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Blood Singer #2

Siren Song

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In Celia Graves’s world, vampires roam the alleys of Tinseltown, street corner psychics have real powers, and cops use memory enhancement spells. But Celia thought she was an ordinary human, albeit one with a clairvoyant best friend and a ghostly little sister.

The vampire attack that made Celia an Abomination forces her to take food in liquid form and gives a whole new meaning to the word “sunburn.” She’s slowly adjusting (therapy sessions and all) when she discovers that the attack awakened a hidden part of her heritage: Celia is part Siren, able to enthrall men—and enrage women.

Her best friend’s murder is unsolved; the cops think Celia should be in jail or staked; and her old lover, mage Bruno DeLuca, has something important to tell her. To top it all off, Celia’s been summoned to the Sirens’ island.

Celia Graves has more than one enemy. Some of them want her blood. Some of them want her soul. All of them want her dead.

Siren Song, Book Two in the Blood Singer series, is another thrilling paranormal fantasy from bestselling author Cat Adams—an action-packed follow-up to Blood Song.

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2010

56 people are currently reading
2151 people want to read

About the author

Cat Adams

18 books729 followers
This is the pen name of Cathy Clamp and C.T. Adams (co-authors of the Thrall trilogy and the Sazi series published by Tor). They created this name to write under to make it easier for new fans (or old) to find them on the book shelves.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/catadams

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
Profile Image for Monty Cupcake ☠ Queen of Bloodshed ☠.
952 reviews254 followers
August 25, 2016
These books are quick and easy and don't get you attached to the characters. I enjoyed the siren aspects of this book, but all the thing that annoyed me in book 1 are still a problem here. 3.5 stars

- love triangle
- Celia's mother
- Celia's grandmother
- plot holes
Profile Image for anjuli.
408 reviews23 followers
July 26, 2017
***3.5***

The story continues from book 1. Celia's life is completely gone upside down. Between being part human, part vampire and part siren....she's not sure how to deal with it all except to do it without thinking too much. Her life is one incident after another. This is a huge mix of shit keeps happening to her without any fault of hers. Secrets are revealed, new allies with some new threats. We find out how Vicki dies!! Her life is on edge and it keeps us on edge as well trying to figure out "what next?" We find out more about her Siren heritage and what happened to her family.

There is no romance in the book. There is a very, very mild interest but, nothing major. Bruno and Celia....well, let's say new complications arise. John Creed, I like him. But, I don't know much about him.

A lot is still left out. There is not much background information except when it pertains to Celia herself. It is a fast paced book/series so far. I do want to find out where it leads. It is keeping my interest, so far.
Profile Image for Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ .
1,293 reviews9,001 followers
March 15, 2017
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

It's rare to get a really good first installment in an urban fantasy series--too much stuff has to happen. You've got world-building, laying the foundation for the series arc while telling an individual story that's compelling by itself, character development, etc. All preferably in 40k words or less.

On occasion, it does happen, but most the time . . . something's missing.

BUT.

It's equally rare to get a decent second book from those same early winners. Second Book Syndrome . . . #thestruggleisreal

Unless the series is BLOOD SINGER and the second book in question is SIREN SONG, that is, in which case you, my lucky friend, strike pay dirt.

MINOR SPOILERS from BLOOD SONG (book #1) and the beginning of SIREN SONG after this point.

At the close of BLOOD SONG, we knew several things:

1. Celia's grandfather was half-siren, making Celia herself a shoddy 1/16th siren.

2. Celia's latent siren abilities were activated by her bat attack.

3. Celia is now neither human nor bat norsiren, but a unprecedented mashup of all three.

And in the early pages of SIREN SONG, we learn that not only was Celia's grandfather half-siren, he was brother to the QUEEN, making Celia a PRINCESS.

Which is AWESOME. #disneyforever

We also learn that Bruno is an unilateral decision-making asshat (#teamcreede).

