The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea (Embraced by Magic, #2)

by Kerrelyn Sparks

Perfect for fans of Christine Feehan’s Carpathian series and  G.A. Aiken’s The Blacksmith Queen, New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks combines humor, action, and love in the electrifying new book in her thrilling fantasy series.
 
Four sisters have become queens, rulers of all that Aerthlan’s two moons embrace. The last sister will forge her own path . . .
 
Signs and Seals
 
Raised on the magic-seeped Isle of Moon, Maeve is used to unusual powers—and the way they fuel the politics of her world. But when she discovers an ability to shape-shift at will, she knows who she wants to share it with first. Brody, the enigmatic, infuriating shifter-spy has always made time for Maeve. But it’s been almost two months since she’s seen him. And though no one else believes Brody is in danger, Maeve is more than ready to rescue him herself.
 
The rumors Brody’s investigating are terrifying: a secret army of magic-users, in the service of the cruel Circle of Five. But when he uncovers the identity of one of the Five, the mission becomes personal. Cursed as a boy by the Sea Witch, Brody can spend only two hours a day in his human form, a restriction that limits his future and muzzles his heart. Plus Maeve teases him for being such a pretty doggy instead of appreciating his manly charms. To win his freedom, he must take on a terrible disguise. And when Maeve finds out, she’ll unleash a tempest like no other . . .

• ISBN10: 1496730062
• ISBN13: 9781496730060
• Publish Date: 25 August 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781496730060

Reviews

[Inkslinger]

ARC provided by Kensington Books and Kerrelyn Sparks via NetGalley. All opinions are mine and freely given.

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08-25: For years I've been intending to read some Kerrelyn Sparks. She was part of the big surge of vamp novels that followed The Vampire Chronicles and she was incredibly popular at the time. At some point down the line, I picked up one or two books from her 'Love at Stake' series, but they just ended up on the shelves and I never got around to reading them.

So, when the opportunity to read a new title from her that also happened to deal with the whole siren theme I love so much, I signed right up.

'The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea' centers around a girl named Maeve who was raised on the Isle of Moon. Having grown up an orphan, raised in a convent with four sisters sharing her circumstances, all but she have gone on to marry men who become kings of the four great lands. As the only one who hasn't ascended to the role of queen somewhere and the only one still single, she feels like an outcast amongst them.

Though she's discovered an ability to shape-shift at will, there's only one person she wants to share it with right away. Enter Brody.. the elusive, mysterious, often infuriating shifter who spies throughout the kingdoms for the four royal families.

Cursed as a child by the Sea Witch and barely escaping the same fate that killed his father and brother, Brody can spend only two hours a day in his own form, which leaves him feeling destined to live out his future alone.

Essentially, as he begins to investigate rumors of impending threats to the kingdoms, what he finds is shocking and turns the situation into a very personal endeavor for him.

At best, this book is incredibly average. It's filled.. front to back.. with the gamut of cliched tropes. Nearly every major character we come across is paired up with someone so they all have perfect little arrangements.

Each major magical ability the enemies bear, someone on Maeve and Brody's side also has. If they can't match it, they either have the perfect counter to it, or someone develops one of the two. The flaws and disruptions in their plans are so perfectly placed, that with amazing luck and all those special abilities, everything pretty much goes off without a hitch anyway.

The dialogue is incredibly boring and uninspired. In fact, there are patterns to certain types of scenes the author seems to love and utilizes with more than one group of people. For example, she loves to toss two people together with mild conflicts who like each other, make their circumstances kind of tense, have them flirt in the midst of whatever is happening, and then have someone nearby them comment about the fact they're flirting while these things are happening around them. If you read this book, you'll see what I mean.

The world-building is actually minimal with most of it written like a text based map, mountainous region, misty island, you get the picture. Probably the only place Sparks really put any descriptive detail was the Sea Witch's home.

And just in case that isn't enough to make us groan, the smut is really awkward. Fine, Maeve's a virgin. Sure, everyone loves that cliche. Add to that, she's nearly astonished by the existence of her own body parts and how they work, as if she's never had a clue they were there or what they might do. The bedroom conversation? Nearly as awkward. If it weren't for the fact Brody can be amusing in those moments, I don't know if I could have even gotten through them.

I really wouldn't suggest wasting your time on this novel. I mean, if you're trapped in an elevator for a few hours and it's the only thing in your hand, I don't know.. maybe use it to bang on the door and scream for help.

PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSAMILLION | GOOGLEPLAY BOOKS | INDIGO | KOBO | WATERSTONES

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08-24: Almost done.. review to come tomorrow!

08-23: I'm about 65% of the way through the book already and intend to finish it by Monday for sure.. it's a quick read..

08-22: I've always wanted to check out a Kerrelyn Sparks book. I've had Lothaire on my shelves forever.. but I'm starting here because I'm in the mood for sea stories it seems. lol

[stacey_is_sassy]

I want to be Embraced…

There is something exhilarating about coming to the end of a book or series and knowing that everything has come together perfectly. While it did take me a wee while to get sucked into The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea, once things started to happen, I couldn’t stop. I even downloaded it to my phone to get a little sneaky reading in here and there. So much sneakier than dragging around my big and cumbersome Kindle. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Kindle but it’s definitely my ‘at home’ device for reading.

Anyways… I loved seeing all of the pieces fall into place and getting the shock of my life when the surprise unveiling of royalty took place. Knock me over with a feather, I did not see it coming. All of the royalty in this series are down to earth and very likeable. A little like the young English monarchy – they appear friendly, approachable, and almost normal. Sure, they have guards, servants, and minders, but they also appear to be willing to get their hands dirty. In this story, I think they are normal because they haven’t been hiding in their castles while someone else deals with problems. They have had to face and fight their enemies while also keeping their loved ones safe.

I loved getting to know Maeve and Brody better… while they got to know each other better. It does take time for them to trust each other and the feelings that have always simmered between them. If anything, they’ve had to learn to trust that the feelings won’t disappear once all of their secrets have been exposed. Brody is not sure he wants Maeve to sacrifice her life with someone cursed. Maeve is sure that her family baggage will make him run for the hills. Communication is the key, and once it’s all out on the table they realise that their love for each other will conquer all obstacles.

The second half of The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea was fast-paced, exciting and highly informative. Sure, stuff happened in the first half but I admit that it didn’t have my heart pumping as the second half did.

I have really enjoyed reading The Embraced series. Their world was easy to imagine, the characters were original, lovable, and determined to bring peace, and the love stories were sweet. I highly recommend giving this series a try, but you must…start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.

[EBookObsessed]

Just when you think we knew it all, there are more secrets to be revealed.

The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea is a story about secrets.   You would think after four books we would have a hold on all the secrets that are to be revealed but The Siren and The Deep Blue Sea could have simply shortened the title to The Book of Secrets.

Obviously, Brody hides secrets. We didn't know too much about Brody except that he showed up one day in Leo's tent and shifts from a dog into a human shocking Leo and Nevis and from there he becomes an ally and a spy for Eberoni. We know that Brody suffers under a curse but we finally learn how Brody became cursed, where he ended up and how he lived after he was cursed and where he originally came from.

Maeve has secrets but actually Maeve isn't hiding her secrets. Maeve simply didn't know her own secrets but here we will learn why Maeve was left on the Isle of Mist to be raised by the Sisters. We will also learn who her parents are and why Maeve shifts into a seal on the full moon. Actually, there is one secret that Maeve holds dear. She knows that Brody joins her every month when she changes to a seal during the full moon. He thinks that she is unaware and she knows that if he was ever aware that she recognized him, he would stop coming to play with her. As Maeve's story unfolds, it will also bring big changes to her life.

