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    Siren
    Siren
    Siren
    Audiobook9 hours

    Siren

    Written by John Everson

    Narrated by Lyssa Graham

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Evan is entranced by the alluring song of the beautiful naked woman he saw in the surf one lonely night. But this is no mere seductress. She is a siren, one of the legendary sea creatures who prey on unsuspecting men. And she has claimed Evan as her next lover. Night after night, Evan walked along the desolate beach, grieving over the loss of his son, drowned in an accident more than a year before. Then one night he was drawn to the luminous sound of a beautiful, naked woman singing near the shore in the moonlight. He watched mesmerized as the mysterious woman disappeared into the sea. Driven by desire and temptation, Evan returned to the spot every night until he found her again. Now he has begun a bizarre, otherworldly affair. A deadly affair. For Evan will soon realize that his seductive lover is a being far more evil…and more terrifying…than he ever imagined. He will learn the danger of falling into the clutches of the…SIREN.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJun 28, 2016
    ISBN9781531824228
    Siren
    Author

    John Everson

    John Everson is a staunch advocate for the culinary joys of the jalapeno and an unabashed fan of 1970s European horror cinema. He is also the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of seven novels, including the erotic horror tour de force of NightWhere and the occult/urban legend mystery of The Pumpkin Man. Other novels include Covenant, the prequel to Sacrifice, as well as Siren, The 13th and the upcoming spider-driven Violet Eyes. His tales have been translated into Polish, French and German and optioned for potential film development. His short stories have been gathered in a handful of collections, including the Cage of Bones & Other Deadly Obsessions and Needles & Sins. A 10th anniversary edition of his second collection, Vigilantes of Love, was reissued in 2013.

