Tiger's Trek

Tiger's Tale #2

by Colleen Houck

From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes Tiger’s Trek , the electrifying new installment in the Tiger’s Tale series, set in the captivating universe of the beloved Tiger’s Curse saga.

In the world of dreams, waking up isn’t the end—it’s only the beginning.

Five unlikely companions are thrust into the dreamworld, a realm teeming with shadowy monsters and dangerous mysteries. To save their empire from the ruthless Death Draughtsman—a centuries-old collector of magic—they must confront their deepest fears, gather their strength, and unlock the secrets hidden in their hearts.

The stakes have never been. The Draughtsman’s growing power threatens not only the citizens of the empire but also the untamed Siberian plain ruled by the Nomadic Alliance. Hope lies with the reappearance of the ancient protectors—the tigers. If the tigers and their human allies can unite in time, they might stand a chance at breaking the curse and restoring balance.

But courage comes at a cost. Twin tsarevnas and their companions—a meticulous hunter, a defiant priest, a restless outcast, and a guarded soldier—must decide if they’ll risk everything to fight for their people, or turn their backs in order to save themselves.

Their intentions are noble.

But heroes aren’t remembered for their intentions—they’re remembered for their sacrifices.

Dive into an epic tale of bravery, loyalty, and the power of dreams in Tiger’s Trek, a story that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

New York Times Bestselling Author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, science fiction, and romance. Formerly a student at the University of Arizona, she worked as a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter for seventeen years before switching careers to become an author. Colleen lives in Salem, Oregon, with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers. Follow her by signing up for her e-newsletter!

Reviews

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved original Tiger series by this author and was so excited to see that there was a branch off series! I haven't read the first book in this series and snagged a copy to read and review. There were a few things that I felt a little lost about since I jumped into book #2, but for the most part I was able to figure it out and read between the lines. It sure made me want to go back and enjoy the adventure of the main series!

This was really quite the adventure. The dream world and characters trying to navigate their deepest fears and so much more! Wow! I enjoyed watching them all work towards a good ending and having to be smart and use lots of skills to make it through. I think it would be really fun to go to the first book of this Tiger's Tale Series and have a better understanding of these characters and what led them to this dreamworld and their adventures.

Content: Elements of magic and paranormal aspects. Adventures, talk of death. I thought it was clean with how it was written, but would recommend for older teenagers.

I received a copy from the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

[Melanie (words.aremagic) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this spin off series, but it just isn’t living up to the original. I enjoyed the first book, but this one was too repetitive and I didn’t enjoy the fact that they spent the entire book in the dream world. At first I enjoyed the dream world idea, but I was done with it at 25% in. I kept reading because I like the characters, but after a while I started skimming the story because it was just too many tasks they had to overcome and felt repetitive. Sad to say I think I’m finished with reading these books.

[Reneé Lasswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kishan is back, but just for bookends wrapping on the second part of the Tsarevnas' adventure.

As our group is separated and in a different configuration, they perform their trials in the dream world.

Not as strong as the opening book in this trilogy, but I still enjoyed it and look forward to what happens next.

[Kylee Kosoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I’d write a review like this—one that feels less like a book review and more like a time capsule. To explain why, I need to take you back to when I was a young reader.

Believe it or not, there was a time I wasn’t always an avid reader. For a long time, books were simply for school, not for pleasure. When I was about eleven, my grandma got me Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and everything changed. I fell in love with reading, and after that, there was hardly a time when I didn’t have my nose buried in a book. First, Percy Jackson, then Harry Potter, and by the time I was fifteen, Twilight and Tiger’s Curse.

I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it. It didn’t explode into pop culture the way Twilight did, and even now, I can count on one hand the number of readers I personally know who’ve read it too. (And if you have read it, let’s be friends immediately.)

But despite its quieter presence in the book world, Tiger’s Curse was one of those foundational reading experiences for me. It wasn’t just a book—it was a gateway. It made me fall in love with sweeping romance, with myth and folklore, with adventure that felt impossibly exciting and frightening at once. It’s one of the stories that made me want to write romance of my own someday. When I think about the books that built me—the ones that shaped the reader and writer I became—Tiger’s Curse holds a permanent, glowing place among them.

When I saw Tiger’s Trek on NetGalley and realized it was set in the same universe, I didn’t hesitate. I requested it right away.

My curse with Book Two’s strikes again! If you’re not aware, I have a bit of bad luck with Book Two’s. Not once, not twice, but more times than I’d like to admit, I’ve accidentally bought Book 2 before Book 1... So, publisher’s if you’re reading this, here is my humble request: please, put numbers back on the spines of books. You’d really be helping a girl out.

Anyway, I requested Tiger’s Trek without realizing it was the second book in the series—something I didn’t discover until I was already halfway through. And yes, that did lead to some confusion. Thankfully, not as much as when I accidentally started watching Across the Spider-Verse before Into the Spider-Verse. I’m seriously not kidding about this curse, guys.

I’ll admit, there was some confusion, but it was more like I was just dropped in the middle of the action. It wasn’t one of those situations where I was lost entirely, and I was still able to thoroughly enjoy the book.

