Siren (Siren, #1)

Dec 07, 2011 Ghirardelli rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mermaids, um-what, why-is-this-a-series, read-em-once-then-it-s-done, ya

EDIT: Gave the book another star because it still has a book-length plot, however small, and the romance is not the main focus. It far exceeds other YA books in that aspect, but only that aspect.

OKAY. First things first before we get started...

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Tricia Rayburn's 'Siren' will now be called 'Mermaid' to avoid confusion.

The Sirens from Greek mythology were 2-5 bird women (or just women) that lived on rocky islands. I don't think a name is ever specified. They lured sailors to their death with their a...more

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Jan 29, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mermaids-selkies, thriller, urban-fantasy-paranormal, young-adult-fiction, unfinished-2010, swapped-or-given-away

Flashy-eyed women in Winter Harbor, grinning male corpses washed onto the beach, a dead girl whispering things into her sister's ear ... a stunning secret to be revealed. Wow.

Let's get this out of the way quick and dirty (after having endured 154 pages): I do not recommend this book, not even to mermaid-lovers, because ...

- The plot is so very disconnected. Things happen without the reader being "informed". For instance you switch from the scene in which Justine storms out of the beach house to...more Flashy-eyed women in Winter Harbor, grinning male corpses washed onto the beach, a dead girl whispering things into her sister's ear ... a stunning secret to be revealed. Wow.

Let's get this out of the way quick and dirty (after having endured 154 pages): I do not recommend this book, not even to mermaid-lovers, because ...

- The plot is so very disconnected. Things happen without the reader being "informed". For instance you switch from the scene in which Justine storms out of the beach house to the scene after her funeral and you ask "What? Somebody has died? Who, when?" After some frantic flapping of the recently read pages you calm down, because you haven't missed a word. You just have to fill in the essentials. Welcome to the world of Young Adult Sudoku. On the other hand you know looong before Nessa what those women around her are (the title, the evilness oozing out of their pores, their attractiveness to men, the bodies washed on shore, the flashy, silvery mirror eyes ... *yaaawwwwn*. Apart from the hair color, though, at least the cover fits, and I love it.)

- The characters are too uninteresting, too mean to be believable or too dumb to be comfortable to be around. (How can you not notice that your nymphomanic mom is hitting on your boyfriend, when she is practically crawling over his skin with her tongue?)

- There are sirens or - to be exact - decendants of evil man-eating/man-murdering sirens, no question. But: no underwater plot, no fins, at least I didn't spot them when I was flipping through the rest of the book. I understand that there is the necessity of saltwater getting mixed into your blood if you want to be a proper siren. That's it.

- The romance isn't even partially believable to me (I am glad that fellow mermaid-group-member Alyssa thought differently, although we seem to be on the same page as the rest of the plot is concerned): Nessa's sister dies. Timid Nessa, who was always completely dependent on that sister, mourns her for a bit and feels she has to bring light into the sudden death (the reader says "Yes, please. We don't even know the basics.") and - plong - she feels attracted to childhood buddy and neighbor Simon, brother of Justine's on and off boyfriend Caleb and - above all - a completely boring and geeky meteorology student, who says so often "Three minutes, please, I have to take a few measurements." (= water levels and such in the midst of a thunder storm or an investigation) during the first 150 pages that I wanted to stuff his equippment up his ... nose. But Nessa always patiently answers something in the vein of "Sure, want me to help? Global warming beats my sister's death and your brother's strange disappearance every day. Awful weather, isn't it?". And then she lusts a tiny bit after that future world changer.)

- Luckily my own life-story doesn't involve mourning a tragically departed family member, but I thought that Nessa and her parents were acting and reacting pretty strangely after losing of Justine. We are told that Nessa has problems falling asleep and she wants to find out more. But that's all. I compared Nessa to Kate Mercier, who loses her parents in Die for Me and I have to say Kate's numbness and hurt feel real, whereas Nessa feels "huh"?

One star for the cover, none to the book.(less)

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Jul 24, 2011 Shaya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, summer-fall-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Best part about it? The cover.

I mainly read this book because my sister had it and I didn't have anything else to read. I wasn't expecting much, it's a quick summer romance with mythical creatures. Except the main character, Vanessa, doesn't even realize the people she's around are sirens until two thirds of the way into the book. Kind of bizarre when the title is "Siren."

The story skips around a bit. Justine, the sister Vanessa has always looked up to and loved, dies. We get almost none of the...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Nessa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was a really pleasant surprise, I'm glad to say. I've been reading it all morning through and just finished it. :)

Of course, it sounds just like your typical supernatural romance YA novel. But what I really liked was that this was just if you took it at face value.

The story is about a jittery girl named Vanessa, whose sister Justine dies cliff-diving/tombstoning while they're on holiday in coastal Maine one summer. Shortly after that, Justine's boyfriend Caleb goes missing. While her m...more

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Mar 28, 2011 TheBookVixen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, c-b

Why I Read this Book: You know those books out there, the ones that you’ve heard about but really had no desire to read? Sure, you’ve read the blurb but it doesn’t do anything for you. Or it’s about something (perhaps a certain paranormal/methodical creature) that you just don’t read…? That’s what Siren was to me. But then it became something completely different.

