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tpeirona's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was fine. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad, it was just ok. I thought the main character wasn't particularly gripping or interesting. She could have been anyone really and the story still would have been told the same. The mystery was fine if a little too much hand-holding for solving it as a reader. I enjoyed Lou in general although I found her chapters to be distracting.
lovelyjanelle13's review against another edition
4.0
I love this time period and the way the author brought the characters to life. The story kept me drawn in, each twist shocking me, which is fairly hard to do. I would like to mention that it is not necessary to read the previous books in the series as each book is their own.
kriff08's review against another edition
5.0
Sirens was a pleasant surprise! I loved the characters and the setting was completely enchanting. The chapters alternate from two character perspectives, but this is done in such a flawless way that I found myself constantly wanting to read both their sides. Lou is amazing; she speaks to you (as you are Detective Smith) and keeps you seeking more information, which Jo quickly provides. These two characters work very well telling this story together and create an amazing mystery set in the beautiful 1920’s. I recommend this book to anyone interested in mysteries or looking for a good 1920’s setting.
madeline19's review against another edition
So, I LOVED this book. The plot, characters, and setting all work together to make this a very enjoyable story. It is set in the glittering decade of the 20's and follows two characters' perspectives on this conspiracy-like mystery. One of the points of view is a girl who ,chapter-by-chapter,is revealing her side of the story to a detective. The other perspective is of a girl caught up in the middle of this mystery.The other nice thing about this book is that the writing itself is just, plain fabulous.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
1.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2012/11/2012-book-340.html
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
4.0
I am 100% positive that if I was a young adult during the roaring 20s, I’d totally be a flapper. This notion is purely based on the things I’ve read in YA books. After reading The Diviners by Libba Bray, I sort of felt as though I NEEDED to read more 1920s-set books and I had the desperate hope that this would become a new ‘thing’ in YA. Lucky me, Sirens by Janet Fox had EXACTLY what I was looking for and was a nice, non-paranormal book to read after The Diviners. Sirens has: flappers, strong women, books, speakeasies, gangsters, and THE ALGONQUIN! AHH! This is the sort of read where if you are on your kindle, you rapidly click the next arrow to get to what happens next because there’s a lot of unraveling to be done.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
ringabelle's review against another edition
1.0
Disappointed in myself for not finishing this, but I just couldn't. I guess it a "it's not you, it's me!" kinda thing. Uuuuggghhh
thebookcellar's review against another edition
4.0
This book was pretty good. I have always loved the 1920's era with the flapper girls and the al capone mobster guys. The writting was decent, and the book had a great plot.
I will edit this later but right now I give it a 4/5
I will edit this later but right now I give it a 4/5
theresidentbookworm's review
3.0
After reading The Red Leather Diary, I was on a bit of a 1920s kick. Luckily, I had Sirens on hand to fulfill it. I had read Janet Fox's YA debut Faithful and had been impressed by the beautiful picture she painted of Yellowstone National Park in 1904 and by the mesmerizing story of Maggie Bennet. Faithful has a subtle power to it, something simple that just grabbed your attention. There was mystery and intrigue, but it wasn't overblown. At the heart of the story is Maggie, the secrets of her family, her struggle to figure out what she really wants, and her budding relationship with Tom.
As sad as I am to say it, Sirens lacked the power that Faithful gave. I think it was something to do with the narration. Lou's statement to the police, while a clever narration idea, took you out of the story too much. It was hard for me to care about Lou even after I met her. I grew to like her, but not enough for me to appreciate her narration. Spending every other chapter on Lou also meant time was detracted from Jo. Her narration is solid if not less detailed than that of Maggie's in Faithful. Then again, having just finished Red Leather Diary before this makes me a little bias. The detailed descriptions Lily Koppel includes from Florence's diary outshine anything Fox could possibly due in fiction. As much as I hate to say it, I think Fox stepped out of her element here. I love the 1920s, but it's overdone in historical fiction. Faithful was so striking because no one had ever taken you to Yellowstone in the early 1900s. I've been to 1920s New York City too many times.
Jo was a fairly good heroine. It was nice to see a girl that didn't fit the stereotypical flapper mode. Also, I'm a book girl, and so is she so there was that. I didn't really care enough about any of the other characters. I liked Lou and Melody well enough, and I hated Jo's father. Charlie was a decent love interest, though it felt underdeveloped. I didn't have strong feelings about anyone else. Even Danny Connors, the villain, didn't scare me much. I guessed from the very beginning that Lou was at the police station giving a report about how Danny, not Jo, died so I wasn't worried about him. Teddy, the whole reason for all the shit in this novel, remained a mystery to me. Maybe he was supposed to.
This novel does get a star for keeping me on my toes. Except for the thing I've already told you I guessed I had no clue what was going to happen. The ending lacked pizazz, but it did feel complete. The mystery and suspense here did slightly undercut the characters and their development so I would caution Fox against that next time. There was a lot going on, and I was trying to keep it straight.
There are worst young adult historical fictions about the Roaring Twenties out there, but there are also better. Next time, I hope Fox finds a more original place to take me and maybe only focuses on one person. Of course, I already read the blurb for her next book so little hope there (possibly three narrators? Is she crazy?).
As sad as I am to say it, Sirens lacked the power that Faithful gave. I think it was something to do with the narration. Lou's statement to the police, while a clever narration idea, took you out of the story too much. It was hard for me to care about Lou even after I met her. I grew to like her, but not enough for me to appreciate her narration. Spending every other chapter on Lou also meant time was detracted from Jo. Her narration is solid if not less detailed than that of Maggie's in Faithful. Then again, having just finished Red Leather Diary before this makes me a little bias. The detailed descriptions Lily Koppel includes from Florence's diary outshine anything Fox could possibly due in fiction. As much as I hate to say it, I think Fox stepped out of her element here. I love the 1920s, but it's overdone in historical fiction. Faithful was so striking because no one had ever taken you to Yellowstone in the early 1900s. I've been to 1920s New York City too many times.
Jo was a fairly good heroine. It was nice to see a girl that didn't fit the stereotypical flapper mode. Also, I'm a book girl, and so is she so there was that. I didn't really care enough about any of the other characters. I liked Lou and Melody well enough, and I hated Jo's father. Charlie was a decent love interest, though it felt underdeveloped. I didn't have strong feelings about anyone else. Even Danny Connors, the villain, didn't scare me much. I guessed from the very beginning that Lou was at the police station giving a report about how Danny, not Jo, died so I wasn't worried about him. Teddy, the whole reason for all the shit in this novel, remained a mystery to me. Maybe he was supposed to.
This novel does get a star for keeping me on my toes. Except for the thing I've already told you I guessed I had no clue what was going to happen. The ending lacked pizazz, but it did feel complete. The mystery and suspense here did slightly undercut the characters and their development so I would caution Fox against that next time. There was a lot going on, and I was trying to keep it straight.
There are worst young adult historical fictions about the Roaring Twenties out there, but there are also better. Next time, I hope Fox finds a more original place to take me and maybe only focuses on one person. Of course, I already read the blurb for her next book so little hope there (possibly three narrators? Is she crazy?).
bookmaddie's review against another edition
4.0
Another fun, yet somewhat predictable, flapper read. I did enjoy how the story was told, and the writing was lovely.