I think I’ve already established how special Colleen Houck’s original series, Tiger’s Curse, was to me, so jumping back into this universe was surreal. It felt like coming home and reminded me of the easy love I had as a young reader. When I wasn’t worried about bookstagram, book reviews, and social media insights, instead, I just loved to read and to lose myself in a fictional world. I still love to read and write, but sometimes, it feels more like a chore. So, I’d like to challenge you to maybe take a break from trying to reach that reading goal or from trying to get so many people to like your post and just read for reading’s sake.

I also have to praise the audiobook narrator. She brings so much life and atmosphere to the story; her accent work and character voices make the whole journey feel richer and more immersive.

The cast of characters is colorful and dynamic, each contributing something unique to the plot. There are a lot of POVs—more than I personally prefer—and at times the jumps felt abrupt. But I still appreciated getting to see this world through so many different lenses.

And the return of a certain beloved character from Tiger’s Curse? That moment got me right in the feels—exactly the kind of callback longtime fans will appreciate.

And Tiger’s Trek really does deliver on the parts I adored from the original series:
✨ shapeshifters
✨ folklore and mythology
✨ a vivid, magical world
✨ high-stakes adventure
✨ a thread of romance

If I could make one wish for future installments, it’d be more romance. One of my favorite parts of Tiger’s Curse was the emotional intensity and the love triangle—those swoony, dramatic moments. Tiger’s Trek felt a bit more constrained compared to its predecessor, but the focus on friendship and family is still really compelling. And don’t get me wrong, there is still romance in this series. It’s just more of a slow burn than the original, and I wanted more.

Despite jumping into the series out of order, it has been such a joy to return to a fictional world that built me. I am going to go and read Book 1 now!

[Tibbara's Den · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the fairytale/folklore aspect that was interwoven throughout. I liked the dreamscape component and the different tests the characters were faced with. Though I wish the author had leaned more into them learning a lesson throughout the tests than they did. Also, the pacing was a bit off, especially in the beginning, and the story in this book didn't really wrap up in a satisfying way. The last chapter before the epilogue sets up for the next story, but there needed to be more of a developed ending prior to that with our group of characters and the premise and plot of this one. It also needed more editing than in had. Stacia was spelled with an "s" instead of a "c" a few times, the one-eyed character widen his "eyes" at one point, Nik forfeits a card game only to still be playing to then being told he needs to keep playing, and the one-eyed character's girlfriend is initially around the same height as him, to then be significantly taller to the point Nik is wondering about the functionality of the relationship to then being back to roughly the same height. It is third-person pov, but the transition between who that pov was on within the chapters themselves was confusing and not clearly defined. Also, I'm not sure why we didn't get chapters following Iriko. He was the only one of the group we didn't get once he was split off. All in all, I loved the premise, but the execution really needs work. This felt more like an early draft that needed more time spent revising and editing. The story itself I loved, though, and it could have been four or five stars without all the issues.

[Madyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I started Tiger's Curse in middle school. I am back after many years, and... I feel disappointed. There's a lot that's going on and at the same time, there isn't a lot being accomplished. There was an extraordinary lack of tigers from what I was expecting. Unfortunately, none of the characters were clicking with me and I wasn't a fan of the plot or the relationships. I was at least hoping for some type of reunion between everyone, but that didn't come to fruition. I wasn't compelled at all and found myself skimming through pages to get to the end. I can't believe it ended on a cliffhanger. I may return, but I don't feel interested anymore. I am glad for the (MILD SPOILER) small Kishan cameo at the end.

[Mrs. Kenyon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiger’s Trek is a continuation of the spin-off series that started with Tiger’s Tale. The characters find themselves in a dream world that requires them to complete a series of tests to break a curse. The characters are now separated and don’t know what the others are going through. The story alternates between the protagonists, and readers must pay attention to which character's story is being addressed. Overall, the story was good, but it ended without a strong resolution and left me discouraged instead of interested.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiger's Trek continues the story of Tiger's Tale and spins a world of Russian folklore mixed with the story of two sisters who are cursed to be tigers. It's a great adventure with exciting scenes, there is romance, peril, and angst. This book has it all. If you have read The Tiger's Curse series, you will love this new series from Colleen Houk.

[Hope Mckenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colleen Houck continues to prove herself a master of storytelling. This world, these characters, these lessons are some of the most impactful I have read. I am so incredibly thankful I found Houcks books when I was young and I continue to be enamored and charmed by her effulgent and well carved sentences. Spasibo!!!!

[Sauti Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it, loved all the Slavic folklore and mythology. Nik was so so close to me not hating him, he almost redeemed himself but just keeps ruining it, at least he was Less Weird about Veru this book.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

My most anticipated book of the year lived up to its promise

[Veray · Rating 5 out of 5]

So amazing!

Colleen has such an amazing imagination and style of writing. I was on the edge of my seat throughout this story and I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Heather Pruett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Tiger’s Trek! Full of magic, adventure, and heart—Colleen Houck makes you feel like you’re right there on the journey. Can’t wait for the next one!