Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller

Pages: 352

Publisher: Pushkin's Children's Books 

Released: 14th of November 2022 

Alosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he's under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father's justice.

When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.

What I Have to Say 

I've really enjoyed reading this duology. I really liked Daughter of the Pirate King because it introduced me to a character I really liked. Alosa is strong, ruthless and has the intrigue of having her Siren side as well as her pirate side. I'm pleased to say that she was just as brilliant in the second book as the first. 

I really liked Alosa's duel nature. The fact that she struggles with her siren nature while still finding it useful in certain situation. I think struggling with aspects of ourselves is something we can all relate to. I was glad to see that this was built upon in this book and that part of her story was that she faced that head on. 

One thing I would have liked to be different was that I felt like there was no build up to her disillusionment with her father. He was an abusive bastard, but she carried on being happy to follow his orders until one singular thing changed and I would have liked a build up of things instead. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Pushkin's Children's Books for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

Mermaids Never Drown ed. Zoriad Córdova and Natalie C. Parker

Pages: 320

Publisher: Titan Books 

Released: 26th of September 2023 

14 Young Adult short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors make a splash in Mermaids Never Drown - the second collection in the Untold Legends series edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker - exploring mermaids like we've never seen them before!

A Vietnamese mermaid caught between two worlds. A siren who falls for Poseidon's son. A boy secretly pining for the merboy who saved him years ago. A storm that brings humans and mermaids together. Generations of family secrets and pain.

Find all these stories and more in this gripping new collection that will reel you in from the very first page! Welcome to an ocean of hurt, fear, confusion, rage, hope, humor, discovery, and love in its many forms.

Edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Mermaids Never Drown features beloved authors like Darcie Little Badger, Kalynn Bayron, Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Coffindaffer, Julie C. Dao, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Adriana Herrera, June Hur, Katherine Locke, Kerri Maniscalco, Julie Murphy, Gretchen Schreiber, and Julian Winters.

What I Have to Say 

This was a really strong short story anthology. It had many different types of stories and many different styles of writing, all featuring mermaids, sirens or the cultural equivalent! I had a great time reading it and really enjoyed some of the stories. There weren't any stories I absolutely hated in this one, which is always a good sign! 

 Some of my particular favourites were The First and Last Kiss by Julie Murphy, The Merrow by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker and Jinju's Pearls by June Hur, but there were many other good ones that really stood out for me! 

I liked sirens a lot, so it made me really happy to see Sirens feature so much in this book. I was glad that they really went into the dark sides of myths as well as having some lighter stories. 

If there's a mermaid obsessed reader in your life, this would be the perfect book for them! 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton

Pages: 411

Publisher: Hodderscape 

Released: 27th of June 2023 

Words sting. Songs kill.

The Cruel Prince meets To Kill a Kingdom in this seductive YA fantasy debut, in which a siren must choose between protecting her family and following her heart in a prejudiced kingdom where her existence is illegal.

Saoirse Sorkova survives on secrets. As the last siren in her kingdom, she can sing any man to an early grave - but her very existence is illegal, and if her true identity were ever discovered, it would be her life on the line.

By day, Saoirse disguises herself as a fae, pretending to be the perfect soldier-in-training. By night, she satisfies her darker urges working as an assassin for dangerous mercenaries. And all the while, she keeps the biggest secret of that she is not always in control of her Siren powers, or her desire to kill.

Then a blackmailer threatens her sister, and Saoirse's investigation takes her to the royal palace, and her most dangerous job personal bodyguard to the Crown Prince.

Saoirse expects to despise Prince Hayes. But he is kind, thoughtful, and charming, and she finds herself increasingly drawn to him . . . until he tasks her with investigating a killer plaguing the kingdom. The the killer is Saoirse.

Trapped by her deadly double life, Saoirse can't leave the palace until she saves her sister . . . but who will save her from herself?

What I Have to Say 

This was a really easy read, which is good because I've had a few tougher ones on the list lately. It was nice to just relax and read about a murderous siren and her unfortunate feelings for the son of the man who is trying to eradicate her kind. It was a great. Typically YA and just what I needed. 

The world was interesting but I feel like we haven't really explored it that much so far. Most of the oppression, we learnt because Saoirse tells us and there isn't much showing. Only that she and her family have to hide.  I'm looking forward to finding out more about the world in the next book. 

I liked the ending. It was suitably dramatic and thrilling. I could really feel the emotions that Saoirse was going though. 

All in all a pretty good book, but not a lot of depth in the society. 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Hodderscape for providing me with this copy for review. 

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 358

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 6th of March 2018 

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

What I Have to Say 

This is the retelling of The Little Mermaid that we needed. I loved it from the start. Lira was the best siren that I've ever seen. I loved how much of a monster she was. It made sure that you knew how different it would be from the original story right from the very beginning. 

I also liked watching Lira change. The way she became more human the more time she spent with the crew. For someone that is so feral to begin with, I found it fascinating to watch. I loved Elian and his crew as well. They were exactly what I always want from books of this kind. I loved their humour. I loved their camaraderie. 

Though maybe a tiny bit predictable in regards to the romance, it really was a lovely fresh take on The Little Mermaid and a story that I have been needing in my life for so long. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review.