Sirens

by Sienna Frost

"Love is a prize worth dying for."

Knowing a siren's curse of eternal life can only be broken by true love, Leonora sets out to find a man with the truest of hearts, all of whom will die at consummation should their heart proves untrue. After centuries of failures, she begins to lose all hope, until one day a man arrives on her beach and steals her heart––a man whose heart belongs to another.

A short story.

Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2022

About the author

Sienna Frost is a mother, a wife, and a traveler who has spent a good ten years writing to entertain only herself and the next two decades sharing her stories online for free. Her previous works have been fan-translated into seven languages and shared around the world. Obsidian is the first book she has decided to publish due to requests from fans who have been following this story on the internet. She does not consider herself a writer. She writes and hopes to find readers who want to share her journey.

Sienna loves to talk to her readers. Visit her on Twitter with this handle: @Siennafrst or on Wattpad.com @siennafrost for more stories from her.

Reviews

[Dom · Rating 4 out of 5]

As short stories go, this was quite an enjoyable one. It's an interesting take on sirens, and I like the concept behind them here. It was also a bit of a surprise for me, as a siren waiting to be shown what true love looks like gets a surprise of her own. I'm not convinced that a novel-length tale would be to my personal tastes, but for a short story, it's very quick and easy to read. It also serves as a brief indication of how the author's writing style will suit me, which I appreciated.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful short story

Sienna Frost is a new indie author. I throughly enjoyed this short story. I thought I knew where this was going, but I was surprised. I’m looking forward to her books.
“Love is a prize worth dying for. We die trying to find love or kill in the name of it. That is what it means to be a siren.”

[Benjamin Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully morbid reimagining of sirens / evil mermaid monsters, told in the style of a dark fairy tale. Some fantastic worldbuilding for such a short form, and a compelling narrative that stays true to its themes. A quick, enjoyable read, and highly recommended!

[Craig Bookwyrm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful short story that was a pleasure to read.
The story reads like a fable or parable, and stayed with me long after finishing it.

The writing is elegant, conveying the message and feeling of the story with ease. Had the story been any longer, then the impact of it would have likely been lessened.

This is a story that I will return to, as a palate cleanser or to just enjoy the story.

This is a wonderful fantasy short story that held me in its thrall from beginning to end.

[Channa Kanniah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and nicely written, I like the view of the Sirens we got.

[Miguel Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short story!

It captivated me from the get-go.

I didn't like the ending, hence the four-star rating.

I wanted Leonora to keep her word and let the captain go. I can understand her being hit with a cyclone of spiraling emotions after discovering that the captain was married; but seeing as she was a deadly, promiscuous creature from the start, she did not have much to lose by letting him live.

Leonora ensnared him from the start and he was doomed no matter which decision he made at the end. She will never find "the one." There was no guarantee that the captain was the right person for her either.

Apart from that, my engagement into the story was high, and I like short stories. I knew that the story had horror elements into it from the beginning, and you could feel the sense of loss in the story at the end.

[Littlebookterror · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had zero expectations going into this. I saw her fantasy being recommended first and I love trying out unknown authors by starting with their short fiction: they're a passion of mine, so are any merfolk tales and it takes skills to pull off a twenty-page story. And who can look away from such a gorgeous cover?

I'm impressed by what this story does. The ending delivers on the original premise and I liked how the narrative structure is upfront from the beginning of what this story will be while still teasing an alternate ending.
It felt unique - which is sometimes more important than being unique.

[Emi Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

How long before you learn true love?

A story of a tormented siren looking for love to sooth her anguished soul. After a storm she awakens to find a new man, a captain in her life will he be the one who awakens the love deep inside? In this fable of a bygone era can true love be found and if it is will it be the kind she needs?

[Jessica McMinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Engaging Short Story

If Sienna Frost's short dark tale of love and death is any indication of her longer works, I am so keen to dive in!

Beautifully written and full of emotion, Sirens is a wonderful 20-minute read.

[V. Ananya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of the true test of love of a man for a woman, and a young siren who seeks to see it for herself. It's a short story, so I'm afraid of revealing spoilers, but I felt really good reading this story. Its end was just right, appropriate.

P.S. I read this book back in 2022, but realised I didn't post the review here.