Review : Storm Siren by Mary Weber

Summary (from Goodreads)  

Title : Storm Siren (Storm Siren #1)
Author : Mary Weber
Publication Date : August 19th 2014
Publisher : Thomas Nelson
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“I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you.”

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth — meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

Personal Thoughts

Storm Siren is one of those books that completely flew under my radar until I came across it on NetGalley. As soon as I read the summary, I knew that this was going to be the perfect book for me. Mary Weber, however, exceeded all of my expectations with Storm Siren and it was hard for me to believe that this was only her debut novel.

Storm Siren's strength lies in its protagonist, Nym. Initially, she was presented as this headstrong, snarky and witty girl who seemed like she was afraid of absolutely nothing in her world, but as the layers of the story peeled off, so did, Nym's character. For me, what made Nym a character who was easy to connect with were her fears and strong emotions of guilt. I love strong heroines as much as everyone else, especially in a genre like fantasy, but I'm not a fan of characters who are also completely strong. I like heroines with vulnerabilities and Nym was most definitely one. She was multi-layered and complex, undoubtedly a memorable heroine. Nym's weaknesses stemmed from the impact that her power as a female Elemental has had on innocent people. Nym has had to kill people due to her powers and that has slowly gnawed at her from the inside. You can't help but feel for her and want to hug her, especially when she cuts herself in memory of those she accidentally killed. Her emotions were raw and reached to me and affected me in many ways. Besides Nym, Storm Siren also had an outstanding secondary who all had a pivotal role in Nym's life. Nym made some great friends when she was brought to court. Her budding friendships with Breck and Colin was one of my favorite parts of the book. I was impressed by the author's ability to write a strong platonic relationship between Colin and Nym. I was initially worried that the book would turn into a love triangle, but Colin and Nym were only good friends who respected and loved each other.

Storm Siren also had a lovely romance, that developed in the sidelines. This wasn't one of those books where once the love interest is introduced, everything goes down hill. Nym and Eogan had a sweet romance that grew as the plot moved further without drowning the main story line. Also, kudos to the author for creating an interracial couple. Diversity isn't something you see very often in YA fantasy, so I was immensely pleased to see that Eogan belonging to a different race than Nym. Additionally, Storm Siren had an addictive story line to it. The book opened with a scene of an auction where Nym is being sold and from the very start, you know you're in for a wild ride. This is one of those books where I felt like the story only got better and better as the book progressed. I was so hooked onto the story, it was hard for me to let go of my e-reader. There was non-stop action and a ton of heartbreaking moments that nearly destroyed me. The world building in this novel was also strong. I loved watching the veils of the world building gradually unravel as the plot progressed. I was completely invested in it and I want to know more about the Elementals. Mary Weber is a talented author and one reason why I believe she is talented is that she manages to balance every aspect of her story, from the character development to the world building. She is also incredibly cruel because she ended Storm Siren in a seriously heart crushing cliffhanger that had me gasping out loud.

By the end of this book, I was left salivating for more, not only because of the cliffhanger, but also because I just want to be immersed again in this gorgeous world. With its stunning writing, fantastic characters and solid world building, Storm Siren is a fantasy novel that deserves to be read by every fan of the genre.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5

**Overall  Rating : 4.5/5**

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the e-ARC of Storm Siren.