- Paperback: 276 pages
- Publisher: iUniverse (7 July 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1440154236
- ISBN-13: 978-1440154232
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 301,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Siren
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
"You must never do anything that might expose our secret. This means that, in general, you cannot form close bonds with humans. You can speak to us, and you can always commune with the Ocean, but you are deadly to humans. You are, essentially, a weapon. A very beautiful weapon. I won't lie to you, it can be a lonely existence, but once you are done, you get to live. All you have to give, for now, is obedience and time..."
The same speech has been given hundreds of times to hundreds of beautiful girls who enter the sisterhood of sirens. Kahlen has lived by these rules for years now, patiently waiting for the life she can call her own. But when Akinli, a human, enters her world, she can't bring herself to live by the rules anymore. Suddenly the life she's been waiting for doesn't seem nearly as important as the one she's living now.
About the Author
Kiera Cass graduated from Radford University with a degree in History. She grew up by the beach in South Carolina but currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia with her family. In her spare time, Kiera enjoys reading, dancing, making videos, and eating unhealthy amounts of cereal. You can learn more about Kiera and her other projects at KieraCass.com.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
Gold Star Award Winner!
After reading this story, it is taking everything in me to not totally gush; it is that good. THE SIREN is the story of Kahlen, mostly, along with her sisters and the Ocean. A siren is a singer, a singer of the Ocean. In order to maintain herself, the Ocean must feed; sirens help her to do that.
Kahlen and her "sisters," Marilyn and Aisling, begin the story and you find out quite a lot of how sirens and their lives work. They are beautiful, they can live around regular humans, they can live semi-normal lives, but there's a catch - they cannot age, which means staying in one place for more than a few years isn't possible, and they cannot, under any circumstances, speak, laugh, scream, or make a sound outside of a sigh or breath around a human person.
There can be no more than four sirens at a time, and not everyone will choose to live the lives that these girls have agreed to. Their sentence is 100 years, after which the Ocean will return them and they will become normal again, and begin aging from whatever age they are frozen into (almost sounds like a dream come true at times). With only their "sisters" for company, it can become lonely, and for Kahlen that causes daydreams. That is, until one day while sitting on the beach she meets a man. He is beautiful, sad, lonely, in pain, and yet there is something about him that Kahlen can't let go.
The Ocean warns Kahlen that no matter what happens, those must stay daydreams and she cannot chance their secret by letting her fantasies run away with her. Kahlen decides she wants to make a difference and takes up sign language, which transforms into spending a few years at schools for the deaf teaching children, and later teenagers, that being deaf isn't always a bad thing.
Kahlen gets new "sisters," Miaka and Elizabeth, who help transform her into something better than she ever imagined she could be. Miaka is creative and she is also Kahlen's first "little sister," while Elizabeth is wild and crazy, and brings out the fun and slightly mischievous side of Kahlen. Aside from Aisling being withdrawn and bitter (think Mr. Scrooge), you don't know much about her for the most part, but she is a very important piece of Kahlen's puzzle.
Once this human, Akinli, enters Kahlen's world, nothing else seems to mean as much. Not even the secret that she is bound to keep, and with less than 20 years left on her sentence, will it all be destroyed because of this? Now Kahlen has found the one thing she has always wanted. Is the life she could have worth destroying the life she does have? Or can she have both?
More than anything, this is a story of love and hope. Whether that love be between sisters, family, lovers, strangers, or even love for yourself; it covers all the bases. Once I started, it was hard to stop, and I really didn't want this story to end. There were numerous parts where I actually found myself tearing up, and that never happens! Some of these situations made me want to become a siren, and then there would be a moment that broke my heart.
Kiera Cass may be a first-time author, but I pray this is not her only book. This is truly a beautiful story all the way through. I love the imagery; it is phenomenal and almost makes you feel like you're really there (and let me tell you, there were many times in the Ocean descriptions where the song Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin got stuck in my head. Thanks Kiera!).
It's been a long time since I have seen a first-time author whose writing style is as beautiful as this, and she definitely has not only the talent to be a wonderful writer, but also the imagination to successfully tell a story that is not only entertaining, but also touching.
If there was one book that I would recommend this year so far, it would be THE SIREN. Just make sure you have time on your hands, because once you start you won't be able to stop until the very end. Even then, I flipped back and forth over the final pages, hoping that there would be more magically appear before my eyes. After all, this is a fantasy!
Reviewed by: Samantha Clanton, aka "Harlequin Twilight"
After reading this story, it is taking everything in me to not totally gush; it is that good. THE SIREN is the story of Kahlen, mostly, along with her sisters and the Ocean. A siren is a singer, a singer of the Ocean. In order to maintain herself, the Ocean must feed; sirens help her to do that.
