So, this book was a bit of a quandary. If you'll recall from my review of the first book in this series, I loved the supporting characters but wasn't a huge fan of Nym's unwillingness to fight. I also desperately wished for more world-building and less romance. Picking up Siren's Fury, I mouthed a silent wish that those things would be altered and started reading. Bright side, they were! Down side, not quite the way I'd hoped.

Let's start with the positive points. First off, I was finally given a Nym who had some fire! Granted, it took a decent portion of the story for her to get to that point, but I cheered her on as she finally made actual decisions instead of waffling back and forth. I liked her character much more this time around and, although I missed some of the characters from the first book, it made this read much quicker and more enjoyable. Oh sure, Nym's decisions weren't always fabulous. Still, I was happy to see a girl who was willing to fight back. There still wasn't quite the amount of world-building I was hoping for, but Bron did come sharper into focus. This time around I finally felt like I was more firmly settled into the story. While Nym, Rasha and Lord Myles were hatching their schemes, I was right on board.

Sadly, the two things I asked for were there in place of the two things I loved the first time. As I mentioned, my favorite characters weren't in this particular book. I missed Colin's humor, and his ability to break up the monotony. Also Nym spends a lot of time in her head, trying to make heads or tails of the things she has facing her. That meant that all the new characters, including Rasha, didn't get much face time. They felt a little flat. As for the romance? Well, it was definitely much less of an issue in this story. Except, the emotional ties were still very much there. Nym made a lot of bad decisions because of her inability to separate emotion from action.

So, once again, I have to give this book three stars. I definitely enjoyed it much more than the first, and I'm glad to see that Nym is developing as a character! Alas, I don't think I'll be following her to the final book in this trilogy. It's not a bad series, by any means. It's more that I'm looking for something to blow me away. ( )

Completed 9/28/16 ( )

A gripping, whirlwind read with deep characters that will leave you breathless at the end.

Riding in on the heels of Storm Siren (book one in the trilogy) Siren's Fury takes up where it left off with a shocking change. Nym's elemental powers are gone! This came as an absolute shock to me since I don't read book descriptions usually so then, during the rest of the story, I kept wondering...When will she get them back? Will she get them back? How will this end?

Just like book one, Siren's Fury is full of descriptive writing and dynamic charters from the complex and curious Lord Myles to the infuriating Draewulf. With her humor still intact, Nym feels the weight of responsibility on her shoulders and the desire to do anything it takes to stop Draewulf.

I enjoyed this book and truly felt the struggle Nym faces. In my mind she is a stubborn character who will do whatever it takes to do what she thinks is right. Sometimes I found myself arguing with her decisions though most of the time I was rooting along with her. You want to fight for (and with) her as much as you want to wrap her up in a hug and tell her she's loved.

I definitely recommend this to lovers of YA Fantasy and just great fiction in general! It's fast-paced and keeps you guessing until the end. I can't wait to start Siren's Song (book three)!

My rating: 4*
Originally posted on my blog: http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2016/05/sirens-fury-by-mary-weber-review.html
_________________
I received a free copy of this book for review purposes, but was under no obligation to read the book or post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own. ( )

Not as good as book one but still amazing. ( )

Review Originally Posted At: FictionForesight

In accordance with current FTC Guidelines, please let it be known this book was received through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An Alluring 3.5 Stars!

Siren’s Fury is a Ferris wheel of emotions, complete with up’s and downs, and points where your just lost in the moment.

A Quick Summary:

Please note, this is the second book in this series. Last year I read the first book, Storm Siren, and I immediately fell in love with it.

Although I haven’t done a complete review for Storm Siren, I will say it is well worth the read. Easily a 4 and 1/2 star début! If you haven’t already read the first book, I would suggest starting there. Otherwise, you’ll be quite lost, and that simply would not do!

But, I digress. Let’s move on to talk about this newest book in the series, Siren’s Fury!

We left off in Storm Siren with quite the cliffhanger. Suffice to say that Mary Weber decided she wasn’t content with making me wait months and months for the books release. Oh no, she also had to start this book moments before the last book left off. So yes, you do get the joy of feeling your heart-break again! Only this time around, the hope of repair is futile at best.

