Tiger's Curse

By: Colleen Houck

Narrated by: Annika Boras, Sanjiv Jahveri

Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The last thing teenager Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing over the summer was meeting Ren, a mysterious white tiger and cursed Indian prince! When she learns she alone can break the Tiger's curse, Kelsey's life is turned upside-down. The unlikely duo journeys halfway around the world to piece together an Indian prophecy, find a way to free the man trapped by a centuries-old spell, and discover the path to their true destiny.

©2011 Colleen Houck (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic 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." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Great Book!!!

I read this book first on my Kindle, loved it and had to get the second on right away! Soon, my teenage daughter had to read a book with foreign influence for her English class, but she was paired with 3 guys who didn???t want the sappy love stories; they wanted action. I recommended this book (it has both and would make everyone happy). To my surprise I ended up getting 5 copies of the book because the guys fell in love with the book and were excited to finish reading the book as fast as they could. Then they had to read the second book too???they fought over the Kindle version just to read it. This is a great book and I love all the attention to detail, makes you want to go and see all the places described.

Love the premise!

Such a great idea for a book! The adventure and mythology is wonderful and the author can write a fantastic romance/love scene. A female Indiana Jones meets hot Indian weretigers! I enjoyed the little bits of literature slipped into the plot. I plowed straight through the whole series.

Now for the bad: Poorly edited, overly drawn out plots, a strange mix of childish and adult language and themes, everybody is a Mary Sue.

Overall, you will roll your eyes - a lot. But you may be having too much fun to care.

Magical Series

This series is a little slow to start, but the 4 books are all so addictive I couldn't sleep. A little magic (which does not overwhelm book so don't let that scare you off), a little romance, a lot of adventure = one of my favorite series in years.

A Refreshing YA Novel

What made the experience of listening to Tiger's Curse the most enjoyable?

I loved hearing about India, especially Indian mythology. The author does an excellent job of explaining different aspects of Indian culture, but without taking away from the main story. It just supplements Kelsey and Ren's adventure.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love Kelsey because she wasn't the typical YA paranormal heroine who falls in love in an instant and then all of her actions are motivated by her need to be with the hero. Kelsey is realistic and struggles with real issues. She is someone likeable that the reader can empathize with.

What does Annika Boras and Sanjiv Jahveri bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I liked the way that the narrator wasn't just reading the book. She expressed emotions well. And each character had its own voice that was unique and really suited them.

My daughter and I were hooked!

Would you listen to Tiger's Curse again? Why?

My 10 year old daughter and I loved sharing the unfolding of this mysterious and entertaining tale.

TERRIBLE Narrator brings out the worst!

What would have made Tiger's Curse better?

This audiobook was probably twice as long as it needed to be. The narrator speaks soooo slowly. But that is not the worst - she pauses mid sentance CONSTANTLY and adds emphasis to words that were not meant to be emphasized. It is SO annoying! In her efforts to make the characters sound different from eachother she even makes one sound exactly like my autistic cousin. Just weird.

As for the book itself, great plot with a lot of boring writting. It feels like the author is more interested in impressing you with her great knowledge of India (or planes, or food, or antelope, etc), than she is in telling the story. Do I really need to know an entire paragraph of details - inlcuding the difference in size between male and female antelope just because a tiger is going to be hunting them for like 10 seconds of the book? I like non-fiction books, but this is a rediculusou combination.

Would you recommend Tiger's Curse to your friends? Why or why not?

Only if they are going to read it, and then I'd warn them to glaze over the unneccesary descriptions... a lot.

Would you be willing to try another one of Annika Boras and Sanjiv Jahveri ’s performances?

NEVER

Very Compelling, Beautiful and Imaginative!

I love this story and was completely drawn in by the atmosphere and geography, the beautiful writing, and the powerful love story developing between the characters. As any other fan of the story knows, it's not simple and it's not over yet (I haven't quite completed the next two installments) but still, I have been very drawn in by the love story of Ren and Kelsey, and I've become invested in things turning out happily for them..but it's not going to be easy along the way.
The writing is very good, the descriptions are original and the plot actually interesting, flowing from one event to another. Yes, there is some time spent by the main character describing some simple things, or "gushing" about how beautiful Ren is, (remember this is YA, after all!) but still Kelsey is a charming character who will win you over. Yes, there are moments when she is stubborn and annoying, but yet the writing is good and it seems that's how she is meant to be, and it's meant to carry the story along, because as fans know it's quite a saga and is not wrapped up in one book.
I found the narrator to be quite talented and spot-on for the story. She certainly drew you right into Kelsey's mind and did a nice job of voicing the other characters, including the romantic Ren. Overall, a great story!

Really enjoyed it - a little bit sappy though

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. It was a compelling story with characters I cared about. It has romance, adventure and mystery. The romance pulls you in - but without sex scenes. Hooray! A clean read! At first when I thought of a book about tigers - who were really people I wasn't sure I would like it. But the reviews were good so I gave it a try. I was glad I did. I listened to all 3 books in 2 weeks. Usually it takes me a month to listen to one book. So, I will be recommending this to my friends and family. I can't wait for book 4!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tiger's Curse?

The whole thing was great. I loved that the author let us in on the tiger being a prince at the beginning. I loved when Kelsey finally found out her tiger was a man.

What about Annika Boras and Sanjiv Jahveri ’s performance did you like?

Annika Boras in particular is amazing in all 3 books. The variations in accent, tone and expression is amazing! I could visualize the characters just from the way she would speak their voices. Probably the best narration by one person I have ever listened to - and I have heard probably 40 audio books.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me wish the characters were real so I could meet them and talk to them. I felt lots of emotions.

