Being a HUGE fan of Houck’s Tiger Curse series I jumped at the opportunity to read this early. Because of that excitement I believe I set my expectations too high. I cannot honestly say this story has the same draw as the original. It is a similar story told in the pov of the narrator Kadam about an experience he had in a parallel world. While the story is interesting, it is not as easy to follow as her other works are. It’s disjointed and jumps all over at times, it doesn’t just flow. I was very much looking forward to a Russian style version of the tigers curse with action, adventure and maybe a little love interest, or love triangle as we had with the last series. The parts of the story that follow in line with the current events of the twins and their traveling companions has been almost exactly as I expected and enjoyable. But there have also been several portions that are confusing for the reader. It is still a great story and I will always continue to read anything she writes as she’s one of my favorite authors. There was also no trigger warning for content. Trigger warnings: SA of a minor by a family member, dv, abuse & arson that resulted in murder.

Unfortunately, this book was quite a letdown for me. I absolutely loved the original Tiger's Curse series but this just wasn't as good. I would have stopped reading if this hadn't been an ARC. I didn't particularly like any of the characters and actively disliked most of them. The writing style wasn't very smooth; it felt awkward and jumped between different POVs too much. I also don't feel like the time jumps and flashbacks were handled well. They were poorly written, in my opinion, which sometimes made it hard to tell whether something was past or present. Overall, I would recommend just sticking with the original series.

For those who loved Colleen Houck's tale of Ren and Kishan, the brothers cursed to be tigers comes a story of an alternative universe where two sisters received the same curse. Anastasia and Verusha Stepanov are Russian princesses who don't want to rule after their father, the czar dies and their mother falls deathly ill. When given an alternative choice by a stranger, they reject him and the results are this explosive book, Tiger's Tale.
Houck did not disappoint. As a long time fan of her works, I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed my attention right away and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Thank you to Collen Houck and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this title!

I cannot tell you the rush of nostalgia I felt when i saw this title pop up for ARC review on NetGalley. I was an OG Tiger's Curse apologist, and the 23-year-old teenager in my head who sobbed over this series know I had to request it. I also re-read the entire Tiger's Curse series just so I could review this book properly, and my body is ready.

Tiger's Tale brings the reader into an alternate timeline, where the course of history diverts to allow a different version of historic Russia to arise. Following a fateful mistake, twin princesses are cursed to walk as tigers, just as brothers in another time and place once were, and must set out on a journey to free themselves and step into their birthright lest the tides of fate twist towards evil ends.

It was such a delight to step back into this world as a now-adult reader who loved this series (while also maybe having a harder time with the original books as a "grown up"). While the premise of the story is the same as our story so far (as this is officially "Tiger's Curse #6, not a standalone work), it is not a mere retelling with new characters and a Russian twist. Readers are introduced to the story through many different perspectives, and while there is a return of some familiar faces and the promise of resolution of loose ends from things which have come to pass, this is also itws own unique and engaging story thus far.

In short, if you loved the magic of the original Tiger's Curse series, I definitely think this new endeavor is worth a read. In some ways (at least for me), this new installment has so far felt like a love letter to the original series of my youth while also being built older readers, and reflects the growth of an author who has been writing in (and out of, pun intended) this universe for well over a decade. I am thrilled to jump right back into tiger antics, and the potential for adventure, intrigue, folklore, and relationships (it wouldn't be a good tiger book without a little back-and-forth, right?) in this new saga will definitely keep me reading! Welcome back Colleen and can't wait for the next installment already!

First of all Happy release day. I was fortunate enough to receive an arc. This saga is the reason I even read. I loved coming back to this world. While the story itself can be read as a standalone, to get the overall picture and the name drops reading the previous books is a must. The story started to pick up around the 40% mark and I’m still a little confused on the dynamic of the group. Since this is told in 3rd person pov you get multiple povs of the characters and wished we got more of the twins. I still enjoyed the storyline and can’t wait for the romance to develop. With the way it ended you know it’s not over.

First of all, I’d like to say that I’ve been reading Colleen Houck’s books for the better part of about 12 years. From Tiger’s Curse to now, I can confidently say that Colleen’s writing has improved in leaps and bounds. And it has improved so exponentially from her more recent releases: Tiger’s Dream and Terraformer. This novel feels like a new Colleen, especially one who is confident in her novel and world, and unafraid to take potentially controversial risks.

