Siren by Tricia Rayburn

For Vanessa Sands, summer has always been in Winter Harbor with her wild older sister Justine and the Carmichael boys. But Vanessa has never really felt part of the group; her shyness and fears prevent her from participating in all of Justine’s daring excursions. When Justine dies in a cliff diving accident, everything changes for Vanessa. She discovers that her beloved sister Justine had been keeping secrets from everyone. Torn between wanting to move on and figuring out who her sister really was, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor on her own, but Winter Harbor is no longer a safe haven. Brutalized bodies are being washed ashore—smiling. Along with Simon Carmichael, Vanessa sets out to figure out what’s really going on—only to discover some startling truths about Winter Harbor, her family, and herself.

I really was not expecting much from Siren, because I figured it would be another standard paranormal story. However, Siren turned out to be something more. At first, the reader can’t really tell if this is a paranormal novel because that element doesn’t enter the story until almost mid-way through the book. Rayburn eases in the supernatural angle so that the story appears more realistic. I loved reading along as Vanessa and Simon unraveled the mystery of certain inhabitants of Winter Harbor piece by piece. As in many paranormal stories, there is a central romance and some kind of ultimate life-threatening event. Rayburn actually does these rather well; the romance between Vanessa and Simon was realistic and sweet and the great mystery turns out to be rather unique with Rayburn’s version of the femme fatale. The story may start out a little slow, but it pays off to continue reading, because Siren is an immensely enjoyable and unique paranormal read.

Siren will be enjoyed by fans of Sea Change by Aimee Friedman, Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus, and Evermore by Alyson Noël.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher EgmontUSA