Genre: Fantasy
# of Pages: 286
Tavia has known she is a siren for awhile, but in a world where it is not safe to admit being a siren she must keep her voice quiet at all times. She’s even gone so far as to explain her silence with a rare medical condition and learn sign language so she can communicate even when she knows it isn’t safe to speak. In this world, all sirens are black girls which makes Tavia’s plight even more difficult because she is already facing sexism and racism on a daily basis. Effie has lived with Tavia for awhile and they have come to think of themselves as sisters. Effie’s mother died and her grandparents thought it would be better if she lived with Tavia’s family, but did not disclose the reason(s) why. Effie is not a siren, but she knows there is something strange going on because recently she has faced many unusual physical changes, including extremely dry and flaky skin, exhaustion, and sometimes even blackouts. It scares her that she doesn’t know what is happening, but she’s hopeful that maybe it will get better with time. They know they always have each other to lean on, but they are both shaken when a murder trial becomes national news only because the murder victim is accused of being a siren. Does simply being a siren mean someone can kill you and get away with it? What would happen if anyone were to find out Tavia is a siren? Can they protect each other from the terrible things destined to come for both of them?
There are not a lot of fantasy novels that feature two black teenagers as the main characters and the author does a nice job of showing why life would be even more difficult as a supernatural being if you were already dealing with people not granting you basic rights due to physical features beyond your control. Both of these girls know the adults in their life are trying to protect them, but in the end it just feels like they are withholding important information. The fantasy details of the story is unique, inspiring, and revealed in a satisfying way. Fans looking for a very thought provoking, modern fantasy story will enjoy.
Theodosia was forced to witness her mother, the queen’s, brutal murder at the hands of the man forcibly taking over their kingdom. For some reason, the Kaiser who now rules the kingdom has kept her alive all these years, but he has forced her to take on a new name (Thora) and endure countless beatings and ridicule in order to learn her place. Whenever her people would rebel in any way he would order Theodosia to be publicly beaten so that she could pay for the sins of her people and he would force her to wear an ash crown in order to mock the fact that her mother was the fire queen. By the time she is 16 he feels confident he has broken her spirit, but he still has three guards watch her 24/7 to make sure she doesn’t get any treasonous thoughts. Her best friend, Cress, is the daughter of the Kaiser’s right hand man who actually murdered her mother. She is very friendly, but Theodosia wonders if she can truly trust anyone in this terrible place that used to be her home. Then, she is made aware of allies in her castle who are willing to give up everything for her and she realizes that she does have the desire to fight for her kingdom and take it back for what remains of her people. The only question is can her and her meager supporters really defeat a man who has made it his mission in life to destroy kingdoms mercilessly? Can they outsmart a man who always seems to be two steps ahead?
Young Adult Book Reviews 