The Siren

Faithful fans of the Selection series can dive into this Little Mermaid%E2%80%93esque story, originally self-published in 2009, but revised for its rerelease. After a shipwreck kills Kahlen%E2%80%99s parents, she is rescued from drowning by the sentient Ocean herself, but must serve for 100 years as a siren, using her beauty and otherworldly voice to lure humans to horrible deaths at sea. Kahlen detests her macabre work but finds some contentment with her siren sisters, until she unexpectedly falls in love with a guileless human, Akinli. Since sirens can%E2%80%99t age, speak, or marry, their romance seems doomed. Kahlen and Akinli are playfully cute, but the chemistry is missing, and readers may question why Kahlen risks so much for a guy she barely knows. The siren world is fascinating if somewhat underdeveloped%E2%80%94e.g. how do these girls have endless amounts of money to use in the human world? However, the sisterly bond between the sirens is touching, and Kahlen is sweet, if docile. Despite the story%E2%80%99s weaknesses, Cass seeds it with enough intrigue to keep readers curious about how this hopeless love affair will play out. Ages 13%E2%80%93up. Agent: Elana Roth Parker, Red Tree Literary. (Jan.)