Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Nevermind she's also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.
But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls' favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she's also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore- soon Portland won't be either.
This book was like a house that has a really strong and solid foundation, but every room was overdecorated and cluttered with way too much furniture to the point that it isn't clear what style each room is supposed to have. Unfortunately this means that everything in the worldbuilding was underdeveloped and half baked. The author and editor really needed to identify a few things to remove in order to give everything else room to breathe and grow - the Renaissance Faire and the "network" of siren protectors (along with the only-mentioned-once gospel choir the network had) would have been my picks, along with at least two of the supernatural creature types included in this book's universe. Near the end, giants are randomly thrown in through a brief mention and there is a huge plot twist involving yet another creature that hadn't even been mentioned prior to the 85% mark. There needed to be a much better foundation laid to earn that twist.
Strangely, I read the author's novella Mem prior to this, and she did a much better job being laser focused on what precisely was needed in the much shorter story than she was in this full length novel.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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10 October, 2020:
Finished reading
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10 October, 2020:
Reviewed