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ceena's review against another edition
3.0
Look at how beautiful the cover is~!
Unfortunately, I'm not as impressed with the book as I was the cover.
There were a few things I really didn't see coming but for the most part, I saw it. Those huge story twist, meh got it. Really good twists though.
I just... my feelings for this book and what I had problems with are hard to put into words.
I loved the beginning. I was really being roped in. Slowly, I lost who I thought the main character was and it was reformed into a new person. That's okay, she is her own character. Just, some things worked, some things didn't.
I thought a lot of the book was told but, not explained. I wanted more background or information -- which with some things we are given but, in others no. Some things even seemed forced, trying to work but, I found uninteresting. The parties her owner threw??? Why so many?! and what was the point of the weird outfits...
I honestly didn't think any other power besides Nym, Colin, and Eogan's. Then towards the end it is thrown at me without much explanation. How does it work? How can it? Are there restrictions?
If Nym is the most powerful Elemental EVER then, what could the other Elementals do? Does she have no limit?
I don't see how the romance became... well, romantic. Why does she like him?
I was also confused by what exactly was going on and when. The fight scenes were hard to picture in my head.
I do want to mention that there is character growth. Nym grows stronger and more sure of herself.. a little.... and mostly because of men... slowly my good point of the book is dissolving... I did think it was goo though that she stops harming herself.
I feel I'm being nit-picky... It was an interesting read and I don't regret reading it. Although, I probably won't continue the trilogy -- I have so many other books to try out.
Recommend? Probably not but, I wouldn't tell people NOT to read it. I'm more indifferent to it.
Unfortunately, I'm not as impressed with the book as I was the cover.
There were a few things I really didn't see coming but for the most part, I saw it. Those huge story twist, meh got it. Really good twists though.
I just... my feelings for this book and what I had problems with are hard to put into words.
I loved the beginning. I was really being roped in. Slowly, I lost who I thought the main character was and it was reformed into a new person. That's okay, she is her own character. Just, some things worked, some things didn't.
I thought a lot of the book was told but, not explained. I wanted more background or information -- which with some things we are given but, in others no. Some things even seemed forced, trying to work but, I found uninteresting. The parties her owner threw??? Why so many?! and what was the point of the weird outfits...
I honestly didn't think any other power besides Nym, Colin, and Eogan's. Then towards the end it is thrown at me without much explanation. How does it work? How can it? Are there restrictions?
If Nym is the most powerful Elemental EVER then, what could the other Elementals do? Does she have no limit?
I don't see how the romance became... well, romantic. Why does she like him?
I was also confused by what exactly was going on and when. The fight scenes were hard to picture in my head.
I do want to mention that there is character growth. Nym grows stronger and more sure of herself.. a little.... and mostly because of men... slowly my good point of the book is dissolving... I did think it was goo though that she stops harming herself.
I feel I'm being nit-picky... It was an interesting read and I don't regret reading it. Although, I probably won't continue the trilogy -- I have so many other books to try out.
Recommend? Probably not but, I wouldn't tell people NOT to read it. I'm more indifferent to it.
writings_of_a_reader's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Storm Siren. The only downside for me is that we didn't get more info on Nym's past as a slave. Nym, Eogan, and Colin were all very likeable characters. I thought Adora was a hoot, even if she is also kind if a sinister character and loved picturing all those outlandish costumes she wore. A good read; but that ending! Noooo! I seriously want to tear into the next book right now, but have to wait until June.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think this story was necessarily bad, but something about it just didn't click for me. I the the plot idea was fine. The characters all seemed well thought out. I just didn't connect with either the characters or the story.
And there were a couple of quirks that the writer had, that once I noticed seemed to happen every few pages and really drew me out of the story. The most noticeable was the counting. The narrator would say something like: I take one, two, three steps over towards him.
Also, this being the second in my recent reading history to be written in first person, present tense, I've realized I don't care for that style of writing.
Still, as I said, this is not a bad book. There are some interesting things going on, and some good twists and turns. It just wasn't for me, and I won't be continuing with the series.
