Review of Siren by Tricia Rayburn

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything--the dark, heights, the ocean--but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge.  That is until Justine goes cliff diving one night near the family's vacation house in Winter Harbor, Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day. Vanessa's parents want to work through the tragedy by returning to their everyday lives back in Boston, but Vanessa can't help feeling that her sister's death was more than an accident.  After discovering that Justine never applied to colleges, and that she was secretly in a relationship with longtime family friend Caleb Carmichael, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor to seek some answers. But when Vanessa learns that Caleb has been missing since Justine's death, she and Caleb's older brother, Simon, join forces to try to find him, and in the process, their childhood friendship blossoms into something more.  Soon it's not just Vanessa who is afraid.  All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes home to a string of fatal, water-related accidents . . . in which all the victims are found grinning from ear to ear.  As Vanessa and Simon probe further into the connections between Justine's death and the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance, and that will change her life forever.

Siren by Tricia Rayburn is one creepy book. I mean, you would think mermaids aren’t exactly creepers as they swim around signing about how they ‘want to live out of these waters and spend a day warm on the sand.’ Sirens, on the other hand, are MEAN. They sing and lure people to their deaths. They do not want to be part of our world. Well, anyways, Siren by Tricia Rayburn opens with seventeen year old Vanessa Sands being Chuckie Finster, scared of everything. However, her sister Justine is like her own personal Tommy Pickles and helps her work through her fear. Unfortunately, Justine jumps off a cliff to her death. As Vanessa feels little the closure, the rest of the book results in Vanessa trying to figure out whether foul play was involved in Justine’s death or not.

I thoroughly enjoyed Siren. I guess every now and then, I want a book that is creepy! And slightly scary. This book is a gentle sort of creepy. By this I mean, it’s not the type that just throws it’s scary out there with a whole ‘saw off your leg to leave this room’ but more of a shadow lurking just out of the corner of your eye creepy. I like that. There’s something to be said for subtlety. Unfortunately, the big build up anticipation of who the villain is was sort of a letdown because we obviously know what the creature is from the title. However, the fact that this is still spine-tingling despite that certain says something for Rayburn’s prowess as a writer.

ALSO, there is no love triangle. Are you excited yet? I mean, every single freakin book with a paranormal element seems to contain triangles. I am triangle-d out. It’s nice to get a budding romance in a YA-paranormal book.

I do think Siren is a unique gem among a genre that I’ve grown slightly weary of. There’s genuine creepy, slow romance, and Vanessa is rather likable. In all, a nice read to bring you back to summer.

Other Reviews:

Red House Books
Sophistikatied Reviews
YA Book Queen
In Bed With Books

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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