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kirstenf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, and Blood
Minor: Confinement, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
hal00alex's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It is definitely reflective of current media trends, but still a unique take on an fae and sirens. Writer relies more on senses when world building. And it ends in a cliff hanger which my by a metaphor on civil rights? There are certain aspects of the senses that get repeated a lot which may break immersion, but it adds more to the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, and Alcohol
lizzie_b99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I honestly have mixed feelings about this book. The world created, with the creatures and the way their society was set up, was really interesting and really detailed, actually. Burton did a good job setting that up and showing what was at stake from the beginning.
However, I think this could have been a standalone book, rather than make it into a series. For me, I felt like the story could have been wrapped up at the end of this book. There's a cliffhanger, sort of, at the end of this one that didn't quite feel like it was necessary.
I've read other books with Sirens before, and I also wasn't a huge fan of how they were portrayed in this book. It was like Saoirse was being made to be an anti-hero, but there wasn't enough balance there. There was just something off about it for me.
Overall, there was a lot of potential here, but the story just fell flat for me.
However, I think this could have been a standalone book, rather than make it into a series. For me, I felt like the story could have been wrapped up at the end of this book. There's a cliffhanger, sort of, at the end of this one that didn't quite feel like it was necessary.
I've read other books with Sirens before, and I also wasn't a huge fan of how they were portrayed in this book. It was like Saoirse was being made to be an anti-hero, but there wasn't enough balance there. There was just something off about it for me.
Overall, there was a lot of potential here, but the story just fell flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
bookstarbri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I'm a simple girl, you put a Black girl on the cover of a book and I'm going to read it.
That being said, I'm *especially* glad I read this gem. This book is honestly one of my favorite books of the year and I am sure will become a favorite series. It is a fast-paced story with a lot going on and a lot of tension brewing. The world building in this is so fantastic. We don't get info dump, rather we get a steady stream of info that makes it easy to follow the fantasy world and understand what's going on (I LOVE when authors can do this so seamlessly). This book has fae, witches, sirens, and a whole host of other creatures important to this story.
From the first chapter, I was immediately captivated by our main character, Saoirse. She has such a strong voice throughout this book and I'm so happy we get her the way we do. She was nothing short of extraordinary. She is a classic antihero, morally grey character (like actually morally grey) and she has no shortage of flaws, but I loved her SO much. And I loved Hayes. These two had such a brilliant dynamic and it was a fun take on the classic grumpy/sunshine trope (Saoirse is the very grumpy lol). The best part about this is the subtle mystery going on throughout most of the story. It's a murder mystery for the characters, but an entirely different kind of mystery for readers and that was so awesome to experience. There is so much to love about this book and I honestly will be recommending it to literally everyone who listens to me. Read this book if you love betrayals, morally grey antiheroes, slow burn romances, siren lore, wonderful world building, and a good mystery.
*Disclaimer: this review is for the ARC of this book*
That being said, I'm *especially* glad I read this gem. This book is honestly one of my favorite books of the year and I am sure will become a favorite series. It is a fast-paced story with a lot going on and a lot of tension brewing. The world building in this is so fantastic. We don't get info dump, rather we get a steady stream of info that makes it easy to follow the fantasy world and understand what's going on (I LOVE when authors can do this so seamlessly). This book has fae, witches, sirens, and a whole host of other creatures important to this story.
From the first chapter, I was immediately captivated by our main character, Saoirse. She has such a strong voice throughout this book and I'm so happy we get her the way we do. She was nothing short of extraordinary. She is a classic antihero, morally grey character (like actually morally grey) and she has no shortage of flaws, but I loved her SO much. And I loved Hayes. These two had such a brilliant dynamic and it was a fun take on the classic grumpy/sunshine trope (Saoirse is the very grumpy lol). The best part about this is the subtle mystery going on throughout most of the story. It's a murder mystery for the characters, but an entirely different kind of mystery for readers and that was so awesome to experience. There is so much to love about this book and I honestly will be recommending it to literally everyone who listens to me. Read this book if you love betrayals, morally grey antiheroes, slow burn romances, siren lore, wonderful world building, and a good mystery.
*Disclaimer: this review is for the ARC of this book*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury