The Siren

by Kiera Cass

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Selection series comes this sweeping standalone fantasy romance. A girl with a secret. The boy of her dreams. An ocean between them.

Throughout the ages, the Ocean has occasionally rescued young women from drowning. To repay their debt, these young women must serve for 100 years as Sirens, remaining young and beautiful and using their deadly voices to lure strangers into watery graves. To keep their true nature secret, Sirens must never speak to humans, and must be careful never to stay in the same place for too long. But once her century of service is over, each Siren gets a chance to start over - a chance to live the mortal life that was almost stolen from her.

Kahlen became a Siren after her family died in a terrible shipwreck, decades ago. And though a single word from her 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 of 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.

• ISBN10: 1440154236
• ISBN13: 9781440154232
• Publish Date: 1 July 2009
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: iUniverse.com
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Language: English

Reviews

[bookoala]

4,5 stars
It was a beautiful story, showing how powerful love can be in all its different ways. But I am definitely afraid of water now.

[bestmessever]

3.5 this was a super interesting story with some unique elements I wasn't expecting. There is a huge theme of family in this and I really enjoyed that not all of it was about the romance.

[Bianca]

— Boring plot, dull characters, cheesy romance. I might've liked it a bit though if there was no romance.

[mrs_mander_reads]

I very much enjoyed this book. I thought that the story was intriguing, and interesting take on the siren mythology. I was concerned, initially, because I was worried that it would read too much like The Selection series, but that wasn't the case at all.

[Sam@WLABB]

This was an interesting and cute foray into the mythology of sirens. I found the very beginning very strong, but alas, my favorite thing about this story was Akinili, and he unfortunately did not get a lot of page time. He was such a great character, and I wanted more and more of him. I did like the story, and thought it had a nice fairy tale quality. Not disappointed, but not blown away.

[Silvara]

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.

I loved how the sisters learned sign language, so they could talk to each other when out around humans. Since they were unable to actually speak without fear of a human hearing their voices and trying to drown themselves.

I also liked how close they all were to each other. Even though they weren't actually related, once a girl becomes a siren, she has instant sisters in the older sirens. Some form closer bonds than others, but all of them loved each other like actual sisters.

The siren lore was really interesting as well. They don't need to eat or sleep, but can do so if they choose. They can't speak within hearing distance of any human, or the human turns into a zombie and drowns themselves. Once their 100 years is up, and the Ocean releases them, they have no memories of their time as a siren, no memories of their past before being a siren.

Besides Kahlen and Akinli, my favorite character was Miaka. I liked Elizabeth as well, but not quite as much as the other three. All of their personalities were different, and made them easy to connect with. The Ocean has a personality too, but it was too inhuman to really click with well. Which totally works for the book and the character.

This is technically insta-love, but it actually works for once. Kahlen is very sheltered as a siren. She isn't allowed to form attachments to humans, just to her sisters. And from the glimpse we see of her life before she was a siren, I imagine she hasn't had a boyfriend before. And if she did have one, it has faded from her memory like most of the memories of her former life. So for all intents and purposes, she's never had a relationship or a crush. And then Akinli appears and really sees her. He tries to find ways to interact with her and make her laugh, even though she can't speak.

So it makes perfect sense that she would fall for him, and being the only boy in her life, and being such a funny and sweet guy, it also makes sense that it would turn into love. On his end? It does seem fairly fast, since they don't actually spend a lot of time together. Which is sort of explained towards the end of the book, but I can't really explain how because of spoilers for the ending.

I didn't like the Selection series, so was a little iffy on reading this book. But I'm so glad I did! It's so much better, and one that I wouldn't mind owning. If you like books with mythology and lots of family interaction, you need to read this book.

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

[cornerfolds]

I have a love/hate relationship with Kiera Cass. I loved her initial Selection trilogy, but I hated The Heir and never quite understood why there was ever a need for it to exist. I added The Siren to my TBR list way back before I ever read The Heir, when I was still excited about Kiera's books. Back when it had its original cover.

Even after really not liking The Heir, when I saw that The Siren was being re-released with an edit and a new cover, I decided to give it a try. Although I didn't go in with high expectations, I did expect to enjoy it since it was a departure from The Selection series.