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    Reviews for Siren

    3.5/5

    139 ratings30 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I was enjoying this book, with very little to complain about, until about eighty pages from the end. Now, I’m not saying the story completely fell apart at the end; I was just disappointed that the story turned down a predictable path when there were so many options that I would’ve enjoyed so much more!First, let me address what I did like in the story. The story pulled me in from the beginning. Vanessa and Justine, Caleb and Simon, the beach… I was feeling it. After her sister’s death, Vanessa feels that something is off and she thinks she needs to investigate the circumstances. So there’s some mystery/intrigue in that storyline. Then there’s the fact that for some not-completely-believable-but-mildly-acceptable reason her parents let her go to their vacation home alone, where she can’t even sleep because the girl is afraid of every noise she hears. However, the house is conveniently next door to Simon Carmichael, who has recently gone from Weather Nerd Stop Talking About the Weather to Wow, Weather Nerd Got Hot While He Was Away At College And Now I Want To Touch Him, and since his brother disappeared (and his parents decided they couldn’t be at home after the accident) they team up to look for answers. Oh, and there’s also the fact that Justine is talking to Vanessa from beyond the grave. Yeah, so there’s some creepy stuff going on, and I liked it. I loved nerdy Simon and his weather research. I loved that Vanessa made friends with a local girl with crazy family secrets. I loved that Vanessa got to rescue boys from the clutches of the sinister force at work in Winter Harbor.But then I didn’t love it so much when more and more secrets were uncovered and everything is turned on its head and Vanessa was forced to make sacrifices in order to do what was right. But there wasn’t anything particularly exceptional about it either. In the end, there was so much left unexplained/open to a sequel that I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to know and what I was supposed to be unclear about. I wanted so much for this story to stand out as unique and going against the grain, and it was just… okay. It wasn’t horrible, there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the story; I just can’t rave about it.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed Siren, and it kept me hooked from the very beginning. Rayburn jumps right into character development by allowing the reader to get to know Vanessa and her deepest darkest fears right away. Instead of Vanessa saying, "oh, I have deep dark fears," she relays stories of how she's been afraid of silly things, such as the dark, and how her sister always tricked her into not being afraid anymore. These stories in place of a statement is what I mean when I say showing instead of telling. Rayburn does an excellent job of showing the inner workings of Vanessa's mind in this novel. However, the emotional showing is a little bit lacking. She doesn't talk about physical reactions, and instead just says things, such as, "I blushed." Saying she felt the heat crawling up her neck and into her face or something to that effect would have been a more compelling way to word it. Overall, though, Siren is an excellent read, and the writing is definitely top notch. Vanessa is a likable character, and while her fears get a bit annoying sometimes, she's still somewhat easy to relate to. I mean I'm not scared of the dark and haven't been since I was maybe three years old, but I do have irrational fears (bugs, for example), just like we all do. Vanessa just seems to be a bigger pansy than most. She's a goodhearted character, though, and that shows in every page of the book. She's also fairly independent and strong, even though she is a scaredy cat.Simon is a terrific character. One of the things that kind of bugged me in this novel is that I still have no idea what Simon looked like. Rayburn never described him that much. I know he's tall, has filled out, and wears glasses. Past that, I don't even know what color his eyes were. This caused me to keep reinventing how he looked in my head, which sidetracked and confused me. Some people like the vague character descriptions, but for the leading man, I do not. Vanessa's vague descriptions were fine, even though I knew more what she looked like than Simon. I can see the purpose of not describing the character whose POV we are reading because then any reader can picture herself in the narrator/main character's place. For the leading guy, though, I feel like there needs to be at least a general description. Eye color and hair color are a must for this, in my opinion. There wasn't a lot of action in Siren, but there was a lot of mystery. I had quite a few things figured out early on, but there were a few surprises as well. Authors don't surprise me very often, so I enjoyed the feeling of actually not knowing what was going to happen next sometimes. This novel was more suspenseful and mysterious than action-packed. The plot was complicated, but I never felt lost or confused. Rayburn did a terrific job of explaining the world she created without reciting the facts like a list of rules and regulations. She showed us a lot of the rules instead of telling us, and I'm sure you guys know by now that I like showing and not telling. The ending tied things up nicely, but left some questions unanswered for the sequel.The pacing was pretty spot on. The story was fast moving without feeling rushed. I didn't feel like the book ever lagged, and I was interested until the very last page. Siren is a terrific story of mermaids, mythology, love, and loss. It's a fantastic book, and I can't wait to read Undercurrent.
    • 4/5
      great read. Cant wait for book 2 to come out.
    • 5/5
      This is another one of those ARC’s I got from a conference I was at this year, but this one is signed, bonus! Anyway, let me just tell you one thing right off the bat that I loved about this book, there are no vamps or wolves running around. Yay for something new! Before you throw things at me, let me clarify. I love the bloodsuckers and the canine howlers, but every book I read can’t be about them. I need a break and this book was that breath of fresh air for me. I had it in my “to be read” pile until my friend James read a little snippet of it for his Fragment Friday on his blog and that’s when I said “hey, that sounds sweet!” So I found it on my shelf and proceeded to read.The mythology behind this story was so interesting, because I don’t think I have read any other books out there that delve into this particular paranormal phenomenon. I think it is pretty obvious what the “mythology” in this book is about but just in cause you don’t know I am not going to say what it is. I will just say it is not something I have read about in YA before and I liked that