Kahlen and her "sisters," Marilyn and Aisling, begin the story and you find out quite a lot of how sirens and their lives work. They are beautiful, they can live around regular humans, they can live semi-normal lives, but there's a catch - they cannot age, which means staying in one place for more than a few years isn't possible, and they cannot, under any circumstances, speak, laugh, scream, or make a sound outside of a sigh or breath around a human person.
There can be no more than four sirens at a time, and not everyone will choose to live the lives that these girls have agreed to. Their sentence is 100 years, after which the Ocean will return them and they will become normal again, and begin aging from whatever age they are frozen into (almost sounds like a dream come true at times). With only their "sisters" for company, it can become lonely, and for Kahlen that causes daydreams. That is, until one day while sitting on the beach she meets a man. He is beautiful, sad, lonely, in pain, and yet there is something about him that Kahlen can't let go.
The Ocean warns Kahlen that no matter what happens, those must stay daydreams and she cannot chance their secret by letting her fantasies run away with her. Kahlen decides she wants to make a difference and takes up sign language, which transforms into spending a few years at schools for the deaf teaching children, and later teenagers, that being deaf isn't always a bad thing.
Kahlen gets new "sisters," Miaka and Elizabeth, who help transform her into something better than she ever imagined she could be. Miaka is creative and she is also Kahlen's first "little sister," while Elizabeth is wild and crazy, and brings out the fun and slightly mischievous side of Kahlen. Aside from Aisling being withdrawn and bitter (think Mr. Scrooge), you don't know much about her for the most part, but she is a very important piece of Kahlen's puzzle.
Once this human, Akinli, enters Kahlen's world, nothing else seems to mean as much. Not even the secret that she is bound to keep, and with less than 20 years left on her sentence, will it all be destroyed because of this? Now Kahlen has found the one thing she has always wanted. Is the life she could have worth destroying the life she does have? Or can she have both?
More than anything, this is a story of love and hope. Whether that love be between sisters, family, lovers, strangers, or even love for yourself; it covers all the bases. Once I started, it was hard to stop, and I really didn't want this story to end. There were numerous parts where I actually found myself tearing up, and that never happens! Some of these situations made me want to become a siren, and then there would be a moment that broke my heart.
Kiera Cass may be a first-time author, but I pray this is not her only book. This is truly a beautiful story all the way through. I love the imagery; it is phenomenal and almost makes you feel like you're really there (and let me tell you, there were many times in the Ocean descriptions where the song Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin got stuck in my head. Thanks Kiera!).
It's been a long time since I have seen a first-time author whose writing style is as beautiful as this, and she definitely has not only the talent to be a wonderful writer, but also the imagination to successfully tell a story that is not only entertaining, but also touching.
If there was one book that I would recommend this year so far, it would be THE SIREN. Just make sure you have time on your hands, because once you start you won't be able to stop until the very end. Even then, I flipped back and forth over the final pages, hoping that there would be more magically appear before my eyes. After all, this is a fantasy!
Reviewed by: Samantha Clanton, aka "Harlequin Twilight"
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
45 reviews
23 of 27 people found the following review helpful
A Pleasantly Surprising Read
20 July 2009
Format:Paperback
Imagine a world where you're granted a second chance at life, but forced to give up everything you love? That is the story of Kahlen, our beautiful heroine in the new book, THE SIREN by Kiera Cass. When approached to read this one, I was admittedly a little nervous because I hadn't heard anything about the book; nothing good, nor bad. I agreed to take the book on and as some other books I have had the fortune of being presented with, am quite glad that I did. THE SIREN was refreshing, haunting and beautiful all wrapped up into one beautiful little package.
Kahlen is a loving, dark haired beauty. When life takes a disastrous turn and she's faced with the decision of death versus a century of servitude, she chooses the option that will allow her to continue living. Years later she'll question that decision, wondering if her "life" now is worth the nightmares that she must face. Kahlen is a siren. Along with her sisters, she answers to the Ocean and helps to lure unsuspecting victims to their watery deaths with her voice of liquid gold and looks to match. Being kind and good natured at heart, Kahlen has a difficult time with the actions that she must perform in order to gain a second chance at life. Her journey, from the very beginning, makes for quite the fascinating read and, at least to me, makes THE SIREN wonderful and unique.
THE SIREN is actually a Young Adult novel although many of the characters in the book are above the Young Adult age. Cass does an amazing job of filling the story with just the right amount of details to satisfy any young adult reader while actually making for a great book for many adults as well. I personally find great enjoyment out of both Young Adult and Adult books, but I found that THE SIREN really seemed to satisfy both categories of books.
Part of THE SIREN follows Kahlen as she unravels the mysteries surrounding her new life and her feelings about it. Can she accept what she has become? Will she always harbor hate for the Ocean for what She has done to Kahlen or will she come to accept and give thanks for the gift she has been given? Cass creates an epic story here as we follow Kahlen through her ups and downs. By the end of the book, I feel that we the reader get to know the Ocean practically as well as Kahlen does. Her feelings, both positive and negative, pop off the page and swirl around, pulling us closer into the story.
