There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews about this book. Unfortunately, I agree with many reviewers that The Siren isn't really worth the read. I wanted to give it a chance since it was independently published back in 2009 and now recently republished by HarperTeen. I figured that meant it was a good story and worth polishing up to publish it the traditional way. Despite the fact the writing was cleaned up and the cover was given a makeover, I was very disappointed with the book. The mythology behind the Ocean and the existence of sirens was promising, but the main character Kahlen and her story were uninteresting and flat.
Kahlen has only 20 years left in her 100 year sentence as a siren and she has always followed the Ocean's rules. She's counting down the years until she's free from the Ocean demands, despite the fact the Ocean has been her "mother" for years. How she can love the Ocean when she's forced to kill with her song for her will remain a mystery to me. The story behind the mythology is that the Ocean needs to feed off human lives in order to survive. She uses the sirens to lure people to their demise and in return for 100 years of servitude, the sirens are given a new chance at life. I can understand Kahlen's melancholy because I would hate being forced to murder thousands of people to keep the Ocean alive. The idea of sacrificing a few for the many is unethical, especially since the sacrificed are chosen at random.
Kahlen's constant depression is lifted when she meets a boy named Akinli, and since it's against the rules to speak to any human, she tries to ignore him at first. Strong feelings develop between the two and after only a few days, Kahlen is convinced she's in love. Loving a boy is something the Ocean would absolutely disprove of, so she runs away from this "amazing" boy in order to keep him alive. Kahlen falls back into depression and most of the story is spent reading her inner turmoil about how she hates killing people and wished she could live out her normal human life now, instead of waiting another 20 years. The only thing that makes the story bearable is the Ocean and Kahlen's siren sisters. Elizabeth, Miaka, Aisling and Padma each have their own story, and honestly, any of their stories would have been better than Kahlen's. For reasons unknown, we ended up with the story of the most boring siren.
The personification of the Ocean was the only thing I liked about the book (that and the cover, but that doesn't really count). I enjoyed how the sirens try to teach the Ocean how to love and explain Kahlen's pain. The mystery behind the Ocean is constant, which makes it an intriguing character throughout the book.
The majority of the time, I don't mind first point of view books, but in this case, it wasn't the best method to tell Kahlen's story. The end of the book focused on Kahlen's return to human life, but that meant forgetting everything about being a siren. How can the story be written in the first person, when all is forgotten in the end? It just doesn't make sense.
There are so many things wrong with this book, especially the boring main character. The unrealistic love story is another disappointing factor and if the author would have taken more time developing this relationship, I think it might have been a little more genuine. It takes more than a quick dance and cake to fall in love. True fans of Kiera Cass might enjoy The Siren, but for any other reader, I would stay clear of this book. If you're intrigued, head for the library instead of the bookstore.
