The Siren By Kiera Cass

Book Type: YA Novel
Author: Kiera Cass
Pages: 327

Summary(goodreads.com):
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 kind, 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.

My Review:
A lifelong curse, a cute blond boy, and a girl who only wants love... after a mer-friend told me about this book, I wanted to check it out! Sadly, this book did not meet my expectations.

What I Loved:
The beginning of this book is fantastic! The story starts right away and we see how Kahlen became a siren.  I also loved the siren sisterhood. These girls stick together no matter what and help each other overcome horrible past memories. I also loved how Cass was creative with the ocean. The actual Ocean is a character in this book. Part Goddess, part mother, and part keeper of souls, the character fluctuates in moods in behaviors just like the sea.

What I Didn't Like:
By halfway through the book nothing was  happening! I kept waiting for the story to progress but a majority of it was Kahlen complaining about her circumstances. While the other siren sisters did what they could to enjoy their lives, Kahlen chose to sleep all day and languish in her misery!

Kahlen doesn't have a life. The second half of the book was her complaining about her siren life or pining for Akinli.

The concept of love is shallow.
The first time Kahlen meets Akinli and then goes on ONE date, she believes she is in love with him all of a sudden. Perhaps she is infatuated, or maybe flattered with his looks, but love takes time to develop and blossom and does not happen appear after one date. 

This book was unfortunately very boring and depressing. I give this book (**) 2 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie 

Siren Series By Tricia Rayburn

Book Type: Novel/Series
Author: Tricia Rayburn
Pages: Book 1) 344

Summary of first book(goodreads.com):
Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything--the dark, heights, the ocean--but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge.  That is until Justine goes cliff diving one night near the family's vacation house in Winter Harbor, Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day. 

Vanessa's parents want to work through the tragedy by returning to their everyday lives back in Boston, but Vanessa can't help feeling that her sister's death was more than an accident.  After discovering that Justine never applied to colleges, and that she was secretly in a relationship with longtime family friend Caleb Carmichael, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor to seek some answers.

But when Vanessa learns that Caleb has been missing since Justine's death, she and Caleb's older brother, Simon, join forces to try to find him, and in the process, their childhood friendship blossoms into something more.  
Soon it's not just Vanessa who is afraid.  All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes home to a string of fatal, water-related accidents . . . in which all the victims are found grinning from ear to ear.  

As Vanessa and Simon probe further into the connections between Justine's death and the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance, and that will change her life forever.

My Review:
This book had a lot of potential, but sadly, it missed the mark for me. The first problem I had with this book is the way events are written. At the beginning of the book, I had to keep re-reading sections because I didnt understand what was happening. For example, Justine's death was written strangely, and she isn't pronounced dead right away. It's too wordy.

There also isn't a clear description of Vanessa. Beside the fact that she has blonde hair and major anxiety issues, I'm not sure what else there is to say. Is she tall or short? What about her eyes? Is her smile pretty? Is she petite or curvy? 

Vanessa also has problems sorting out her feelings. While it's clear that she feels something for Simon, she also leads him on. I hope the next two books in the series are better and full of more siren details!

I give this book (**) 2 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie