Review: Tender, traumatic, lures the reader with its own "Siren's Call"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 3, 2013
This is a sequel to SIREN CALL, a book I thoroughly enjoyed, finding it well-written, suspenseful, spooky, and evocative. ECHO OF A SIREN is every bit as good, although the perspective of the story is quite different. Even though it's second in a series, it is a gripping, suspenseful, tender, deeply emotional stand-alone novel. Author Sonya Dodd has created the magic once again!Men-killing siren Rachel is a complex creature, by turns sympathetic - even tragic - and terrifyingly vicious. In the tradition of the best literary monsters, she struggles to cling to the smallest shred of her remaining humanity, even while indulging her deadly, ravenous impulses. Greg, the young man she finds herself irresistibly drawn to and strangely reluctant to destroy, has terrible troubles of his own. Wrongly suspected of murder, beaten and shunned, he keeps to himself, beset by survivor's guilt, dread, disappointment, and loneliness.ECHO OF A SIREN does not shy away from difficult, even tragic, themes. Survivor's guilt is but one. Characters also deal with death and loss, abuse, harassment and trauma, uncontrollable impulses, loss of trust and self-respect, and a powerful attraction that leaves them facing almost certain destruction. What keeps this riveting story from drowning in pain, hopelessness, and tragedy is the appeal, sympathy, and likability of the characters, their resilience, tentative trust and joy in each other, and hope. Both Greg and Rachel are fully-realized, compelling and engaging, even when they are at their most desperate. The plot itself is very suspenseful and often very touching.I did notice a number of editing glitches, including some odd and random punctuation that caused a bit of confusion. However, ECHO OF A SIREN is so compellingly written that I felt it deserved 5 stars on the strength of its story, characters, pacing, and evocative mood. Highly recommended!