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The Accidental Siren (Blank Canvas Series #1)

by Jake Vander Ark (Goodreads Author)

4.57 of 5 stars 4.57 · rating details · 94 ratings · 36 reviews

Mara Lynn is the most beautiful girl in the world. James Parker is the ordinary boy who discovers her power.

James had his summer all planned out. He would enjoy the carefree days in the woods behind his castle home, avoid the maniacal Danny Bompensaro (and the worm-like scar on the back of his head), and shoot an epic movie with his best friend Whit. But when he meets a my...more

Paperback, 253 pages

Published July 2012 by Lulu.com (first published June 8th 2012)

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Nov 17, 2012 Kenzie rated it 5 of 5 stars

HOLY. CRAP.

That was just.....just.....JUST WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST READ????????

HOLY HELLISKI THAT WAS MIND-BLOWING.

I was like, "It's an okay book" but when it hit a certain part in it, I was like...a Zomb Ferret too lol. I just needed to know what happened. And it was DEEPLY rewarding. Like holy cow. What a climax of an ending. It was certainly edgy and something remarkable to read. I'm honored to have stumbled upon Jake Vander Ark's work. And I'll certainly be picking up a paper copy once I st...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 16, 2012 Theresa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The best books are the ones you can't stop reading. You just have to know what is going to happen next. The Accidental Siren is all of that. Vander Ark has created a story that you can't stop reading with characters that you love and hate. James, the leading character, is adorable and you just want to hug him. Mara is alluring and psychotic all at the same time. I love complex characters and all of these were point on in their multi-layered personalities.

I have to admit I was reluctant to read t...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 05, 2012 Phaedra Seabolt rated it 5 of 5 stars

We all have either met girls or heard of girls that are so gorgeous that every girl wants to be just like her and every boy wants to own her. I am very serious about the word "own". She is the epitome of sweetness and beauty that you can't help but want to keep all to yourself. I have actually known two girls like this. As kids they always looked like they were ten years older than they were. They weren't devolped like a woman, but it was like a woman was trapped in this angelic body. The Accide...more
We all have either met girls or heard of girls that are so gorgeous that every girl wants to be just like her and every boy wants to own her. I am very serious about the word "own". She is the epitome of sweetness and beauty that you can't help but want to keep all to yourself. I have actually known two girls like this. As kids they always looked like they were ten years older than they were. They weren't devolped like a woman, but it was like a woman was trapped in this angelic body. The Accidental Siren is about a girl just like this. Every boy that sees her is instantly in love and it is rather obvious that adult males feel her allure as well. All the young girls want to be her best friend. Girls tend to have a little more resistance to her power, but even the strong fall.

Mara had lived a rough twelve years. James meets her when he tries to purchase a video camera from her "aunt" whom you will learn has a very interesting past. Upon their first meeting, James discovers boys watching her from nearby trees and videotaping as well. The reason for their leering? Mara has a voice that entrances everyone, young and old, when she sings. Hearing her songs once will leave you craving more like a cocaine addict. James finds this very interesting, but is even more shocked when Mara sends a note flying from her bedroom window to him asking to meet later in secret. He literally gets in a fist fight over the note from one of the stalkers. This is just the beginning of things to come during one of the craziest summers of James's life.

I must say that this was a very strange story, but I couldn't put it down. I, like the characters in the book, was entranced with Mara's seemingly supernatural abilities. I kept reading out of a kind of morbid curiosity of what would happen next and how Mara may have caused it. I felt a sort of jealousy over this girl because I always wanted to be like her. Of course when you get to the ending, you will understand why I am actually happy not to have been like Mara.

Read more reviews at Identity Discovery Blog.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 01, 2012 Jennifer Zuna rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was astonished by this book! (Cool word huh? lol) I was asked to review this book by the author and in exchange I received an Ebook copy and a paperback copy. This book will stay at the top of my pile of books I love for a very long time. The Accidental Siren is a great coming of age story that has so many great characters and plot twists that your breath will be stolen. James's life is turned upside down in the summer of '94 by Mara, a sweet but troubled girl who is so much as he discovers. I...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 07, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I gave this book a 5 star rating, and here is why...

You know the part in Aladdin where the Genie says,

"PHEEEEEEEE - NOMEEEEEE - NALLLLLLL COOOOOOOOSMIC POWWWWWWWAHS!" ??