But more on that later . . . Maybe . . . I'm not sure I can talk about Bruno without going on an incomprehensible Rick-type rant (of Jane Yellowrock fame). So we'll see.

SIREN SONG picks up almost immediately where BLOOD SONG left off, with Celia and Dr. Scott on their way to begin her two stay at Birchwoods before her mind-manipulation/dangerous-to-society hearing scheduled in two months.

I'm not going to tell you what happens, I'm just going to say it does NOT go as planned. *winks*

Other fun things to look forward to:

1. The reading of Vicky's Will.

2. Boat trip with Bubba.

3. Freaky-ass wadjeti.

4. Escalating sexual tension between Celia and Creede.

5. Queen Lopaka

My only two complaints are Celia's continued use of as her expletive of choice, and a propensity for having Important Events take place off page and telling us about them after the fact:

I don't like it. It's lazy.

But beyond that SIREN SONG was stellar. Celia continues to be a heroine who makes me laugh and I admire, the various secondary characters elicit the full spectrum of emotions, and the story itself is just . . . WHUH. Towards the end, I might have started suspecting whodunnit, but the context and the thoroughly woven web . . . Not even a little bit. Highly recommended.

Jessica Signature
Profile Image for Habrewer.
439 reviews6 followers
December 2, 2010
Siren Song picks up right where Blood Song ends. Celia is still trying to come to grips with being an abomination. She still has to face her court date and the Queen of the Sirens; she doesn’t have time to be kidnapped.

While at Birwoods she is visited by her Siren cousin Ren, who presents her with a gift of a Wadjeti. She doesn’t know what to make of the visit but is concerned about what will happen when she finally gets to the island. She isn’t looking forward t meeting her grandmother, Queen Lopaka.
She deals with her hearing and the police that are not happy that she is being set free, to deal with Bruno and his devastating news. She is heart broken by what he tells her but she has more pressing issues that don’t allow her to “wallow” in self pity. She is a strong character and relies on that strength to help her get over him.

She has to enlist her friends to help her get to the Siren Island. A fellow bodyguard from a rival agency shows up and wants to help her. She is very reluctant to accept his help, she is afraid he is up to something. She has been through so much; it’s really hard for her to trust anyone that hasn’t been part of her circle. She knows that she needs the help, especially with the Demon still after her but she still hesitates.

She has had to endure so much, from being turned into an abomination, assassination attempts, not to mention a demon that wants her for his self. The scariest thing she has to face is family that she has never met before. She knows nothing about her heritage or the customs that go with it and that scares her to death. She would rather be fighting something she can see rather than deal with this.

She immediately likes her grandmother and presents her with one of her prized knives. She respects her cousin Adriana after their duel plus she saves her life while she is there. She also discovers the person responsible for what happened to her sister all those years ago. She is shocked to the core with this discovery and can’t believe that someone would actually do something that heinous to children.

The cast of supporting characters are present in this book too but this time, they are forced to do something that will change her relationship with them forever. The list of people she can trust is getting shorter and shorter. Along the way though, she adds some new friends to her group.

I enjoyed this book as much as the first one and can’t wait for the next installment in this series. The story is entertaining and held my interest throughout the whole book. There is the right amount description without over doing. The characters are compelling and make you want to know more about them. I am hoping after the ending, we’ll see more of Bruno in the next book.

Overall, I loved Siren Song and definitely recommend this series. I give it 4 Flaming Hearts.
Profile Image for sj.
404 reviews81 followers
February 21, 2012
So, better than the first, but there were new things to annoy me in this one.

For some reason, every time something should have been italicized, it was instead in "quotes." I find this "incredibly" annoying. I "almost" stopped reading. It was "that bad."

Was it just my ecopy? I have no idea. It "is rather funny" though, because Meg and I were "just" making fun of someone else we saw doing this the "other day." This "must be" my punishment for mocking some "really bad poetry."