And there were a couple of quirks that the writer had, that once I noticed seemed to happen every few pages and really drew me out of the story. The most noticeable was the counting. The narrator would say something like: I take one, two, three steps over towards him.
Also, this being the second in my recent reading history to be written in first person, present tense, I've realized I don't care for that style of writing.
Still, as I said, this is not a bad book. There are some interesting things going on, and some good twists and turns. It just wasn't for me, and I won't be continuing with the series.
kerrycat's review against another edition
4.0
This young adult fantasy seems unremarkable at first, but when the pace picks up and Nym’s strange new situation grows more complicated and fearsome, readers will easily find themselves captivated. The breathtaking surprise ending is nothing short of horrific, promising even more dark and bizarre adventures to come in the Storm Siren trilogy.
Elementals are usually killed at birth, so Nym is lucky to be alive, even if she is a slave. Her supernatural powers have caused death and destruction to her owners, but now she has the opportunity to train as a weapon to serve her country. She fears she may never learn to control her power, but Eogan, assigned to train her, gives her the strength to believe in herself. Their growing love for each other, however, shifts control to those who would use her gifts for evil. (THOMAS NELSON, Aug., 320 pp., $15.99)
- See more at: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/storm-siren#sthash.aCqPDkvn.dpuf
Elementals are usually killed at birth, so Nym is lucky to be alive, even if she is a slave. Her supernatural powers have caused death and destruction to her owners, but now she has the opportunity to train as a weapon to serve her country. She fears she may never learn to control her power, but Eogan, assigned to train her, gives her the strength to believe in herself. Their growing love for each other, however, shifts control to those who would use her gifts for evil. (THOMAS NELSON, Aug., 320 pp., $15.99)
- See more at: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/storm-siren#sthash.aCqPDkvn.dpuf
bluebeereads's review against another edition
1.0
Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books
1.5 stars
I won't lie. I'm a bit disappointed here. This is exactly the kind of book I normally love but I didn't. I ended up skimming through the second half so it'd be over sooner. Others may love this book, but in the end, I can't say I did.
Storm Siren lacks world-building in my eyes. There wasn't enough information on the world and what was really going on. I don't like a lot of big info-dumps, but I needed a few in this one. More details on the world, the powers, the kingdoms, the Elementals. Just everything. There are a couple of terms that are used often in this book and I don't understand what they were. A couple of character talked different but it's never explained why. That is so confusing and after a while, annoying.
I didn't really like any of the characters. Nymia is just annoying to me, though I do like her powers. If I had to pick one person I did like... It'd be Colin or Breck. But even with those I didn't know enough about them to connect with and relate to them. Thus the romance failed too. Partly because it's somewhat of a love triangle with a hint of insta-love. I don't know why authors keep working those two in their novels. I don't get it! They must know we hate it if they've spent a little time reading reviews.
In the end this book failed to impress me. There was a lot of potential here and I loved the general idea for the story but for me it wasn't executed well enough. It gets points for the excellent cover though.
hdbblog's review against another edition
3.0
Consider my choice to read this book a massive case of cover lust. In fact, it was the second book in this series, Siren's Fury that caught my eye. These books are honestly gorgeous. When I found out that these stories dealt with elementals, my heart soared. I love Fantasy, and elemental magic is one of my favorite concepts. I couldn't wait to dive straight in.
Things start with a bang, quite literally, as Nym and her powers are introduced. I was drawn in by Nym's uniqueness. As an elemental, she should have been killed at birth. As a woman, she shouldn't even be an elemental. I loved this idea. To be caught up in a world where you don't really belong, and constantly wondering who will try to use you next. Or worse yet, who you might be forced to kill.
Anyone who follows my reviews know that I'm big on both characters and world-building. Those are the two cornerstones of Fantasy. In this case, the characters were spot on. I didn't always agree with Nym's choices, but I liked her well enough. Colin and Breck were actually my favorite characters, despite their more supporting roles. Eogan, well, I could have done without him. The problem with love triangles is, they need three people. For some reason, one always has to be a bad boy. Eogan fills that space, but it doesn't mean I enjoyed his character.
