Book Review: Siren Song by Leah Alvord

Siren Song by Leah Alvord

Published by AuthorHouse © 2011

Paperback Format

631 Pages

YA Paranormal Romance

Reviewed by Leah
Siren Song on Amazon

*Note: This review copy/pasted from GoodReads.*

Most authors know better than to review their own book.  I'm not most authors.

The saying goes: You are your own worst critic.

Not true.

There is always someone out there willing to tear down a work you love to pieces.  Someone ready to rip it apart page by page.  A being who will eviscerate the manuscript you've worked years upon.

I wish someone had been there to do this for me before I published this.

That being said, I suppose I'll get into the actual review…

The Summary:

Kalina Crevan is one of three mythological Sirens who've wandered the Earth for centuries.  In the past few hundred years, they've chosen to give up what made them so dangerous to begin with: their song.  But it's not as easy as it seems since the Song often has a will of its own and can only be ruthlessly controlled with discipline honed through a stronger will.  It is a will and a motive KC often lacks.  Thus, an accident often occurs that will force the Sirens into hiding.

After recovering from her last 'fall from grace' KC and her sisters, Ariana and Shae, move to Florence, Oregon.  They're prepared to settle into new, quiet lives where nothing bad will happen.  After all, Kalina can't possible screw up two cities in a row…

Enter William James.  A persistent young human male who finds Kalina to have an irresistible draw.  And despite intentions, KC finds herself befriending him, though she's warned him numerous times to stay away.  Eventually, as things proceed, they become romantically involved.

Shit hits the fan when the sisters find out.  But, of course, KC saves the day.  With a promise of retribution from Shae as soon as William is dead.

That, seriously, should have been the end of it.  No joke.  But … no.  There was one more adventure left on the horizon.

You see, all was going fantastic, except that KC was freaking out every time a day slipped right past her due to William's incurable mortality.  A mortality that proves to be much more limited than even Kalina supposed.  As a tragic accident leaves him in a hospital bed, Kalina knows she has to find a way to save him, because without him her life is meaningless.  (I know there should be a lot of gagging and puking at this point, but considering I know how KC's life is, I do have to agree with her on this one.  Without William, her life is boring and pointless.  She needs him.  The Siren needs him.)

Knowing she can't do this on her own, she enlists her sisters to help her find a way to save him.  And it comes with a price they all must pay.  After all, you can't change the natural order of things without offering up something in return.

Okay, that's it for the over-long summary of an over-long book.  Now into my thoughts:

THE BEGINNING WAS HORRENDOUS!  Some major cutting/editing needed to happen there that wasn't.  There were too many scenes that were just there for 'cuteness' factor and some that were there for just no reason at all.  Though an attempt was made to stress the importance of the other two Sirens in Kalina's life, many of the scenes did none of them any justice.  Seriously, probably 200 of these pages could have disappeared under the hands of even a mediocre editor.

Seriously, the MC was not painted in any favorable light.  She was soft-hearted and emotional.  There was a lot of crying and guilt, but not enough to keep her from selfishly doing what she wanted to anyway.  Which, actually, was the only valuable point made: that she was selfish.  Because a Siren cares about herself above ALL others.  Including/especially, the other Sirens.  Hence the reason the forbidden tryst with William actually occurs: because KC is selfish and does not care what will be the eventual outcome.

"Screw happily-ever-after!  I want happy-right-now!"

This is the entire premise of the book.

The middle is where the actual action happens.  And that's where the narrator shifts from KC to Shae.  Whom I loved dearly despite her having no virtues whatsoever.  She is the only sister who is a Siren, through and through.  Though the years have given Ariana and KC consciences, it's something Shae has never fallen prey to.  Violent, volatile, greedy, selfish, domineering and demanding.  All of these are her personality without any of that pesky remorse getting in the way.  It is that creature … that Siren … that I was most eager to portray.  But I didn't do it well enough.  Though Shae was my favorite character throughout the book, her nature was never as clear as I wanted it to be.  Nor as sharp.  *sigh*

When the situation becomes too infuriating, Shae abandons her sisters and the POV returns to Kalina.  Again, all the action happens and there could have been a simple, clean end to the book.  There should have been.

Except that it wasn't a happily-ever-after and I loved KC and Will too much to have it end how I originally planned.  So tragedy must strike and KC must be forced to seek out her sisters for help.

Ariana then becomes the narrator and I think this is actually the most well-developed part of the book, though the ending plot is the most ridiculous.  Ariana's narration is the most well-written and her personality far more distinct and relatable than any part of the book before.  This is why I almost don't regret doing what I did.  Because I wanted to write in her voice.  I wanted to see the motives and hear the history of the Sirens as only she knew it.  There's so much more about Ariana than KC and Shae will ever know, and I felt wonderful getting to learn that part of her.  She is more sister than Siren and I reveled in that.

That doesn't excuse the terrible plot, the many errors, the unrealistic-scenes-that-would-never-end, or the author's complete lack in just bringing this story to life.

To be perfectly honest, this was a WUI (as my friend dubbed it--Writing Under the Influence of what SEEMS cool) production.  Love stories *cough Twilight cough* were all the rage when this was being written.  And were it actually not for a publishing deal from the company AuthorHouse at the time of this atrocity entering the world, it would have seen a lot more edits and rewrites than the quick breeze through from me that it received.  (I had no beta readers or helpful editors when I self-published my manuscripts.  I will never have that trouble again thanks to some of my incredible Grammar Nazi friends who know how to read really well.)

However, it is done and I cannot take it back.  I can only lament its existence and try to adequately warn people about what exists in this massive brick of a book.  Thus is the reason I'm reviewing it.  TO WARN YOU.

So why two stars instead of one?

Because I love the premise of this book.  I love the Sirens and how I created them in my mind.  If I had only just pulled it off more accurately to the vision in my head, I might even have come to love this book.  As it stands, I give it a star extra because what I did pull off was enough for me to keep the vision alive in my own mind.

Thank you for reading this very long and tiresome review.  But I hope it has served you well.  I'm also hoping you don't judge my future works based on my first two novels, as I have actually improved in the past few years.  Now I release you. LOL