Reviews

Louisa, Karina, Robert, and Preston. Four artists/main characters tied together by their presence at Wrynn - a prestigious art school in New England. They are uniquely talented, but at much different stages in their careers/goals and ambitions. Roommates Louisa and Karina are both misunderstood by the other until their mutual attraction spurs an intense romance. Preston is a PITA as a student and an artist, but his work does make an impact. I personally found him insufferable, although his childhood and challenges did humanize him. When a project/prank leads to our main 4 parting ways with Wrynn, they all begin to explore themselves more as artists and as people as their lives entwine and reconnect in new ways. I especially enjoyed following Louisa's growth. Karina is clearly her muse, and I loved how she began to take creative and personal risks, while still staying grounded and connected to the family and home she loves. Karina also grows in her ability to open up and eventually let Louisa into her heart. She leans into her talents and creativity and never stops to question or second guess it. Her relationships with Allison and Preston drag her down and appear toxic, and she equally drags them as well. Her reconnection with Louisa is fulfilling to them both. At first I found the Robert chapters to be kind of a drag, but around the time he connects with young tutee Adrian, a new confidence and happiness emerge, and his story ends on a more hopeful note. I like how there is an open-ended resolution that leaves several options on the table for all 4 characters, for better or for worse.

Content Warnings

aqeela's review against another edition

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4.0

4.25 stars, rounded down

carsonelainee's review against another edition

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4.0

I've had this book on my physical TBR for at least two years. It's one of those books that I knew I was going to love, but the content and the writing style were always too daunting for me to read without the aid of an audiobook. My Libby hold for the audiobook finally came in earlier this week and I was able to jump in.

Sirens & Muses ended up being an example of everything I love in literary fiction: multiple POVs, messy main characters, conversations on sexuality and friendship, notes on institutions like academia, and a writing style that just makes me feel smart. There were a lot of moving pieces in this book that I found fascinating. It's also the first time that I've read a book purposefully set in a "historical" year in which I was alive... since the majority of the plot is intertwined with the 2008 recession. It was kinda weird for me lol.

The thing that knocked this book down from a potential five-star is the fact that the ending felt clumsy. The rest of the story is so strong and then it felt like the story just suddenly ended with a minimal amount of wrapping up. The conclusion felt weak and like it left a lot of threads unanswered.

I feel like for that to be my only critique is a good thing, though... I'm excited to see whatever Antonia Angress writes next.

courtneylwaybright's review against another edition

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3.0

Torn between 3 and 4 stars, I’m thinking 3.5

I found myself skipping Preston’s POV, which says a lot because I never even skipped Jason’s chapters in HoO. I only really cared for Robert’s POV in the second half when I got to watch him heal and help Adrian.

I got kinda pissed at the minor miscommunication of the end of part one, but it wasn’t that big of a deal since I liked the way it tied up.

Overall the characters felt like they were one layer of the onion away from having real depth… except Preston. I hate Preston.

I could go on a whole rant about the potential of a character like Preston because it seemed like he was written with SOME redeemable (?) qualities,,, more like excuses for doing what he does. He’s sad and doesn’t care to take the time to change that and then gets upset when he mirrors his father with uncontrollable emotions? like yeah what’s new you’re just a man. I could go on but I won’t. It sucked trudging through his chapters feeling like something good COULD happen for him but it never does due to his own actions. Maybe that was the point?

Did they say Yas in 2008?

gschmidtquee's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I loved the entertwining and wrapping up/overlap at the end of the story. Very satisfying and interesting arc where the emotional bits came naturally and weren't over explained.

leolovely24's review against another edition

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4.0

Der zweite Teile des Buches ist pure Perfektion, währenddessen man im Ersten sich einbisschen durch kämpfen musste. Trotzdem…
Ich liebe die Charaktere SO. SEHR?! (Alle sind so unfassbar fehlerhaft, dass es eigentlich verboten ist sie zu mögen aber sie haben alle mein Herz)

Alle 4 Main Charaktere fühlen sich so ECHT an und deren Verflechtungen zueinander und mit anderen Charaktere ist so smart, ich kann nicht mehr

Das Buch hat mich so unerwartet viel gerührt (vor allem der 2. Teil) und wodbwkwjdb ich werde das Buch niemals loslassen können

Sirens & Muses ist sehr Character-driven und ich liebe es so sehr dafür, ich könnte wirklich Stunden über das Buch reden…

☆★☆★→ read Sirens & Muses!! ←☆★☆★

lrenkate's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved the descriptions of art and the art world. It’s something I have no experience in, even I used to look from the outside.There were thought provoking themes, and I found the characters quite interesting and real. They felt dynamic and changeable, experiencing real life feelings and grappling with problems that felt believable for their world. There were a few periods where I found my interest waffling, but those blips didn’t last for long before I got brought back in.

Content Warnings

vladina's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

3.0

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