it was a fresh outtake on the paranormal. It was fascinating to learn about a whole new world. With no vamps running around, you don’t have any frame of reference for the paranormal in this book. It was nice to learn about the lore right along with the characters and not have any preconceived notions going in.One thing I learned through this book is Tricia is good with surprises. I thought I had the mystery figured out so I was waiting for the characters to catch up with me and see their reactions. I did not expect to be the one caught off guard. Looking back I see the signs there that I think I was just passing off as coincidence. Lesson learned, pay attention! I liked that Tricia left some of the twists for later in the book and not everything was just laid out for you in the beginning. Kept me on my toes as I was reading, which was gratifying.Watching Vanessa and Simon try and make sense of their feelings was amusing. They have been friends for such a long time and Vanessa is not sure she should blur the lines between friendship and relationship. I do think by having them be friends first though, it did make the relationship flow more naturally. It wasn’t “oh, I met this really hot, mysterious, guy and now were dating!” Vanessa has known Simon for years. There is a foundation already in place for them to build on.While the relationship between Simon and Vanessa was a big focus, there was also a large emphasis on Vanessa and her sister Justine. While Vanessa dives deeper into the mystery that surrounds her sisters death she starts to learn things she almost wishes she didn’t know. It also brings up a really good question, how well do you know your loved ones? What are they really thinking and doing when you are not there? Those are questions Vanessa and Simon search for answers to and are not so sure they are going to like what they find.As the pages started to run out I was so sad, because the events leading up to ending left so many more questions than answers. Which I am of course not going to delve into here because that would ruin the story, silly. I am hoping these unanswered questions will mean that a sequel is on the way. I could not find anything about one online, but I am going to hold out hope. Siren brings sparkle to the YA genre with originality and mystery. It is something different for this genre and I hope Tricia will keep going so we can get to visit Winter Harbor again.
    • 5/5
      Full review @ Amaterasu reads.I have much praises for this book. This is just fantastic. Siren was a very engaging read. It sucks you right into the story, and the next thing you know you’d be flipping the pages non-stop, holding your breath while trying to find out what happens next. It was like peeling off countless covers of a present and gasping in surprise when what was inside was finally unraveled. I especially love the twists and turns in the story, the feeling of constantly getting surprised by what you’re reading.I love the way the bits and pieces of Vanessa’s character was unveiled. You’re finding out things about her as you go through the story, her character doesn’t seem to be stagnant, and despite her countless weaknesses (oblivious to herself, afraid of a lot of things, insecure, low self-esteem) Vanessa is a delightful character to read.And don’t you just love having a cute geeky guy as your male protagonist? I do. It’s refreshing somehow, considering almost all YA novels have their lead guy seen as handsome and strong and very capable. Simon was, but in a very geeky, dorky way. He was this walking Weather channel, all into facts, and yet he was still able to accept that some things just cannot be explained by science.Tricia Rayburn was able to re-create the legend of the Siren into a stunning novel, a fresh take on the story of these beautiful creatures that only exists in myths. She was able to weave an engaging and fascinating fantasy tale about love and death, grief, and that of the beautiful mythical creature, the Siren, who sings a lovely song.
    • 2/5
      pretty typical ya, but im a slut for mermaids soo
    • 5/5
      I consider myself lucky when I say that I was able to read SIREN months before its release. In fact, I picked it up based solely the title and cover art, before I'd ever even heard of it. I had no idea what to expect, but soon found myself completely immersed in the mystery and romance of Rayburn's phenomenal YA debut.It isn’t hard to guess what the novel is about, given the description and title, but that doesn’t stop Tricia Rayburn from writing a compelling mystery with a great love story. Sure, the reader knows that there will be mysterious deaths and Vanessa's relationship with a childhood friend will most likely grow into something more, but the lack of mystery is made up for by the superb writing and characters.When I hear "siren," the first thought that pops into my head is mermaids. Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid to be precise. Sirens are not mermaids, which Rayburn makes abundantly clear. There are very few YA novels that involve honest-to-goodness, homocidal sirens, but, if they're anything like Rayburn's, I wish there were more. I'm hopeful that Rayburn will further explore siren lore in her future novels; in SIREN the history and motivations were mentioned, but I would love to see further exploration.Despite the obvious spoilers about the mysterious deaths, Rayburn still keeps readers on their toes. While it is quite obvious who is killing these men, the why isn’t so clear. In addition, Vanessa’s sister dies under mysterious circumstances, adding an unexpected twist. Justine’s death can't be pinned on the sirens as easily as male deaths.Apart from the supernatural plot line, SIREN is also a great coming-of-age story. Vanessa grows significantly throughout the novel as she discovers more about herself, Justine, and the history of Winter Harbor. I found her relationship with her late sister to be particularly interesting; there was so much more to the sisters’ story than I had anticipated.And then there’s Simon. SIREN's description boasts a burgeoning relationship between Vanessa and Simon, which, of course, caught my eye. I definitely like romances where "friends" find themselves becoming "more than friends" and Rayburn writes the evolution wonderfully. There's just the right amount of tension and denial and confusion.
    • 3/5
