Apr 19, 2013

Review--Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck

Honor. Sacrifice. Love.

Will the end of everything lead to a new beginning?

After surviving three dramatic, action-packed adventures, Kelsey, Kishan, and Ren now face their final challenge to find the goddess Durga's Rope of Fire. But the tables are turned: the sorcerer Lokesh has kidnapped Kelsey. If she escapes his clutches and successfully breaks the tiger's curse, Kelsey will free her beloved princes. But in doing so, she then must also make the hardest choice of her life.

The path ahead is perilous for all, with even more dangerous beasts to battle and potentially fatal twists that no one could ever have predicted. Only one thing is certain: they cannot escape their true destiny...

Tiger's Destiny spins a deliciously suspenseful tale of enchanted creatures, love-torn hearts, and edge-of-your-seat action as Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan take on their final challenge to break the tiger's curse.


Wow! I guess I didn't realize that Tiger's Destiny was the final book in Colleen Houck's Tiger Saga. Sure, I knew it was close, but I guess I thought it was 5 books for some reason, so naturally I was totally blown away! Although at some point, I did realize this was the last book. Probably after a few chapters! But seriously, this one totally blew me away! I was not prepared for the surprises Colleen through my way, it was just mind-blowing!

Unlike the last few, this one doesn't have that slow kind of drag. Immediately we are taken to Kelsey and see her in the clutches of Lokesh. I knew it couldn't be real long before she made an escape of some sort, because she and the brothers still have one more magical item to find! 

Sure enough, after the rescue and reunion, they are off to the temple of Durga to receive their last task. And just before they are about to make their final journey, something HUGE happens! I was kind of expecting it since there were teeny, tiny hints, but I was still taken by surprise by the whole thing! Afterwards, Kelsey and the brothers go on their quest to find the Rope of Fire.

Like always, their journey is fraught with many perils and dangerous tasks. Kelsey though is having a harder time though. She must work through her feelings for the brothers, even after it seems like she's made a decision. It's been Kishan for awhile now, but her heart still cannot forget Ren. As the story moved along, I had a feeling as to what was going to happen and it's in the world of reading and fiction where I happen to be right! If only the same could be said of reality!

Even after the trio's journey to getting the Rope of Fire, their task is not complete, in fact gaining the last item is what leads them to their true goal...defeating Lokesh! They travel back in time--long story!--and meet someone who seems very familiar who will help them in their goal.

This was by far one of the most exciting books in the series. True, the other ones had their excitement, but there were some slow moments in them too that kind of dragged, this one opened up with the action of another sort before going back to action of the task. Make any sense? I know I tend to ramble sometimes, but I do my best to explain things without spoilers, so remember that! ;)

There was a lot of emotional turmoil in this one. By far the most emotional of the series, true it was devastating when Ren couldn't remember Kelsey, but there were quite a few heart-pounding moments in this one and I swear I was very near on the verge of tears at the end! I may have even gotten misty-eyed!

The romance in this one is a little harder to explain. Kelsey and Kishan have quite a few happy, tender moments. And there was still that agonizing tension between Kelsey and Ren. This was definitely one of the hardest love triangles to be in. I liked both Ren and Kishan and could understand Kelsey's dilemma entirely. Although, Ren annoyed me a bit in the beginning of the series with his cocky attitude thinking it wouldn't be long before Kelsey was his or when he gained his memory back she should just come running back into his arms. And while I liked Kishan, I felt like he didn't always understand what Kelsey needed, there were times when he would say or do something that was nice, polite, and then Ren did the impossible and made even me blush with his heartfelt comments. The boys both did a lot of growing over the series, which is why I thought it made for an impossible choice for Kelsey.

By the ending though, I was happy! I felt like Colleen did a good job with aiding Kelsey in her choices. It was still a little mind-blowing with the shocks and surprises, but I felt like I noticed some hints here and there in the beginning that braced me for the impacting ending. I can only say after reading all the books that I am glad I waited to read these, since I was then able to read them nearly back to back at my leisure, or at least just a month or so apart instead of years!

The Tiger Saga was definitely a thrilling read! The books are rich with culture and mythology tempered with action, romance, suspense and humor making them the perfect read, although with a few flaws in pacing in my opinion. They are still worth a read if you want to step away from the basic paranormal reads. I mean how different can we get then a centuries old curse that has men turning into tigers with a young woman between them with the power to end it all?!

I look forward to seeing what else Colleen will cook up for us in books to come!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars




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