Blergh.
Profile Image for Danielle (Danniegurl).
1,960 reviews110 followers
June 5, 2017
This series is good but also sad and depressing. Things are always going badly for Celia and she could really use some comfort and hugs. I really longed for that in this book. She really could have used comfort. Lots happened in this book and everything that happened was practically related. Very interesting and we learn more about her siren side. So far she's keeping the bloodlust at bay and doing well adjusting just she needs a hug damnit! On to the next one!
Profile Image for Cathy.
2,015 reviews51 followers
June 9, 2011
Another good book. I like the characters well enough that the shortcomings didn't bother me too much. Celia was still great, smart and brave, strong without being too pushy, and just likable. And the rest of the characters, large and small, continued to be vividly portrayed in this book. I have a terrible memory, but as an example, even now I can remember the names of her officemates (Ron and Bubba) because they were so well-described, even though they were minor characters. It adds a lot to the story. I really liked John, of course. He was intriguing when he was introduced in book one and I'll be disappointed if he isn't in book three. And Dottie is quite the treat.

There was a bit more of a plot to this one than the first book. It was still a bit random, especially at the beginning. The first section was more about what was going on in Celia's life than an overall story arc. But it was an improvement. And I didn't mind the random parts too much, I like Celia's journey. I actually like it more than the siren stuff. I like Celia's work and friends more than the siren adventure, and the emotional issues are really the heart of this story.

The other thing I liked was the revelation about the death curse. While the eventual reason behind it didn't thrill me, it did make all of the trouble Celia got into make sense, always a good thing for a series heroine. Otherwise we're shaking our heads and wondering if she's just drama queen, as many people who know her apparently have done as well.

As for shortcomings, there were a few. The authors took the easy way out sometimes, like having Vicki the psychic ghost assure Celia that she could trust John. That felt like lazy storytelling. I prefer a story where the character uses her experiences to make up her own mind, not having an easy decision handed to her.

Also, Celia drank a lot at the wrong times and it didn't make any sense for her character. She downed three drinks not long after being shot at, saw that she was in danger, picked up a drink and downed a few last sips and then got ready for the confrontation? She was too drunk to drive to her next appointment, yet she was drinking again at dinner. It didn't make her seem cool, it made her seem stupid, and it wasn't consistent with the careful, controlled character the authors had built up. And because of other inconsistencies in the book, but consistency with her character, strangely it actually seemed more like the authors' fault than Celia's.

OK, here was a weird little thing - on page 175 Celia's friend Emma suddenly announced that she had had a tubal last week because she doesn't want kids, so now she and Celia should be able to be better friends than in the past because the siren thing shouldn't matter anymore. Who does that? Just has their tubes tied for no medical reason without even having a boyfriend or husband? No one. Unless there was some extreme reason for not wanting children they'd use long-term birth control. It was just so dumb, just thrown in to answer the siren question when no one would have cared, they had been friends for years. Yes, the siren thing happened, maybe that would have changed things. But would the fans have cared? Or why write a whole plot around this person if you have to put in something dumb like that to make it work? It was another small but irritating thing that just wasn't necessary and felt lazy.

Anyway, there were a bunch of things like that, some pretty stereotypical storytelling when it come to character motivations and plots in the big siren story but it was generally entertaining. And Celia was great and her emotional journey still has a few extra layers that make the rest of it a bit more special.
Profile Image for All Things Urban Fantasy.
1,921 reviews621 followers
September 21, 2010
Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com

Celia Graves, bodyguard turned half-vampire/half-siren is back in this follow up to the truly excellent Blood Song that finds her once again hunted at every turn by mages, sirens, demons and even humanity. Unlike in most urban fantasy books, vampires in The Blood Singer series aren’t sexy love interests, they are the scourge of the earth. Feared and loathed by almost everyone, Celia has to navigate this story filled with lots of action, betrayal, and fragile romance--all without getting staked.