While THE SIREN is great for anyone looking for a great drama or adventure read, it also satisfied those of us that like a touch of romance in our stories. Now, the romance doesn't really hit the surface until about halfway through the book, but when it does, oh boy hold on. Cass can write romance like nobody's business! She creates the perfect hero to go along with our lovely heroine. Akinli, a hard working fisherman by day and knight in shining armor by night, is a puzzle piece match to Kahlen. Cass's writing is such that, without being blatantly obvious about it, we can tell that Kahlen and Akinli are practically soul mates. While the first half of the book details Kahlen's life and struggle to understand herself, the romance between Kahlen and Akinli dominate the second half. It is this romance that really makes THE SIREN shine.
As I mentioned above, one of the best ways for me to describe THE SIREN is to say that it is haunting. I don't mean that there are literal ghosts floating around, rather there are ghosts of emotions still flitting about my head. THE SIREN is not always a happy book. There are times when it can be sad, frightening, and downright depressing. As Cass mentions in the story, it is the dark that makes the light shine even brighter. Without the sad parts, without the parts that leave you on the edge of your seat on the verge of tears, the love and hope in the story wouldn't flow through quite as nicely.
After pondering the review for a bit, I had to come back here and mention one final thing. I've mentioned that THE SIREN became one of those books that has stuck with me, constantly replaying through my head even though I finished the story. I think that a large reason for this is the amount of realism that Cass imbues the story with. The Ocean is a living, breathing entity. She speaks, she has feelings, she uses her great waves to cause things to happen. The Ocean is as much a character as Akinli, Kahlen or any of Kahlen's siren sisters. I hadn't realized this until after looking at some of the photos of Port Clyde, Maine on Cass's website. I saw a photo of the ocean and my first thought was that She really was alive! That's the strength of Cass's writing, allowing my brain to meander in the realm of the impossibility long after her words have ended.
I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great Romance, a great Adventure, a great Drama, and/or a great Young Adult read. There were a few times, especially with the second half of the book, where the pace seemed to get a little choked up and quirky, but overall, the story flowed quite nicely. Cass's talent with the written word is obvious as is her wonderful imagination. She has created a story unlike one I have read before, incorporating both the light and the dark.
THE SIREN was a story of life and it was a pleasure to read. I'm looking forward to experiencing more of Kiera Cass's work. My only wish for THE SIREN was that it wouldn't end!
Kahlen is a loving, dark haired beauty. When life takes a disastrous turn and she's faced with the decision of death versus a century of servitude, she chooses the option that will allow her to continue living. Years later she'll question that decision, wondering if her "life" now is worth the nightmares that she must face. Kahlen is a siren. Along with her sisters, she answers to the Ocean and helps to lure unsuspecting victims to their watery deaths with her voice of liquid gold and looks to match. Being kind and good natured at heart, Kahlen has a difficult time with the actions that she must perform in order to gain a second chance at life. Her journey, from the very beginning, makes for quite the fascinating read and, at least to me, makes THE SIREN wonderful and unique.
THE SIREN is actually a Young Adult novel although many of the characters in the book are above the Young Adult age. Cass does an amazing job of filling the story with just the right amount of details to satisfy any young adult reader while actually making for a great book for many adults as well. I personally find great enjoyment out of both Young Adult and Adult books, but I found that THE SIREN really seemed to satisfy both categories of books.
Part of THE SIREN follows Kahlen as she unravels the mysteries surrounding her new life and her feelings about it. Can she accept what she has become? Will she always harbor hate for the Ocean for what She has done to Kahlen or will she come to accept and give thanks for the gift she has been given? Cass creates an epic story here as we follow Kahlen through her ups and downs. By the end of the book, I feel that we the reader get to know the Ocean practically as well as Kahlen does. Her feelings, both positive and negative, pop off the page and swirl around, pulling us closer into the story.
While THE SIREN is great for anyone looking for a great drama or adventure read, it also satisfied those of us that like a touch of romance in our stories. Now, the romance doesn't really hit the surface until about halfway through the book, but when it does, oh boy hold on. Cass can write romance like nobody's business! She creates the perfect hero to go along with our lovely heroine. Akinli, a hard working fisherman by day and knight in shining armor by night, is a puzzle piece match to Kahlen. Cass's writing is such that, without being blatantly obvious about it, we can tell that Kahlen and Akinli are practically soul mates. While the first half of the book details Kahlen's life and struggle to understand herself, the romance between Kahlen and Akinli dominate the second half. It is this romance that really makes THE SIREN shine.