      The first chapter of the story introduced me to Vanessa and Justine Sands. Two sisters who spend their every summer at Winter Harbor. People have high hopes for Justine, she was to set foot and study at Dartmouth that coming school year, her younger sister looks up to her. She's beautiful, clever, fearless and the perfect sister. Whereas, Vanessa (the younger sister) was a wimp. I'm sorry... but she really is she's afraid of the dark and gets paranoid that a vampire or some monster is waiting for her to fall asleep and then snatch her or kill her, she's afraid to speak her mind, etc... It's not that she's insecure she was just plain scared. This particular summer she promised herself to be bold. To start off, she promised herself to actually jump when Justine and Caleb go cliff diving at Chione Cliffs the next time. But time has ran out to do anything bold together with her sister. After Justine argued with their mother about her adventures and about hanging out with Caleb she stormed out of their cottage and the next day was found dead. The newspaper and the people in the area ruled it out as a suicide. Distraught, guilty and missing her sister Vanessa did not believe that Justine would do that, she's an adrenaline junkie not a moron and definitely not suicidal, she would know better than to cliff dive at night. She could not believe any of it. She is not really thinking murder but there is something that she cannot put her finger on it. What happened to her sister she's not satisfied with it. So she decided to go back to Winter Harbor to investigate. This is when I started warming up to her...Before Justine died, Vanessa could smell the scent of salt water on her skin and for some reason that got imprinted on her mind, especially right after she died. It was like following her. Was it Justine? Or is it her inner wimp trying to scare her? Then she started seeing a light too and then other images and sometimes voices that sound like Justine. I find this really interesting because if I were as wimpy as her I would immediately thought of a ghost but she never seem to think that way at the beginning. Or maybe when someone close to you dies even if they are haunting you, you wouldn't get scared? hmmm...So anyway her first investigation will be to talk to Caleb and see if her sister was hanging out with him that night but he wasn't there, his older brother Simon said he's been missing since the day his brother talked to the police. Where could he be? So Simon & Vanessa set out to find the missing Caleb. At the course of their search male bodies started getting ashed ashore, drowned with a creepy grin on their face, like the cause of their death was worth it. The creepy story is of course with a supernatural cause, what kind of a supernatural creature it is? you'll have to find that out yourself. I like the book despite some loose ends and unsatisfactory ending. There is a romance but the story does not revolve around it and that suited me fine. It has a haunting tale full of unexpected twists. Is this a series? because I'd love to find out what happens next.
    • 4/5
      I had heard some mixed reviews about this, but I bought it and I fell in love with it. A dark siren story, a far cry from the typical light mermaid/siren story, this was great. Great ending with a fantastic twist at the end leaving me thirsting for the second.
    • 5/5
      Siren completely pulled me in (pun intended) and took me for a creepy thrill-ride of epic proportions. I absolutely loved every minute of it.First off, I loved the refreshing new paranormal creature. Sirens are something often mentioned in a lot of books lately, but until now, I’ve never actually read an entire novel about them. Tricia managed to pull off educating us and scaring us at the same time- something that I appreciated a lot.Aside from the creepy mystery that involves the random but consistent murders of local men, another thing I loved were the main characters, Vanessa and Simon. Their once friendship turned budding romance was so enthralling and sweet compared to the darker parts of the book. And not only is their relationship appropriately written, but the maturity of the characters themselves was as well. In the beginning, Vanessa started off an average teenager. But with her sister’s death, the introduction of a few characters with less than good intentions and the discovery of her family’s history, she grows up and it’s so good that it leaps off the pages.It kept me guessing until the very end, dropping occasional hints and clues every now and then. Despite the romance and paranormal, I feel like it was a genuine mystery and it just plain entertaining in all aspects to read.Overall, Siren has earned a spot on my “favorite” shelf. Scary and engaging with action, suspense, mystery and a must-read romance, it’s everything that paranormal fans will love. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
    • 5/5
      SIREN, by Tricia Rayburn, is a thrilling tale about the events surrounding the mysterious deaths in a Maine vacation town. Rayburn opened my eyes to the wonderful world of the mythological siren. My previous encounters with sirens in books have only been limited, so I was excited to delve into this book and explore these fascinating creatures.From the synopsis, I anticipated the death of Justine and the disappearance of Caleb. But within the first chapter I was already connected with them, that when the time came for these tragedies, I was downright depressed. I was captured by Vanessa's love for Justine and the budding romance between her and Simon. The characters came to life on the page, and I felt that Justine was taken away from me too soon as she was from Vanessa and her family.Vanessa's love for her sister drove her to dig deeper into the bizarre deaths of Winter Harbor, but she ended up uncovering a secret that changes everything. I really enjoyed the way Rayburn slowly unraveled the story to keep the tension high. And when she made the big reveal, I have to say I was very surprised.The characters in this book really added to the dynamic. They all had secrets and it was surprising when all of their secrets weaved together. Vanessa was a great character. She started off afraid of everything but eventually she faced her fears and became selfless in her journey to help Simon find Caleb. Vanessa and Simon were adorable together. Their relationship blossomed from time and growing up together. At times I felt bad for Caleb, he just had his heart broken which made him vulnerable and weak and the perfect prey.I thought the ending of this book was bittersweet and absolutely perfect. It left me wanting more but also feeling content. I am very excited to read the next installments.
    • 1/5
      I finished this only barely and thought about giving up. I didn't like any of the characters and I thought it was just ridiculous.
    • 3/5
      Although I tend to devour young adult novels like a lion setting on an antelope, I am often disappointed by my reading. For some reason, this does not make me crave the paranormal teen stories any less. You will still see me drooling (not literally, I hope) over the latest novels about vampires, mermaids/sirens, werewolves, fairies, unicorns, etc. I am happy to report that Siren, while not the best of the best, is a good solid read and that I am looking forward to reading the sequel, which is good since my friend brought it back from ALA for me. So yay, the book is not as fail as the cover. That is just terrifying!