I thought the fight scenes in Blood Song were cool (and I don’t often find myself impressed with detailed fight scenes), but SIREN SONG is packed with fast and fun fights that had my adrenaline slamming through my system. Celia is believably capable and resourceful, yet she is still acclimating to both her vampire and siren abilities. She never gets easy victories (getting jumped outside a grocery store with nothing but baby food jars as weapons, for example) and she never emerges unscathed.

Another high note in SIREN SONG is the romance. It is much less overt in this book as opposed to Blood Song (and there is a significant reason for that), but the new romantic lead in Celia’s life is a surprise to both her and the reader, and yet by the end of the book, I couldn’t imagine a better match.

As with the previous book, Adams laces SIREN SONG with subtle details in the early part of the book that tie together later on for a truly robust ending. Sadly, I thought that those details contributed to SIREN SONG being a little slow out of the gate. A number of side plot elements needed to be tied up, which I appreciate, but Blood Song ended with Celia being summoned to Siren Island for a trial and that storyline didn’t pick up until halfway through SIREN SONG. From then on, the story races along at much more satisfyingly pace. Demon Song will be out sometime in early 2011 and I’m already anticipating another action packed blast.

Sexual Content: References to sex. References to homosexuality. A scene of sensuality.
Profile Image for Douglas Meeks.
893 reviews238 followers
April 23, 2012
Siren Song (Blood Singer, #2) Siren Song by Cat Adams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed Siren Song more than I thought I would but it would have gotten a bit higher rating from me if she would have indulged my need (and those of most normal people) for revenge, I don't particularly care for forgiveness when it looks more like stupidity. The action was good, the finale was a letdown and something that was supposed to be important was ignored (maybe it shows up in the next book). I guess this is another really good story that was written with a bit less talent or too rushed to make it as good as it really could/should have been. 5 Star reviews for this book are ridiculous but make no mistake, this IS a great story and it gets a bit better with each book. I would still consider it highly recommended.



View all my reviews
Profile Image for Zarah.
753 reviews22 followers
November 6, 2012
Goodness gracious. Celia - for F***S sakes - grow a clue!
This book has:
1. Typos. Lots of them.
2. Unneccessary characters.
3. Clichés. "Greta the Nordic looking person whose English is heavily accented" made me feel bored and insulted at the same time. Do some research, ok, ladies? We're not all towering blondes with poor german accents and the names Inga or Greta. Or Erikson, actually.
4. Tons of information that seems to be leading good places, but just gets dropped along the way.
5. Confusing scenes.
6. A heroine who's just too dumb for her own good, sometimes, yet goes on and on about how she's always been self sufficient, organized and independent. Weeeeell... In that case, howcome you're neither of those things?
7. A hurried ending.
8.(My personal biggest WTF) Several descriptions that are quoted verbatim from the first book. Huh?! Well... That's not clever and a fine way to make sure you get the continuity right (you still kinda didn't, by the way). It's just lazy and also kind of rude to your readers. We PAY for those words...

Barely 1½ stars, to be honest...

Profile Image for Cupcakencorset.
657 reviews17 followers
September 18, 2014
I love this new-to-me series! It's urban fantasy that's fun and exciting, with fast-paced action and witty dialogue. This particular novel starts within days of the end of book 1 (Blood Song) and reads more like part two of a single novel, at least so far as the emotional entanglements are concerned. Story-wise, it's strong enough to stand alone, but I'm glad I had both books on hand at nearly the same time, so I had no real delay between the two. Readers who read them as they came out (several months or a year apart) might have had difficulty slipping back into the mind of our protagonist, Celia Graves, but I was lucky enough to read them almost back to back.