Well that's the only explanation that I could come up with as to how this book was that friggin good. lol He either laced the watering hole with the ceremonial kool-aid, or he was blessed by the gods with a ridiculously amazing talent for writing. I'm thinking both. haha ( I don't give out a five star rating lightly so it must h...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 16, 2012 Dayla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: creepy, debut, down-to-earth-supernatural, favourite-authors, fucking-amazing, indie-author, insanely-good, love, magic, middle-school, mystery, romance, society, young-adult, beautiful-writing

Article first published as Book Review: The Accidental Siren by Jake Vander Ark on Blogcritics.

Review also posted on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I received a free copy of The Accidental Siren for review purposes.

The Accidental Siren by Jake Vander Ark is a young adult debut set in Lake Michigan that follows twelve year-old James during the summer of 1994. This particular summer is unforgettable for young James since it is the year he experiences his first love. Beautiful and surreal, twelve year-ol...more Article first published as Book Review: The Accidental Siren by Jake Vander Ark on Blogcritics.

Review also posted on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I received a free copy of The Accidental Siren for review purposes.

The Accidental Siren by Jake Vander Ark is a young adult debut set in Lake Michigan that follows twelve year-old James during the summer of 1994. This particular summer is unforgettable for young James since it is the year he experiences his first love. Beautiful and surreal, twelve year-old Mara is the object of every boy’s dream, yet her attraction goes beyond reality and touches on the supernatural.

Vander Ark successfully recreates 1994 for the reader by using references to popular artists, films, and trends of the time. He openly warns the reader of the prejudices that were still active in the early nineties; racial discrimination being an important subject in this novel. The Accidental Siren also explores the difficulties of growing up. James, a prepubescent boy when we meet him, struggles with his weight, hormones, and changing body as the summer progresses.

James, as a protagonist, is unreliable. As the frightening conclusion approaches, he does nothing to show us that he is affected by what he’s learned about Mara. At times, as is pointed out within the story, the reader is left wondering if James is in fact relaying the truth, or if everything we’ve learned from him is all an illusion caused by obsession.

There are moments where Vander Ark’s characters appear unrealistic. However, an older version of James reflects on particular events in certain chapters, reminding the reader that this is an adult’s retelling of a childhood memory.

Written in beautiful prose, Vander Ark’s tale warns of the perils of obsession. The setting is described using flawless metaphors that paint James's world in the reader's mind. The plot becomes more haunting with every chapter, effectively dragging the reader deeper into the story with every twist and turn.

Jake Vander Ark's debut is a wonderful book to read not just because of how original it is, but because the writing in itself is something magical that the reader can't detach him/herself away from.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 TheJadedTeen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

Wow.

There are honestly no words to describe the genius that is "The Accidental Siren." It's one of the best, most original books I've read in so long, with a hooking premise, memorable characters, and the perfect ending that you won't see coming from a mile off...and yet when you stop to think about it, you'll realise it couldn't have rounded off any other way. Jake Vander Ark manages to recreate the summer of '94 so well with his enchanting prose that you'll actually feel as though you're ther...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 04, 2012 Gina Butler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I read this book for Promotional Book Tours. This book is definetly not what I was expecting. This book had twists and turns that I never saw coming.

James is 12 yrs old and falls for a young girl his own age. Everyone loves Mara too. James is constantly fighting others for her attention.

James spends the summer making a movie with his friends. While making the movie he also has to deal with bullies, and protecting Mara. Things are not always as they seem. Sometimes you need to look deeper and f...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 27, 2012 Simone rated it 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This was an amazing story! I was drawn in from the very beginning, starting with James Parker and his undertaking to make his first movie. Then my curiosity was peaked with the introduction of Mara Lynn into the story. I couldn’t comprehend how this young girl could draw so much attention from the inside of a home. This story has many twists and turns, the characters are so realistic, I’m sure you will connect with at least one of...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Alli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely incredible. From the very first page it's deeply engaging, exciting, fun, mystical and whimsical. It's contemplative and introspective (even long after it's done.) The book is deftly eerie and beautifully twisted; there is a perfect mesh of serenity and hysteria. Every detail of every character has a purpose, every theme and motif is so effortlessly intertwined in the rope that is this book-- every fiber of that rope is one whole piece that can be traced back; not one string is cut or...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 30, 2013 Tess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: underrated

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Originay posted on Inkspiration

When I snagged this book off the Kindle store, for free, I didn't really think much of it. I'd read an early version of Lighthouse Nights, another one of Vander Ark's novels, on Wattpad and gotten to know him and his writing fairly well. Or so I thought.