The secret Circle of Five have been plotting to overthrow the kingdoms of the mainland and take their power for themselves.  Oh wait, we killed a couple already...so, that makes it a secret Circle of Three.  More a secret triangle now, but who make up that remaining triangle plotting against the mainland kingdoms still remains to be seen.

While Maeve doesn't know anything about her family, it is not her family she is searching for in this story. Maeve is searching for someplace called the Isle of Secrets. As you might imagine, this island is full of...you guessed it: it is full of Secrets. Maeve is looking the Isle of Secrets because Brody has been missing for the past two months and she believes the Isle of Secrets is where he has gone to look for the secret Embraced Army. Is this secret army hiding and preparing for their attack on the Isle of Secrets? Oooo...maybe.

This Embrace Army is being lead by a person only referred to as the Chameleon because he can shapeshift into any animal and more importantly into any person. The Chameleon has tried to take over the mainland kingdoms by killing and impersonating the former kings only to confronted and chased away by Brody who can recognize his scent. And while Brody can scent him, no one has seen his true face. The Chameleon can be anyone but even if he is wearing his own face, no one will know except for Brody so the Chameleon is determined to get rid of the only one who can track him down.

The only thing that isn't a secret in this story is how much Maeve and Brody love each other...oh, wait.  Actually, that's not a secret to us, but it is a secret to the characters since they keep from each other, or more to the point, Brody is keeping Maeve at arm's length to protect her from danger and to protect her from his cursed self. You can imagine just how well that goes over with Maeve who is tired of Brody as well as her older sister's always needing to protect poor little Maeve from herself.

Since this is the final story, we will have an answer to all these secrets. We will finally have the epic battle with the witch that cursed Brody as well as the Chameleon.

There is one thing I found disappointing, but I should have realized it before if I really thought about it, we have been afraid of the Embraced Army and their combined powers and what that would do to our new peaceful Kingdoms, except I forgot one key element, Lord Morris has been "collecting" Embraced children from their parents for the last 20 years or so...That makes the Embraced Army a bunch of kids. Kids! And not all of them have awesome powers. The kids who have crappy Embraced powers are treated as slave labor. All I could think was that these kids will all run away once they know they aren't the only Embraced and that they can return home or whatever other lies they have been told all their lives.

After all the fear of an Embraced Army being lead by the Circle of Five and it turned out to be a rather small bunch of kids? It reminds me of a Sesame Street book my little sister had called The Monster at the End of this Book where Grover is terrified of you getting to the end of the story and it turns out the monster at the end was only him. This big Embraced Army that we feared could destroy the mainland turns out to be only a small bunch of kids with only a handful being teenagers. Even the characters in the book didn't put together that since this Circle of Five has only been plotting for the last two decades and the kids being stolen couldn't have been grown up. It was a bit disappointing.

I love the wit and humor that Kerrelyn Sparks brings to her stories. The Embraced series allowed her to let her imagination run wild creating impossible Embranced magics. I am sorry to see the series complete but look forward to what she will create for us next.

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate (Blogging with Dragons)]

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I was a bit hesitant to read The Siren and Deep Blue Sea after not enjoying the last book in the Embraced/Embraced by Magic series, How to Love Your Elf. After all, any novel that makes you question if  the other books in the series were actually ever any good or if you had some kind of a lapse in judgement does not exactly make you want to rush out and by subsequent entries in said series. Call me sentimental, but I did really want to know how the Embraced/Embraced by Magic series ended and I hoped it would redeem itself after the last less than stellar entry. I found that though The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea wasn't the best entry in the series, it certainly wasn't the worst either.

"If she had any feelings for him, he had to put a stop to them. He didn't know if he would ever get rid of this damned curse, and he would never ask her to share his accursed life. Maeve was too special, too sweet to be stuck with am man who could be a husband for only two hours a day."

