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ofthechameleons 's review for:
Tiger's Curse
by Colleen Houck
I would first like to acknowledge that I read this book for the first time around five years ago and at that time I would have given it five stars. It was magical to me. Even now it has a special place in my heart, which is probably why I can’t rate it any lower than I have.
Reading this book again I have some serious issues with both the characters and the writing itself.
Especially at the beginning, the writing was very description-heavy. It went to the point of being unnecessarily detailed in a way that impeded my overall understanding of what was going on. It was a great example for young writers of what not to do; with too much ‘telling’ description.
As for the characters, Kelsey has the most gaps and inconsistencies in her development, so I will focus on her the most. First off, her level of maturity changes drastically from topic to topic. She outright admits her inexperience in international travel, and doesn’t even have a passport. Yet when faced with the opportunity to travel through India, on her own, she doesn’t even seem to bat an eye.
This ties in with my confusion over her foster parents, Sarah and Mike. Being her legal guardians and responsible for her wellbeing, it would make sense for them to be a little concerned with her traipsing off with strangers to a foreign country where she doesn’t have anybody to go to and doesn’t even speak the language! But, no. They decide that it’s not even worth it to give their opinion to their foster daughter, who very clearly knows next to nothing about anywhere outside the US.
The next problem I have is with Kelsey’s actions and thoughts towards Ren nearing the end of the book. Plain and simple: she is a hypocrite. She doesn’t trust him or anything he says to her, even after he proves his honesty and deep affection for her again and again. She claims to be a realist, but she acts like a blind pessimist that won’t take in what is right in front of her.
Although I still love this story and how it piqued my interest in the fascinating world of Indian mythology, I was highly disappointed this time I opened this book. In both the painful descriptive sections and the badly thought out flaws of our main heroine Kelsey, whom with I identified for many years.
Reading this book again I have some serious issues with both the characters and the writing itself.
Especially at the beginning, the writing was very description-heavy. It went to the point of being unnecessarily detailed in a way that impeded my overall understanding of what was going on. It was a great example for young writers of what not to do; with too much ‘telling’ description.
As for the characters, Kelsey has the most gaps and inconsistencies in her development, so I will focus on her the most. First off, her level of maturity changes drastically from topic to topic. She outright admits her inexperience in international travel, and doesn’t even have a passport. Yet when faced with the opportunity to travel through India, on her own, she doesn’t even seem to bat an eye.
This ties in with my confusion over her foster parents, Sarah and Mike. Being her legal guardians and responsible for her wellbeing, it would make sense for them to be a little concerned with her traipsing off with strangers to a foreign country where she doesn’t have anybody to go to and doesn’t even speak the language! But, no. They decide that it’s not even worth it to give their opinion to their foster daughter, who very clearly knows next to nothing about anywhere outside the US.
The next problem I have is with Kelsey’s actions and thoughts towards Ren nearing the end of the book. Plain and simple: she is a hypocrite. She doesn’t trust him or anything he says to her, even after he proves his honesty and deep affection for her again and again. She claims to be a realist, but she acts like a blind pessimist that won’t take in what is right in front of her.
Although I still love this story and how it piqued my interest in the fascinating world of Indian mythology, I was highly disappointed this time I opened this book. In both the painful descriptive sections and the badly thought out flaws of our main heroine Kelsey, whom with I identified for many years.