The Siren begins with Kahlen's story before she became a siren. It's brief and doesn't give a huge amount of detail, although it's enough to explain how she became a mythical creature. Very quickly, we skip ahead 80 years and Kahlen is still a teenager in every way, which seems a little weird. It seems to me that if a person lives for almost 100 years, they should have a different level of maturity than your standard teenager, but okay... I don't really have much to say about Kahlen because, despite reading over 300 pages of her story, I don't feel like I learned anything about her. The entire story is literally about Kahlen moping and being depressed over the tragedy that is her life and her lost "soulmate," which brings me to Akinli.

Again, I don't feel like I learned enough about Akinli to make any kind of statement about his character. Kahlen repeatedly tells the reader what an incredible, perfect person he is, but how do I know this? All I came away from The Siren knowing about this character is that he's from Maine, likes cake, and knows how to dance. I don't feel like I have any reason to dislike Akinli, but I certainly don't know enough about him to say that I like him.

Let's jump right into the "romance" shall we? Allow me break this relationship down for you. Kahlen and Akinli meet twice, have one date, don't see each other for several months, spend less than 24 hours together, and are apparently soulmates.



Kahlen spends the entire book pining over a guy she has seen for less than 48 hours total. Less than 48 hours of 100 years, and that is completely ridiculous and unforgivable. Not only was there some pretty intense insta-love between the two love interests, but Akinli's entire family apparently instantly loves Kahlen too because... I have no idea why.

If I could sum up The Siren in one word it would be "incomplete." Reading this book, it is totally obvious that it was her first and that it needed a lot more work. Better yet, it should have been left alone. Nothing in The Siren seemed completely fleshed out. There was literally no history given on the sirens or how they came to be. The Ocean was vague and I didn't quite understand why She needed human sacrifices. The bit about the memories disappearing when a girl became a siren didn't make much sense because it only seemed to happen part of the time and the Ocean's rules seemed pointless since it seemed to be so easy to get around them.

In case I haven't made it clear, this book is NOT a book about sirens. The siren angle was secondary to the "romance" between Kahlen and Akinli. The fact that Kahlen was a siren only served as a way to keep the two apart so that they could pine over each other and almost die of heartbreak. (Excuse me while I go throw up.)

I didn't completely hate The Siren. There were a couple things I actually enjoyed, mainly Kahlen's sisters, but overall I was so disappointed by The Siren. I was really looking forward to another non-Selection book by Kiera Cass and truly hoped that I she would redeem herself in my eyes, but I have to report that was, sadly, not the case.

Actual rating: 1.5 stars

[Kelly]

Release the gowns.



The name Kiera Cass is synonymous with young adult, instant love, cliche storylines and of course ballgowns. Her Selection series covers are absolutely stunning and considering the predicament her protagonist America finds herself in, are well suited to the storyline and a great representation. Her novels are perfect for early teen readers who love a fairytale romance. The Siren on the other hand managed to weave underwater ballgowns into the storyline and although I enjoyed it sporadically despite my rating, it really wasn't for me.

The storyline follows our protagonist Kahlen, pronounced Kaylynn according to Kiera Cass' Tumblr page. Kahlen was once a wealthy society girl, traveling the open seas with her parents when tragedy strikes. While those around her have perished, Kahlen is offered a lifeline. To join the sisterhood of singing Sirens or join her parents on the ocean floor. She wants to live and tentatively accepts the deal.

Fast forward eighty years and Kahlen is now a Siren, immortal and only twenty years from completing her role until another takes her place. Along with her sisters in Elizabeth, Miaka and the soon to be departed Aisling, Kahlen serves the Ocean in an emotional contract which sees her sing to to feed her thirst for human life. The Ocean is portrayed as an energy who owns the life of each Siren until her time of servitude is over. She's possessive and continues to brainwash her possessions that they are her property. Although ruling with with a firm and controlling hand, She is passive aggressive and uses the motion of Her waves to caress her Sirens to soothe them in their time of need.



The Ocean has now become a third party in the strangest love triangle I've come across.

Akinli is a quiet and intelligent college student, meeting Kahlen in the student library in which he works. Apart from a name that sounds more like a cocktail, he's actually the only likable character The Siren has to offer. Like her sisters, Kahlen is mute. She communicates using sign language for the fear of her musical voice luring others to their death. Of course Akinli finds this endearing and cake baking ensues.