Throughout the rest of the series, the romance and connection between cursed shapeshifter Brody--who is only able to exist in his true form for two hours a day due to the sinister spell of a Sea Witch--and Maeve--the youngest of the five Embraced sisters--was strongly foreshadowed. As a result, I had pretty high expectations for this romance, since it was well-established over the course of the four previous novels in the series. As a siren, Maeve is pretty dang enchanting supposedly, (we are simply told she that has a beautiful voice, but men never seem to drown when they're on a boat with her or anything remotely interesting or problematic), and the fact that she can also shift into a seal, which also means she's a selkie, only adds to her appeal to Brody. He's spent years secretly shifting into an otter or seal to play with Maeve when she's in her seal form, only to avoid her when he's in human form, for her own sake. Brody desperately doesn't want Maeve to return his secret romantic feelings as he can only be a human for two hours a day. We all know that's a lot cause, but I found the whole forbidden love and the idea of only being together in seal form pretty original and enticing.

"This was one of the reasons she'd always felt so close to Brody. His past was mysterious too, and he was also an embraced Shifter. Because of a witch's curse, he could maintain human form for only two hours a day, and unfortunately, he spent most of that time in secret conferences with Leo or whichever king he was currently helping. So it was only a rare occasions that Maeve saw him as a human."

Unfortunately, Brody and Maeve's romance, which was so built up over the course of the different novels, was a letdown for me. Everything went far too smoothly and perfectly despite their amount of issues. I felt disappointed by their lack of rapport, despite knowing each other for so long. Perhaps their stilted and unnatural conversations were due to the characters spending so much time interacting as seals that they simply didn't know how to communicate with one another in human form. But as this is not alluded to as a reason, I have to chock it up to unfortunate writing. I was even more irritated that this lack of ability to have a decent conversation, where neither is naked or hiding something. However, I was more frustrated that Brody's inability to be in human form for over two hours, does not at all inhibit them from consummating the relationship before curing Brody's curse, rendering his reservations from an entire series as a mere plot device in one fell swoop. I really wish their romance had been more of a slow burn throughout the course of this novel and not just the rest of the series.

The other side romance of the story wasn't any better. In fact, it was worse. Brody's sister, whom we never even knew about before this novel, and his friend, Nevis hit it off right away. I really couldn't care less about their instant love at first sight as I didn't even remember Nevis from previous novels and had no attachment to Eleanor at all, since she wasn't in them. Plus it was more just the fulfillment of the trope of a princess falling in love with someone below her station than actual development between the two. And this relationship got quite annoying because anyone in the presence of Nevis and Eleanor for half a second made an unfunny "I can't believe they're flirting right now" joke that repeats about 15 times throughout the entirety of The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea. It honestly felt like more and I found myself skimming whenever they came onto the page.

"And now she felt even more left out. Her sisters and their husbands had become an exclusive group she could never join."

And if you think that one princess per novel is enough, you'd definitely disagree with the author, who I can only imagine thinks every girl dreams of being a princess or Queen. I had to laugh at the beginning of The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea when Maeve said there was no way she would end up becoming a queen like her four sisters. Of course she does. And not only is Maeve actually a princess, but Brody is also a long believed dead prince! As if Maeve having four sisters as Queens wasn't enough, her mother was a queen of an ancient race. Talk about royalty overkill. The ending is similarly nauseatingly happy, with Maeve being the daughter of the Sea Witch who cursed Brody in the first place and inheriting all of her evil mother's powers upon her death. This grants Maeve the ability to easily cure some other kid's curse, Brody's curse, and her brother-in-law's inability to touch his children without electrocuting them with his lighting powers. Every little lose end is tied up in a pretty little package with a bow on top--everyone lives happily ever after, with Brody and Maeve being the future King and Queen of the very last monarchy with a vacancy.

