this book still excelled where the first two did. The amazing adventure and mythology! This one may even be my favourite in that respect. They travel the ocean of another realm and face five dragons inspired by Chinese mythology. Each dragon gives them a different task to complete before they reach the end to claim their prize.
My favourite was definitely the green dragon, although it was probably the characters' least favourite.