With the war at a close, and Nym’s nation finally making peace with their long-time enemy, Bron, things should be looking up. Unfortunately, this is a trilogy, and happy times make for poor sequels. Nym’s enemy Draewulf isn’t dead, and she’s lost her elemental ability. With her true love in peril, and the world on the line, Nym must find new power to deal with this most severe threat. However, such a power comes at a terrible price. Worse yet, what if this is exactly what Draewulf wanted her to do? How can Nym hope to overcome such terrible adversity when she was barely victorious the last time?!

The Good:

Emotional doesn’t seem a strong enough word to describe this book. But, without being overly dramatic, it’ll have to do…. Ah screw it, WHY MUST YOU PLAY WITH MY EMOTIONS!? You’re sick! I can’t believe how many feels this book evokes. I was surprised and upset for the first 40 pages, depressed for the next 130, and then I was just really pissed off, till about the last 20. Is it a testament to Mary Weber’s writing skills? Absolutely. Do I resent her for it? Absolutely. Most of all, I loved that I found myself yelling at the book, especially at how stupid Nym was being, and how dark the book stayed. Just ugh. See, I told you, emotional.

I enjoyed how much more information we were given regarding the side characters. It was nice to learn some extra back story about Rasha and Lord Myles. It added to their character arc and gave me a better understanding of why they act like they do. I was especially interested to learn about why Rasha hated Myles as much as she did, aside from the fact that he’s a complete tool. So in that regard, it was quite nice having my curiosity sated.

As always, I really enjoyed Mary Weber’s amazing world-building. You know the old cliché that says “this person was able to make the scene come alive”? Well that’s definitely the case here. The way the setting is described, so detailed and real, it makes you feel like your actually there. The words feel like they fly off the page and transport you directly into Miss Weber’s amazing world. You can almost taste the sea-salt, hear the roaring thunder of a storm raging overhead, and feel the wind whipping your face. Even in the middle of a battle, you can’t help but feel like your there, fighting alongside Nym. I’ve said it before, for me envisioning the story is half the battle. You can have the best characters, and amazing plot lines, but without being able to picture it, it’s all for nothing. Luckily, we don’t have to worry about that here.

The same applies for the imagery. It’s amazing how vivid everything seems. If you want a great example of this, just go back and re-read the scene with the spiders. God I hate spiders. *shivers*

The Bad:

I can’t stress this enough, I really miss the original characters. Yes we still have Nym, and yes we still have Eogan (sort of), but man I really want Breck and Colin back. They added so much more depth and entertainment to the story, that it just felt like this continuance was lacking without them. Especially in regards to the sarcasm and dry humor. That would have come in handy with all of the depressing sadness that surrounded most of this story. I’m still hoping against hope that Colin will somehow magically come back in the next book. I would hope for Breck’s return too, but that seems too good to be true.

Even though it was a major plot point in the story, I really hated that Nym lost her elemental powers. I know that without them she was able to learn more about herself, and about her emotions, and blah blah blah. I know it, I just don’t care. I miss my ridiculously overpowered elemental! With the lack of powers, this book felt oddly reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. By that I mean that it felt like a bridge story, filled with emotions and little action. The previous story was great, and hopefully the ending is amazing, but the middle is just rather blah.

Finally, I get that Eogan is the love of Nym’s life. I understand that she is extremely upset because of what’s going on. But man I really wish that so much of the book wouldn’t have been spent going over and over the same thing. For one, it’s extremely depressing. I mean for most of the book Nym is being beaten down and overpowered. It felt sad to read, and not in a good way. I miss the badassery that Storm Siren was filled with. Sure she had her issues, but she fought the whole way. I get the Nym is growing up, I just don’t want to lose what made her such a great character.

Overall:

Siren’s Fury was an emotional sequel that provided us with some much-needed back story and insight into characters we’ve already come to know, including our amazing heroin Nym. While it is a great read, it is not quite as bright and action packed as the first book. Looking forward, I hope that the conclusion to this amazing series brings back the heart-pounding action and romance that drew me in in the first place. Either way I’ll be sure to rant about it the next time around.

*Oh and please, please, please, bring back either Breck or Colin. Or, at the very least, give us a spin-off prequel with one, or both of them in it. Hell I’d even take a short-story, I’m not picky!

(www.FictionForesight.com) ( )