Storm Siren by Mary Weber
Published by Thomas Nelson Inc on August 26th 2014
Genres: Christian, Dystopian, Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, Religious, Young Adult
Source: Finish Copy from Publisher
Goodreads
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“There are few things more exciting to discover than a debut novel packed with powerful storytelling and beautiful language. Storm Siren is one of those rarities. I’ll read anything Mary Weber writes. More, please!” —JAY ASHER, New York Times bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why“Storm Siren is a riveting tale from start to finish. Between the simmering romance, the rich and inventive fantasy world, and one seriously jaw-dropping finale, readers will clamor for the next book—and I'll be at the front of the line!” —MARISSA MEYER, New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles“I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you.”As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth—meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war or be killed.Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.“Readers who enjoyed Marissa Meyer's Cinder series will enjoy this fast-paced fantasy which combines an intriguing story line with as many twists and turns as a chapter of Game of Thrones!” —Dodie Owens, Editor, School Library Journal Teen“Weber builds a fascinating and believable fantasy world. Inventive and entertaining.” —Kirkus Reviews“[F]antasy readers will feel at home in Weber’s first novel . . . a detailed backdrop and large cast bring vividness to the story.” —Publishers Weekly “Readers will easily find themselves captivated. The breathtaking surprise ending is nothing short of horrific, promising even more dark and bizarre adventures to come in the Storm Siren trilogy.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 stars
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while now but just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. The cover is GORGEOUS, the premise sounds really promising, but it just didn’t come through like I hoped it would. This isn’t to say I didn’t like it or that it was bad, I just had a few issues with it that made it a tad disappointing.
I like Nym, for the most part. She’s definitely not without her flaws, but I liked how she was rather gutsy the majority of the time. Colin was actually one of my favorite side characters, he’s that friend that will constantly make you smile. I’m hoping to see more of Princess Rasha in the next book, I feel like there is a back story going on with her and I’m curious to know more about her.
There are quite a few twists in this one, some I called, some I knew something was going on I just wasn’t sure what exactly.
I really like the abilities that the different Elementals had, that was one of my favorite parts of the story. I definitely liked reading about them working together and seeing what they could accomplish.
Anytime I’m reading a fantasy I really need great descriptive setting and world building, this book was sorely lacking in that area. It was really hard for me to picture things the majority of the time and I pretty much had to figure the world out on my own.
I wasn’t keen on the romance displayed, luckily it was definitely more of a side story and didn’t just take over so it didn’t drive me crazy or anything.
I felt some of the writing was lacking also. Some of the scenes and characters just didn’t flow for me and were a little jarring at times. Also there was a nickname used for Colin throughout the book that REALLY drove me nuts, and this kind of stuff has never bothered me before but it seriously made me cringe every time.
Overall, I did enjoy this one, it was fun and kept my attention. I will read the sequel to see how things turned out and in hopes that the writing gets better and I continue to enjoy the story overall.
About Mary Weber
Mary Weber is a ridiculously uncoordinated girl plotting to take over make-believe worlds through books, handstands, and imaginary throwing knives. In her spare time, she feeds unicorns, sings 80’s hairband songs to her three muggle children, and ogles her husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. They live in California, which is perfect for stalking L.A. bands, Joss Whedon, and the ocean. Her debut YA fantasy novel, STORM SIREN, is available now in bookstores and online, and SIREN'S FURY (book 2 in the trilogy) will be out June, 2015 from TN HarperCollins.
Have you read this one? What did you think?
I have not read this one yet, but OH THE COVER! After reading your review I’ve decided to put this one on my TBR pile!
Yay!!
I loved this one! I had a lot of the same problems that you did with it — lack of world building and some of the scenes weren’t extremely well developed. But I promise the next book is so much better.
Great review Crystal!
That’s great to hear! I plan to read SIREN’S FURY this month also!
Awesome review Crystal. <3 I'm glad you liked it 😀 But aw, I'm sorry you had some issues :\ I liked it a little bit more, though I had some issues too
But yeah. I did like it a whole lot 😀 And I'm glad you did too. <3
I’m hoping I will like Siren’s Fury even more!