This book completelysurprisedme. The beginning is set well, the way you'dexpectit to go out (not that that's a bad thing), however it soon turns very dark. When I say dark, I don't mean murder mystery dark, but ma...more Originay posted on Inkspiration

When I snagged this book off the Kindle store, for free, I didn't really think much of it. I'd read an early version of Lighthouse Nights, another one of Vander Ark's novels, on Wattpad and gotten to know him and his writing fairly well. Or so I thought.

This book completely surprised me. The beginning is set well, the way you'd expect it to go out (not that that's a bad thing), however it soon turns very dark. When I say dark, I don't mean murder mystery dark, but make you think and question kind of dark.

The themes of beauty, romance, and attraction ring very true. I mean, if there truly was a girl who was beautiful beyond all others, these events aren't far-fetched. There are some truths in this novel that I didn't even want to face. Imagines of both the boys in the trees, and of Livy at Mara's window, are some that will never leave me.

Setting his main characters at the early middle schooler age puts the reader in an interesting position along with the characters. James and Whit weren't young enough to still think girls have cooties, but they weren't old enough to be high school lust hungry men, either. As James states throughout the novel, Mara changes him. She matures him too early.

James was very intriguing. His overall journey from the boy who only wants to direct, to the boy who wants to be different, to the boy who's lost and doesn't know what to think is phenomenal. There are plenty of moments that could have made me hate James, but as the third person narrator reminds us again and again, most of this story isn't James' fault. He isn't impenetrable.

This brings me to my second point about James. I loved him most in his small moments, his vulnerable moments. There I was caught up in when Mara and James meet alone, and I found myself wondering what is James thinking about? "Mara didn't care about my weight", Vander Ark writes. It's this insecure thought, this small moment, that stuck with me.

Above all, Vander Ark is true to his characters and reality. The blurb about a real life siren might make it seem like a book which escapes real life, but in essence, it depicts this world in a much better more realistic way than many other more grounded plot-based books.
(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Amy Dargis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished

Let me be the first to say (or I don't know if I'm the first, I actually didn't read any of the other reviews from this site), that I didn't expect to love this book as much as I do. There's a certain characteristic that the good authors have, and though I haven't figured out their secret power yet, it's rare. It lets the readers get sucked into the story, and it does not ease up until you have finished completely, and after you've told the author and your family and friends and anyone who will...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was absolutely creative and intriguing. When you think one thing is going to happen, something else does. The fun of reading is not knowing what is going to happen. It's unpredictable and original. I could read this story over and over again no matter what.

You can really connect to the characters in the story. It made me feel all kinds of things. I would recommend this to anyone no matter what kind of books they read because honestly.. It's hard not to love this story! Reading this was poss...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Ren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted at A Little Bit of R&R Reviews
Okay...I usually like to write a synopsis with my review but I'm feeling quite incompetent right now. Why is it that really awesome books always turn me into a bumbling idiot? I really enjoyed this book. It's written as James' memoir and he writes about the time that he met Mara, who is the siren in this book. I feel like James' character was well written. He really sounds like a 12 year old and I find it refreshing. I notice too often with oth...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was the first book I read by Jake Vander Ark, and I've been hooked to his books ever since. There was something about his writing that drew me in and kept me wanting to read more about James. As the story went on and we met Mara, more things started happening, started building on one another. The end was incredible and riveting. I never would have expected it from the beginning, but it was the perfect ending. There were so many little touches in the plot that made the ending as great as it...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Chiara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-ve-read-it

Read this book on Wattpad.
Amazing.

A story of innocence, childhood dreams, romance, and the days when you only had to sleep next to someone and not with them to feel content.
A modern day fairytale but guys, don't be put off by the idea of romance- it's a coming of age story more than anything. A story for anyone who likes novels that make them think or novels that make you remember. Evocative, emotive, passionately written.

I think we're onto a winner here.

1 like · like · see review

Aug 17, 2012 Eleanor rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Friends and Strangers alike.

The imagery was amazing and the plot had me reading non-stop from page one to the end. During the read through, each chapter had me either on the edge of my seat, laughing or crying. However, as amazing as the story was, the ending left me a little upset. It seemed so open ended and it left me wanting too much more. Even so, I'd still suggest it to anyone who enjoys paranormal, emotional fiction.