      Of the various paranormal topics, mermaids/sirens (which area apparently interchangeable?) are definitely among my least favorites. I have read two practically in a row this week, not because I planned it, but just because that's how it happened. I definitely recommend Siren over Lost Voices for those looking for a novel about sirens, although really the sirens are rather different. Rayburn's focus on individual males, rather than taking down whole ships at once. Singing is less important here, replaced by almost a sort of mindspeak with their victims (although they do sing occasionally). Most overtly, these sirens do not seem to have tails of any sort (I can't tell you how much I thought Vanessa was going to walk in on one in the bathtub and see she had a tail like in the movie Splash); they're just women who need to drink salt water and can be underwater for a really long time.

      Vanessa made a good main character, with a very human set of weaknesses but the inner strength to overcome them when she really needs to. Simon and Caleb were both great guys in completely different ways. Of course, I would want a Simon for myself; he's just so adorably nerdy sounding. :-)

      Siren is a great beach read, although maybe not for those who are easily terrified by literature. You don't want to be afraid to go in the water on your holiday!
    • 4/5
      Justine and Vanessa have always enjoyed spending their summers at the beach house with their family and friends. This year, festivities are cut short when Justine's body washes ashore and the people of Winter Harbour, Maine are shattered from their idyllic home away from home. Shortly thereafter, several more bodies begin to wash up along the coast, all men, all with smiles on their faces. Vanessa, unable to come to terms with her sister's apparent suicide decides to dig a little deeper into the town's past and what she finds is a tradition more sinister than she could have fathomed. The first half the book started rather slow and I kept wanting them to unfold the mystery a lot faster. The second half of the story picked up rather quickly and the climax was satisfying, but of course lots of loose ends are left since this is the first in a planned trilogy. The connection and explored mythology of sirens was woven nicely into the overall narrative, albeit predictably, as is usually the case with YA books. Overall, I enjoyed it enough to pursue the rest of the series.
    • 3/5
      Siren drew me in from the first page. Although the book started a bit slow for my tastes and some of the earlier transitions were truly awkward, I enjoyed reading about Vanessa and her fears for everything. The writing is a bit apprehensive and shaky to start with, but by the fifth or so page I wasn't even noticing writing flaws anymore. I was completely drawn in to this irresistible world and characters.

      Unlike some reviewers, I had no problem with the (lack of) parental concerns in this book - it features characters that have finished high school, so I didn't feel that the parents acted strangely at all.

      Vanessa is a truly sympathetic character who I felt I could really empathize with. With all of her self-doubts and insecurities and all I found her incredibly endearing and enduring. I found her romance with Simon completely believable and sweet - especially when taking into account what's exposed about their romance by the end of the book.

      The one serious gripe I have is that the mythology wasn't fully explained or fleshed out. Sirens are so fascinating (and pretty rare in genre novels too!), I would have loved to learn more about them and their lives, although I'm willing to concede that that may still lay ahead for a future book.

      I love a good bitter-sweet ending and I love my characters nuanced and not all-good and always right, so the choice Vanessa makes in the end both with regards to Simon and her heritage seemed real and satisfying, although I'm still not quite sure what exactly happened during the climax (F.R.U.S.T.R.A.T.I.O.N.!).

      I truly look forward to the next installment of this series, Undertow, set for release in Winter 2011 (OHAI Southern Hemisphere!), although I would suggest that you first read an excerpt of the book or loan it from the library before deciding to buy it - it may not be everyone's cup of tea. That said, however, this book and its sequels are definitely going to go onto my bookshelf!
    • 2/5
      This book has a lot of brilliant reviews but personally, I was completey unimpressed. I was at least half way through the book before I found out anything that I hadn't known from reading the back cover. I really dislike it when the description gives away the whole story- it makes reading the book feel rather pointless. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and didn't really care what happened to them. I can't really find many faults with the book... it was fine. Just not for me, I suppose. Normally I'm willing to give sequels a go but I have no desire to read the next book.
    • 3/5
      I thought this book was just ok. This book was yet another young adult book that was clouded in mystery, so much so that it took away from the story, I understand the sleuthing and figuring out the mystery is part of the story but I just couldn't dive head first into the story when it was just so clouded. I love the idea of the Siren and how the author took a myth and legend and made it her own. I also like Simon, the meteorologist, he is just to cute.