If you're planning to read book 1 (which I highly recommend), you might want to have book 2 waiting in the wings, because you won't want to leave this special paranormal world that Cat Adams created. And there are now six books in the series, so you (and I) won't have to!
Profile Image for LadyTechie.
784 reviews52 followers
December 1, 2010
This sequel did NOT disappoint. I absolutely loved it. Political intrigue and cool supernatural powers abound. Some unexpected changes for sure! I'm in Montego Bay and sitting oceanside reading it and could not put it down until I finished it! Now I can go back and mention a few things that I liked about Siren Song. I like the main character. She is strong but not so much so that she makes you dislike her or not care about what happens to her. There were quite a few surprises and turns in this book and it was quite interesting meeting the siren side of her family. I like that she is just not suddenly full of powers and able to take down anyone and that we actually get to see Celia grow in this series.
Profile Image for Leah Blacklock.
139 reviews11 followers
June 21, 2017
I really forgot how much i loved this series. Celia is a kick ass Part Vampire, Part Siren. Human in a world filled with supernatural creatures such as werewolves, demons and so much more. Its set is a made up town near L.A but the world building really had me convinced that it was a real place. Celia is such a well written and deep character and she is easily one of my favourite lead females. I love the complexity of the stories and the drama. This book centres around Celia dealing with what she has become and getting to know her Siren heritage. There is plenty of drama, humour, action, wit and romance it is perfect no matter what you are looking for! Definitely, one I will always recommend.
Profile Image for Dija.
413 reviews225 followers
March 7, 2012
The beginning was extremely slow, to the point where I wanted to drop this book and read something else. But I'm so glad I didn't, because it gets waaaaaayy interesting about 50 pages in, after Celia's talk with Bruno. After that, it's completely action packed with lots of drama and suspense and I ended up loving this book just as much as its prequel. I adore Celia's character; she's very strong, very badass, and also completely realistic and practical. More than half my love for this series comes from how awesome she is. And I can't wait to find out what happens next with her, Bruno, Creede, and the rest of the cast.
Profile Image for Sheyla ✎.
2,025 reviews659 followers
March 15, 2011
Second book is about more betrayal, by close friends and ex lover. Bruno is leaving her because his new girlfriend is pregnant. Kevin and Warren betrayed her to help save Emma. She has been followed by cops that don't like her. Multiple attempts to her life. She was able to stay out of prison or in-house therapy because the judge realized she hated her due to her Siren side.
She meets more Sirens in this book. New enemies appear. A Demon returns.
Now, Creede steals this book for me. He is there for her. He is fighting the attraction he feels for her.He comes with a great endorsement from Vicky. He saves her life. I just wish she let something happen between them
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Brianna.
1,434 reviews13 followers
January 9, 2015
very good. I love all the drama going on. and it was very interesting to learn that Celia was a princess in the siren kingdom. I can't believe that Bruno would do something like that to her. I can't wait for the next book in march. this series is turning out soo good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Hasien.
294 reviews10 followers
January 8, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. Celia is a great heroine. She reminds me of what I wanted to be like as a kid...kinda like a superhero but humble. She knows herself so well. It is too bad that she is black & white on the betrayal done out of love. Can't wait to read the next one!
Profile Image for Kathryn.
2,909 reviews91 followers
June 9, 2013
WOW! So many changes in this story as Celia learns about her human, vampire, siren selves. Not fully anything they've categorized her as an abomination. Little do they know she's got just enough of everything and a small surprise to take on everyone!
Profile Image for Andi.
2,210 reviews
April 10, 2011
Great follow up to Blood Song. Celia is becoming one of my favorite heroines! I only hope something will happen between her and Creede in a future installment.
Profile Image for Kathy Davie.
4,876 reviews737 followers
January 8, 2019
Second in the Blood Singer urban fantasy series about Celia Graves, a bodyguard whose life has been turned inside out and upside down.

My Take
Whoa...this is a hard crowd! Adams certainly has a unique take on how vampires are considered in her world. Celia and Dr. Scott are kidnapped and she acts in self-defense saving both of their lives and all the prosecutor has to say is that if she ever "sets so much as a toe out of line, we will prosecute"? What about the cops who ignored what was happening? What about the harassment?

