Parents' Guide to

The Siren

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

A light, enjoyable read for romantic-fantasy fans.

Book Kiera Cass Fantasy 2016
The Siren Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 13+

It was good.

After reading all the books of The Selection series, I was able to pick up this book right away and I really enjoyed it. I don't give it a full 5 stars, more like a 4.5 stars. It kept my attention and it was good. I just enjoy books that are in first person and I go understand a little more about what a Siren is and what they do and how they live and such. For some reason, I didn't like the ending as much as would have, but yeah, I understand why it had to be like that. I wished there was a second book, but sadly, there wasn't.
age 11+

3.5/4 stars

I really enjoyed this! It wasn't a deep read or anything, but it was very entertaining, engaging, and a fun, light read. Achilles' character was pretty flat in terms of personality (and fit that stereotypical perfect love interest trope), but he was undeniably sweet, and his romance with Kahlen was cute, if not deep. I loved the dynamic between Kahlen and her sisters. Violence: The sirens, like in the myths, are seductive creatures who lure people to their deaths by sea. Once the girls like Kahlen are rescued by the Ocean, they are forced to live several years of serving it by drowning people. One character, Padma, was abused by her father who attempted to drown her; she later gets revenge by drowning him, although it is implied and not described in detail. None of the violence is. Sex: Just some romance between Kahlen and Akinli and a few other characters. Language: A few mild "damns" and other swearwords here and there, but nothing excessive.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (19):

Romance fans will enjoy this light fantasy from Kiera Cass, a veteran of the genre. It’s an imaginative, insider’s look at a siren’s life. Tweens and teens will enjoy rooting for Kahlen to find a way to be with her beloved Akinli, and they'll easily relate to her as she rebels against the Ocean's strict demands.

Cass's prose has a nice, rhythmic quality, although her ear for dialogue is not as finely tuned and many exchanges are stilted and contrived. For romance fans only.

Book Details

  • Author: Kiera Cass
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Friendship
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: HarperTeen
  • Publication date: January 26, 2016
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 18
  • Number of pages: 336
  • Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
  • Last updated: July 13, 2017

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