The Siren - Kiera Cass

"You must never do anything that might expose our secret. This means that, in general, you cannot form close bonds with humans. You can speak to us, and you can always commune with the Ocean, but you are deadly to humans. You are, essentially, a weapon. A very beautiful weapon. I won't lie to you, it can be a lonely existence, but once you are done, you get to live. All you have to give, for now, is obedience and time..."

The same speech has been given hundreds of times to hundreds of beautiful girls who enter the sisterhood of sirens. Kahlen has lived by these rules for years now, patiently waiting for the life she can call her own. But when Akinli, a human, enters her world, she can't bring herself to live by the rules anymore. Suddenly the life she's been waiting for doesn't seem nearly as important as the one she's living now.

Description taken from Goodreads. 

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I've been a huge fan of Kiera Cass' Selection series for years. They're one of my guilty pleasures and I absolutely love the story. Last year, I also read The Betrothed, but I wasn't quite as taken by that one, so I was intrigued to see how I would feel about The Siren. I'd heard really good things about this book, so I was really hoping it would be a good read!

When I started reading, I wasn't too impressed, because it just wasn't my kind of story. It's a really unique premise though, and it was really easy to read, so I was more than happy to persevere. 

I'm really glad I did, because it got better as the story progressed. I don't think it's perfect, and I really wish there had been a bit more depth to the overall story. But it was a very sweet story with a surprisingly emotional ending, and I have to say I did really end up enjoying it.

Rating: ✫✫✫✫

The Story

The premise for the story is a really interesting one. I've heard of the idea of sirens before, but I've never really seen it explored in any real depth. I figured there was quite a limited scope for how much could be done with it, but I  was optimistic! I do think that the concept meant that the story was quite boxed in. There were only one or two ways that it could go and so I found it quite predictable overall. However, I did think the story was really original and unique, and I enjoyed reading something totally different. Although I'm not convinced having the Ocean as a character was entirely effective. It made sense in terms of the story, but it was also incredibly bizarre. It just didn't sit really well with me, and I think this kept me from getting attached to the story as a whole.

I think the main problem I had connecting to the story initially was because there wasn't an awful lot of depth to the plot. It was quite surface level, which made it incredibly easy to read. I don't think this is helped by our heroine being a little bit wishy-washy in places. She's very sweet - I'm not going to deny that. But it took me a while to warm up to her because she's just slightly dull. She's too nice. I wanted to give her some fire! All this combined made me a little bit indifferent to the book until I was about halfway through! But I'm really glad I persevered because I loved the way the story progressed.

I don't want to give anything away, but the real beauty in this story is the way love is portrayed. It's messy, and it's spontaneous and surprising , and it happens when you want it to or not. And you have to either walk away or embrace it with your whole heart. The real interest in this story is seeing where Kahlen's heart and allegiance truly lie. We don't really know if there is any possible way for the story to resolve itself, and I really felt the emotion of this conflict leap off the peage. As the story progressed, despite my earlier indifference, I was becoming rapidly interested in Kahlen and Akinli's story, and the final few chapters really touched my heart. I really felt the pure core of this story, and when I closed it and put it down, it definitely stayed with me for a while afterwards.

The Verdict

I went into this hoping it would be better than The Betrothed, and concerned it wouldn't live up to the hype of The Selection. I think my estimation was pretty spot on, because it fell somewhere in between. Although the idea for this story was unique, it took me a very long time to get into it. It lacked depth, the characters lacked wor factor, and I wasn't really sure the plot was for me. 

However, I'm glad the easy to read narrative kept me going. The second half of the book was really emotional, and emphasised the complete irrationality and beauty of love. The book really captured me in its later stages, and I finished it feeling warm, emotional, and my heart touched.