Now here's where the book started to lose me. First of all, I'm not a love triangle fan. Never have been, likely never will be. This is also the point in the book where I found out that Nym didn't want to step up to her powers. She doesn't want to kill. Anyone. Not even the people who want to kill her. The fact that she had the ability to save so many people, and chose not to? I wasn't a fan. As I reached the second half of this book, I also realized that a lot of my burning questions wouldn't be answered. No world-building was really done. I had no idea why elementals existed, nor did I learn a lot about any of the other magical races. It seemed that all of the focus was on the romance aspect.
So, did I love this book? Not quite. I did enjoy a fair bit of it though, and definitely liked it enough to continue on to the second in the series. My only hope is that I'll finally have some of my questions answered. That, and perhaps Nym will finally become the courageous character I know she has the ability to be. A bibliophile can hope.
Things start with a bang, quite literally, as Nym and her powers are introduced. I was drawn in by Nym's uniqueness. As an elemental, she should have been killed at birth. As a woman, she shouldn't even be an elemental. I loved this idea. To be caught up in a world where you don't really belong, and constantly wondering who will try to use you next. Or worse yet, who you might be forced to kill.
Anyone who follows my reviews know that I'm big on both characters and world-building. Those are the two cornerstones of Fantasy. In this case, the characters were spot on. I didn't always agree with Nym's choices, but I liked her well enough. Colin and Breck were actually my favorite characters, despite their more supporting roles. Eogan, well, I could have done without him. The problem with love triangles is, they need three people. For some reason, one always has to be a bad boy. Eogan fills that space, but it doesn't mean I enjoyed his character.
Now here's where the book started to lose me. First of all, I'm not a love triangle fan. Never have been, likely never will be. This is also the point in the book where I found out that Nym didn't want to step up to her powers. She doesn't want to kill. Anyone. Not even the people who want to kill her. The fact that she had the ability to save so many people, and chose not to? I wasn't a fan. As I reached the second half of this book, I also realized that a lot of my burning questions wouldn't be answered. No world-building was really done. I had no idea why elementals existed, nor did I learn a lot about any of the other magical races. It seemed that all of the focus was on the romance aspect.
So, did I love this book? Not quite. I did enjoy a fair bit of it though, and definitely liked it enough to continue on to the second in the series. My only hope is that I'll finally have some of my questions answered. That, and perhaps Nym will finally become the courageous character I know she has the ability to be. A bibliophile can hope.
ageorges's review against another edition
3.0
Not the worst thing I've ever read. This book suffered from something a lot if young adult novels do; the main character obsesses about her love interest's body even in the midst of life or death situations. Can you imagine how the Hunger Games would have been if Katniss had been dreaming about Peeta's abs while friends and allies were dropping dead around her? This sort of writing makes a main character look like an idiot. This book also has waaaay to obvious villains. When one of the bad guys hisses like a snake in casual conversation, you know you've gone too far. They are constantly spouting declarations of evilness like comic book supervillains. I was actually hoping the author was trying to trick us and make those who seemed like bad guys actually good guys and vice versa. But nope. The blatantly evil people are in fact villains.
readingwiththeresa's review against another edition
2.0
First book that I picked up for 2018 reading challenge and I am so sad that it did not live up to my expectation. 😞 I wanted to like it so bad and kept on pushing and hoping that it would get better but unfortunately, my heart was never into the story. Yes, there were some twists near the end and I was sad to see certain characters go but other than that, nothing stood out to me. I finished the book anyway because I didn’t want to just give up on my first read of the year. However, I don’t think I’ll continue with the series. 🙁
thebooksuccubus's review against another edition
4.0
I like the twist on a siren story with controlling the elements. Nym is a very strong willed girl and has caged her heart. It was a good journey to watch her grow and learn to let people in. I got to say I am glad that I started this book with the series being complete because otherwise the ending would have drove me nuts with not know. So far warning you will be started the second book as so as you read the last sentence. Good Luck. =]