When I was asked to review Siren, I wasn’t sure if I was up for it. I checked the reviews on Goodreads and the reviews were good but t...more Why I Read this Book: You know those books out there, the ones that you’ve heard about but really had no desire to read? Sure, you’ve read the blurb but it doesn’t do anything for you. Or it’s about something (perhaps a certain paranormal/methodical creature) that you just don’t read…? That’s what Siren was to me. But then it became something completely different.

When I was asked to review Siren, I wasn’t sure if I was up for it. I checked the reviews on Goodreads and the reviews were good but the reviews were also very mysterious. I had a feeling what the book would be about just by the title and that is what made me hesitant. The reviews were not clear on whether or not my assumptions were correct but every time I asked someone about the book, someone who had already read it, they said I had to read it. I listened and boy, am I glad I read this book!

What I Liked: The author takes character connection to a whole other dimension. I felt like I was there with Vanessa. This book blew me away. And finally, the geeky, nerdy guy gets the attention of the leading lady instead of the “ultimate bad boy”. Don’t get me wrong, I love my bad boys but the geeks got to get in on some of the action too. It just gives it a nice, realistic change in the world of YA.

The cover is haunting. The cold, silver eyes appear to be looking right into your soul. The tiny little air bubbles lead me to believe the girl is under water, which leaves me breathless. The back cover is not as clear to make out; my guess is that it’s sound waves, most likely under water as well. The cover definitely jumps out at you, making you want to pick it up. Like I said – haunting.

What I Didn’t Like: I was left with some unanswered questions; questions that I’m sure will be answered in the next two installments. Simon is also due for some answers and I can’t wait to see how he takes them.

Overall Impression: Siren has unique twists and a storyline that went from interesting to very interesting. I was captivated from the start and never loss interest. This is a book that you’ll want to gobble up in one sitting and it will leave you wanting seconds. Thank goodness Siren is part of a trilogy! I am not ready to let go of Vanessa, Simon or Caleb and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them. Siren was a great summer read! The sequel to Siren will be out next summer and the 3rd installment in the trilogy will be out the summer after that.

You can find this review, and many more, on my blog The Book Vixen.(less)

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May 19, 2010 Len rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An emotional supernatural mystery with a soft spot for family.

It began establishing the relationship between Justine and Vanessa and how important the setting will be for the story. And then melts away into the incident that will change their lives forever.

The story revolves around Vanessa's search for answers surrounding her sister's death, uncovering hidden secrets along the way that eventually reveals something that would or could call for a second book.

After reading the book I realize that I...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Darcie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review, mermaids-and-sirens, read-fall-2010

I wasn't sure what to think about this at first. I love books about mermaids and other sea people and I love mythology, so I was intrigued by the description of this book. The book started off a little slow and confusing for me, but eventually I got into it and I'm glad I stuck with it. The story is great, and it doesn't portray sirens as just the villain or just the hero. It's not just one girl fighting a group of sirens. It's about her relationships with some of them, positive and negative. Sh...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Stacey rated it 2 of 5 stars

I ended up adding another star, making it two instead of one, because part of the reason I had such strong emotions about it because it had such potential. I so so wanted to love it. I still want to love it. There was just way too much I couldn't get over.

I am honestly surprised people actually liked this book. There were somethings I liked but even if I could forgive the other things I disliked early in the book I could never EVER (ever ever ever ever) forgive the climax. Holy cow unbelievable...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Brooke rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-supernatural-psychic, mermaids, disappointed-me

I haven't actually read any books involving Mermaids before Siren, so I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed it as I did have my reservations. I found the beginning a little confusing, but once the story line began to unroll I was able to make sense of it all and enjoy what was taking place. The characters were likable (and loathe-able where appropriate) and the story flowed well, the character development was consistent and seeing (so to speak) their interaction and relationships ch...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Lexie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, fiction, romance, supernatural, young-adult, tbs

This was my first mermaid book. Much like vampires and zombies, it's not really something that interests me. And this book didn't convince me otherwise.

The writing and characters were solid, and Tricia Rayburn tells a story reasonably well. But it was just a whole host of little things that niggled. The fact is, this story starts off with a distinctively Sarah Dessen air to it.

(view spoiler)...more This was my first mermaid book. Much like vampires and zombies, it's not really something that interests me. And this book didn't convince me otherwise.

The writing and characters were solid, and Tricia Rayburn tells a story reasonably well. But it was just a whole host of little things that niggled. The fact is, this story starts off with a distinctively Sarah Dessen air to it.

(view spoiler)

I honestly would have preferred a contemporary YA about Vanessa working at Betty's the summer after her sister kills herself, and making friends with Paige. I think it would have been a more satisfying ending.