What a bunch of jerks! Celia has done nothing but be plotted against and attacked. Meanwhile, everyone who doesn't know her is way too quick to blame her. Even when they know that even the police are planning to hurt her, to jam her up. Nor are they particularly inclined to help her to prevent problems for others.

What is with the sirens?? They're miffed because Celia doesn't know their protocol. They're angry because she doesn't respond to their messages. So, a) who's to blame for her not knowing anything about sirens, b) how can Celia be expected to know about a protocol for a species she wasn't aware of, and, c) how can she respond to messages she doesn't receive. I repeat, what are these sirens thinking??

Oh, I love this T-shirt saying: "Don't get even…get odd".

Well, that's just a bit too easy. The way in which Adams ties it all up. A very few people have been extremely busy. That said, I'm dying to get started on Demon Song .

The Story
Kidnapped. Supposedly being conveyed to Birchwoods, instead someone is hauling Celia and Dr. Scott somewhere else. And it doesn't take much to consider where many would prefer to see a part-vampire bodyguard. Thank god for the friends Celia does have. Especially Vicki...the only bright spot in Celia's current "stay" at Birchwoods while the powers-that-be determine her eventual fate. Doesn't seem quite fair to judge someone for what they might do. Especially when all the evidence shows she's been trying to do her best.

Then there's the challenge Princess Adriana laid on Celia in Blood Song which leads to the unexpected meeting Celia has with Ren. A very delighted Ren who is pleased to be able to make trouble for Adriana as well as a gift that has some pretty nasty results.

Nor do the challenges stop: there's Vicki's will reading, the challenge from Princess Adriana, Celia's own trial, the death curse someone laid on Celia about which she wants to speak with Professor Landingham, the secretarial dearth at the office, Creede wanting to open his new office in Celia's building (!), assassination attempts, Vicki's hiring of Celia and Creede from beyond the grave to discover why Mr. Murphy is necessary, the vicious vibe spiraling off the other siren queens, hopefully restoring Dahlmar to his throne...

Oh, mama! Looks like Celia's hearing will be a piece of cake with all this going on!

The Characters
Celia Graves is still trying to wrap her head around being part vampire, part siren, and still human while working as a personal security consultant. Ivy is her ghostly sister while her mother Lana Graves is a drunken betrayer of the first order while Gran is Lana's biggest enabler. Dawna Long is/was/is the receptionist/secretary for Celia's building which she shares with Ronald, a real jerk of a lawyer, and Bubba, a bond bondsman who is more than happy to sail to the Isle of Serenity for Celia to meet the siren side of the family. Dawna is still traumatized by events in Blood Song and feels especially guilty about the information she dropped. David and Inez are the caretakers at Vickie's estate where Celia lives in a guesthouse.

Vicki Cooper is a dead clairvoyant who still has some issues to resolve before she continues on; Detective Heather Alexander, a police detective, was her girlfriend. Cassandra Meadows and Jason Cooper are Vicki's parents, movie stars both. Cassandra hates Celia with a passion while Jason seems to be more reasonable. Sybil Jones was the woman Vicki's parents had hired to impersonate her in public; just too embarrassing for their friends to learn the truth about their "beloved" daughter. I think Sybil loved Vicki more than her parents did; that mother is certainly a cheap bitch! John Creede is one of their bodyguards and a principal power in Miller and Creede — until George Miller has thoughts otherwise. A decision Miller thinks is practical enough to cover the cost of that binding oath he agreed to when he and Creede first set up shop. Creede also seems interested in Celia.

Bruno DeLuca is a mage and former love of Celia's life. Now he's back in Celia's...oops, wait a minute...Irene. His brother is Father Matteo DeLuca, a militant priest determined to end all types of demons, but Celia has impressed him and he'll do what he can to help her.