Good times kids. Good times.

Alas, their relationship can never be and Kahlen leaves behind a heartbroken Akinli to devote herself to the Ocean once more. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder and it isn't long until Kahlen wants to return, confiding in her sisters about the absence of love of her life that is slowly destroying her spirit. If she returns to Miami, the Ocean will surely destroy the sea fairing Akinli as punishment, ensuring She has Kahlen's devotion.

That's quite the dilemma Kahlen.

What did surprise me is that The Siren isn't a new release, but a polished version of an earlier release. It had potential, but I feel the finer details of the storyline is what let The Siren down. The mythology behind the Sirens felt flimsy. Mythical beings that were said to have lured men to their deaths, their willpower stripped away and leaving girls who lacked both personality and distinguishing traits. The romance soon became the focal point of the storyline and rather than world building or introducing much needed mythology while the young loves were separated, what I found was little more than teen angst and pining away for a boy she has only just met.


#typicalcass

The overall storyline had a wonderful premise, a mythical and immortal being, a forbidden romance and obstacles to overcome. But the lack of world building, little to no character development felt as though it could have been mistaken for satire. For all it's faults and there were many many faults, I still couldn't put it down.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

3.5 ★ Audiobook⎮ Something about the way Kiera Cass writes reminds me of sugary frosting. The writing style of this novel was very similar to that of The Selection series, it was light, fluffy, and filled with pretty flourishes of imagery. The difference, I was disappointed to realize, was that there was little more to The Siren than fluffy prettiness. At least with The Selection there was something substantive underneath the frosting. Listening to The Siren was like eating a bowl of frosting. It tastes great going down, but doesn't fill you up like a real meal would. Furthermore, you'll probably feel sick from ingesting so much sugary sweetness. Food analogy aside, I'm sure you get my point. This audiobook lasted exactly 7 hours, which is very, very short for any audiobook, especially a standalone novel. Most YA audiobooks last between 8-12 hours, with some going as long as 14-16. Standalone novels can last upwards of 20 hours. I was surprised to make it to the halfway point of this audiobook (3.5 hours) and discover that the plot hadn't really picked up any sort of momentum yet. That's when I realized I was in trouble. Up until that point, I was enjoying the frivolity of the story, thinking that the serious plot stuff would come later on. But... it never really did. Simply put, this novel lacks any kind of depth. It was a quick, superficial story that didn't take me long to get through and didn't require much thought at all on the part of the listener. Even towards the end, it maintained its fairytale vibe and the plot became increasingly predictable. I will say that the basic premise for the story was a very original idea and the only other thing I can compare it to is Disney's The Little Mermaid (and the myths from which that originates). There is also a serious case of "insta-love", which makes perfect sense to me given the obvious lack of depth in the entire story. I thought the individual characters were developed well enough, but never lived up to their full potential. I found myself disliking each of them at some point in the story, usually for being foolish and vapid. Overall, this story's development was just too insipid and shallow to be stimulating enough for me. It is fairly unremarkable and I doubt I will ever think about it again after this review, except to maybe lament what could have been. If only there had been a little cake underneath all of that frosting, I'm sure I would have come away much more satisfied.

Narration review: Arielle DeLisle provided delightful narration that fit the feel of the story perfectly. I was pleased with her tonal range and character distinction abilities. Her voice was very pleasant to hear and I felt she was an excellent choice for narrator of this story. Plus, I got a little chuckle out the fact that a woman named Arielle was narrating a story about a character who was basically a mermaid (or close enough). ♣︎

[liz089]

Read more about this review and others on my blog Freyja Eats Books

STANDALONE or SERIES.
Standalone, it was originally self-published in 2009, but she re-written the story and it just came out last month.

WHY this book.
Because I loved her other series, The Selection, very much. She has an easy and compelling way of writing that I really like.

FIRST THOUGHTS.
It was a bit heavier than I expected to be honest. The Selection series is, overall, a happy series with a lot of romance and stuff, but she keeps it light. In this novel there is more depression and sadness covering the story. But, it read away easy enough… Can’t help to be a bit disappointed..

