Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Book Review | Siren Sisters by Dana Langer

Siren Sisters is a debut middle grade fantasy from Dana Langer.


A soon-to-be siren finds herself responsible for the lives of her sisters—and the fisherman they curse—in this haunting debut novel that Kirkus calls "an exciting fantasy with a heart-stopping ending by an author to watch."

Lolly Salt has three beautiful sisters. When they’re not in school or running their small town’s diner, they’re secretly luring ships to their doom from the cliffs of Starbridge Cove, Maine. With alluring voices that twelve-year-old Lolly has yet to grow into (not that she wants to anyway) the Salt sisters do the work mandated by the Sea Witch, a glamorously frightening figure determined to keep the girls under her control. With their mother dead after a terrible car crash, and their father drowning in grief, the sisters carry on with their lives and duties…until a local sea captain gets suspicious about the shipwrecks.

On the day before her birthday, Lolly watches in helpless horror as her sisters are lured themselves by curse-reversing fishermen—and suddenly it’s up to her and her best friend Jason to rescue the sirens of Starbridge Cove.

Why did I read Siren Sisters?

How could I resist a beautiful cover depicting middle grade girls luring fishermen to their deaths?!

The Strengths

This was a great read. Lolly wants to be normal (like any 12 year old wants to be), but she's turning into a siren. I remember what it was like to be 12. Siren Sisters resonated with me despite how far I am from being a siren (or a 12 year old).

It's wonderful to read about strong, loving, capable, supportive sisters. These are characters you want to spend time with.

The Weaknesses

Some of the things I really enjoyed in the beginning never reconnected or played out in the rest of the story. I really thought the parents and their singing careers (hello, siren daughters) and their odd behavior would tie in more than just explaining the obligatory dead/absentee parents. It felt like there was a lot of foreshadowing to things that never came to pass, too.

Would I recommend Siren Sisters to others?

Yes. If you are a fan of middle grade fantasy and this sounds like something you might enjoy, definitely give it a read.

7/10: Recommended Read

Review copy provided by publisher

4 comments:

  1. This sounds fun! I've never been a huge fan of MG. Not even when I was a kid but I'm trying to read more of it. I might have to try this one.

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    1. I love MG, but I love all children's books. I can't help it. It's the imaginative books that really get me. I can usually count on my kid lit for that!

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  2. I like to read middle grade fiction books once in awhile, especially the ones like this particular book that have a unique plot. (Plus, middle grade fiction usually reads fast so it's easily fit in over a weekend!) Lolly sounds like a great character. I'll have to see if my library has a copy. :)

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    1. I enjoy MG, too. I tend to find what I'm looking for with the fantasy ones. I hope your library has a copy!

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