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gaynidoking's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The plot and the world are very interesting, but I did struggle in the middle and final act. This is partially on me for not realizing it was YA until the protagonist revealed she was only 17. The synopsis and the way Saoirse conducts her assassinations gave me the impression of a character at least in her twenties. I think this book would have benefitted a lot from the character being even a few years older.
The protag does consistently make decisions that remind me (not in a good way) that she is supposed to be 17. She pulls some real bonehead moves, especially as the story goes on. There is also that unfortunate YA staple where she decides to hate the only other female character around her age for literally no reason as soon as she meets her.
I also think that the character's development in the final act was completely undermined by the actual events of the book, and felt very contrived. A great deal of personal anguish is due to the character's belief thatshe is literally unable to resist the urge to kill as a siren. There is a VERY good conversation with her father towards the end where he calls her out for using this as an excuse to avoid responsibility for her actions. And then, randomly, she is told the only reason the urge to kill overwhelms her (and sometimes literally causes her to blackout and kill) is because she is afraid of her power and refuses to embrace it. But it is ALSO revealed that the reason she is afraif of her power is when she was a child (before she even knew that was an option), she did embrace her power, and it made her black out and kill people. It was a very confusing stance to take, because she was literally just told "just embrace your power!" and then she just decides to do that, and suddenly everything is fine and she can control herself perfectly fine.
The protag does consistently make decisions that remind me (not in a good way) that she is supposed to be 17. She pulls some real bonehead moves, especially as the story goes on. There is also that unfortunate YA staple where she decides to hate the only other female character around her age for literally no reason as soon as she meets her.
I also think that the character's development in the final act was completely undermined by the actual events of the book, and felt very contrived. A great deal of personal anguish is due to the character's belief that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Genocide, Slavery, Vomit, and Trafficking
lalapope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.75
3.5 - Superb representation and magic use. Poor pacing issues and too many sub-plots hold the book back from greatness.
To keep it brief;
What I liked;
1) Representation - This is a book that clearly understands how to create a multicultural world without ever relying on stereotypical traits to create that difference. Ms. Burton was able to create a very good discussion of race without ever feeling preachy or too shallow on the topic. She absolutely nailed the right level of depth to the discussion for the target audience.
2) Great magic use - Despite our MC's (main character) immense power as a Siren, I never felt like the author relied too much on it to solve problems. It's all too common for young adult literature to use something like magic to be a quick fix to problems. I respect Ms. Burton for not doing so.
spoiler: (view spoiler)
This made our MC feel a lot more grounded in the world instead of a all powerful main character who never has to worry about their problems for long. I hope MS. Burton continues this into her sequel.
What I didn't like;
1) Too many sub-plots lead to most feeling underdeveloped - I feel like the main plot thread of MC's journey into the ranks of the royals and trying to avoid the consequences for her crimes was quite well done. However, I didn't really feel like the MC and the love interest really had the most developed arc. I feel like he loved her far too easily and she never seemed to love him beyond a level of respect not to kill him. Even then, I didn't fully understand why she changed her stance on the royals so easily. It felt like the smart girl I saw at the start of the book. became willfully ignorant to what she was permitting to continue. spoiler: (view spoiler)
Also, I feel like the Rain, Spektyrl and family plots were also a little undercooked. Many readers cite how the MC never really gives the best reasons why she loves Rain so much. Unconditional love exists, but it would have been nice to really get to heart of why the MC does everything she does for her.
2) Pacing - It felt like the start of the book has some genuine momentum about things happening and the cast growing. This is probably the part of the book I liked most. However, after the
assassination key to the mystery plot line, it begins to slow down significantly until the last 1/5th where everything happens extremely fast. spoiler: (view spoiler)
Overall, this is a serviceable YA fantasy book that does exactly what I needs to do and a little more. I don't see this being the sort of story to make it to the big screen, but I see the value this book has to people who rarely get to see themselves in this genre.
I look forward to the sequel.
To keep it brief;
What I liked;
1) Representation - This is a book that clearly understands how to create a multicultural world without ever relying on stereotypical traits to create that difference. Ms. Burton was able to create a very good discussion of race without ever feeling preachy or too shallow on the topic. She absolutely nailed the right level of depth to the discussion for the target audience.
2) Great magic use - Despite our MC's (main character) immense power as a Siren, I never felt like the author relied too much on it to solve problems. It's all too common for young adult literature to use something like magic to be a quick fix to problems. I respect Ms. Burton for not doing so.
spoiler: (view spoiler)
This made our MC feel a lot more grounded in the world instead of a all powerful main character who never has to worry about their problems for long. I hope MS. Burton continues this into her sequel.
What I didn't like;
1) Too many sub-plots lead to most feeling underdeveloped - I feel like the main plot thread of MC's journey into the ranks of the royals and trying to avoid the consequences for her crimes was quite well done. However, I didn't really feel like the MC and the love interest really had the most developed arc. I feel like he loved her far too easily and she never seemed to love him beyond a level of respect not to kill him. Even then, I didn't fully understand why she changed her stance on the royals so easily. It felt like the smart girl I saw at the start of the book. became willfully ignorant to what she was permitting to continue. spoiler: (view spoiler)
Also, I feel like the Rain, Spektyrl and family plots were also a little undercooked. Many readers cite how the MC never really gives the best reasons why she loves Rain so much. Unconditional love exists, but it would have been nice to really get to heart of why the MC does everything she does for her.
2) Pacing - It felt like the start of the book has some genuine momentum about things happening and the cast growing. This is probably the part of the book I liked most. However, after the
assassination key to the mystery plot line, it begins to slow down significantly until the last 1/5th where everything happens extremely fast. spoiler: (view spoiler)
Overall, this is a serviceable YA fantasy book that does exactly what I needs to do and a little more. I don't see this being the sort of story to make it to the big screen, but I see the value this book has to people who rarely get to see themselves in this genre.
I look forward to the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, and Murder
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
victoriousbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
This book exceeded all of my expectations for it. The pacing was perfect, the characters were complex and twisted in a way that felt real, and the story kept me hooked. Saoirse’s love for her sister was so powerful and relatable. From start to finish, this book had me anxiously needing to know what happens next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Slavery, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Genocide
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