1 like · like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Vinuthna rated it 5 of 5 stars

I took my time getting around to actually reading the book. It sat on my to read list for a couple for weeks. But the moment I started reading I was hooked! Jake told me the beginning was something I'd have to sludge through to get to the good stuff, but I thought it was interesting from the first sentence to the last. It was the best book I've read this year! Go Jake! :D

1 like · like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Camille rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's absolutely AH-MAZING. Read it on Wattpad, and absolutely adored it. Made a Goodreads just because it was so good, and I felt I should for sure write a review, 'cause it was just that freaking awesome. Really cool, the concept is, and the writing is one of the best I've seen. Definitely going to be reading more from Jake Vander Ark. Totally wicked.\m/

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Mar 07, 2013 James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What in the heck was that?!? I can't even begin to describe how much this book pulled me in. Things start out rather ho-hum, then an inexplicable gesture from an old lady sets in motion a series of, well, indescribable events. I can't give anything away, but let's just say the ending is one that would make Stephen King grin from ear to ear.

1 like · like · see review

Dec 02, 2012 Jennifer Levac rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-on-genuine-jenn, read-in-2012

This was one interesting book! The book was told by James Parker as he wrote a book about the summer he was 12 years old. James was an inspiring filmmaker and was making a film over the summer to enter in a art festival. The readers are introduced to James' family and friends in a way that makes you feel like you are there. We are also introduced to Mara, a beautiful girl who has a special gift almost like putting everyone that meets her under a spell. Mara has lived a secret life that gets unfo...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Carrie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mesmerizing.
I could not put this book down! I really liked the descriptions and perspective of the main character. As a growing boy, James tries to answer life's questions and has an amazing journey in the process. Definitely not your average coming of age book!

1 like · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Evie B rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book by Jake Vander Ark is amazing. This book grabs your attention straight away. The storyline develops brilliantly, it was very difficult to put the book down! I will definitely read this again and again! This is a great book that I would recommend to everyone.

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Jul 21, 2012 Renee Evans rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is amazing. It always left me on the edge of my seat. The writing was astounding, the characters so well developed and the plot is difinitely something new. I love everything about it. Thank you for writing this masterpiece.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Julianna H rated it 5 of 5 stars

AMAZING! Simply AMAZING. There are no other words to describe it. Beautifully twisted and breath-takingly well written, "The Accidental Siren" will leave you on the edge of your seat long after you finish reading the last page.

1 like · like · see review

Sep 02, 2012 Sherilward rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Accidental Siren is an amazing book that keeps the reader enthralled. Even better, my non-reading 12 year old loved hearing this story; begging me to continue reading long after my voice gave out!

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Jul 24, 2012 Jayblue rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amazing so far, You could really feel the characters there thoughts there emotions and get the prospective of the main character and the writer. I Strongly Recommended.

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Aug 13, 2012 Michaela rated it 5 of 5 stars

This beautiful coming of age story had me hooked from the first page, it was almost impossible to put down, I advise absolutely anyone to read it.

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Aug 16, 2012 Mindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I couldn't stop reading......It was a such a different book. I need to know more about James and Mara. I can't wait for a sequel

1 like · like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars

A disturbing book with an unexpected ending leaving me with a sufficient dose of "WTF? Wow." to make this book rememberable.

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About Jake Vander Ark

“What I really want to do is direct.”

Yeah, I was that kid.

I spent my high-school career as the ghost of the art room, passionately constructing a portfolio that would provide the first step toward a creative occupation. Luckily, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago didn’t consider GPA when selecting applicants, so I was immediately accepted into one of the most prestigious art programs in th...more

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Quotes from The Accidental Siren

“The night seemed suddenly defiled by the absence of music, as if the silence itself was injecting a sickness that only another song could cure.” — 14 people liked it

“94 was a good year to be twelve. Star Wars still had two more years as Box Office King, cartoons were still hand-drawn, and the Disney "D" still looked like a backwards "G." Words like "Columbine," "Al Qaeda" and "Y2K" were not synonymous with "terror," and 9-1-1 was an emergency number instead of a date. At twelve years old, summer still mattered. Monarch caterpillars still crawled beneath every milkweed leaf. Dandelions (or "wishes" as Mara called them) were flowers instead of pests. And divorce was still considered a tragedy. Before Mara, carnivals didn't make me sick.” — 11 people liked it

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The Accidental Siren (Blank Canvas Series #1)

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