“She swore vengeance on all men with dark hearts.”
― Lisa Papademetriou, Siren's Storm

The Siren's Storm.

This writer can write!

First off..This book is absolutely beautiful. The way it is written..incandescent maybe the right word. It is all about Will. And Gretchen. And Asia. And the sea.

I started getting into books about Sirens after reading the masterpiece "The Wicked Deep". I keep looking for another "Wicked Deep". I was so lost in that book I want to find another book about the sirens that has that eerie and wildly beautiful feel.

So this is a book I loved for the writing and the atmosphere. I would not rate it as high as "Wicked Deep" nor did I love it as much. I did read it in one siting though.

Will's had much tragedy in his life. His brother Tim was lost at sea. Will was with him. Will was found unconscious in the sand..with no memory of what happened.

Now a year past, Will is still trying to deal with the past tragedy. It doesn't help that his best friend Gretchen is sleep walking. They live in a tiny beach community, on the sea, and Gretchen can not seem to stop walking in her sleep, usually finding herself a bit to close to the cliffs where the sea roars below.

And who is Asia? She is the new girl in town but moves as if made of liquid. She is ethereal..as if from another century. And she knows things about people or can sense them. An air of mystery is all about her and Will cannot stop thinking about her and he doesn't understand why.

And there is other stuff....like one of the local boys who slowly appears to be going mad..he hears things..can't you hear it too he asks. Hear what, people ask him? But nobody can make sense of what he says..

This was a beguiling, eerie and completely luscious book that I gobbled up in one sitting. I will say no more about the plot..well do I have to? If you like books about Sirens or Sailors or folklore or the sea..or all of the above..you will like this.

I hate to say anything negative but the reason why 4 stars and not 5..

Slow to start..but just give it time..still, the first 20 percent of the book did move quite slowly.

One scene toward the end of animal violence..and it was completely unexpected. This was not a violent book AT ALL except toward the end and I wish it had stayed non violent.

The end let me down in a number of ways. I'd still recommend the book. But..without giving spoilers..it completely loses its quiet eeriness and devolves into cliches. I really got turned off at the end..did not expect the tone to change that much, so much that I would take off a point.

I'd still recommend though as for 90 percent of the book, I was swept away. A strong 4 stars for a lyrical and sweeping story. ( )

Last summer was the worst of Will's life. A year later he is now beginning to deal with the events of last summer that took his brother from him. With no memories of the night his brother disappeared, Will has been haunted by what could have happened. But it's not until the arrival of a mysterious new girl does he beguine to understand just what did happen to his brother, and what may yet still happen to those he cares for.

Gretchen has always been prone to sleep walking, however recently it has been becoming more and more prevalent and each time she wakes it is to find herself closer and closer to the perilous sea. Closer to the place where one year ago Will was found unconscious and his brother not found at all. The secrets kept inside her can not remain secret for long, not from those she loves most, not now with the arrival of a mysterious new girl.

Siren's Storm is a blend of history, myth, mystery and the supernatural all rolled into one. A tale of fear, guilt, confusion and loss that begins in a storm and slowly builds into a furious tempest that is full of sea maids and fire and an unbreakable friendship. For Will and Gretchen, they must first live through their present danger if they are to heal from their stormy past. ( )

It was good, not my favorite, but good! I'll have a review soon. ( )

This is a very mysterious book that brings mermaids to real life and tells about them in a different light. There is a boy named Will whose brother had died the last summer his friends Angus and Gretchen. They are all having a normal summer and then a girl named Asia moves into their town. After her arrival more mysterious things start happening and Gretchen starts sleepwalking more. Then they find out that Asia is a mermaid and that there are more of them out in the waters near their town. Then they have to fight the mermaids and save the town before even more people in the town die. I think that this book may not be recommended for young children because it is very creepy and mysterious.

This book in one word: Spooky.

It’s pretty obvious from the beginning that something is different about Asia and Gretchen, but what makes Gretchen different is unclear. In fact, although this story is told from Will’s point of view, it is mostly about Gretchen which makes it a great mystery. In fact, there are more unanswered questions about Gretchen’s role in things at the end of the book. She is certainly a driving force in the plot.

The characters were pretty good. There were several that you enjoyed and some that you despised. But most of all, Will and Gretchen are complete mysteries. I think there was a fair amount of depth and insight into Will and Gretchen’s character, but the others were a little lacking. I know they weren’t main attractions in the plot, but I still want an inkling into their motivations. I guess it was there for the most part, I just wanted a little more.

I did enjoy the allusions to The Odyssey. That was fun. I’m a big nerd like that, always looking for symbols, themes, and allusions to classic literature. Like I said, big ol’ dork. If you have forgotten the story of The Odyssey or Ulysses, then you need a refresher. Calypso makes a huge appearance in this book. In fact, she is the major antagonist.

The only thing that bugged me was how quickly the plot ended. There was a steady build throughout the whole book that really helped me connect with the characters, but then all of the sudden I was in the middle of the climax and resolution. It seemed too quick. There is no up and down climax that leads to some great cataclysmic event. It’s more like jumping off the edge of a cliff and being in the middle of the action, which ends as soon as you hit the surface again. It left me with many questions. But, since the second book, Fury’s Fire, is coming out next week, I won’t have to wait long for my answers—I hope.

This was a quick read full of beautiful descriptions and quirky characters. I enjoyed it, and I think if you enjoy mysteries featuring killer mermaids, you’ll enjoy this one too. ( )