      I have been reading a lot of young adult books that have the serious mystery cloud, so maybe YA isn't for me. What do you all think, did you find this book holds back too much from the reader or did you think it was just right?
    • 3/5
      Interesting idea. I wasn't so wound up in it that I read it all in one sitting, but I liked it. I guess I feel like it was written under the pretense that more books are to come, so many things were touched upon but left unrevealed so that we have to read the next book. I also felt like the last quarter of the book was choppy and I didn't follow everything that was ahppening. I mean, if she needs salt water to be alive, how is is that two years go by between her salt water experiences, etc?
    • 3/5
      Definitely a page-turner, as I finished this in a matter of hours. But it wasn't what I expected at all. I found out about this book from a blog that posted an entry of mermaid-related books. This is more of a murder mystery with witch-like sirens than the floaty mermaid story I was expecting. Since the siren thing is pretty understated until more than halfway through the book, I thought the title was a bit misleading. But that's okay. I forgive it.
    • 4/5
      In a market filled with vampires, werewolves and other supernatural and paranormal creatures Siren was a refreshing step away into the land of the deep sea. Set in a small lake-side town in Maine the Sands sisters are preparing for their last summer of fun with the Carmichael brothers before Justine heads off to college. The only problem is that this sleepy town is now ground zero for a rash of sea-based deaths, including Justine’s own.Light on the town’s history and mermaid-ish folklore, Siren had the perfect mix of romance, suspense and action. For me, this made the story all that more enjoyable. I received just the right amount of information to understand the story without being hit over the head with interesting but needless facts. I also enjoyed the fact that there were strong romantic elements but they weren’t the main theme of the story.The romantic elements of the Sands sisters and Charmichael brothers was sweet, longing and tender. It lacked hard core passion but for this story that feeling was rightfully meant for Zara, the town bombshell. Vanessa and Simon circled each other and had a great push/pull kind of relationship but the point of the story wan’t about their love as much as it was about love in general.Vanessa, as a character, is as dynamic as it gets. She starts the story as a fearful introverted girl, dependent on the strength and support of her sister only to be left to fend for herself. Watching her embrace her fears and grow to be strong on her own was a fabulous element of the story. Feeling every bit of Vanessa’s angst and sorrow after the death of her sister I wasn’t surprised that her reaction wasn’t to immediately cloister herself but to go back to where it all happened and investigate Justine’s last moments.The secondary characters were created with equal depth. Zara – the bitch on wheels, Paige – the good natured sister who smoothed over Zara’s harshness, Simon – the weather-geek turned investigator wanting to protect Vanessa, and Caleb — the love of Justine’s life; each a story in their own right. What worked really well about this? The fact that even though we could have gone much deeper into the lives of each we were taken just far enough to related them to Vanessa and the mystery of the murders. Not only that but certain facts were let go at the most opportune moments to create the strongest impact.Rayburn crafted an excellent mystery and wrote it beautifully. Depth of emotion was not in short supply. Power and control were large parts of the main theme. Sirens wanted it and would do what they could to have it. Those whom they were setting their sites on weren’t going to give it up without a fight.The bonds of sisterhood was another central theme. Vanessa had a very strong connection to her recently deceased sister, it was this bond that drove all of her actions. The sirens, too, had a strong connection to each other. Knowing where, when and how things were happening in each of their lives so as to produce maximum results in their attempts to remain undetected and alive.Pacing of the story was fantastic. It wasn’t too slow but didn’t rush to tell us everything in the first chapter. I enjoyed that we slowly learned more about the characters and their relationships to each other. The suspense of the murder mystery was held throughout — giving us small tastes of resolution only to pull us backwards a few steps rig to the bitter end.I’ve learned that there will be a follow-up to this story which excites me. I’m extremely interested to read the sequel, particularly given how this book ended (which I won’t give away).Siren is a strongly written paranormal thriller with a splash of romance. Definitely worth a read if you are into young adult literature. Since it’s light on the magic and super powers I’ll say it’s even a good foot in the door of the paranormal genre. Give it a read, you’ll enjoy it.
    • 3/5
      A decent adaptation of the siren myths. The love story is sweet and the twist on the story is fascinating, but that's the only part. In the end, the book was okay, but not anything special. It does mean, though, that it's the second modern retelling of siren myths that I've read (the other being Ripple by Mandy Hubbard and that's a much better book) recently.
    • 2/5
      Average addition to the YA paranormal scene. It was very dense and somewhat hard to finish. I didn't love Vanessa all that much. The plot was predictable and kind of bland. The secondary characters were meh. 2 stars.
    • 3/5
      This was my first book featuring sirens/mermaids. It was an interesting concept and the mystery surrounding the plot wasn’t too bad. The plot itself was not too bad and the setting suited the story. There was just one problem, and that was the characters.I couldn’t begin to like the characters, even if I tried. They were bland, they were uninteresting and if it hadn’t been for the plot being slightly interesting, I probably wouldn’t have gone further into this book. The supposed romance featured in the book wasn’t that great either - I suppose because the characters weren’t that interesting to begin with. The romance seemed forced, and artificial, and they both acted in a very robotic nature. The plot was in between. At times it was interesting, at other times, there’s a lull and it tended to drag. I liked how Vanessa was uncovering secret after secret regarding her sister, and the ending did make up for some of the shortfalls - although I still remain not satisfied with the way the characters were done.I will be reading the sequel to this, but am not in a big rush to go out and get it. The book was an okay read, but it could have been made much better, especially when it came to its’ characters. This is the type of book where good character creation would have made the book much better and more fun to read.