This novel is dark. This novel is incredibly dark, and I’m confused that most reviews aren’t mentioning the material that this book deals with. The original Tiger Saga is undoubtedly YA, and while this one shares elements with all the other books that make up the older world, it doesn’t shy away from more grimdark elements that would separate it from that genre. It’s not YA and it’s not NA, but it does straddle a liminal space between both. I do think it’s a wise choice for its setting: old Russia, along with all its grim fairy tales and fables.

There are moments where these fairy tales are spun elegantly and fascinatingly within the story, but the surreal fabric of these fables is quickly abandoned about a third of the way in. When you read it, it feels like 2 different stories, divided very abruptly- like an ax cut- partway through. In this way, I do think the story suffers a bit. There is a ton of exposition to get through in the beginning. Colleen takes on the difficult task of setting up a new world, instituting parent backstories, creating motivations for our main characters, setting up points of view for 5 different characters, establishing a darker and grittier tone, and providing an avenue for a villain to cut through and raise the stakes. While I liked these initial chapters for their newness, I think I only got through them because they were setting up a world so different from the one in earlier books. I think if a newer reader were to pick this up, the grueling pace might make them drop early.

And then this slow exposition is quickly shattered. Suddenly, the pace becomes a bit too fast. Sections of Nik, for example, and his quasi, magical, monstrous grandparents fly by us, like pressing the fast forward button on the remote too many times and skipping ahead in time. These sections were all “tell” and no “show.” It was obvious that Colleen was moving us through the action sequences, tugging us along so that she could get to the real story she wanted to tell. It’s why I bring up Russian fairy tales and fables. While that Russian magic exists in this world, it only exists in half, and then it’s never really brought up again. I’m sure it will in other installments, but there is a very obvious and very jarring shift in this book between a world that I think is justifiably grimdark and one that is lofty and almost halcyon, in the way the previous tiger books were told.

Because of that, I think there are some things that aren’t given enough attention, or perhaps they will be unpacked more in the future (although I’m not sure if they will be handled in the way they might deserve). Trigger warnings abound in this book!!

I was absolutely shocked at how dark this story goes, and I think it’s very easy to skip over these moments or take them for granted. Major content warnings for this story include scenes of torture (graphic and against a child) and rape (not graphic), also against a child. I appreciate Colleen for having enough confidence in herself and her publisher to tell a story including a character who has suffered enormous trauma and abuse in his early life. This isn’t an easy addition to a book, and it’s definitely a polarizing one in this day and age, and nevertheless it’s been given a place here. With that being said, I can only hope that this character is given a very detailed and satisfying arc of growth. The abuse suffered does not excuse the actions this character often takes in the novel. Colleen has struck a very fine balance between past trauma and current character, and I’m afraid that if the scales teeter too quickly toward either side, the outcome will be infuriating at best and harmful at worst.

Some minor content warnings include graphic violence. A kind of violence that smacks you in the face with its abrupt and cutting imagery. I don’t say this as a critique personally, because I find that it works in this story and it works to communicate to us that Colleen is back and better than ever and she knows she’s back, better than ever, and unafraid to rock the boat. If this, however, isn’t a reader’s style or they prefer something with a bit more forewarning, I don’t think this book or any future ones will really cater to that preference.

I do wish that a bit more of the beginning had been cut and perhaps turned into bonus chapters for physical releases or short novellas in the future. The mother’s and father’s backstories, while quite sweet and interesting, could probably have been moved elsewhere or given another medium. In it’s place, perhaps Nik’s adventures in the forest could’ve been fleshed out more.

For all this book’s advertising and the image on the cover, I don’t think our two main heroines are really given much room to be actual characters in this story. We get some motivation in earlier chapters, but not a lot of it is enough to generate a ton of sympathy from the reader. They are women with a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, but I’m not sure I believe their motivations or the circumstances that really prevent the two of them from making the smartest decision possible for a kingdom in strife: ruling together.

I’ll admit, I was a bit frustrated by their relationship. I’m sure this will evolve and grow and become something strong and tangible as the series goes on, but I still was so frustrated at the stubbornness of sister characters who don’t really like each other. And I’m so shocked and confused at the cold way they think about and treat each other. To me, it doesn’t match the upbringing they had. Not quite a critique, since most readers probably won’t mind.

Another issue I had was with all the random name dropping. It’s obvious Colleen did a ton of research-- from Russian food, to culture, to idioms, to sayings, to stories and tales, etc. But the random Russian words interspersed among the English were a bit too much. Most of them could be understood through context clues, but I think the book would be less alienating if it included a glossary of Russian terms and short notes in the back to shore up all these mentions of things that an English speaking audience would not have the tools to understand. It’s done with the intention of being “historically accurate,” but a lot of the time, it comes off as a bit heavy handed.