As I mentioned above, one of the best ways for me to describe THE SIREN is to say that it is haunting. I don't mean that there are literal ghosts floating around, rather there are ghosts of emotions still flitting about my head. THE SIREN is not always a happy book. There are times when it can be sad, frightening, and downright depressing. As Cass mentions in the story, it is the dark that makes the light shine even brighter. Without the sad parts, without the parts that leave you on the edge of your seat on the verge of tears, the love and hope in the story wouldn't flow through quite as nicely.
After pondering the review for a bit, I had to come back here and mention one final thing. I've mentioned that THE SIREN became one of those books that has stuck with me, constantly replaying through my head even though I finished the story. I think that a large reason for this is the amount of realism that Cass imbues the story with. The Ocean is a living, breathing entity. She speaks, she has feelings, she uses her great waves to cause things to happen. The Ocean is as much a character as Akinli, Kahlen or any of Kahlen's siren sisters. I hadn't realized this until after looking at some of the photos of Port Clyde, Maine on Cass's website. I saw a photo of the ocean and my first thought was that She really was alive! That's the strength of Cass's writing, allowing my brain to meander in the realm of the impossibility long after her words have ended.
I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great Romance, a great Adventure, a great Drama, and/or a great Young Adult read. There were a few times, especially with the second half of the book, where the pace seemed to get a little choked up and quirky, but overall, the story flowed quite nicely. Cass's talent with the written word is obvious as is her wonderful imagination. She has created a story unlike one I have read before, incorporating both the light and the dark.
THE SIREN was a story of life and it was a pleasure to read. I'm looking forward to experiencing more of Kiera Cass's work. My only wish for THE SIREN was that it wouldn't end!
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Simply wonderful.
25 July 2009
Format:Paperback
Wow. Oh, wow. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT, start reading this book unless you have nothing else to do that day. Because you WILL read it in one sitting. You WILL skip meals. You WILL shun all human interaction. You WILL stay up all night, desperate to know how it ends. And you definitely will have puffy eyes the next morning. The writing is beautiful, the imagery is fantastic, and the romance is breathtaking. A must-read.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Sometimes, being in the middle is good.
15 Sep 2009
Format:Paperback
I picked up a copy of this book while I was in Dallas for TwiCon 2009. Wanting to support one of the sweetest girls I'd ever met in any fandom, I bought it and incidentally forgot about it until just a few weeks ago.
I rated it a 3 out of 5 stars for several reasons. I didn't hate this book, nor did I fall in love with it either. It was an easy read for me and held my attention throughout most of the pages. The plot was creative and unique and I definitely applaud the author for that. The reason I didn't rate it higher was because I had a hard time figuring out the intended audience that this book was written for. The lines, for me, blurred between preteen, teen, and young adult. There were moments when the subject-matter would be way beyond a preteen's grasp, and then on the same page, I felt as though I was hurtled back into Jr. High with the atmosphere. Of course, some may say that's a sign of true genius and like that sort of thing. ;)
Another topic that I felt somewhat iffy on, was the "G" topic. Yes, "God" - we all have our beliefs, and we have every right to them. But it seems that some authors tend to shy away from the topic in order to please more readers. You never want to offend anyone. Personally, I'm agnostic, and while I don't particularly like having the topic in my reading material, I have to give the author props for not backing down on it. They are her beliefs and it was her book. Kudos for not traveling the "safe" path.
Overall, I liked this book. I don't think I'd read it again, BUT I would recommend it to anyone looking for a YA novel with a different feeling to it. This is Kiera's first novel, from what I've been led to believe, and I think she has a lot of potential for growth and improvement. She has a bright mind, drive, and passion like no other person I've been lucky enough to meet.
I rated it a 3 out of 5 stars for several reasons. I didn't hate this book, nor did I fall in love with it either. It was an easy read for me and held my attention throughout most of the pages. The plot was creative and unique and I definitely applaud the author for that. The reason I didn't rate it higher was because I had a hard time figuring out the intended audience that this book was written for. The lines, for me, blurred between preteen, teen, and young adult. There were moments when the subject-matter would be way beyond a preteen's grasp, and then on the same page, I felt as though I was hurtled back into Jr. High with the atmosphere. Of course, some may say that's a sign of true genius and like that sort of thing. ;)
Another topic that I felt somewhat iffy on, was the "G" topic. Yes, "God" - we all have our beliefs, and we have every right to them. But it seems that some authors tend to shy away from the topic in order to please more readers. You never want to offend anyone. Personally, I'm agnostic, and while I don't particularly like having the topic in my reading material, I have to give the author props for not backing down on it. They are her beliefs and it was her book. Kudos for not traveling the "safe" path.
Overall, I liked this book. I don't think I'd read it again, BUT I would recommend it to anyone looking for a YA novel with a different feeling to it. This is Kiera's first novel, from what I've been led to believe, and I think she has a lot of potential for growth and improvement. She has a bright mind, drive, and passion like no other person I've been lucky enough to meet.
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