    • 3/5
      I had been wanted to read this book for some time. I ended up getting it to listen to on audiobook at one of Audible's book sales. It was an okay book, while there wasn't anything technically wrong with the story I had a lot of trouble engaging with the story or the characters.I listened to this on audiobook and I don't recommend it. The narrator had a breathy, cutesy voice that bothered me. I think the sounds of the narrator's voice made me like the main character even less than if I had been reading about Vanessa in paperback.Vanessa and Justine are sisters. They spend every summer at Winter Harbor with their family. Vanessa is scared of everything and Justine is fearless. Then one night everything goes wrong; Justine gets in a fight with their mother and storms out of the cabin...the next day she is dead. Two weeks after Justine's death Vanessa can't help but feel something isn't right. She journeys back to Winter Harbor to confront Justine's boyfriend about what really happened that night. Little does Vanessa know that she is going to be entagled in doings beyond her wildest imaginings.Okay so my main problem with this book is that it is named Siren. Guess what Vanessa spends the whole book doing? Well, she is trying to figure out what is killing people in the waters outside of Winter Harbor. I felt like shaking her the whole book and saying "Duh, it's Sirens! Obviously!" It would have been better to title the book something that doesn't totally give away the mystery that the characters spend most of the book trying to solve.Enough griping about that. This is one of those high school kids go away for the summer and solve some seaside mystery sorts of books. It moves pretty slow, Vanessa is kind of dense, and of course she has to fall in love with the boy who helps her unravel the mystery. I am not sure why but this book constantly reminded me of Moonglass by Jessi Kirby. Granted this book has more supernatural activity; but it also has that same feeling of high school age characters slowing getting over grief and slowly solving a mystery.Vanessa was hard for me to engage with as a character; she is always uncertain and always scared. She grows a little in this story but not much and I found her difficult to be inspired by and hard to relate to. She was also incredibly dense, she just didn't understand things and how they related and it frustrated me.A lot of the characters in this book are fairly forgettable. They must be because I had trouble even distinguishing some of them from each other. I didn't realize this was part of a series. By the times things are actually picking up pace and getting somewhat interesting the book ends.Overall this was an okay book. There isn't technically anything wrong with it. I just found the characters to be lackluster, the story predictable, and the mystery slow-moving and difficult to stay engaged with. So far I remain unimpressed with all of the Siren YA books I have read. I did think that Lost Voices by Sarah Porter was better than this book but not a ton better. I won't be reading any more of this series.
    • 4/5
      There are things that don't quite work in this story but it swept me up and kept me reading.Vanessa lives in the shadow of her sister, Justine, until her sister dies and then she has to deal with a lot of dark issues and problems and suggestions that all is not as it seems in the small holiday town, and that all was not as it seemed with her family.It drew me in and kept me reading and while not perfect, it was interesting and I do want to read more in the series, although i do think the book stands well enough on it's own.
    • 4/5
      Fraidy-cat Vanessa’s gregarious older sister Justine goes cliff-diving after a family argument. When her body washes ashore, everyone thinks it was an accident, but Vanessa thinks there’s more to the story, especially when she discovers things that Justine had been hiding from them all, and when Justine’s sort-of boyfriend, their family friend Caleb, goes missing.But soon other worrying things begin to happen in Winter Harbor, Maine. Bodies of grinning men begin washing ashore at an alarming rate, and Vanessa’s new friend’s family seems to be keeping secrets. Together with Simon, Caleb’s meteorologist older brother, Vanessa is determined to seek out the truth. But what she discovers may be bigger and more dangerous than she can handle…SIREN was a surprisingly heartfelt supernatural YA debut. It elegantly combines ocean myth with relatable human troubles for an interesting and absorbing read.Though the plot unfolds slowly, Tricia Rayburn accomplishes a lot when she makes Vanessa into an actually sympathetic protagonist. Despite her self-acknowledged fears (unlike many other YA paranormal romance heroines, who don’t realize they’re irritatingly passive about everything), Vanessa’s attachments to the people she loves drives her to stretch her boundaries and take risks for their sake. I found her believable and likable; in real life she’d be that reserved classmate who’s hard to get to know but worth the effort to befriend.Ironically enough, SIREN’s strength lies in its humanity. I found myself caring very much for the main circle of characters. The brothers, Caleb and Simon, are worth their weight in hardcover. Even though it’s Vanessa’s story, Vanessa’s journey, Caleb and Simon don’t exist merely as errand-boys for her mission: they have personalities and passions of their own, too. Additionally, Vanessa’s relationship with her parents, while not the central focus of the book, is a lovely touch, from her easygoing banter with her father to tensions with her austere mother.Sadly, the best part about this book’s supernatural element may be its novelty. For the sake of leaving you with a (mostly) clean slate, I will just say that the book is not exactly about mermaids, but something related. There’s tremendous buildup for the supernatural aspect, and I found its history within the novel’s world to be well done. However, in the ending, everything—and I do mean EVERYTHING, pretty much all the subplots—comes together so handily, so effortlessly, so… “climax-ily,” that I found my eyes bugging out, unable to believe that it had ended like that, so perfectly, so disappointingly. The ending requires a whole heap of suspension of disbelief, and I really struggled with it.Overall, however, SIREN was an entertaining read that took me away entirely for a few hours. The ending leaves open the possibility for a sequel, and I definitely would not mind seeing what else Tricia Rayburn has for us regarding Vanessa.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed 'Siren.' I think that the storyline was really good and that the novel was really well written. My favourite thing about the book was that I felt like I could have gotten along well with the main character. She just seemed like a very likeable person.
    • 4/5
      This is the first novel by John Everson that I've read. I will be reading more!