PLOT.
The story is about Kahlen, who has been an obedient siren for over the last 80 years. But she starts having more thought about life, about what she could have but can’t because of what she is.. she meets a guy (don’t they always), Akinli, and falls in love. But being a siren forbids her for acting upon it, and she takes her distance. She gets a bit depressed, and misses him a lot.. Things go wrong when she sings for the Ocean and she ends up at Akinli’s feet. They fall deeper and deeper until they kiss and she speaks to him. But speaking to a normal human means condemning him to the Ocean, and to safe him she’s punished by adding 50 more years to her sentence as a siren and to never see him again. She agrees, but falls ill soon afterward (which is impossible for siren’s). And the weird thing being, she is not the only one.. Akinli is dying too…

I did like the story, though the plot was of course not the most original one. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, something happens what prevents them from being together, but in the end they have a happily ever after. What I did like though was the whole siren myth stuff. It was something different, especially the connection to the Ocean, and almost making Her like a person. I liked how it had a purpose, a goal. They don’t sing people to their dead for nothing, but to feed the Ocean and the Ocean gives life in return.. Liked that spin to it.
It was easy paced, not too fast, not too slow, and I was finished in no time.

ROMANCE.
The romance was quite cute. Because Kahlen can’t talk, their conversations consisted mostly of Akinli doing all the talking and her writing something down every now and then. But it was okay. Nothing hot and steamy, and kind of cliché with the loving and destiny… To me, not really special or breath-taking, but I was not bothered too much with it. It fitted.

EMOTION.
Even though I did not feel a lot along the way, I did get a bit down. When the vibe of the book is a bit sad and depressing, it influences me.

SETTING.
I really enjoyed the setting, with sirens coming from different times, with different backgrounds.
I loved how she pictured the sirens and why they do what they do. It’s not that they eat them, or suck their souls out, but they do it for their “master” the Ocean. She gets hungry and feeds on the humans. In return, she gives to the humans and serve them in her own way. I liked that, it has a harmony to it. There are of course some rules to being a siren, like you can’t ever talk to humans (unless you are singing them to their dead) and you serve the Ocean for 100 years, after which you become human again (with no memory of the past) and you can live out your life. You are immortal for those years, so you don’t age and can’t get sick or die.
Also, when they went looking for a cure they went through all kind of folklore and myths, I liked that, it’s not like the cure just magically came upon them.

CHARACTERS.
I found the main character a bit depressing, makes sense of course after living such a long life.. Especially if you can barely interact with humans. But overall she had a negative view, a negative personality and I dislikes that. That might be because I always try to look at things positive, but well..
Akinli was very nice, a real good person, always looking at things from the bright side, and I appreciated that.

I was kind of confused about her sisters, I did really like Aisling, but the others were quite whimsical. They were there for her, but not. They followed her but where not really there for her. But in the end they helped her and that’s what matters the most I suppose.

THE BAD.
Overall, the book had kind of a negative vibe and even though nothing’s wrong with more serious stories but it did not really fit in my opinion. Especially not with the cliché soulmates love conquers all stuff going on. Both of them are fine on their own, but I found it was not a great combination.

FAVORITE QUOTES.
"She told me to live..
I didn't know how to tell Her that simply being alive was not enough to be called living."
.
“Wanting to cry doesn’t mean you can. Or at least not in any way that can give you some sort of satisfaction. It’s a luxury really. The same goes for songs and laughter, or the words whispered in the ear of a friend.”
.
“Books were a safe place, a world apart from my own. No matter what had happened that day, that year, there was always a story in which someone overcame their darkest hour. I wasn't alone.”

FINAL THOUGHTS.
Even though I finished the book very fast, it was not that great of a story to me. I liked it yes, but it was not a great read. It was predictable and cliché, and I had not a lot of connections to the main character. Even though she re-wrote it, it was not as good as her Selection series. Maybe it is not fair to compare, but I could not, not compare it and I find The Siren flawed. I was really looking forward to it, and it did not live up to my expectations. It was a fine read nevertheless, Kiera Cass writes very easy and compelling, which added to my rating. And all the mythical stuff was quite interesting. Don’t really know if I would recommend it.. But I would like to rate it with 3 Freyja’s.