Reviews

Fricking epic. Hands down, the best YA romance book I have ever read. I loved the mix of romance and mythology, all in the modern world! My favorite siren (besides Kahlen, of course) was Aisling. Her story was sad and beautiful. :) Everyone else was cool too, though. My favorite character was Akinli! He was wonderful, and perfectly imperfect! I want one! *wistful sigh* Anyways, awesome book! I have read Kiera Cass' The Selection series, and her writing does not disappoint! :) :) :) ❤️

This review and more are available at: Abi's Book Reviews

michaila3's review against another edition

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5.0

this is annoying but one of my favourite books of all time is the 2009 version of this book. one of my LEAST favourite books of all time is the 2016 version. just know that.
I remember being so excited to hear it was being re-published but the plot changes were SO disappointing. one of my biggest pet peeves is texting within books and the new one was riddled with it, the ending was so weird and took away all the meaning that the first one had- the 2016 version lost SOOO much of the sisterhood and the relationship to the ocean and ugh. I remember having to turn the book around in my shelf bc I was so upset, and then eventually gave it away. I believe I also wrote (but didn’t send) an angry letter to kiera cass expressing my displeasure (and also my love for the original).

pepe_pepe's review against another edition

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3.0

"I'd waited for an eternity for this. I'd have waited all over again if I had to."

"We were stars. We were music. We were time."

From the beginning of this novel, I could tell that The Siren would revolve around a romance. This wouldn't really be a surprise but I didn't read the synopsis again prior to reading the book (the edition I have does not have a blurb on the back of the cover). I wasn't shocked or anything though to find that this book had a love story in it, but I was definitely a bit disappointed that it took up the whole story. To clarify, I was a little disappointed in the story because I couldn't get behind the romance.

There wasn't really anything bad about The Siren but I still have mixed feelings on it nonetheless. In particular, the ending did leave me a little dissatisfied.

Kahlen (interesting name, I know) is a siren, obviously. And in the world Cass has created, the Ocean (which is an entity itself; it talks inside the heads of the sirens and only to them, however it isn't human or anything similar and thus does not have emotions the way we feel them) feeds its hunger every year by using sirens (who are human girls turned into sirens by the Ocean as they were dying). These sirens - as myth follows - use their voices to sing to those (on ships) to their deaths, though not for their own desires but for the Ocean Herself. Technically, since the Ocean is the water and has the power to do whatever with it, She could kill all the people herself, so I'm not exactly sure why She would need sirens, but whatever. Let's put that aside.

"There's always room for love. Even if it's as small as a crack in a door. That will be enough."

Kahlen is the siren that the story follows who still has twenty years of her "sentence" left (after that she is turned back into a human to resume her life at the age she left off though she will remember nothing at all before that time). At first, we believe (or at least I believed) that a siren's life wasn't all too bad. Kahlen lives without any of the human worries with her two "sister" sirens, Miaka and Elizabeth. They are all very close. I particularly enjoyed reading about these three's interactions as they have a very close bond between them and the love and affection for each other really showed.

Kahlen is the most human out of all the sirens, and is an easy protagonist to sympathise with. Throughout the novel, we realise that the siren's life is really quite hard, especially for Kahlen, as she feels the most. The burden of killing thousands of innocents each year has finally caught up to her and the book sets off from there.

"It hurt so much to speak. To sing. To laugh. My voice was death, and I hated it."

I quite enjoyed the siren concept in this book; it surprisingly isn't a concept I find much in the YA novels that I read. I was especially intrigued by the Ocean. The relationship between the sirens and the Ocean can only be described as complex. There is a love-hate dynamic between them and at first you wonder why the sirens are so obedient (and even show love) to Her. At the same time though, you also see them at times be frustrated with their life and angry at Her for what She has forced them to become. Each siren has had a less than decent childhood and I could see how the Ocean would feel like a mother to them. I could truly feel what Kahlen felt when she thought about her life and how the Ocean fit into it. Many times, I found myself hating the Ocean and taking the sirens' side, but it was important to remember that the Ocean wasn't human and she 'felt' things differently. However, I would also feel sympathetic towards the Ocean and though it isn't always obvious, even to the sirens, She Herself has had to deal with a lot as well. Overall, as far as the Ocean and the sirens themselves were concerned, I easily connected to the characters and was invested in their story. I felt what they felt, and that was definitely one of the highlights of this book.

"Here it was, as familiar as if I'd lived with it every day, a voice that nothing but the end of my sentence had a chance of erasing from my memory. I turned to the voice, wondering if I was the fairy tale right now, or if he was."

So to the romance. Not far into the story, the love interest is introduced to the reader, and of course to Kahlen. It is established that Kahlen doesn't necessarily long to be human again but definitely yearns for a life like theirs filled with the freedom and choice she doesn't have. She especially wants to know what it feels like to fall in love, be in love, to love. And this is what happens with college student Akinli (interesting name again, I know). Or this is what the reader is meant to believe happens between Kahlen and Akinli.