      Evan and his wife Sarah have lost their 12 year old son in a drowning incident. The stress of the loss of their only child results in their relationship drifting apart...Sarah likes to drown herself in alcohol and Evan likes to torture himself by walking up and down the beach every night. The very same beach at which his son drowned.

      During one of these nightly walks, Evan hears a beautiful song. Following it, he finds a beautiful naked woman who suddenly dives into the ocean from the rocky outcropping on which they stood. Thinking that she will drown, he gets himself back to the beach to see if he can find her. He can't. Until he hears the song again, a few nights later. Needless to say, it's the song of the Siren.

      From there the story of the Siren is told in a couple of ways, from Evan's viewpoint in the current time period, and from the viewpoint of the captain of a rum running ship at the end of the 1800s. The history of the Siren is sensuous, sexual and horrific. There is a heck of a lot of sex which sometimes bothers me, but not in this novel, as it is part of the story. These scenes are extremely well written and suck you in (like that pun?). Too bad the siren sings for her supper, and her supper is men. In addition to the sex scenes there are a lot of very gory scenes which were also well written and necessary to the story.

      Some may not like the ending, but I definitely did. I felt that it was really the only way it could end.

      All in all, I thought this was a terrific novel, that moved incredibly fast and left me thinking that any man who, while walking the shore, hears a beautiful intriguing song...should RUN!
    • 4/5
      I latched onto Siren when I saw it sitting on the bookshelf because a murderous mermaid is such a fantastic plot. Romance is my usual poison of choice for reading, but as I love horror movies I'm not unopposed to reading a horror novel. The villain in Siren was true to the mythology of her kind, is she really evil or just the way she was made to be? I had sympathy for the hero, he was in a situation you can't crawl back out of. Sirens are the original crazy girlfriend.

      For me, there was too much that appealed to me not to love it. Mermaids, horror, mythology, suspense, who could pass it up?
    • 2/5
      First off, I'd like to say that I am likely not this novel's intended audience. That will have a lot to do with my rating.In this book, the main character Evan walks the beach every night grieving for his son who drowned in an accident more than a year ago, until one night he is drawn to the voice of a beautiful naked woman singing on the rocks by the ocean. I'm well-versed enough in my mythology to know that Sirens are mysterious and seductive creatures who lured sailors and ships to their doom with their enchanting songs, but even I was unprepared for the amount of gratuitous and senseless sex in this novel.At times, it felt like Evan only had two modes: horny or depressed. For the first three-quarters of the book, it seemed like all he was doing was either a) having sex, thinking about sex, or talking about sex, or b) remembering and crying for his lost son. We seem to go around in circles with these two conditions.The story is also punctuated periodically by chapters flashing back to the 1800s, focusing on a crew aboard a smuggling ship and their encounters with the novel's eponymous creature. These scenes serve to add a little more background and history to the setting, but you also end up getting a healthy dose of gory violence, and of course, even more sex.Now I'm no prude, and I'll even admit I've been known to enjoy books that are even more extreme in their dealings with the subject both in their quantity and carnality. I would even have found all of the sex in this book to be entertaining and good for the kicks, but for the fact the main character is apparently an utter ninny.Not only was he repeatedly cheating on his bereaved wife, in the book Evan is also told flat-out by his friend Bill that he may have been spellbound by a Siren. And yet, Evan remains unconvinced. Granted, being lured into the ocean by a beautiful naked woman and her song could possibly be explained away by an over-amorous skinny dipper with a talented voice, but when dozens of seagulls suddenly start dive-bombing you and killing themselves against the windows of your house, shouldn't it make you think that maybe, just maybe, something strange or supernatural might be up?And considering how many of Evan's problems in the book were defined by his son's drowning, there was surprisingly very little detail about his death and that tragic day. Meanwhile, of course, there were pages upon pages devoted to descriptions of Ligeia the Siren's naughty bits. Indeed, the characters could have been better developed, and in my opinion a couple of them were either underutilized (like Evan's psychiatrist) or written strangely (like his friend Bill, who would say the most ridiculous things at inappropriate moments). Much of the time, they don't act like real people.Basically, reading this book reminded me a lot of watching a low-budget B-list creature feature on the SyFy channel (though, I suppose the SyFy channel would not abide so much nudity and sex). Don't get me wrong, though; those kinds of movies have a place in my life, especially snuggled on the couch on a Saturday night with a big bowl of popcorn. They're definitely good for some expedient thrills and entertainment, and bottom line, I would probably say much the same for this book. Purchased for $0.99 from the Kindle's promotional list, I certainly don't regret it.