Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Review: Siren's Storm

SIREN'S STORM
Lisa Papademetriou
Paranormal Young Adult
260 pages
Random House
Available Now
Received for review through Teen Book Scene

THE STORY
Will's brother died exactly one year ago, knocked from his sailboat and presumably drowned while Will miraculously washed up on shore unharmed. Now, with his longtime friend Gretchen back in town along with all the other wealthy summer tourists, he's trying to put the accident behind him.

He finds it difficult to do, however, when strange things begin happening, things that all seem to take place in the presence of an attractive young woman with a striking green gaze. The more Will gets to know Asia, the more he realizes how different she is from everyone else. He even begins to think she might know something about how his brother died.

The more he presses Asia, the more he and Gretchen discover about the world they thought they knew, questioning their sanity as they learn the past has a nasty way of repeating itself and ancient myths aren't only a part of the history books as they assumed.

MY THOUGHTS
This paranormal adventure is one of those stories where we read the first several pages and immediately know we're entering the characters' world in the eye of a powerful storm. Events that changed their lives forever have clearly occurred a while before our arrival into the eerily calm aftermath, but we can feel the winds of change gearing up for another brutal lashing. Siren's Storm creeps along, showing us little by little how Will and Gretchen are coping with the loss of a brother and friend while also strategically creating chain links that begin to fit together and connect events of past and present. Once we follow the chain chapter after chapter we are rewarded with an interesting tie in between the sirens currently plaguing Will's home and those in Homer's epic Odyssey, the unique twist sparking our curiosity as we wait to see how Ms. Papademetriou will merge her mythology with that of the one we know so well.

Will and Gretchen are both perfectly likeable characters, the one-sided romantic current flowing between them wonderfully understated and at times painful to read as Gretchen cannot find her way around the barrier the word "friend" creates between her and the boy she's loved forever. Their general likeability however never grows into anything more, and we read on interested in them but not necessarily fascinated by their interactions nor overly frantic about learning everything we can about each of them. While some characters leap of the page with the strength of their personalities–the sight of their names in ink enough to call forth a detailed profile of them in our minds and cause a corresponding tug on their distinct connection to our hearts–Will and Gretchen remain simply words that never breach the paper separating us to burst into life before our eyes. The potential for an evolving relationship from friends to something more is intriguing though, and might just be the impetus that allows them to grow to be those characters we can see and hear clear as day in future books.

Additionally, sometimes the pacing feels just a touch off as several short scenes are included that don't seem altogether intrinsic to the furthering of the plot. We read close to twenty pages of an old captain's log that relates an encounter with the sirens, and though it's interesting to connect that isolated event with the current happenings, it could have perhaps been done in a more succinct manner in order to leave that extra page time available to answer a few of the rapid-fire questions launched in our direction at the end. For most of the story we're focused on Asia and her unusual abilities, but then suddenly in the last few pages we have the introduction of our true villain as well as the appearance of some inexplicable talents on Gretchen's part. These new revelations add complexity, but they arise quickly and seemingly out of nowhere, leaving us a bit disconcerted since we saw so little evidence of their arrival in the beginning or middle of the tale.

Overall though, the story has great promise moving forward into the next installment, we can only hope we are given some clarity on certain elements to provide us something solid to latch onto to ride out the brewing tempest.

Rating: 3/5

34 comments:

  1. Hmm, the pacing seems weird, by your description. I like the name Asia, though, I think it's unique. Thanks for the thorough review, Jenny!

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  2. Meh... And I'm not a HUGE fan of the name Gretchen, so I don't think I want to read it through an entire book!

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  3. Huh. It seems like the captain's log bit was going for a Dracula-type addition that didn't quite hit the mark.

    I still remember the cover feature that had me wanting to read this book, but perhaps I can put it on the back burner for now. Thanks for the helpful review, Jenny. :)

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  4. Gretchen always reminds me of the name Gertrude which I don't like :P Thanks for the review! I've never read a book about Sirens before, and with a tagline "vengeance is eternal".... sounds interesting :)

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  5. Sounds like a not bad start to the series despite it flaws. I would probably wait until the second book to come out to see if it improves before I would consider reading this. Great review Jenny :)

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  6. I love books that start this way!

    It seems weird when authors put random bits of info that you don't think is completely necessary. I always hope they had a point in doing so. Great review Jenny!

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  7. Great Review Jenny!

    I do hope they clear up some of the things in the 2nd book. The Captains log sounds interesting but maybe not used right?

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  8. Hafsah - You're welcome:) It just felt like things moved slowly and carefully until the end and then a bunch of new information popped up right before this first installment was over.

    Ashley - I had hoped for a little bit more from this one:(

    Missie - For a book that's only 260 pages total, making us read 20 from an old captain's log seemed a bit excessive. Especially when it could have been condensed and still gotten the point across. I just wanted a few more answers by the end and things like the captain's log didn't tell me anything new.

    Audrey - I love the tagline! And we really only find out what it references toward the end and then we get kicked out of the story.

    Nic - True, there's definite potential here I think!

    Jacinda - Me too. I like feeling that tension right off the bat and wondering when that second half of the storm is going to hit.

    Felicia - The log was very interesting and I know it served a purpose, it just seemed really long for a book that was so short. And then we get left with so much new information at the end, it would have been nice had the info distribution been a little more even:)

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  9. Great review- I loved the way you introduce us to the beginning.....