One of the reasons I couldn't get behind these two characters was the number of times they actually met/came together. I counted and they only see each other for a total of 3 times before the ending, where of course

Spoiler

they are reunited for good

. These three times only last for a day or less each time, including the encounter where they meet for the first time. I get that it is hard for Kahlen to go see him as the Ocean does not allow it, but it would have been so much better if Cass could have added a couple more scenes of them together, or at least inject some significance into the ones already existing in the story. As well, between each time Kahlen and Akinli are together, years pass. Actual years pass, and I am meant to believe that Kahlen still thinks about him 24/7? And that what she/he felt for each other still exists as strongly as it did the day they met? It just didn't feel realistic. From a fantasy, dreamy viewpoint, the bond between Kahlen and Akinli that screams soul mates for life, would seem romantic, ready for a HEA, plausible even. But from where I was standing, I just couldn't see that. Don't get me wrong, I so desperately tried to get behind these two seemingly love-worthy characters, and alone they were great, but together? Nuh-uh. I couldn't feel it.

"Well, then I'll cross my fingers that one day it'll be possible for you again. I have this feeling you have enough thoughts to fill books. And I'd love to hear them."

Akinli himself was another matter altogether. I would chalk it up to the fact that we only see him interact when he was with Kahlen (which shall I remind you was only 3 or 4 times), but I suspect it was more than that that stopped me from connecting with him. As Akinli's character wasn't delved into that much I could only see him how Kahlen saw him and then add whatever I could glean from the story to make up an incomplete picture of him in my mind. This resulted in a character that didn't seem complex, that didn't seem to have a personality. He felt quite 2-dimensional in a sense, and what I could get out of the story, portrayed him as perfect - good-looking, kind, compassionate, understanding, perfect for Kahlen. But that to me (even if it obviously didn't deter Kahlen) made him bland and boring. Someone who I could definitely not connect with, let alone get behind in a romance with a character that I otherwise understood and sympathised with.

"I felt closer to them than I had in a long time, and I wanted to cry, thinking I might have only truly fallen in love with my sisters on the edge of my death".

Moving on, I did really like learning about the siren life and being immersed in the atmospheric, almost magical setting that came with it. The writing as well complemented the story; I can always rely on the simple but lyrical writing (as seen in the quotes) that Cass brings to all of her stories.

One point I want to make about the overall story is that some may find it quite repetitive. For me, there was just enough to hold my interest throughout the book, but for others, there might not be so much. If I'm being a little harsh, the whole book can be summed up like this, after the beginning of course: Kahlen can't stop thinking of Akinli, Kahlen realises she can't be with him, Kahlen mopes around, Kahlen gets into trouble, Kahlen is determined to stop thinking of him, Kahlen can't stop thinking of Akinli, knows she can't be with him, mopes and cries (and boy, was there a lot of crying) etc. etc.

Lastly, I want to talk about the ending. Predictably, Kahlen and Akinli

Spoiler

end up together

and they live

Spoiler

happily ever after

. That's all great and good, but I would have preferred a longer ending/epilogue. As well, after all that moping, for the book to finish like that, left me a bit unsatisfied. Fear not however, the ending answers all the questions - let's be honest, there's only one really - raised in the story. One more thing,

Spoiler

I didn't feel it was very plausible for Ben and Julie especially to be so understanding and welcoming. Yeah, maybe there are people like this but if you read the circumstances in which Kahlen ends up at Ben and Julie's house each time, if you were them you would call the ambulance and make sure she doesn't get near you. And if you saw her again, you would be doubly creeped. It's understandable that they want the best for Akinli and that they have connected that with Kahlen, but I felt that Ben and Julie were just there for convenience.

Overall, The Siren isn't a book I would recommend. But I say if you don't mind a predictable plot, convenient characters/situations and a cheesy, insta-love romance, go for it. There are plenty of interesting relationships, a well-written concept and a

Spoiler

HEA

to perhaps outweigh the negatives. At least, it's a standalone YA fantasy, which we don't get much of these days. And if you don't like it, there is no obligation to continue with a series. You can just be done with it.

2.5 stars

mizzlroy's review against another edition

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4.0

Really enjoyed this book. It is like no other siren story I've read, and I like the new take on an old myth.

linholm123's review

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mysterious medium-paced

3.5

pizzaaa's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

isabelbrieler's review against another edition

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2.0

It was cute. I was pleasantly surprised by how little the romance played into the story while still being a driving force -- The Siren was much more an exploration of Kahlen, her sisters, and their relationship with The Ocean, which I was more interested in, anyway, especially after Kahlen and Akinli's love at first sight (which automatically eliminates any interest I have in a couple -- I really need a slower burn to care at all). Still, it was enjoyable overall. It had the relatively simple vibe of a classic fairytale, which is always a treat.

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