A review by galian84
Song of Lorelei by Desirée M. Niccoli

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A sexy, romantic, and satisfying continuation to Lorelei and Killian’s story. This picks up about a year or so after the first book ended, and Killian and Lorelei are now engaged. Killian is still working on his boat, the Dawn Chaser, and Lorelei is working at the Haven Cove Marine Research Center with Lila Branson, studying the siren Nireed for a cure to their people-eating hunger.

Much of the cast, we met in the first book already, except for the addition of some minor characters such as Nireed’s siren friends, and Lila and Lorelei’s coworkers from their place of employment.

I still love Killian and Lorelei’s relationship, and how respectful and accepting he is of her. I love that happy ending, and I really enjoyed reading more about siren physiology and mythology, and seeing their home for the first time. And I liked the sirens’ growth as they got their cure and became more accepting of the humans. As always, I also enjoyed the small town vibe of their coastal Maine town.

What I didn’t love - the pacing seemed off. There were multiple times when I thought the story was going to end, and then we had a bunch of “and then” moments that didn’t seem like they tied well into the main plot. At that point I wasn’t sure where the story was going. We also get some random chapters from the other sirens, which threw me off a bit I felt could have just as easily been told from Lorelei’s perspective. The scene with the mermen was brushed over and I wish I could see more of them, how they reacted to a cure and even what they looked like. The human characters seemed static in growth compared to the sirens. And finally, I’m not a fan of girl-on-girl hostility (Carrie and Lorelei) in 2023…we get enough of that in the media already.

This is told mostly from Lorelei’s perspective in third person, with Killian’s POV interspersed, and then a single chapter toward the climax from three of the other sirens.

Overall, I enjoyed this read.