Review + Giveaway: The Siren

Title: The Siren
Author: Elicia Hyder
Release Date: March 2016
Length: 314 pages
Series?: The Soul Summoner Series #2
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon

All the missing victims of North Carolina’s deadliest serial killer have been found, all except Rachel Smith. When the FBI produces a photo proving Rachel is alive and well in Texas, one case is closed but another one is opened. Either this is a case of mistaken identity or there are more people than just Sloan Jordan and Warren Parish who seem to walk the earth without a soul.

Along with Detective Nathan McNamara, Sloan and Warren travel south to find Rachel and solve the biggest mystery of all: determining who—or what—they really are.

The Skinny

Sloan and Nate have just survived the most wanted man of North Carolina – a deadly serial killer who “hunts” during hunting season. All of their victims have been found except for one: Rachel Smith. Nathan receives information about Rachel Smith being alive and well in San Antonio, Texas. This opens an entirely new can of worms for the digging duo. While Sloan is still caught in the love triangle between Nathan and Warren, who also has supernatural powers like herself, her high school nemesis – also known as Nathan’s girlfriend – tags along on their revealing trip to Texas to find this woman who also lives without a soul.

While Sloan suffers a barrage of coincidences, Rachel is not who she seems, in more ways than one. Sloan and Warren learn exactly what they are, as well as becoming a large target to other supernaturals. Their relationship is excruciatingly rare. Sloan suffers a major loss, and her father is able to identify Rachel Smith as another person entirely. This takes Sloan and the gang back to Texas again…for the last time.

You can read my review of the first book, Soul Summoner, here.

The Players

Sloan – a twenty-something publicist for the local county with supernatural abilities to summon and heal others

Warren – a twenty-something mercenary for the U.S. government with supernatural abilities to repel and kill others

Nathan – a local detective in the same county offices as Sloan

Shannon – a local traffic reporter for the news station; she is Nathan’s girlfriend and Sloan’s high school nemesis

Adrienne – Sloan’s best friend who is still healing from a major accident

Rachel/Abigail – a timeless individual who assumes an identity to suit her situations

Samael – an Angel of Death

The Quote

I held my hands up and pushed back from the table. “OK. We need to get a few things straight here.” I looked her square in the face. “We’re not just here for some double-date vacation. Nathan is helping me and Warren with finding someone we need to talk to. This is business. So don’t think you and I are going to be part of some kind of wives’ club that gets our nails down while the boys go to work.” 

 

“Don’t make me have my boyfriend shoot you in the face.” 

 

“Hey! Leave room for the Holy Spirit there, McNamara.” 

The Highs and Lows

• The Love Triangle. It was bad in the first book. It killed me that Sloan picked Warren. I LOVE Nathan, as does both her parents and her friends. They just have this thing. But the second book focused more closely on Sloan and Warren’s relationship, and now I am just as torn as the poor gal herself. I like them both. They are super amazing guys and both very, very sexy. And Sloan is caught in the middle, loving both of them. She’s with Warren, but Nathan makes no qualms that he’d steal her away, despite his girlfriend.
• The Church. When they arrive in Texas, Sloan is almost paranoid about going to a Catholic church and learning the truth about angels and demons. The father’s words remain with her, a haunting foreshadowing.
• Shannon. She was an unexpected surprise for the trip to Texas. She was also an unexpected surprise. At one point, Sloan has it out and says her peace and then the two get along much better. Shannon is surprisingly smarter than she appears, and helps out in the detectiving department a few times. She also shows measures of kindness and friendship to Sloan. I was not expecting for her to just drop out of the book so suddenly. I kinda started liking her.
• The Real Rachel Smith. Rachel Smith is known by four names in the book: as Sarah to Sloan’s father, who had worked with her in Florida in the 1980s; as Rachel Smith to the North Carolina authorities when she went missing; as Abigail Smith, leader of a ministry outreach in San Antonio; but her real name is Kasyade, which means Siren. She is an angel, and Sloan and Warren learn a lot about themselves from her. Although she is integral to the plot, and she does summon Sloan through years of prep work, she is nothing like her title Angel of Life.
• Sloan and Warren. After learning everything from Abigail Smith about who and what they are, I could not stop thinking about what that would mean if they had offspring. Apparently angels can only have one child, which definitively rules out if they are related, which was a topic of contension in the first book. If they were to have offspring, could they have more than one since they aren’t full-blooded angels? Since they are two different types of angels, what does that mean if there were a child? Which talents would it inherit? I could not stop thinking about it for the rest of the book. It was always in the back of my mind.
• Samael. He is an Angel of Death. When Sloan meets him, she tries to pound him. Despite his title, he is a kind individual. He warns Sloan and Warren of the impending danger against them simply because they are together. He appears twice in the book, but I have the feeling he’ll be back in the third installment. At least I hope so. Angel of Death and all, I still like him.
• Nathan. I love the guy so much. He has put his life on the line for Sloan before, and he does it yet again. This time with more serious repercussions. He is also in charge of Sloan while Warren is gone.
• Warren’s Job. Warren is leaving soon for an entire year. The first book sets up their relationship and the repercussions when they are apart. He has moved into her house. He’s met her parents. And now he’s leaving for the American government.
• The Action. The book is a full storyline full of action. It is not constant, but Hyder knows how to pack the punch when she needs it. I was on the edge of my seat more than once.

The Take-Away

The relationships between Sloan, Warren, and Rachel/Abigail are so complex. It’s heartwarming and deadly. After learning that they are Seramorta, half-human and half-angel, and receiving insight into the angel world, I could not stop thinking about them having a baby and what that would mean. How would that work? Would the baby be and Angle of Death or an Angel of Light? Would it inherit opposite talents from both Sloan and Warren? In the back of my mind I was also wondering about what would happen between Nathan and Sloan once Warren is gone.  A year is a long time.

Recommendation – Buy, Borrow or Skip? 

BUY IT. The plot is so complex and intriguing. I am craving more about the angel world and what is coming next for Sloan, Warren and Nathan. All of the elements of a strong story with the rollercoaster of ups and downs are all there. Is the next book out yet?

 

 

Elicia Hyder is the author of several contemporary fantasy novels such as The Soul Summoner, The Siren, The Angel of Death, and The Daughter of Zion as well as a few contemporary romances, The Bed She Made and To Be Her first. Elicia studied American Literature and Creative Writing at the American Military University. She lives with her husband and five children in central Florida.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

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