Ha! I just realized that there has been this same title before, so I have to clarify that this is completely different from The Siren by Tiffany Reisz. Very different. I read this book a few years ago and recently re-read it. The concept is what made me curious. We all know the stories of sirens and how they lure sailors to their deaths. This is a very original spin on it, and it had me wanting to read it.
Blurb:
"You must never do anything
that might expose our secret. This means that, in general, you cannot
form close bonds with humans. You can speak to us, and you can always
commune with the Ocean, but you are deadly to humans. You are,
essentially, a weapon. A very beautiful weapon. I won't lie to you, it
can be a lonely existence, but once you are done, you get to live. All
you have to give, for now, is obedience and time..."
The same speech has been
given hundreds of times to hundreds of beautiful girls who enter the
sisterhood of sirens. Kahlen has lived by these rules for years now,
patiently waiting for the life she can call her own. But when Akinli, a
human, enters her world, she can't bring herself to live by the rules
anymore. Suddenly the life she's been waiting for doesn't seem nearly as
important as the one she's living now.
Age: 13 years and up
Review: 4.5 stars
This is a love story with a twist. Kahlen is a siren. This means that, along with three others (there can only ever be four at one time), she sings people to their deaths. Her voice makes people want to drown themselves. Why does she do this? To help the Ocean. The Ocean needs these people's lives in order to survive and maintain the balance of the world. The few for the many. We've all heard that saying.
Kahlen was on the verge of dying when the Ocean gave her a choice: live as a siren for a century and then get a second chance at life or die. Seems like an easy choice, no?
But the sirens don't know what they're getting themselves into. Not until it's too late. Kahlen is lonely, as is everyone after they've been on their own for as long a time as her. And suddenly—this boy pops up. Akinli. They're attracted to each other, and that first meeting sets off a chain of events that has Kahlen putting everything in danger. The Ocean's and siren's existence as well as Akinli's life.
Kahlen also doubts her role as a siren. She is essentially killing people, and she feels extremely guilty about it. There is a lot of internal struggle in this book that is essential to the story.
I loved the new twist that Cass puts on the "siren" thing. The fact that the Ocean needs these lives is an extremely original concept that had me picking the book up. The amazing plot and characters kept me reading and not putting it down.
Akinli's love and trust in Kahlen had my heart melting. He is such a sweet person and the fact that he trusts Kahlen so much means that he is that good of a person.
There are other sirens, but this is Akinli and Kahlen's story, and talking about the others gives away too much of the story—I fear I've given away too much already!
Only one tiny thing prevented me from giving this book 5 stars, and that is the fact that Kahlen sometimes seemed a bit foolish. A few things she did in the book had be questioning if she really had matured throughout the time she'd been a siren.
All in all, I really loved this book and strongly recommend it to people who love fantasy, characters who grow as the story goes on, and most of all, love.
Yours,
Labels: fantasy, fiction, four stars, love, magic, reviews, romance, teen
