A frothy little stand-alone fairy tale.
A chaste forbidden romance between a siren and a human in this re-edited rerelease from The Selection (2012) author Cass.
When the ship that Kahlen and her wealthy, white family are passengers on is hit by siren song, luring everyone overboard to their deaths, Kahlen’s desperate prayers for life are answered—by the Ocean. Three sirens explain the deal: Kahlen will live for 100 years as a siren, serving the Ocean by singing humans to their deaths, and then go free; if she refuses the deal, she dies. Eighty years later and in the thoroughly wired present, Kahlen grieves the lives she takes while loving the Ocean as a mother. With her multicultural-in-name-only siren sisters (Japanese, African, and Indian characters alongside a number of white ones), Kahlen interacts with humans carefully (with feigned muteness, as their voices are dangerous). Then she meets sweet, slightly goofy Akinli, a blond, white college boy, and they fall hard for each other. While the romance comes on fast, it’s based on more than physical attraction. All Kahlen ever wanted was love and to be a bride, but she still has 20 years of service before she can rejoin humanity. The value she places on heterosexual romance coexists with her sisters’ differing priorities, character-specific rather than universal. Still, despite their more varied life interests, between pretty dresses and endless pining, this one is best for hopeless romantics.
A frothy little stand-alone fairy tale. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-239199-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2016
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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