Overall, nothing that would encourage me towards the mermaid genre, but not a bad book.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book appears interesting, original, and exciting at a first glance, but once the first-chapter threshold is passed, the true nature is revealed.
This book does manage to be original in some ways, mainly because the idea of a modern day ‘siren’ is not really that common in novels, yet. It’s an interesting concept, and this book could have been really interesting, but unfortunately the engaging storyline is let down by poor character structure and development, frustrating dialogue, and bland...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Liviania rated it 2 of 5 stars

Back in June, my grandparents and I drove from Texas to North Dakota using a roundabout route in order to sightsee. With four days in the car, I was reading plenty of books. In my day to day life, I often put books down for various reasons - need to go to class, need to make dinner, need to write an essay, and so forth. But in the car, on a road trip, I'm a fairly captive audience.

I put SIREN down a lot.

First, I don't like the title. One of the things Tricia Rayburn works hard at is to create a...more Back in June, my grandparents and I drove from Texas to North Dakota using a roundabout route in order to sightsee. With four days in the car, I was reading plenty of books. In my day to day life, I often put books down for various reasons - need to go to class, need to make dinner, need to write an essay, and so forth. But in the car, on a road trip, I'm a fairly captive audience.

I put SIREN down a lot.

First, I don't like the title. One of the things Tricia Rayburn works hard at is to create a haunting atmosphere, a dread of the unknown that's tying the creepy events in Vanessa Sands's life together. Unfortunately, we all know sirens are responsible since it is the title of the book. I know authors don't usually get to choose their title, but I wish someone had said something along the way.

As for the relationships . . . I liked the ones that got elaborated least. Vanessa makes friends with Paige, a local waitress, while searching for a place to hang out while she mourns. Paige has issues with her gorgeous and abrupt older sister Zara, which always prick at Vanessa since she's keeping it a secret from her new friends that she's the younger sister of the drowned girl.

Justine, Vanessa's sister, just made out with Caleb and was planning to go to Dartmouth. As Vanessa discovers after her death, she was in love with Caleb and never applied to Dartmouth. (Seriously, I'd love to read more about Justine and Caleb's secret life together. I bought them way more than I did Vanessa and Simon, but of course the book starts with Justine's death.) Vanessa, like most siblings, didn't know as much as she thought about her older sister.

Rayburn pulls off a neat twist with Vanessa's narration. Halfway through, various characters enlighted the reader to the fact that Vanessa isn't very self-aware. I like that realization of the limits of first person point-of-view. That's also the end of the slowest parts of SIREN, but the revelations become rather abrupt. Rayburn builds and builds (and builds) only to suddenly throw answers to questions that weren't even asked at the reader.

SIREN wasn't terrible. It was a decent paranormal, even with the obvious sequel-baiting at the end. But I read it after finishing a couple of great paranormals, and it really paled in comparison. Rayburn's YA debut (she wrote the MG Maggie Bean series) is full of interesting concepts, but the execution is sloppy. SIREN wasn't the engrossing horror/mystery it wanted to be. (less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Roberta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quando il corpo della sorella viene ritrovato in fondo alla scogliera per Vanessa tutta la sua vita inizia a cambiare: scopre che non conosceva davvero la sorella e decide di tornare nel paesino dove è morta per parlare con il fidanzato... Una volta a Winter Harbour Vanessa scoprirà che qualcosa non va e improvvisi cambi climatici e continue morti in mare insospettiscono lei e l'amico Simon...

Una trama inusuale e che riprende l'antico mito delle sirene, creature marine bellissime che con il loro...more Quando il corpo della sorella viene ritrovato in fondo alla scogliera per Vanessa tutta la sua vita inizia a cambiare: scopre che non conosceva davvero la sorella e decide di tornare nel paesino dove è morta per parlare con il fidanzato... Una volta a Winter Harbour Vanessa scoprirà che qualcosa non va e improvvisi cambi climatici e continue morti in mare insospettiscono lei e l'amico Simon...

Una trama inusuale e che riprende l'antico mito delle sirene, creature marine bellissime che con il loro canto ammaliano gli uomini per poterli uccidere.
Molti i protagonisti di questo libro e tutti ben caratterizzati, ognuno con una parte nella storia e tutti descritti con cura, in modo da dare al lettore un'idea precisa di ognuno.
Vanessa è una diciassettenne terrorizzata da tutto e tutti, convinta di non esser nulla di speciale e di vivere all'ombra della sorella maggiore Justine. Quando la sorella più grande muore Vanessa si ritrova come persa e dopo aver scoperto di non conoscere davvero la sorella decide di tornare a Winter Harbour per dare delle risposte alle sue mille domande. Quello di Vanessa è un personaggio in crescita, che da ragazzina paurosa diventa più forte e consapevole delle sue capacità, ma anche se riesce ad affrontare la sua paura più grande questa non l'abbandona, restando una costante fino alla fine.
Betty, Raina, Zara sono tre delle sirene a cui fa riferimento il titolo: tre donne, tre generazioni di sirene e ognuna con un carattere diverso... Betty ha sempre cercato di fuggire dalla natura malvagia della sua specie, ha protetto l'uomo che amava e fino all'ultimo cerca di salvare vittime innocenti dal canto ipnotico e mortale delle altre sirene. Raina, figlia di Betty, è una donna volubile e bellissima che sa di avere un forte ascendente sugli uomini e lo usa senza scrupolo: il suo cuore è gelido come il ghiaccio e cerca di far diventare fredda e malvagia come lei anche Zara, la figlia maggiore... Zara è un personaggio ambiguo, sa esser malvagio e usa i suoi poteri per i suoi scopi, ma alla fine lascia perplesso il lettore...
Simone e Caleb sono gli amici d'infanzia di Vanessa e Justine: due fratelli legati profondamente, coraggiosi e determinati a salvare le persone che amano e la loro cittadina a qualunque costo... Nonostante la storia d'amore con le due sorelle e il loro valido aiuto per porre fine alla malia delle sirene i loro personaggi risultano leggermente marginali e un po' meno delineati.
La storia è coinvolgente, carica di mistero e pathos: molte scene mettono i brividi, rendono palpabile la paura e l'ansia grazie anche alla perfetta descrizione che fa di ogni momento l'autrice. Il lettore non viene solo ipnotizzato dalla storia, ma la vive in prima persona, immergendosi totalmente nel racconto e restando spesso senza fiato, ci si sente costantemente come se si camminasse su una corda...
Lo stile è semplice e avvincente, la scrittura mai pesante e la lettura scorre veloce, tanto che il libro si lascia leggere massimo in un paio di giorni.
Fino alla fine l'attenzione è mantenuta alta, grazie anche al ritmo veloce e incalzante del racconto e la fine è ad effetto e sorprendente.
Putroppo la Rayburn si è concentrata poco sulla descrizione delle sirene e sul loro modo di vivere.
Nonostante Sirene sia considerato un urban fantasy devo ammettere che sia per la storia sia per come viene raccontata ha molto di più le caratteristiche di un thriller per adulti.
Posso solo aggiungere che Sirene è un libro che vi attrarrà già dalla copertina e pagina dopo pagina vi imprigionerà in una malia che vi terrà saldamente intrappolati nella lettura, incantandovi e trascinandovi via come la marea facendovi perdere la cognizione del tempo!(less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Natalia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Carai, cabei :o
Nossa, sem palavras pra esse livro. É aquele tipo de leitura que você não só não consegue largar, mas também que desperta sua imaginação - simplesmente por ser um tema com personagens pouco explorados atualmente: sereias. E é exatamente isso que mais chama a atenção de qualquer um: o modo delas, conhecido por todos e ao mesmo tempo diferente, por "fugir" um pouco do clássico. Loiras, com rabos de peixe imensos e conchas no busto - nããão, nada disso. Só ficou a voz apaixonante e a...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Miss Amby rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 tellin...more 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.

Check out other reviews, awesome giveaways, and author interviews at http://falln2books.blogspot.com (less)

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Feb 05, 2012 Kayla rated it 2 of 5 stars

Let me start off by saying that yes I picked up this book purely based on its cover. Can you blame me? I mean, the eyes and title are shiny. But honestly I think the cover may have been the best thing about this book. That may sound harsh, and I really didnt hate the book, its just that there was absolutely no wow factor. But the cover gets five stars, so theres that.

Characters: Considering the only character I really really liked was Justine and she died within the first couple chapters (not a...more Let me start off by saying that yes I picked up this book purely based on its cover. Can you blame me? I mean, the eyes and title are shiny. But honestly I think the cover may have been the best thing about this book. That may sound harsh, and I really didnt hate the book, its just that there was absolutely no wow factor. But the cover gets five stars, so theres that.

Characters: Considering the only character I really really liked was Justine and she died within the first couple chapters (not a spoiler, it says it on the back cover), I wasnt thrilled with the characters. It wasnt that I particularly disliked any of them, I just didnt feel any connection with any of them, not even the main character. The love interest was okay, though Rayburn could have made their romance so much more intense. I mean, for one thing, can anyone tell me whether or not they had sex in that scene in Simons room? It was very brushed over and unclear, and if they did infact do it, does anyone else think its a little skanky so soon in their romantic relationship? But other than that I felt the characters were likeable but not very well developed or interesting. Also I would have loved to know more about Justine, now theres a character with actual depth in the book. In fact I would have prefered it if the book focused on her and Calebs relationship instead of Simon and Vanessa who were equally dull and one dimensional.

Plot: The plot was also okay, I was interested in what was happening and the mystery was pretty well done. I liked the actual siren aspect a lot. I read it last month so I really dont remember if it was predictable or not, but I know the plot was pretty good. There were certain things that confused me about the siren mythology and especially the ending I found to be unclear.

Ending: The main reason I found this to be unclear was that to be honest, I was kind of rushing to finish it. I dont even remember clearly the action at the end because by this point I just wanted to be done and on to the next book. I know that I was confused by what was going on because, again, I thought it was unclear. And I also know that it was very unrealistic, I cant say why without spoiling it, but take my word that for me to say an aspect of a paranormal romance book was unrealistic, which does seem quite ironic and paradoxical, is really something. I have a high tolerance generally for lack of realism in a book that is built on a foundation of things that don't actually exist in real life.

So I was very disapointed in this book, and even more so that it comes with a sequel. Really? Is that really necessary? Even if I had liked it, it doesnt need a sequel. Though now that I'm involved I'll most likely read it at some point, sigh. If you still want to read this, I suggest picking it up from the library.

[If you want to you can check out my book blog. Link;http://kaylasbookchat.blogspot.com/ I'm just starting out and could use feedback.](less)

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Jan 19, 2012 Themistokeles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Inhalt: Vanessa und ihre Schwester Justine verbringen den Sommer immer zusammen mit ihrer Familie in Winter Harbor einem Hafen und Ferienort in Maine. Neben ihrem dortigen Ferienhaus steht das Haus der Familie Carmichael, die dauerhaft in Winter Harbor leben und zwei Söhne haben, Caleb und Simon. Seit dem Vanessa und Justine nach Winter Harbor kommen, sind sie mit dem Jungen befreundet und als sie älter wurden, wurde jeden Sommer aus der Freundschat zwischen Caleb und Justine mehr. So wie jeden...more Inhalt: Vanessa und ihre Schwester Justine verbringen den Sommer immer zusammen mit ihrer Familie in Winter Harbor einem Hafen und Ferienort in Maine. Neben ihrem dortigen Ferienhaus steht das Haus der Familie Carmichael, die dauerhaft in Winter Harbor leben und zwei Söhne haben, Caleb und Simon. Seit dem Vanessa und Justine nach Winter Harbor kommen, sind sie mit dem Jungen befreundet und als sie älter wurden, wurde jeden Sommer aus der Freundschat zwischen Caleb und Justine mehr. So wie jeden Sommer besuchen die vier eine Klippe, von der Justine, Caleb und Simon direkt ins Meer springen, auch wenn es gefährlich ist. Allein Vanessa traut sich nicht, da sie allgemein sehr ängstlich ist. Sie müssen jedoch schnell von der Klippe fliehen, weil ein Unwetter aufzieht, das ihr Verweilen dort sonst zu gefährlich würde. Justine und Calab wollen sich jedoch nicht davon abbringen lassen noch ein weiteres Mal von der Klippe zu springen. Mit einer leichten Verletzung überstehen Justine und Caleb den Sprung.
Am selben Abend gibt es wegen ihres Verhaltens eine Diskussion mit den Eltern und Justine steht wütend auf und verschwindet vom Esstisch. Am nächsten Tag wird Justine tot aufgefunden, sie ist von der Chione Klippe gesprungen, mitten in einem Unwetter und hat den Sprung nicht überlebt. Nach ihrer Beeerdigung kehrt Vanesse aus Bosten zurück nach Winter Harbor um etwas über Justine herauszufinden, denn sie musste erkennen, das Justine sie in einigen Dingen belogen hat. Bei ihrer Suche nach der Wahrheit stößt Vanessa auf Sachen die vollkommen unglaublich scheinen. Sie und Simon müssen es mit Mächten aufnehmen, mit denen sie in ihren kühnsten Träumen nicht gerechnet hätten und zu allem Überfluss ist auch noch Caleb verschwunden.

Meinung: Das es sich eher um ein Jugendbuch handelt war schnell klar. Allein schon aufgrund der Thematik, dass es viel um die Liebe gehen würde, was in einem Fantasy-Zusammenhang immer eher ein Jugendbuch ist. Ich muss aber sagen, dass mir das Buch ziemlich gut gefallen hat, da es in einem ziemlich schönen Stil geschrieben ist und mir die Charaktere auch sehr sympathisch wurden. Trotz des Titels käme man ohne Beschreibung lange nicht sicher auf die Idee, dass es sich wirklich um Sirenen handelt, denn eine lange Passage des Buches hat es deutlich mehr von einem Buch des Mystrie Genres, als aus dem Bereich der Fantasy, da zwar mystriöse Dinge geschehen, aber man einach nicht sicher sein kann, dass auch wirklich magische oder übersinnliche Wesen involviert sind. Unterstützt wird das ganze durch das Setting in der realen Welt.
Vanessa war mir von Anfang an ziemlich sympathisch, auch wenn sie eher ein ziemlicher Angsthase ist und an Dinge glaubt, die eher zu Ängsten kleiner Kinder zählen, wie Angst vor Monstern in der Dunkelheit. Grade das jedoch hat sie mir irgendwie sympathischer gemacht. Andere Charaktere wie die doch ziemlich überdrehte Paige hatten auch irgendwie richtig was für sich, so dass man eine ziemlich große Auswahl an Charakteren zum mit identifizeiren hatte. Daher wirklich ein echt gutes Jugendbuch.
Am Ende bleiben viele Fragen offen und nicht nur Frage sondern auch Wissen, dass der Leser hat, wird vor Charakteren zurückgehalten, wodurch sofort deutlich wurde, dass es sich nicht um einen Einzelband handelt, sondern um eine Reihe. Ich kann mir nur bisher noch nicht wirklich vorstellen, was wohl der Plot der weiteren Teile sein soll, da ja bisher die Suche nach der Wahrheit im Mittelpunkt stand und diese erfolgreich war. Aber auf jeden Fall, kann ich das Buch allen Freunden von Jugendbüchern mit einem Schuss Mystrie nur empfehlen.(less)

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Dec 27, 2011 Katie Joiner rated it 5 of 5 stars

After an awful trip to the library and spending days unable to find any good electronic books, I really needed-and wanted-a good book. While surfing on Goodreads, I came across Siren; it's the best book I've read in a while.
Justine, Vanessa, Caleb, and Simon are all excellently written and developed charecters, even Justine, who (as told in synopsis) dies pretty quickly. You continue delving deeper into the personalities of each charecter.
Vanessa was an excellent protagonist! She's beautiful a...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Jessica Day rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m going to be completely honest; I bought this book simply because it has a gorgeous cover. I wasn’t expecting to like it all that much but I knew I had to add it to my shelf. Turns out, Siren surprised me. I really enjoyed it and just ordered undercurrent, the sequel, because I simply couldn’t wait to read it. After Siren, I can tell it will be great.

The mystery of Siren is thrilling. There were times I didn’t want to put the book down. It engaged me from page one. The setting and story was...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Carla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Three words, best-book-EVER!! I absolutely adored Siren, I devoured every word from the beginning to the end. Tricia combined the mystery and romance so perfectly, the story fit together like a jigsaw. I love the way Tricia added her own spin to the mythological creatures, sirens and disguised them as everyday people.

I was really happy when the story started off with mystery at the very beginning, i hate it when you have to read a book all the way to the middle to even start getting interested....more

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Aug 22, 2011 Courtney (Fuzzy.Coffee.Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What I liked: 1) Simon. I adore geeky, studious guys. 2) The location - imagining myself in Maine, where the summer weather is maybe 70 degrees was quite a change from the 110 degrees we're having here in Texas. I loved how vivid and lively the scenery was in the story. 3) Sirens. I'm enjoying branching out on my paranormal creatures. It's not all vampires and wizards anymore. I don't know much folklore about sirens, mostly what you get from The Odyssey, so I found this very enjoyable. 4) Light...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advisory-2011-2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Siren by Tricia Rayburm is not as interesting as I perceived it to be because the way it started off sounded like a scary mystery with it talking about fear etc… however the book turned out to have people dying mysteriously and having the protagonist solving the mystery of the mysterious death, especially since one of the victims was her sister. Even though the book wasn’t as interesting as I thought, it was worth reading since I thought the clues to solving the bigger picture connected smoothly...more Siren by Tricia Rayburm is not as interesting as I perceived it to be because the way it started off sounded like a scary mystery with it talking about fear etc… however the book turned out to have people dying mysteriously and having the protagonist solving the mystery of the mysterious death, especially since one of the victims was her sister. Even though the book wasn’t as interesting as I thought, it was worth reading since I thought the clues to solving the bigger picture connected smoothly and the whole story played out nicely, even though it was confusing in some parts since each chapter starts off with something out of the blue.
This story, like The Hollow is also centered around protagonist after the death of someone close to them. Vanessa’s sister Justine washes up dead along the shores around their summer house in Winter Harbor and that begins Vanessa’s search to uncover the mystery of her sister’s death. They say Justine’s death was the result of her cliff diving when the tides are too high, but Vanessa believes otherwise. After Justine’s death, her so called “boyfriend”, Caleb, runs away from home without a word. Vanessa begins her search for Caleb to find answers. Along the way she discovers deep secrets about Justine that changes everything about their relationship and within Winter Harbor more bodies start to wash up shore, all being men and each grinning from ear to ear. Now Vanessa knows there is something wrong and when she finds Caleb everything starts to make sense. Some people in Winter Harbor are not who they seem to be. Vanessa meets a nice girl named Paige, but her family has a huge secret that are the answers to the deaths including Justine‘s.
The ending when Vanessa puts all the pieces of the puzzle together and discover that Zara and Raina were both sirens causing the death, was mostly the only part that had me really engaged into the book. For most parts of the book I just wasn’t interested. The story plot moved kind of slow and it took forever for the suspense to start. I also found it shocking when it only took a mere “sentence” and that was how the sirens were defeated. It took forever to find out who they were and what they were doing and they are gone so easily. I expected a bigger fight to take place when Vanessa went towards the sirens in the water, it was disappointing. I also didn’t like how the author couldn’t mention more about the sirens. I waned to learn more about them, then just women with salt in their blood who seduces men and kills them in the end. I think the author should incorporate more details about the mystifying creatures. I also disliked the romance in this book. Vanessa and Simon basically went nowhere because all Simons seemed to care about is the weather and nothing really went on between them. However even though Vanessa is afraid of everything, I still love her character because she will do anything to find out the truth about her sister even though she learns about the hidden emotions of Justine. She is like a sister one would love to have. Her character also develops as she goes from being a person who is afraid of everything to one who can beat nasty sirens in return for her sister. Lastly this book is a real cliff hanger. It leaves off with the sense that something happened to Vanessa and “what happened” is not answered, but it is confusing because it was just thrown in randomly.
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Jul 15, 2011 Alyssa rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
This book immediately caught my eye when I spotted it on the shelf in the bookstore. It looked really intriguing and I expected a lot out of it. I just finished it and was let down big time. Something exciting or revealing would happen at the end of a chapter and the next page is a totally different scene and you find yourself scrambling to figure out what's going on. I tended to scim over much of the narrator's thoughts to get to the dialouge and the end of a page. I also found the main charact...more
This book immediately caught my eye when I spotted it on the shelf in the bookstore. It looked really intriguing and I expected a lot out of it. I just finished it and was let down big time. Something exciting or revealing would happen at the end of a chapter and the next page is a totally different scene and you find yourself scrambling to figure out what's going on. I tended to scim over much of the narrator's thoughts to get to the dialouge and the end of a page. I also found the main character annoying. I didn't like how she had to be afraid of EVERYTHING!

The romance developement between Vanessa and Simon was poorly planned out. I mean it was totally unrealistic. Your his best friend since birth and it takes your sister's death to realize you have feelings for him? And the two show a little bit of interest in each other and they end up making out right after they learn something devastating. While they're swallowing each other Vanessa, the girl afraid of EVERYTHING, decides just to up and sleep with him! What is that about?! I thought she was going to be an innocent non-slutty nice girl but I guess I was wrong.

I was disappointed at how undeveloped the characters were but what really got me mad was the climax or lack thereof. Right when the action starts to build the chapter ends and then the next chapter starts with everything happy and perfect again. You're like, "What the heck?! What happened?" and you have to wait once again for everything to be explained! And might I say that all of it was painfully predictable. I hate an ending when you already firgured out what's going to happen. No "wow" effect at all.

All in all, I was wasn't thrilled with this book. I've not liked a couple books and this is one of them. It was an okay read and could be interesting at times but I wouldn't recommend it. I've been debating if I should read the second one or not but I'm kind of afraid I'll be let down again. If reading it will be a waste of my time, why bother buying it?(less)

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Jun 10, 2011 Jade Walker rated it 3 of 5 stars

Original review at http://inkscratchers.blogspot.com/

Siren has the features to be an amazing book, unfortunately, it falls a little short. I wish I could say I adored it but I didn’t, I didn’t dislike it, I just didn’t love it.

As a paranormal reader, sirens are something I haven’t read much of, I’m not sure there are many books out there about them and I was extremely excited to read this book, so much so that when I found it in my local supermarket I begged my mother for the £7 and bought it th...more Original review at http://inkscratchers.blogspot.com/

Siren has the features to be an amazing book, unfortunately, it falls a little short. I wish I could say I adored it but I didn’t, I didn’t dislike it, I just didn’t love it.

As a paranormal reader, sirens are something I haven’t read much of, I’m not sure there are many books out there about them and I was extremely excited to read this book, so much so that when I found it in my local supermarket I begged my mother for the £7 and bought it there and then. I started it in the car ride home. It was a slow start, I couldn’t really get into it and I kept putting it down. I finally got into it around fifty pages in and it held my attention for most of my night.

What can I say? The plot is amazing, original but unfortunately, Rayburn doesn’t pull it off as well as she could do. I got a little confused at some places about what was going on, who was doing what and where things were taking place. It could have been simple but I think that Rayburn needlessly overcomplicated some parts of it.

The book flowed well, things led to another and clues were discovered, as should happen in a good mystery novel, I didn’t really think anything was a shock, I mean, she kept me on edge, but I never really had any *GASP* moments while reading (and I need a good *GASP*). Some parts of this book were downright scary though, the parts where Vanessa is sneaking round the house had me so scared for her, but the parts that could have been really frightening, like the action at the end, were overlooked, and I felt she rushed the end of the book.

Vanessa annoyed me slightly at the beginning, but I grew to like her as she developed, which is good because I doubt I could have bared to read the book if I had hated her but... Simon... oh Simon... this is one of the only YA boys that I have liked. I adored him, and I felt the relationship was natural, as he and Vanessa had been friends for years before, it wasn’t just “I METZ A BOI ‘N’ NOW I LUB HIM ETERNALALALLY!”, it was a natural development, and I loved that there was something in the way, my heart breaks for him at some points in the book. I really hope Rayburn keeps him as Vanessa’s love interest in the sequel, I would HATE her forever if she suddenly changed her mind and decided to give her somebody different.

All in all, the book isn’t terrible, not fantastic either though. It is a good start to a trilogy. I will be reading the sequel (Undercurrent, which is released summer 2011, I think), but I won’t have massively high expectations.

Overall rating: C(less)

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Jun 04, 2011 Carol Rubens rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It wasn't as fast paced as other books I've read, but at the same time it kind of was, but in a different way. Which I know doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It didn't have a ton of battle scenes, the romance throughout wasn't as intense as in most books. But I think I liked that more, because it seemed more realistic, like kind of a break from how books these days are. And I liked that at the end, Vanessa said that even though she jumped, she was still scared -...more

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May 19, 2011 Halinor Everdeen Cipriano rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: enigma, significantly-innocent, cute, quirky-hunk-you-ll-love, mysterious, slightly-predictable, wonderous

I was a little reluctant to read the Siren, because it's release and progress has been a matter of significant discretion, pondering over the cover I presumed it to be an adventure book for children, you know ones where they inflate the idea of a little peck on the mouth and make it a catastrophically immense deal... yah, that one... But I was pretty much off target and will admit, was infact defiled in the "First impressions" department...
First off as it is a custom of mine to ramble about the...more I was a little reluctant to read the Siren, because it's release and progress has been a matter of significant discretion, pondering over the cover I presumed it to be an adventure book for children, you know ones where they inflate the idea of a little peck on the mouth and make it a catastrophically immense deal... yah, that one... But I was pretty much off target and will admit, was infact defiled in the "First impressions" department...
First off as it is a custom of mine to ramble about the cover a while before disclosing my review, today unfortunately for you, shall be no different...
The cover was gorgeous!!! (as is blatantly evident from the picture enclosed above...)
Great! Now that I am pretty much done with that segment, let's flit back to what you so diligently arrived for... my Review...
What I absolutely devoured about the book, was the simplistic, fluid writing style of Tricia Rayburn. It was meticulous, pragmatic, soulful and incredibly relatable. It wasn't overwhelmingly descriptive but was potent enough to the point that I could see images shuffling around before my eyes.
I loved the setting of the novel too. A charming yet discreetly belligerent seaside town, that had it's fair share of palatable characters. I just adored that sour tinge that laced the sides of every single person... At one point you think you have them all mapped out, but they then dish out something so completely off tangent, that you'll be left wondering where you went wrong...
I especially adored the character Simon, what a sweet, affectionate and dreamy little nerd he is! I'm psyched with the idea of having your hero be something most girls wouldn't find appealing. But don't worry the way he's described as the story progresses, he's sure to be a participant in your dreams for a while. (Yum!)
I liked Vanessa too, she was pleasantly conflicted, refreshingly independent and surprisingly intelligent. You don't see that very often! Especially since Bella Swan dug the "be a twat, and be famous " grave for all protagonists!
What I absolutely abhorred about the book was......NOTHING!!! That's right! Absolutely, positively and undoubtedly nothing! It was as flawless as a bar of dark chocolate and as smooth and snappy as a slab of melting butter sliding down a skate rink!!!
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May 05, 2011 Leia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy, reviewed

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 -...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Alexandria rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I think that this book may have just succeeded in putting me off YA fiction for a little while. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. In fact I am getting irritated just thinking about it as I type.

Uh!

I was finding this book really hard to get into from the get go and I kept looking at it, hoping it would read itself without any input from me. Unfortunaelty it doesn't work like that. So I grabbed the bull by the horns (or the book by the binding) and was determined to sit down and not stop...more I think that this book may have just succeeded in putting me off YA fiction for a little while. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. In fact I am getting irritated just thinking about it as I type.

Uh!

I was finding this book really hard to get into from the get go and I kept looking at it, hoping it would read itself without any input from me. Unfortunaelty it doesn't work like that. So I grabbed the bull by the horns (or the book by the binding) and was determined to sit down and not stop until I had finished this book. HAH! it didn't work...

So why couldn't I finish this book?

Well I was going to push myself to get it read and out the way until I hit page 207(ish)! DUDE!

So you are reading long, la de da de da. And then you get to 'I lead him...upstairs'. Say what? Hold the phone. Two seconds ago (and I mean 2 seconds ago. 2 seconds ago as in on the opposite page, 2 seconds ago!)you were having your first kiss and suddenly you are jumping into bed with him. Uh, nope, sorry. The lameness of the story I could have dealt with but this bit was just too much. I mean don't get me wrong there isn't anything graphic about itAs in NOTHING is described. And unless you made the mental jump when we find him kissing her bare shoulder the next morning you wouldn't think anything has happened. But it was just the way it was kind of thrown in there and it makes absolutely zero sense to me. Maybe it will make some kind of random sense by the end of the book, but considering that I could hardly even bring myself to read it before and then that bit just completely threw me for a loop I ain't waisting any more of my time reading this, that's for sure.

Maybe this just means that I am too old for YA fiction. *shrug*. I can usually look past the teenage angst in YA if I like the story but even my angst blinkers weren't working right for this one.

I think I will read a book were at least it makes sense when things happen.

Well...there's a few hours of my life gone that I will never get back...
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Mar 21, 2011 Brooke T rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I'm so glad I read this book. It's definitely on my top favorite books list. I'm even more excited that it's a trilogy because Sirendefinitely leaves you wanting to know so much more. I didn't think I was going to read this book in one day. I was really wrong. Right from the beginning I am so curious as to what is going to happen. It's one big mystery book and that's why I loved it so much. There was so much mystery that WASN'T predictable, there was summer love, and love for your family an...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Geetha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This book was definitely an interesting one. The beginning can lure any reader. The mystery revolving around Justine and other's deaths was really intriguing throughout the book.
The Pros of this book:
-the beginning- which was fact paced and makes you read further
-the main character Vanessa- usually, I don't like characters who are scared of everything, but Vanessa is that one exception to the rule. She may be scared of everything, but she is the sister everyone wants.
-the setting- the setting i...more

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Book Giveaways: Giveaway!	1	18	Mar 16, 2012 06:32pm
What's The Name o...: Y/A mystery---A teen's sister dies, she comes back home and the sister's bf is missing, one word title [s]	3	42	Sep 27, 2011 10:31am

title link	preview: Siren
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