Of the siren side of the family:
Well, it turns out that Celia's gread-grandfather was brother to the siren queen, High Queen Lopaka, and Celia is of the Pacific royal line. Princess Eirene "Ren" Medusi of the Aegean royal line slides into Celia's room and seems to damn her with faint praise. Queen Stefania is Ren's mother. Princess Adriana Kalino is a siren and a relative on Granddad's side. While she is incredibly self-absorbed and rude, it does seem that there are some extenuating circumstances. Hiwahiwa is Queen Lopaka's aide. Okalani has a pretty major power. Helen Baker is in charge of Princess Celia's bodyguard detail. Baker's mother, Pili, takes Celia back into the past to learn more about her death curse.

Dorothy "Dottie" Simmons is a retired hypnotist who could use some part-time work and still expects Celia to make good on her promise to take Minnie; filling in at Celia's office seems just the thing.

Security and law enforcement intent on framing Celia includes:
Gerry is one of the head guards at Birchwood. Dr. Greene was the therapist who drugged and set Celia up for murder. Officer Clarke is just one of a group of cops who harass Celia.

Ivan Stefanovich is chief of security for King Dahlmar of Rusland who is very grateful to Celia for all her help and he pulls all the strings he can to help her out even though he's on the run from a coup Prince Kristoff staged.

Professor Warren Landingham specializes in all things paranormal and teaches at a local university. Emma Landingham is the professor's daughter and has just accepted a job with Irene Seacrest with Seacrest Artifacts on the East coast. Her brother Kevin is a werewolf and formerly with the CIA.

Professor Aaron Sloan has in-depth knowledge about Wadjeti. Dr. Jeff Scott is in charge of Birchwoods. Dr. Ann Hubbard is Celia's new therapist. Roberto Santos is the Celia's criminal defense attorney. Barney Arons is the estate attorney who is in charge of the reading of Vicki's will. You'll love his responses to Cassandra. Mr. Murphy is a surprise recipient.

The Cover and Title
The cover is almost all black with a pixelated partial profile of Celia's face with just a hint of her fangs, her left hand curled up by her cheek. Nice use of shadows to create menace.

The title accurately reflects the Siren Song Celia's relatives attempt to play.
Profile Image for Scratch.
1,436 reviews51 followers
June 20, 2019
Hoo, boy.

Probably the most engaging parts of this novel were when Celia Graves interacted with the other sirens on their island. I enjoyed trying to learn about the protagonist's new role as a princess, and what the magic and culture of the sirens was like. And... There wasn't much there. It was all surprisingly Hawaiian, but even at that, there were few details.

Maybe because this series was written by a pair of writers working together, that's why there are so few descriptions here. I know that Celia Graves has elongated canines. She sure talks about that a lot. And her pale skin that sometimes glows (blegh), and the fact her ex-boyfriend Bruno is large and has a lot of magical power. Okay.

But the minor character of Emma, here seen slightly more than she was seen in the last book? I don't even know what her hair color is. Or what race she is, actually. Why her brother is a werewolf but she isn't. And in this novel we learn that werewolves are apparently quite strong, but I still know nothing about how he got bitten (I assume), whether he becomes an actual wolf or a man-wolf, whether he can shift at will or whether it's limited to the lunar cycle, etc.

Here Celia's thoughts tell us that she is clinging to her humanity, so that is why she keeps herself from drinking human blood. A couple references to that lead the reader to understand that if Celia drank human blood, that would complete her transformation into a vampire. ... Says who? In the first book of this series I dimly recall a vampire taunting Celia that she should complete the transformation, but no explanation was provided for how exactly she would go about doing that. I don't even think it was super clear what exactly her sire *did* to try to turn her in the first place. There was no description of him slicing his palm and feeding Celia blood. Or if there was, it was so brief and fast I missed it entirely. Now there are rules that if Celia drinks human blood she'll turn? How much? Is there a requirement about whether she kills the person she drinks from? What if she drinks from Kevin the werewolf instead of a human? Would that keep her from changing, or just add yet another species to Celia's mixed phenotype?

