Storm Siren Review

Storm Siren

Mary Weber

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre:Young Adult

Release Date: August 19, 2014

Series: Storm Siren

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: none

Violence: None

Sexual Content: None

Age Recommendation: 12+

Author Website: http://mchristineweber.com/


 
Summary:

"I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don't want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you."

In a world at war, a slave girl's lethal curse could become one kingdom's weapon of salvation. If the curse - and the girl - can be controlled.

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 handsome 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.

Review:

Storm Siren is a beautifully written tale of redemption and love set in a kingdom in the midst of intrigue and war. This story gripped me from the beginning and propelled me with increasing force through the book. Nym's story was one of layers, and each new facet drove me to the next page and I couldn't wait to see how it all worked out.

The writing in this book is simply beautiful. Mary Weber does an excellent job of pulling readers into her world and keeping them there. The imagery is stunning and paints a picture that is clear enough for me to almost see what she's talking about. The pacing was excellent, even when the story should have felt slow it didn't and the action scenes flowed with precision. 

The plot was very well done as well. There were moment's where it could have fallen into a cliche but it always had a flair of originality and creativity to it. The secrets and big reveals were all done in a great way as well, I was shocked more than once through the book and I was very pleased when things turned out differently than I'd expected them to. I was also happy that when it came down to the fighting the skills Nym learned during training actually had value and were used. The romance aspect of this book was very well done as well. It was a gradual falling in love instead of a love at first sight scenario. Too often romance is rushed in books and I am grateful that Mary Weber took her time in this book.

The cast of characters in this book was amazing. There were no cookie cutter shortcuts taken with them. Each of the main characters were fully developed and even the villains shone when their time came. Nym was far from a mary sue with her strong personality and various faults. The rest of the cast is amazing as well. Colin with his joviality and Breck's no-nonsense attitude make them a great pair. Adora, as a court adviser and aristocrat has a very interesting personality. Eogen was by far my favorite character, his personality and history as well as the way he deals with Nym all drew me to him as a character.

What I loved most about this book was the themes woven throughout it. It could have easily been one of a hundred books with a slave society and simply talked about freedom and deliverance. But Storm Siren covered so much more than that. Mary Weber took us into the tormented mind of Nym and really dealt with issues like self-harm, self-perception, redemption, and yes freedom and deliverance. What really shone out to me however was the fact that she did it in such a natural way, the issues and solutions never felt forced or preachy. It was wonderful. 

Needless to say I loved every second of Storm Siren. This book was a delight from start to finish and I cannot wait until the next one comes out. I'd recommend this book to teens 12 and older. The story is wonderful and engaging, and the fact that it deals with serious issues that many girls (and even guys) face makes me want to recommend it to any and all teens. I think young girls especially would really be able to take something out of this book, while at the same time enjoying a fantastic fantasy. 

Mary Weber has a great talent and I can't wait to see more from her in the future.

 Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for my fair and honest opinion as I have stated above.

~Dawn