Reviews

Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung by Nina MacLaughlin

ms_flynn07's review against another edition

3.0

:(

rhiannon_ling_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

farosh's review against another edition

3.25

i thoroughly enjoyed the premise of the book; a retelling of ovids metamorphosis from the perspective of the women in the book. i liked that the book was divided into chapters and each chapter was dedicated to a different woman, but i am convinced that i would have liked it a lot more if the writing was more.. classy? captivating? many of the stories were told in a way that i enjoyed, containing quotes and thoughts i could relate to. other stories were told in a modern POV that was rarely executed well and didn't add to the story. 

jilliangatwood's review against another edition

2.0

Maybe more of a 2.5…I really wanted to love this but it just repeatedly fell so short. I had issues with the varying prose, with what felt like—at times—a sheer misunderstanding of the purpose of these stories and myths, what they were really saying. I appreciate what this book was trying to do, I just think there are better ways to have done it.

araemoore's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

this book was not written for me the way i hoped it would be. the concept is fantastic - metamorphosis retold in modern language from the perspective of the goddesses and nymphs and girls - and i had been eyeing the cover for ages.

the first chapter detailing apollos pursuit of daphne was an almost immediate turn off for me. i haven’t gotten this close to a dnf in a long time but the dialogue of apollo being jarring and bro-y in an unappealing way had me considering it.

the 3 chapters that i connected with the most were procne & philomela, sirens, and (thankfully) medusa. the brutal violence and revenge of the sisters felt raw and real in a way that truly connected with me. the language of the sirens calling to ovid was lyrical felt reminiscent of the original translations. and the idea of medusa’s story told over time as bridges to new lands that skew the meaning had so much potential.

i feel like some of the issues could have been resolved by grounding the story and having a single character share the stories creating cohesion and a distinct modern voice. even so, much of the book read in a millennial-feminist-trying-to-be- cool way and, as a millennial feminist, you just have to embrace not being cool.

vn_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

Wake, Siren is trigger warnings galore. The first half was a real gut punch with some stories hard to get through. As you move on from story to story though it feels like at one point the voices kind of blend together and you don’t really get the feeling of every story having an individual voice. 

Also the flowing between these tragic lyrical stories to more modern day telling was a bit jarring and don’t think the modern day worked for some stories. Overall it was a powerful read though. 

kdlfjasdlkfjowe4i3jr's review against another edition

5.0

Read in the psych hospital. Loved this book so much

coco_lolo's review against another edition

3.0

When I first started Wake, Siren, I honestly thought I'd be adding it to my favorite books of the year. That didn't change for a while, but the stories unfortunately lost motivation and drive in the second half, and finishing felt more like a chore. There were so many great lines and female narrators during that first section, and I loved MacLaughlin's decision to include modern-day language in some, while keeping others grounded in myth; this made the stories more diverse and entertaining, especially when the characters had such distinct voices. By the time I was roughly halfway in, though, the retellings and voices became somewhat monotonous.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

kaylaoswald's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

laynekos's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative

4.25