My actual point is that the writing here is so sub-par. I spend most of this review criticizing the lack of imagery, but it's more than that.

It just feels like so much exposition was *missing* from this novel, just as with last novel. The authors managed to tell the minimal plot that they were trying to (now adding a demon curse angle to Celia's already complicated existence as a human/vampire/siren hybrid). But, no more than that. There was a scant reference to how a building Celia was in used to be a mansion and probably used to have a claw-foot bathtub in the bathroom. That was a blessed bit of imagery, like a sip of water in the desert.

You would think that when someone entered the protagonist's office there would be a noir-esque description of the disheveled room. Maybe smoke curling from a classy dame's cigarette, and fingers nervously covering up a diamond ring. But, alas, no. I almost never have any idea of what the setting looks like. Or most of the characters, other than that Bruno is Italian and large.

Still an enjoyable universe. I'm probably going to binge the rest of it in the next couple months. But if you're on the fence, let my review be the one to tell you that this series is just mindless fluff at best.
Profile Image for Matilde Damkier.
412 reviews34 followers
September 16, 2017
I was really hyped about the first book in this series.
This one... was the same.
The action was enough to get my adrenaline going, but I need more emotional impact. Some heart-to-hearts between the characters that really tugs at the heartstrings.
It's a difficult balance in these case-based series, but this is a second installment and I needed for it to give me something to make me more invested in it all.
I'll read the next one, since this book had some action that impacts the relationship between characters, but I need the characters to actually speak to each other about it in the next one, else I don't think I'll keep going.
Still, it was a good case, a good book, with good characters. Now I just need relationship developments (both romantic and platonic).
Profile Image for Viridiana Ivashkov.
504 reviews30 followers
December 22, 2016
Reseña completa: https://goo.gl/7QhGwm

Una lectura regular, con criaturas sobrenaturales que fueron desperdiciadas por los vampiros.
Celia a pesar de ser una protagonista fuerte carece del carisma necesario para encandilar a los lectores, su pareja sentimental Bruno no logra cautivar. Ni en el primero o segundo pude sentir química entre esos dos.
En conclusión es una saga de fantasía urbana que a mi parecer no logra destacarse del resto.
Profile Image for Paige Babineau.
20 reviews1 follower
December 10, 2020
Excellent follow up! It did a good job of expanding the world without sacrificing anything the previous book had established. The author did a great job of characterizing Celia through her actions rather than a list of traits which can be common in urban fantasy. It also did a good job of closing storyline that felt important in this book while leaving a few open to be explored later.
5 reviews
March 23, 2022
It was an okay book and would most likely be good for young teens. It reads like a movie trying to be a book instead of a book that could be turned into a good movie if that makes sense. There’s some typos in my copy of the book hopefully future copies fix those mistakes. I didn’t regret reading it however so not that bad.
Profile Image for Robert Kent.
262 reviews
March 15, 2023
4.5/5
From my personal notes --
So that human bodyguard, Celia who was half turned into a vampire? Turns out she wasn't actually as human as she thought. Turns out she is also a Siren. Lots of people are trying to kill her. She doesn't know why. She is having mental issues and needs to stop a coup affecting 2 nations at once.
Profile Image for Margaux.
196 reviews23 followers
February 7, 2018
Despite not liking the first book of the series much, I kept going because of all the positive reviews. I almost didn't finish this one. Mostly it was just boring. The characters were flat, and I didn't care about any of the relationships. Needless to say, I won't be continuing on with book 3.
Profile Image for Josi.
1,364 reviews19 followers
April 16, 2018
I am really enjoying these books. Celia is a strong, amazing woman. I like all the supporting characters as well. I liked getting to know more about her Siren heritage in this book. I already have the next book to see what happens next. So excited.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews

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