I want to end with things I like, because I did really enjoy the read, I think we’re heading in exciting and new directions, and I really do appreciate the darker elements of this story. It feels like Colleen sees us and hears us. Her fans are adults now with adult conceptions of the world and the wrongness in it. It feels dishonest not to push back on that wrongness and unpack it in a story that certainly does feel like the tiger books.

The tone is dark in the beginning, but it begins to meld into familiar territory once that tiger “curse” (or gift) is established. And Colleen really shines here . This novel feels like a love letter to nature and the animal kingdom and the gifts of a natural world. Colleen is a tiger expert, and the facts she knows about them meld so seamlessly in this story. It doesn’t feel National Geographic-y. It feels like two main characters adjusting to new bodies with new evolutionary-minded features carefully plucked out and designed through time to produce the mighty beast that is a Siberian Tiger.

I loved the nods to the original series. This is definitely a book 6 in a series and requires reading the other 5 in order to make sense of things. But I appreciated seeing Kishan’s and Kadam’s names in this story, I love the roles that they play, and I’m excited for what is in store. Other nods that I particularly enjoyed: the return of tiger riding. And also the magic that repels the “wrong suitor” from mounting the steed he obviously wants but doesn’t need. It’s so dramatic and I love it. I love that it’s here and takes on a new form with just enough differences to be set apart.

And that’s what I’d like to emphasize most about this story. Colleen Houck has done amazing work making this book both similar enough to and different enough from the original 5 books. This is a new world with new characters and an entirely new conception of the tiger magic. I really don’t agree with other reviews saying this one was disappointing or that they wouldn’t continue the series because the original characters aren’t the main features of it. Colleen’s decision is good and points us forward in such satisfyingly interesting ways. I trust her to give us the tiger flair and also surprise us. She’s done so already with this book, and I’m absolutely hooked.


TLDR: there’s room for improvement, but not all of the issues I had with this book were enough to make me DNF; I heartily enjoyed the changes made to separate this from the original, but it definitely still feels enough like a tiger book to stand next to the OG series.

I loved the Tiger’s Curse series so naturally I was thrilled to read this new Colleen Houck novel! This story follows twin sisters Veru & Stacia as they deal with the grief of losing their last remaining parent, navigate who is going to become the next ruler of their empire, and figuring out how to overcome a curse placed on them by an evil sorcerer.

The adventure plot found in this story is slow moving and even when things do begin to pick up — around the 40% mark — the multiple pov’s (mostly jumping between the men accompanying the sisters on their journey) make it a bit hard to follow. I would’ve liked to actually hear more from both sisters instead of just Veru who took every opportunity to exclaim how hard it was to only be appreciated for her beauty.

Considering the book ends with a cliffhanger there is surely more adventure to come from the following books. This could be read as a stand-alone or prior to reading the Tigers Curse series.

2.75/5 stars

I have been a fan of the Tiger's Curse series since I was a teenager and discovered it. I liked how Houck blended Hindu mythology, fantasy, and romance together. However, I did not like this book for several reasons and had to DNF at 17%. The first is that, while the original series is in first person point of view, this book is in a continously revolving third person point of view. Though it is important I believe with there being two primary narrators to get both sides of the story, the way this was written does not create a fluid narrative of the story. The next point is that the foreshadowing in certain places became too obvious especially with Nikolai and his attraction to Veru. The final point that made me put down the book was the whole separate buy parallel universe to explain the curse affecting the twins. Upon reflection, I think that the author may have tried to merge the two plots in order to create a connection between universes. However, I think that it would have benefited the story to just be separate with a similar use of the curse. Furthermore, I believe that the series should have stayed completed with the previous books in the series.

I enjoyed the story and seeing more from this author. I can't wait for more.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest reveiw.

Anastasia and Verusha are the only children of the tsar but prefer their time with the guards instead of state affairs. They know their parents won’t live forever and one of them must take the throne. When their mother’s illness gets worse, the sisters look far and wide for a cure. When they refuse a stranger’s help, he releases a curse that has the sisters fleeing their home. Will they be able to break the curse? Will their country survive without them?

Tiger’s Tale is the sixth book in The Tiger Saga series. This book can be read by itself or out of order since the narrator at the beginning and end are the only references to the original series. With that being said, this story was a wonderful escape and I was happy to explore a new world with tigers in the forefront. I will warn readers that this book is not a one-and-done for this tale. There is a cliffhanger and we must wait to learn more about Anastasia and Verusha.