Any additional comments?

The only thing I did not like about the series was the self-centered nature of the main character - Kelsey - at times. Although she is not at all snobby which is wonderful, Kelsey sometimes cannot see beyond her own nose. As a result, she makes decisions that have an impact on others, but she mostly considers the impact on herself. I guess that is age appropriate, but at times it is rather irritating. (Warning - next text contains a spoiler). For example, when Kelsey leaves India and then takes forever to admit that she loves and trusts Ren I find it exhausting. Same at the end of book 3. It is obvious she and Ren need to be together, and my guess is that is what will happen in book 4 or 5, but because Kelsey is so afraid to trust him and doesn't challenge herself, she will end up hurting Kishan. I don't like those self-centered decisions. And even worse, Ren and Kishan put up with it. That is not reality. I don't think most men would put up with that. I guess that makes the book truly fictional! Still, though, well worth the compelling read / listen!

I really wanted to like it

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It has all the framework of an excellent series. Mythological characters placed against the backdrop of mysterious India. . . oh, and add a shape shifting ancient prince? All good starts to an interesting story. But then the heroine enters. Well, she was there at the beginning but she didn't really improve with the story. She kind of got worse. The female narrator of this book doesn't do her voice any favors either. She is so passive, so bland, so unemotionally inspiring that I just couldn't continue. I was bored and that made me sad because I really wanted to like it.

Need to use 1.5 speed!

If you could sum up Tiger's Curse in three words, what would they be?

India Mythology Intrigue (since Tiger and Curse are already in the title :-))

What other book might you compare Tiger's Curse to and why?

The Little Princess for the Indian mythology! The Lightning Thief for the teen living mythology! The author says Twilight meets Indiana Jones--that is true also!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Too "rote" and slow. It sounds like a poetry reading not a teenager's life! I love the book! I like the narration! But Annika Boras is too slow in her narration! Kelsey has more energy in my head. Thank goodness you can change the speed without messing up the vocal tone! This book is perfect at 1.5 speed narration!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but that is a good thing! I wanted to puzzle out some of the issues and try to figure out what might happen next!

Any additional comments?

Great book for those with middle eastern heritage! The Indian mythology is wonderful!

Tiger's Curse

Two Indian Princes bound by a centuries old curse. Trapped in the bodies of tigers and only able to be men for a brief time each day. To lift the curse they must complete several magical tasks but they can't do it alone. They need the help of an ordinary 21st century girl. So begins a compelling tale of adventure, fantasy and romance. This is rich in detail and draws on Hindu mythology. I couldn't put it down.

Couldn't put it down!

I loved this book, I usually have one audible book a month and make it last but Tigers Curse was too good to make it last a whole month I managed a week. I can't wait for the next book.

A Fantastic YA Series!

This is the first book in the Tiger's Curse series. I loved it!

Kelsey Hayes is a fantastic character. I did like her a lot, but on a few occasions wanted to shake her. She is a typical teenager, filled with angst and uncertainty. When she is offered a temporary job to look after the animals in a circus, little does she know what adventure awaits.

I have been wanting to read this series since it was first released, but never seemed to find time. Therefore, I decided to download this as an audio book, so I could listen to it whilst doing household chores.

The audio book was narrated by Annika Boras and Sanjiv Jahveri. Sanjiv Jahveri did the Prologue and the Epilogue, and the rest of the story was narrated by Annika Boras. This made an interesting contrast. Both narrators did a fantastic job. Their voices were extremely pleasant to listen to. I did find some of Annika's interpretations of Ren's voice/emotions made him sound constantly amused. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it made me think that he was a bit patronizing towards, or amused by, Kelsey even though he may not have been. Each reader has a different interpretation of a story, so I suppose if I had read the book myself, I may not have had the same reaction. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the pace of her narration.

The story has more adventure and danger than romance, but the promise of it made me quite excited. Kelsey's description of herself was as a female Indiana Jones, but I sort of imagined her more as a Lara Croft type (minus the weapons). The story takes the reader on a amazing journey from America to India. The vivid descriptions by the author made me feel like I was really there. There are several twists and turns that kept me hooked, and I sometimes found myself listening with rapt attention for hours at a time! (luckily, mostly over the weekend!). There is a lot of danger in the quest to break the curse that holds Ren in sway, and there are some really scary moments that had me holding my breath! It was interesting to see how Kelsey and Ren's relationship grew. Ren is very old fashioned (he is over 300 years old after all!), but he is also extremely charming. I wish there were more men like him around today. I had a few "Aww" moments when he did something romantic; it made me melt! His brother was just as charming, but in a completely different way. Anik Khadam (sorry, not sure of spelling, as I only have the narrators voice to go by), is also a charming character. He is an older gentleman, who works as protector and adviser to Ren. I really liked this character too.
This book would make a great movie, but it could be a bit tricky to have a real tiger involved. I don't know if a CGI one would work, but it maybe the only way to bring Ren's tiger to life, if they did decide to make a movie of this book.
The end of the story sent a shiver up my back, and I am now looking forward to continuing the series by getting the next book, Tiger's Quest, as soon as possible.

Colleen Houck has written a fantastic YA story that is a completely action packed adventure. I love her writing style, which is fast paced and exciting, without being rushed. She has found another fan in me, and I will be adding her to my Favourite Author's list as soon as possible.

I highly recommend this book if you love YA, Romance or Action/Adventure genres. - Lynn Worton