“Where in the world did you come from, you beautiful, silent girl?” he whispered.
The thing I loved about The Selection—and the very same thing that made many people hate it—was the silly, light, enjoyable tone of the writing. It was sugar and spice and pretty dresses and handsome boys and pure entertainment. And it totally worked for me. I got sucked into the story following America’s life—basically a soap opera—and loved every page of it.
The Siren might have worked in the same way had the writing not felt more simplistic, the main character’s voice more immature. While I still found it entertaining, it was a bit too sweet.
Akinli, the love interest, was too cutesy for me. The way he always said the perfect thing to Kahlen was nice, but it didn’t make me swoon. The truth is he reminded me of a dream boy—the perfect guy you’d imagine yourself going on a date with who would hold the door for you, pay for your meal, and always smile and laugh at just the right moment.
I’ve imagined this boy myself and I’m sure many others have too. But I would never actually like this kind of guy in real life—for one thing, he’d resemble a Ken Barbie doll, and for another, perfect people are boring.
I don’t want to judge this too harshly because I know it’s the author’s first book, but for goodness’ sake, when the main character is immortal and has lived for eighty years, what does she choose to occupy her time with? Painting. Also baking cakes.
Half the time it felt like I was reading from the point of view of a twelve year old. I mean, I love me some pretty dresses, but when Kahlen wouldn’t stop describing the millions of multicolored sand grains used to create her gorgeous ocean gowns, I couldn’t help rolling my eyes.
As far as pros go, this was a quick read and I found the details about how Kahlen became a Siren interesting. She had to obey the Ocean and kill people with her voice and I enjoyed the drama that came with her job. I also liked the sisterly bond between the Sirens and how they always supported each other.
Don’t expect anything more than a mildly entertaining beach read that ties everything up in a big, pink, perfect bow by the end.
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