I would've been far happier if Brody and Maeve had simply lived together as seals, swimming the oceans, and dropping by to visit her sisters when she felt like it. They also could have just spent Brody's two hours as humans when they felt like it. Surely it would have been far more romantic if Maeve had accepted Brody as he was, in any form than the two simply rehashing the other novels of the series and becoming yet another royal couple. I wish Maeve, who always felt like the odd one out of her sisters, had found her own, different sort of happiness. I think it would've been more fitting and romantic. Plus, even in stories like The Little Mermaid, the mermaid has to give up her home in the sea and her family to be with her human prince. But in the Embraced/Embraced by Magic series no character has to make any sacrifices to achieve what they want and that makes the novel utterly unrealistic and forgettable. 

Instead of realistic struggles and sacrifices, every single characters gets their happy ending in The Embraced/Embraced by Magic series, and it was more than just a little ridiculous how overly happy it was. The entire world is now at peace due to the romances of the five female sisters. Maeve, who was already a siren and a selkie, gains the Seer powers of her deceased father, and all of her the Sea Witches's magical powers and abilities--making Maeve a Seer, witch, selkie, siren, and queen. Laying it on pretty thick, if you ask me. And The Siren and the Deep Blue Seadoesn't offer much in the way of resistance to the saccharine ending. The sinister Embraced army that was such a huge threat and required literally four other countries to defeat them, ends up being made up of literally less than ten kids with magical powers, who spend a lot of time crying and not wanting to hurt other people. They too, of course, are all forgiven and find happy ever afters among the sisters. Likewise, the Chameleon, the big bad shapeshifter--who can be transform into anything or anyone and was the antagonist from the entire series goes down pretty damn easily. It is all very anticlimactic and sickeningly fortunate and I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it.

"The civilization had been quite advanced, with paved roads and elegant stone villas with pools overlooking the sea. Members of the ancient race had been capable of different kinds of sorcery--shifting into animals and sea creatures, telepathy, telekinetic abilities, the gift of foresight, and even mind control. Not surprisingly, the most powerful sorcerers belonged to the nobility, and so the continent experienced a turbulent and violent history as the different noble families constantly battled one another for the throne."

The parts of The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea that interested me the most, sadly weren't explored much. Maeve and Brody don't spend a lot of time together as seals or mutually pining away with no physical relief. And when readers learn that Maeve is the last living descendant of an ancient race with unbelievable powers that destroyed itself and its own civilization, it's downfall is completely glossed over--despite the fact that we are told that Maeve can enter the history books and relive the events firsthand. I was bummed that more time wasn't spent on this interesting civilization and race, because it gave me very strong Atlantis vibes. Similarly, the romance between Maeve's father, The Seer, and her mother, the Sea Witch, could've been a heartbreaking love affair if it was handled properly. Readers mostly learn about it from a journal, and I wished the author had taken the time to tell the story from the perspective of the Seer himself in flashbacks or in a prologue that would make it more tragic. Mostly, I wished the author had rendered Maeve's mother more sympathetic and complex, instead of as a plain evil villain to be vanquished.

Ultimately, I guess my problem with The Siren of the Deep Blue Sea was really just that there were no real problems! I want my characters to suffer and to struggle more--I want them to be challenged and to not obtain everything they want with so little effort or moral quandaries. I do not want my characters to fight an army of ten innocent, tearful kids for world peace, I want them to fight a huge war and I want important characters to die in the process. I want characters like Brody to really struggle with their humanity and the idea of entering into a relationship when he is only a human for a mere two freaking hours a day and to not just brush it all aside the first time he's alone with his love interest.

Sadly, I think I'm just too jaded to enjoy such flawlessly happy endings like this. The romance of Maeve and Brody, and the resulting literal world peace just feels cheap and unearned to me. But if unquestionably happy endings are your thing, The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea, and the rest of The Embraced/Embraced by Magic series is perfect for you. I am glad I know how the series ended, and it's definitely a stronger entry in the series than the last novel, but I still feel unsatisfied by the ending and strongly wished Maeve would have forged her own path to happiness with Brody in a way that was different from her sisters. After all, it's called The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea, so shouldn't Maeve had ended up in the ocean and not as yet another queen on a throne?