    I have to admit I really...REALLY...hate that cover. I think the color is off, I dont like looking up her nostrils and I find the whole fingers in her face just icky. Dont ask me why but it just doesn't look appealing....

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  10. Thanks for your honesty. I've been wondering about this one.

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  11. Sound interesting, i will prob give it a try. The cover looks pretty interesting as well. Thanks for your honest review jenny.

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  12. That is too bad that Will and Gretchen aren't that interesting. =/ Characterization is so important to me so I don't know that I could get into this one. The concept of sirens is intriguing though! =) Thanks you for the honest and well-written review, Jenny! =D

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  13. Nice review Jenny! Too bad you didn't give it a high rating. I love siren stories and was hoping it be good.

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  14. Tina - Haha I kind of like the green, it works with the story:) Don't like looking up people's noses though, the cover of Infinite Days is like that too:)

    Juju - You're welcome!

    Laura - You're welcome, it'd be a good library read:)

    Bailey - They're good characters, just not great ones that stick with you after you read (at least not for me):)

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  15. What a beautiful and well thought out review! I am in awe over it. Just a little bit.

    The story itself sounds interesting. I like the thought of sirens past and present. I like the one sided relationship not taking over the whole storyline. The fact that Asia is not the true villain is really interesting. It sounds like a type of story where it could improve with a second book, maybe. The pacing would probably annoy me, but I wont know until I start to read it myself.

    This sounds like a borrow book. Thanks so much for this review. :)

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  16. Hopefully the second book will be better and clear some things up. I don't think I will be picking this one up for now.

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  17. Hmm, upon reading the synopsis, I felt like this would be a standalone. It's a bummer Siren's Storm didn't quite get the pacing down pat. But the concept sounds interesting! I love sirens. :)

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  18. Trish - Thank you very much:) I really liked how she tied the Odyssey in to the story, I wanted more of it and less of the slow buildup:)

    Jenny - That's what I'm hoping, there's lots of good stuff there, I just had a few problems with how it was all put together in this first book:)

    Lauren - I thought it was too, but then at the back there's a chapter from the sequel and there's a ton left unresolved, so book 2 it is:)

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  19. Interesting - I didn't realize it was part of a series. I have to agree with most of what you said here. The characters didn't seem fully realized and the major action at the end was too abrupt for me. I like a bit more lead-in than that!

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  20. Sounds like this might be one I'd enjoy if only I had more time to read. It's not a priority for me, but I wouldn't mind checking it out some time. :) I like the cover!

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  21. Oh shoot. I was hoping for a great siren story. I love mermaids! Aw, but it does sound like it was establishing things so perhaps I'll wait until the second book to see how it grows. Brilly review!

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  22. It's so hard when your feelings are lukewarm for the main characters. I want to be able to connect with them, to really experience what they're going through. Sounds like the premise is there but the pacing needs some adjustment.
    Mary @ Book Swarm

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  23. Logan - I know there's definitely a sequel, I'm not sure if there will be more after that though:) The end was a little abrupt for me as well.

    Leanna - You could wait until the second book is out, them maybe the lack of information won't be as bothersome:)

    Melissa - I love mermaids too, and I did enjoy this one, there were just a few flaws for me:)

    Mary - It is. I wanted to like them both so much more, but they just stayed a bit superficial in this story. I like really complex characters:)

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  24. Lots of siren's around lately. But then you does not lick fish, lol.

    Still this one, eh, perhaps not

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  25. I had no idea this was going to be a series. Hmm, the off kilter pace and the not-so-strong characterizations has got me thinking. Like Nic, I'll wait and see until the other books are out. I wonder if it's just the first book in the series syndrome.

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  26. I love the fact that the author ties The Odyssey (one of my favorites!) into this novel, but it seems there are some major downfalls to the book. I'll keep it in mind though. Thanks for the honest review, Jenny.

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  27. This one sounds really cool. I love the idea of the old Captain's log, but sorry to hear that doesn't gel as well with the story! I usually like reading books that feature diaries and such. Still...I'm adding it to my list!

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  28. It is frustrating when a book doesn't come alive. While that's not necessary for an enjoyable book, I do think it's a requirement to take that leap from pretty good to great. But overall this sounds like an interesting book.

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  29. The idea of The Odyssey somehow being tied into the story sounds fascinating but I don't like that there are new revelations at the end or the lack of emotional connection with the characters. I'll keep this one on my wishlist but now am in no hurry to read it. Thanks, Jenny!

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  30. It sounds like a common start to a lot of series beginnings. It's like the author is looking for their voice and they find it toward the end of the first book. It's good to know you think it has promise. I'm looking forward to reading it. Great and thorough review, Jenny!

    Heather

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  31. I love the overall sound of this one, but I have to be honest at a 3 doesn't make me absolutely NEED to read it, you know? Lord knows I have enought 23923748273894372 lb bags of books to go through as it is ;)

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  32. Hmm, that's too bad about the lack of truly engaging characters and the pacing problems. I agree that aside from its flaws, it does sound like it has promise! Thanks for the review!

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  33. I enjoyed the mythology. All the info at the end was a bit much, and I still don't know what/who Gretchen is!

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  34. Oh no, I want to be able to strongly attach to the characters. Too bad! I think I'd be annoyed by the 11th hour introduction of the villain. I think I'll pass for now and wait to see how the rest of the series goes. Thanks!

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