Synopsis
Years ago, Kahlen was rescued from drowning by the Ocean. To repay her debt, she has served as a Siren ever since, using her voice to lure countless strangers to their deaths. Though a single word from Kahlen can kill, she can't resist spending her days on land, watching ordinary people and longing for the day when she will be able to speak and laugh and live freely among them again.
Kahlen is resigned to finishing her sentence in solitude . . . until she meets Akinli. Handsome, caring, and king, Akinli is everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. And though she can't talk to him, they soon forge a connection neither of them can deny . . . and Kahlen doesn't want to.
Falling in love with a human breaks all the Ocean's rules, and if the Ocean discovers Kahlen's feelings, she'll be forced to leave Akinli for good. but for the first time in a lifetime of following the rules, Kahlen is determined to follow her heart.
Loved
Okay, just as a disclaimer: I went into this book knowing it would be cheesy. I mean, read the back cover and you know you're in for some cheese. But I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it!
- The sacrifice theme. I was surprised at the deeper themes of selflessness and sacrifice that happen at the end of this book. I won't spoil, but the characters make some painful sacrifices for each other out of love- not just romantic love, but sisterly love.
- Speaking of sisterly love, that was another thing I loved about this story. This is a romance, but I felt the focus of the story was definitely Kahlen and her Siren sisters. These girls all come from traumatic pasts and are forced to murder hundreds of people every six months- yet they love each other and are so loyal and selfless toward each other. I loved their relationships and what they are willing to do for each other's happiness- at their own costs.
- Akinli. Okay this guy is truly one of the sweetest out there. Kahlen can't talk to him, but he respects that and is determined to be friends with her and get to know her anyway. I love that he is so accepting of her differences and not distracted by her unearthly beauty. He is definitely worth all the trouble Kaheln goes through for him in this story :)
- Kahlen. I love that Kahlen was born in the fifties, so she's old-fashioned and classy. She did have some of lack of communication and moodiness like many YA heroines, but she is wise, sefless, and compassionate- making her a fascinating character as one forced to regularly murder scores of people. I enjoyed her journey of learning when to follow rules and when to follow what she felt was right.
Loved
Okay, just as a disclaimer: I went into this book knowing it would be cheesy. I mean, read the back cover and you know you're in for some cheese. But I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it!
- The sacrifice theme. I was surprised at the deeper themes of selflessness and sacrifice that happen at the end of this book. I won't spoil, but the characters make some painful sacrifices for each other out of love- not just romantic love, but sisterly love.
- Speaking of sisterly love, that was another thing I loved about this story. This is a romance, but I felt the focus of the story was definitely Kahlen and her Siren sisters. These girls all come from traumatic pasts and are forced to murder hundreds of people every six months- yet they love each other and are so loyal and selfless toward each other. I loved their relationships and what they are willing to do for each other's happiness- at their own costs.
- Akinli. Okay this guy is truly one of the sweetest out there. Kahlen can't talk to him, but he respects that and is determined to be friends with her and get to know her anyway. I love that he is so accepting of her differences and not distracted by her unearthly beauty. He is definitely worth all the trouble Kaheln goes through for him in this story :)
- Kahlen. I love that Kahlen was born in the fifties, so she's old-fashioned and classy. She did have some of lack of communication and moodiness like many YA heroines, but she is wise, sefless, and compassionate- making her a fascinating character as one forced to regularly murder scores of people. I enjoyed her journey of learning when to follow rules and when to follow what she felt was right.
Didn't Love
- As I said earlier, this was a little cheesy. I cringed a little at the back cover of the book- read it, and you'll see why. But I decided to give it a shot anyway, and I ended up really enjoying the book. The writing is definitely not the most polished and is meant to be engaging rather than eloquent. There were a few cringy lines, but if you just accept the cheesiness and go in with that expectation it probably won't bother you too much :)
- Language:
- Rare uses of "damn" and "ass."
- Sexual content:
- One kiss is lightly described (this is where the cheesiness got a little cringy).
- One of the Siren sisters has many lovers and there are a few references to her "sharing fluids" with many people and being "as intimate as two people can possibly be."
- Violence:
- Quite a few scenes and references to the Sirens singing and whole cruise/wedding parties/families drowning themselves because of their songs. The main character watches her family drown and nearly drowns as well. People are described as being in kind of a trance when they hear the music and they drown themselves in any water near them. The main character is very disturbed by these deaths.
- One character has endured severe abuse from her father. Talk of him physically hurting her in many ways. She talks about how he tied bricks to her limbs and put her in water to kill her. She goes back and kills her parents later in the story, but nothing is described about this except that it happened.
- Rare uses of "damn" and "ass."
- One kiss is lightly described (this is where the cheesiness got a little cringy).
- One of the Siren sisters has many lovers and there are a few references to her "sharing fluids" with many people and being "as intimate as two people can possibly be."
- Quite a few scenes and references to the Sirens singing and whole cruise/wedding parties/families drowning themselves because of their songs. The main character watches her family drown and nearly drowns as well. People are described as being in kind of a trance when they hear the music and they drown themselves in any water near them. The main character is very disturbed by these deaths.
- One character has endured severe abuse from her father. Talk of him physically hurting her in many ways. She talks about how he tied bricks to her limbs and put her in water to kill her. She goes back and kills her parents later in the story, but nothing is described about this except that it happened.
Overall Thoughts
I was a little hesitant about the Siren because I didn't love the Selection series. But I actually enjoyed this story more than the Selection because I loved the characters and the themes so much. I was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful ending that represented sacrifice and selflessness out of love for someone else, and I've been thinking about the ending ever since closing the book. This is definitely more a story about sisterhood than about romance, and that was refreshing to see these sister Sirens love each other so much. I would give this 4 stars- I really enjoyed it and would read it again, but it didn't blow me away necessarily. I definitely recommend this for a fast, light read that might just impact you a little more than you expected.
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