(2) 4-6 In the aftermath of her estranged grandfather's death, Rayma is bequeathed a mysterious book and the cryptic message "Beware the Sirens." She subsequently discovers she has the ability to see through Glamours ("a magical shield...that supernatural beings use to disguise themselves") and detect the occult inhabitants of Edinburgh, Scotland. Rayma finds it hard to get along in her special school (she has dyspraxia, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects gross and fine motor skills), and her emotionally absent parents don't help her adjust to her learning differences. The mission her grandfather left her, to document the Hidden Folk and unite them in one community, gives her a sense of purpose. The Sirens, however--no longer bound to the water but able to use their powers of manipulation to cause division and strife in society--are making the world colder and meaner, and Rayma is the only one who can stop them. A decidedly unaffable protagonist, Rayma is nonetheless sympathetic, determined to value herself despite the pressures her academic challenges have placed on her prickly personality. Her insistence on focusing on her strengths in a world that only sees her deficits is admirable. With a plot that emphasizes family reunification, and unexplored avenues including a mysterious Stranger who guides Rayma, McNicoll leaves herself plenty of room for possible sequels to this passionate, solidly constructed middle-grade fantasy.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(3) YA Windy City Magic series. With a fantastic best friend, boyfriend, and culinary career all lined up, Amber Sand (The Best Kind of Magic) ought to be happy. Too bad her matchmaking magic keeps causing problems: she struggles to help a siren and a mermaid whose cross-species love seems doomed, and visions of her boyfriend's betrayal upset her even more. Amber's witty voice keeps the modern-day fantasy lively as it explores love's unpredictability.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Siren swashbuckler Alosa ([cf2[Daughter of the Pirate King) accomplished her mission for her father: obtaining the map to the siren island and its treasure. Back to captaining her mostly-female crew, Alosa needs help from alluring prisoner Riden to investigate new doubt in her ruthless father's intentions. Fans of book one will happily return to this watery other-world for more fantastical buccaneering adventure.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) 4-6 In contemporary coastal Maine, Lolly, almost thirteen, is destined to transform into a siren just like her three older sisters, a fate she neither desires nor understands. An external threat to her sisters causes Lolly to reevaluate her power and whether she can accept it as a blessing rather than a curse. Bizarre plot conventions and an abrupt ending are somewhat redeemed by Lolly's complex characterization.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(4) YA Kahlen became a Siren after the Ocean saved her from drowning. Eighty years later, when Kahlen breaks the rules and falls in love with human Akinli, she knows the Ocean will punish them both. The love interest is too perfect and tension doesn't build until late in the story, but Cass's fans will be satisfied by this gentle romance.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(4) YA Lorelei's strained household is quiet; her grandmother has prohibited her from singing. But Lorelei's rocker crush Chris's wailing makes her throat itch to do the same. Is it family myth or fact that her voice is dangerous? Romanoff's lyrical descriptions of adolescence and music ring true, but obvious foreshadowing hampers the novel's twist into a modernization of the siren legend.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(4) YA In this follow-up to Dangerous Creatures, Link and his friends set out to rescue Link's girlfriend, Ridley, who's been kidnapped and experimented upon by the evil Silas Ravenwood. Nox, who's also in love with Ridley, does the same. Without much action until the end, this installment does little more than set up the next one, though this won't bother series fans.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA When her twin sister, Bay, chooses to leave for land Above instead of staying in their underwater city, Atlantia, Rio is left to piece together why and how this connects to Rio's siren voice, which she's kept hidden all her life. The plot is predictable, relying heavily on convenient circumstances, but Condie's descriptive writing is sharp and this new world vivid.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(4) YA In this Beautiful Creatures series spinoff, Ridley and her sort-of ex-boyfriend Link head to New York City. Ridley gets Link a gig as a drummer in a Caster band in order to settle a debt--then realizes that both of them are in danger. A good-at-heart bad girl, Ridley deserved her own book; an abrupt cliffhanger ending guarantees she'll get more.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA Watersong series. In books three and four of this paranormal romance series, sisters Harper and Gemma must find a way to break the sirens' curse before the creatures destroy everything. While the characters don't have much dimension, multiple viewpoints and a focus on nonromantic relationships give these Greek mythology–inspired stories some depth. Elegy, the final book, ties things up nicely and will satisfy fans. Review covers these Watersong titles: Elegy and Tidal.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(4) YA Watersong series. In books three and four of this paranormal romance series, sisters Harper and Gemma must find a way to break the sirens' curse before the creatures destroy everything. While the characters don't have much dimension, multiple viewpoints and a focus on nonromantic relationships give these Greek mythology–inspired stories some depth. Elegy, the final book, ties things up nicely and will satisfy fans. Review covers these Watersong titles: Elegy and Tidal.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(4) YA Watersong series. Sixteen-year-old Gemma parties with three beautiful but mysterious girls one night in a cove and receives their powers; she's lured away with them, but protective older sister Harper senses something otherworldly and sinister and will stop at nothing to get Gemma back. Siren mythology is evoked decently in these two volumes, but the characters lack depth and underdeveloped backstories lessen tension. Review includes these Watersong titles: Lullaby and Wake.

Reviewer: Betsy Thomas

(4) YA Watersong series. Sixteen-year-old Gemma parties with three beautiful but mysterious girls one night in a cove and receives their powers; she's lured away with them, but protective older sister Harper senses something otherworldly and sinister and will stop at nothing to get Gemma back. Siren mythology is evoked decently in these two volumes, but the characters lack depth and underdeveloped backstories lessen tension. Review includes these Watersong titles: Lullaby and Wake.

Reviewer: Betsy Thomas

(3) YA Mermaid Esmerine wants to become a siren just like her sister Dosinia. When Dosinia goes to the mainland, Esmerine must find her and bring her home. Along the way, Esmerine crosses paths with an old friend, Alandare, and before long infatuation takes hold. The pair's differences (he's one of a winged species) can't keep them apart in this fantasy love story.

Reviewer: Pearl Higgins

(4) YA Lexi is a siren whose curse caused her to kill her first boyfriend, Steven. After that, she shunned all relationships. Now Lexi faces a difficult decision: true love with Cole, Steven's best friend, or a faked connection with Erik, a nix. While the story uses several teen romance clichés, the characters are likable and the mythology connection is engaging.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) YA Will's brother, Tim, is presumed dead after a boating accident. Now Will and his childhood-friend-cum-crush Gretchen wonder whether the oddly compelling new girl in town, Asia, is connected to Tim's drowning and several others. The Calypso myth isn't fully explored (lengthy expository narrative in a sea captain's log aside), but the mystery is engaging.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) YA After Luce's transformation from human to mermaid, she learns all mermaids were once abused girls who are now seeking revenge for humans' innate cruelty. By singing a beautifully sad death song, Luce and her tribe cause shipwreck after shipwreck, a practice that never feels right to Luce. The gratifying story charts one girl's physical and emotional journey toward finding her own strength and voice.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) YA Having confronted murderous sirens--and beginning to transform into one herself--Vanessa (Siren) struggles to understand her identity and new powers. An unexpected connection to a classmate threatens Vanessa's romance, while a new rash of deaths suggests the sirens haven't been vanquished entirely. Relationships are more superficial here than in the preceding volume; the quick denouement feels anticlimactic after so much build-up.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher