I've been reading a LOT of YA books lately, and people who've followed my reviews have probably noticed how my disillusionment grows with each successive book, because the books are all so formulaic. Syren was a breath of fresh air in the midst of all these; a much more enjoyable read than any other YA book I've read this year (so far).

People reading the Septimus Heap books are likely to compare it to the Harry Potter series, seeing as how both series deal with extraordinary boys who are destined to become great wizards. Yes, very roughly speaking, the books are similar in their set-up, but they couldn't be further apart in tone. The Harry Potter books are serious, dramatic, somewhat scary, and ultimately somewhat tragic. The Septimus Heap books are funny. Every character has a distinct set of quirks and motivations influenced by those quirks, and Sage's ability to put her characters into situations that play these quirks off of each other never fails to amuse. The books generally read like the script to a Howard Hawks comedy film, and I always have a hard time putting them down to do other things. Syren was no exception.

The book picks up right where Queste left off, with Septimus having returned to the Castle, but many of his friends still overseas. So much of the book has to do with his going to retrieve everyone else, because they clearly need saving. But he's disappointed on finally arriving at the far continent, because none of his friends particularly missed him or felt like they needed "rescuing." So we see a grumpy and somewhat petulant side to Septimus, showing that he's been learning more than just magic from Marcia. He's not the only character whose limited viewpoint results in mishaps and hard feelings; both Jenna and Nicko bring hardship on themselves and others through selfishness. What's impressive is how understandable/relatable all of these foibles are; Sage has realized these characters so well that you understand and sympathize with them when they're making their bad choices. The other thing that's really compelling about this book is how Sage continues to develop characters who were clearly villains before; Merrin Meredith continues his slapstick brilliance, Simon Heap becomes an even more sympathetic character (though mistrusted and understandably resented by almost all the other characters still), and Lucy Gringe demonstrates that her character flaws have their advantages as well.

The book was exciting, funny, and markedly different from the majority of YA books out there. Definitely recommended, though one should start from the first book and work forward from there.