Silent Echo: A Siren's Tale Book Review

Book: Silent Echo: A Siren's Tale

 

Author: Elisa Freilich

 

Given by: Diversion Books via Goodreads First Reads

 

Rating: 3/5 Won-derfuls (I liked it)

I should start by saying that my 16 year old self would have given this book an OMG five star review. It definitely caters to the egocentricity of the teenage years. My adult sensibilities enjoyed the book but were a bit less enthusiastic.

The premise of the book is very unique. A teen, Portia, that has been mute for sixteen years finds her voice and gets some bonus powers too. Her relationships are complicated by hormones already, then the hellish teen years are made even "better" by some drastic mythical changes.

There were some parts of this book that had me completely gripped. Freilich had me begging Portia to keep going or to stop at two critical points in the book. Other chapters were a bit too highschool-flashback for my tastes. Also, I really enjoyed the modern take on the mythical siren, but was a bit put off by the modern interpretations of some other well know mythical figures. It was tough to believe that immortal gods and goddesses would give a hmph about a high schooler going through a particularly tough adolescence. The author does offer explanations for some of their interests, but I felt a bit stretched to believe them. (Although it was kind of fun thinking of Dionysus logging on to check his email...)

Basically, this would be an awesome book for the 15-21 crowd. It is still a good book for those who enjoy young adult reads and mythology, but it wouldn't be at the top of my personal list at this time in my life.

Interested? You can see more reviews or buy it here.