Review: slow starter
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2013
Ivy Pierce is the main character in this siren series.  First, it's hard to empathize with this character.  Ivy is a beautiful sixteen year old who has just returned to high school after a six month stay in what she's calling rehab.  She complains about her horrible life which consists of boys and men falling at her feet, being dressed to kill, as well as being forced to attend high-end parties.  Ivy is a siren like her mother. When Ivy turns 18, she is supposed to use her allure to entice rich, older men to marry her with the ultimate goal of getting all of her husband's money before he meets an untimely demise. Ivy is determined to escape from the life she's been born into.  She keeps telling herself that if she can make it to 18, she will receive a huge trust fund which will allow her to escape.  I kept waiting to find out what the horrible trauma and secrets are in Ivy's life, but there really isn't anything earth shattering.  Yes, her mom is strict and controlling.  She doesn't allow Ivy to eat junk food, but Ivy manages to sneak out and get chocolate croissants and caramel macchiato's so it didn't make me feel sorry for her.  Within a day of being back in school, she has already found herself a new boyfriend and is hanging out in the popular crowd, so again it made it hard for me to empathize with this character.Nix is the villain that runs the group of sirens.  Ivy's initial reaction to seeing Nix seems a little over dramatic (she races to the bathroom to throw up).  From her POV, he's handsome, charming, alluring, well-dressed, controlling, and evil.  I don't think Nix was much of a villain in this story.  He's made it clear that he wants to add Ivy to his personal collection when she turns 18. Although he is possessive and controlling, he hasn't forced himself on Ivy. He doesn't physically or sexually abuse her so I don't understand the fear factor Ivy seems to  experience when he's around.The plot line on this story seems to move along at a slow pace.  The book doesn't pick up in intensity until 3/4 of the way through.  I think the best part of this book is Ryder.  The author might have dropped the ball a bit with the Ivy character, but she knocks it out of the park with Ryder.  Ryder Sutton, for some unknown reason, doesen't seem to be affected by the siren magic.  He also seems to be able to understand Ivy in a way no one else can.  Ryder is supportive, caring and a great protector.  At the start of the story, Ryder is involved with Kenna.  Even though Ivy says she's not a poacher, there seemed to be too many indecent occasions involving Ivy and Ryder.  At times, I even liked Kenna better than Ivy in this book.  At least Kenna had backbone.  There were too many occasions in which Ivy was getting picked on or falling apart and she needed to be saved.  I actually loved it when Kenna told her to grow a spine and start standing up for herself.Overall, this is a slow read.  I think most of the book is anti-climatic.  It doesn't have the tension like the author's first series, but I'm glad I gave it a try.  One last thought ... I think the book would have been more enjoyable if Rachel would have shown both Ivy's and Ryder's POV throughout the book, instead of just sticking with Ivy's POV.