Author: Tricia Rayburn
Pages: 368
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Source: Library
Synopsis: 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.
There was a question on a blog hop that asked me do I pick books to read based on covers, and I said yes. Siren is an example of that. I've been super excited to read books about Sirens for a while now so two things drew me in. A) the creepy blue cover with the silver eyes and B) the title of the book. Yes, I'm that superficial and I'm not afraid to admit it. I don't buy books so the worst thing that could have happened was me going to the library and deciding I didn't want to check out the book.
Anyway, Siren is about Vanessa, a quiet, scared girl who loves her sister above all. Too bad her sister dies within approximately 30 pages of the book. Seriously, the book started with Justine's death and Vanessa trying to cope.
Siren had amazing potential. Sirens aren't done much in books (or at least in the ones I've read... If you have heard of a book about sirens, let me know about it!) so there were so many possibilities. Sadly, Siren didn't reach it's full potential. I guessed many of the plot twists, I wasn't interested in my main character's romance, and at times the plot wasn't moving fast enough for me.
Guessing what was going on was a huge part of the novel, but once again the title of the book ruined it for me. I would have loved to be wondering what was happening, I wanted to be scared and on the edge of my seat imagining the possibilities until *gasp* I find out the story is about sirens. Naming the title Siren ruined all that. I was anxious for the main character to be on the same page as me and was annoyed when poor Vanessa wasn't.
There were many good things in the story though. Some of the characters were unique and complicated (Justine) and they were fun to read about. Vanessa is nice and sweet and she loves her family. Her family struggles and relations were life like. There was a very interesting backstory and overall this book lead me to believe that the sequel has the possibility to be stunning.
The plot was interesting and the suspense rose with the death toll. I suspected the criminals but how to stop them was another matter. I was stumped but the way Vanessa and her friends concluded the story was good though I have a hard time believing it's real. This is fantasy so that doesn't matter too much. Once again I realized how important the little details in a book are to the absolute story.
All in all, Siren is a suspenseful blend of love, danger, and startling revelations. It's a good read for fans of paranormal books, especially underwater type books but it's not a must read. 3 stars, a nice read,
***
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.
There was a question on a blog hop that asked me do I pick books to read based on covers, and I said yes. Siren is an example of that. I've been super excited to read books about Sirens for a while now so two things drew me in. A) the creepy blue cover with the silver eyes and B) the title of the book. Yes, I'm that superficial and I'm not afraid to admit it. I don't buy books so the worst thing that could have happened was me going to the library and deciding I didn't want to check out the book.
Anyway, Siren is about Vanessa, a quiet, scared girl who loves her sister above all. Too bad her sister dies within approximately 30 pages of the book. Seriously, the book started with Justine's death and Vanessa trying to cope.
Siren had amazing potential. Sirens aren't done much in books (or at least in the ones I've read... If you have heard of a book about sirens, let me know about it!) so there were so many possibilities. Sadly, Siren didn't reach it's full potential. I guessed many of the plot twists, I wasn't interested in my main character's romance, and at times the plot wasn't moving fast enough for me.
Guessing what was going on was a huge part of the novel, but once again the title of the book ruined it for me. I would have loved to be wondering what was happening, I wanted to be scared and on the edge of my seat imagining the possibilities until *gasp* I find out the story is about sirens. Naming the title Siren ruined all that. I was anxious for the main character to be on the same page as me and was annoyed when poor Vanessa wasn't.
There were many good things in the story though. Some of the characters were unique and complicated (Justine) and they were fun to read about. Vanessa is nice and sweet and she loves her family. Her family struggles and relations were life like. There was a very interesting backstory and overall this book lead me to believe that the sequel has the possibility to be stunning.
The plot was interesting and the suspense rose with the death toll. I suspected the criminals but how to stop them was another matter. I was stumped but the way Vanessa and her friends concluded the story was good though I have a hard time believing it's real. This is fantasy so that doesn't matter too much. Once again I realized how important the little details in a book are to the absolute story.
All in all, Siren is a suspenseful blend of love, danger, and startling revelations. It's a good read for fans of paranormal books, especially underwater type books but it's not a must read. 3 stars, a nice read,
***
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I can see why you picked this one based on the cover, it does sound interesting. Good review
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