As someone who was absolutely OBSESSED with the Tiger Saga when it first came out all those years ago (even before the were traditionally published), I was SO excited to hear that Colleen Houck had written a new installment. Even though I knew it wasn't going to be about Ren, Kishan, and Kelsey, I was so eager to read this!

Let me start by saying that one of the things that makes me love Houck as an author is still so prevalent--her knack for writing historical context and descriptions is just on point. I love her writing. It's so immersive. And I will continue to read everything that she pushes out.

Unfortunately, I think I may have been the wrong audience for this one. As it wasn't the same for me as the original, I found myself forcing myself to keep reading. Which I'm so glad I did! Because, as I said, Colleen is an excellent writer. It's just that the magic of the originals wasn't there for me. And that's a me problem. Because I can see a new generation of readers thoroughly enjoying this one.

Full of adventure, intrigue, and some romance this is perfect for readers who are young and will enjoy a new addition to the story.

This book felt different from the others. I had read the original four books when I was young and loved them, but this one was told in 3rd person with multiple perspectives which made it a different experience than the others had been.

I would argue you don't need to have prior knowledge of the series to read this book; it would certainly help in areas with understanding what is going on but is not necessary. This is a whole different story, set in a different timeline with different characters and a different mission.

It did take me a bit to get into the story because 1) I was not expecting the 3rd person perspective, 2) the multiple perspectives changing rapidly took time to grasp, and 3) there were words used that were not necessarily defined, so I had to rely on context clues to decipher what they might mean.

This story does not deal with light, happy topics. One of the characters in particular hints at some major abuse, so be aware of that when diving into this tale. It is an interesting chapter of this particular series, and I am interested to see how the narrative continues to change as it goes on.

Colleen Houck takes the idea of a multiverse and brings her tigers to life in a brand new way! Tiger’s Tale is interesting because it’s the 6th book in The Tiger Saga, but it could almost be a standalone too. Knowing what happened in the previous books is important for the beginning and end of this book, but other than that Houck has created a whole new world. We follow twins, Veru and Stacia, as they fight to decide who will take over the empire, a position neither wants. When their mother grows ill and the choice looms ever closer they are willing to go to any lengths to keep her alive, even bring evil to their door. The tiger’s curse awakens just in time to challenge everything they know. Houck has done it again by creating a fantastic fantasy and I can’t wait to read the next book in their journey!

When the twin princesses Veru and Stacia lose their parents it becomes clear that neither of them are ready, nor do they particularly want to rule the empire left to them. When an accident with a sorcerer leaves them trapped in the bodies of tigers, they must find a way to break the curse before their empire dwindles or the evil sorcerer can steal their magical amulets for himself.

As a big fan of the original Tiger Curse series when I was in high school I was glad to see another one added to the series. This one strayed quite far from what I was expecting: adopting Russian and Tribal folklore rather than the Indian mythos I was prepared for. While that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—I find it interesting to learn about the traditions and mythology of different cultures—I did find that I was unfamiliar with a lot of the terminology and vocabulary used. A glossary would go a long way in helping the reader (because even if the context of the paragraph/dialogue lets you understand most of words you don’t actually know what they mean and the average person doesn’t want to stop and google translations every couple of sentences).

Unlike the previous books this one doesn’t allow the tigers to return to their human forms so after the first half of the book we get very little of them and more of the men they collect along the way to help them, which wasn’t that interesting to me—especially when they were mostly fighting over the girls’ attention (which in itself is also a little weird). It wasn’t until we met the third tiger, Iriko, that my interest was peaked again. Honestly he was the most interesting character in the entire book as the others (even the girls) kind of just fell flat.

This was a slow progressing plot with multiple pov changes within the same chapters that honestly got a bit confusing at times (one minute we would be hearing Nik’s thoughts and it would switch to Dannik or Veru). We didn’t get much of Stacia at all either, as both of the love interests were focused on Veru the entire book. I probably identified the most with Zakhar, who seemed to be the one that actually wanted to learn what happened and why rather than just breaking the curse. His intelligence and compassion made him very likeable.

As the book ended in the middle of the quest, I am positive there will be more in this spin off but unfortunately I will not be continuing with it.

I absolutely love the tiger tales series and was super excited to read this new addition. Houck will not let you down as she brings you back into this book world.

Amazing characters ,plot and setting you.
I didn't stop reading.It was so compelling and at first you where so intrigued because you didn't know what was happening but then everything unraveled and it was perfect

This book was an amazing read, that took you places you didn't know you were going to go. I was fully absorbed in this book right off the bat and flew through it in one day. The author did an amazing job with the plot and making the characters unique but relatable. I will be recommending this book to all of my patrons, family, and friends. Great read!