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Legends of Neverland #2
Hunting Sirens: A Gender-Flipped Little Mermaid
She was destined to hunt sirens to extinction… but can she complete her mission before one of them captures her heart?
Trapped on an island nation and surrounded by bloodthirsty sirens, the starving people of Haven Harbor are losing hope. Treva, a Deaf blacksmith immune to the tempting call of the sirens lurking in the deep, steps into the perilous role of Siren Hunter. If she can rid the waters of enough sirens, her people could be free at last.
Unbeknownst to her, another creature dwells in the sea, even more ferocious than the dreaded sirens. When Treva faces the monster and loses, her life is saved by a handsome siren who has no voice. Can mortal enemies set their differences aside long enough to unite their nations? Or will Treva ignore her growing feelings and finish what she started?
Treva is certain of one thing—that the famed Siren Hunter of Haven Harbor would never fall for one of her prey.
Hunting Sirens is the second book in the Legends of Neverland series but can also be read as a stand-alone novel.
Trapped on an island nation and surrounded by bloodthirsty sirens, the starving people of Haven Harbor are losing hope. Treva, a Deaf blacksmith immune to the tempting call of the sirens lurking in the deep, steps into the perilous role of Siren Hunter. If she can rid the waters of enough sirens, her people could be free at last.
Unbeknownst to her, another creature dwells in the sea, even more ferocious than the dreaded sirens. When Treva faces the monster and loses, her life is saved by a handsome siren who has no voice. Can mortal enemies set their differences aside long enough to unite their nations? Or will Treva ignore her growing feelings and finish what she started?
Treva is certain of one thing—that the famed Siren Hunter of Haven Harbor would never fall for one of her prey.
Hunting Sirens is the second book in the Legends of Neverland series but can also be read as a stand-alone novel.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2023
132 people are currently reading
2959 people want to read
About the author
Mary Mecham
16 books694 followersMary Mecham writes high stakes, high swoon, no spice romantasy and fairy tale retellings packed full of adventure and romances. Her greatest joy is writing snarky banter and morally grey characters.
She is a born and raised Texan with a love of theater and books overshadowed only by her passion for disability advocacy. Her favorite food is chips and queso, her favorite holiday is April Fool's Day, and her favorite trope is enemies to lovers.
When she isn't writing, Mary enjoys spending time with her family and trying out new experiences, from fire breathing and axe throwing to trapeze flying and power paragliding.
She currently lives in Texas with her husband and three children.
You can get a FREE e-copy of her Rumpelstiltskin retelling, A Curse of Gold and Beauty, when you sign up for her newsletter at MaryMecham.com
She is a born and raised Texan with a love of theater and books overshadowed only by her passion for disability advocacy. Her favorite food is chips and queso, her favorite holiday is April Fool's Day, and her favorite trope is enemies to lovers.
When she isn't writing, Mary enjoys spending time with her family and trying out new experiences, from fire breathing and axe throwing to trapeze flying and power paragliding.
She currently lives in Texas with her husband and three children.
You can get a FREE e-copy of her Rumpelstiltskin retelling, A Curse of Gold and Beauty, when you sign up for her newsletter at MaryMecham.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
February 21, 2024
There are several reasons for my low rating, so I’ll explain:
First off, let me say that the plot line was absolutely amazing and the story itself was excellent and gripping. What put me off were a few elements in the book that I considered too big to put a full 5 star rating.
1 - the « girl boss » trope. While I don’t mind strong female characters (in fact I think many women are very strong in real life, so it is not a fantasy), I really dislike when they just want to « be a man » (what, isn’t being a woman great? Why try to be something else?). Treva did have her girl moments, but she was always ashamed of them. And I absolutely detest when they spit on other women for being feminine. And Treva did exactly that. I thought maybe it would be addressed by the author in the story but it wasn’t. Treva mercilessly brings the ladies of the court down as being « weak » and wearing « skirts » and feminine underwear and « needing a man », which, I think, is very disgraceful to all feminine women. If she wants to be manly - fine! But don’t take out others for not being like you.
2 - a detail, I know, but Sterling says in the beginning that Treva shouldn’t go siren hunting and that they can develop new farming techniques instead (great) or limit the amount of children people can have (WHAT?!!!). I’m sorry, but this is a communist idea! It’s what has led to millions of babies being killed in China over the past century and even now! What possessed the author to put this in her book?!
3 - the romance, as usual with Mary Mecham, is a little on the hot side of clean. There is nothing else than kisses and embraces, but the descriptions of them might make you squirmy.
To conclude, I was really disappointed that so many negative elements popped up for me, because I was ready to love this story. After thoroughly enjoying Becoming Hook, I was sure this was gonna be my favourite read this month. Maybe it’s because I had great expectations. But in any case, I will read on to the next installment and decide if I continue this series or not.
Thank you for reading if you’ve made it through here…
First off, let me say that the plot line was absolutely amazing and the story itself was excellent and gripping. What put me off were a few elements in the book that I considered too big to put a full 5 star rating.
1 - the « girl boss » trope. While I don’t mind strong female characters (in fact I think many women are very strong in real life, so it is not a fantasy), I really dislike when they just want to « be a man » (what, isn’t being a woman great? Why try to be something else?). Treva did have her girl moments, but she was always ashamed of them. And I absolutely detest when they spit on other women for being feminine. And Treva did exactly that. I thought maybe it would be addressed by the author in the story but it wasn’t. Treva mercilessly brings the ladies of the court down as being « weak » and wearing « skirts » and feminine underwear and « needing a man », which, I think, is very disgraceful to all feminine women. If she wants to be manly - fine! But don’t take out others for not being like you.
2 - a detail, I know, but Sterling says in the beginning that Treva shouldn’t go siren hunting and that they can develop new farming techniques instead (great) or limit the amount of children people can have (WHAT?!!!). I’m sorry, but this is a communist idea! It’s what has led to millions of babies being killed in China over the past century and even now! What possessed the author to put this in her book?!
3 - the romance, as usual with Mary Mecham, is a little on the hot side of clean. There is nothing else than kisses and embraces, but the descriptions of them might make you squirmy.
To conclude, I was really disappointed that so many negative elements popped up for me, because I was ready to love this story. After thoroughly enjoying Becoming Hook, I was sure this was gonna be my favourite read this month. Maybe it’s because I had great expectations. But in any case, I will read on to the next installment and decide if I continue this series or not.
Thank you for reading if you’ve made it through here…
December 8, 2023
Fried flounders! This one had me with the Lacerator. This book was packed with action starring a female smithy weapon designer who decides to fight to save her people. Unable to traverse the seas for trade due to siren infested waters, Treva takes it upon herself to try and rid the seas of the sirens, as her people are starving and entering the water can mean death.
Interesting take with "signing" throughout as Treva is deaf, so siren song has no effect upon her, really puts things into perspective and pause for thought. Others have already detailed the story, so lets have some fun. Pirate ship, sirens, a kracken, catapults, crossbows, forging.....this one will 'hook' you in. There are the "romanticals" to go along with the action for those who love to swoon, but I really enjoy the action and story line that had a "gotcha" with a twist.
The Little Mermaid story is there as its woven throughout as the backbone, but this it's own unique story. "Chickens and cows have legs. You have legs. Does that make you a chicken?" 2 thumbs up... it's a fairy tail, not a history, science nor text book, but one to enjoy... go read it.
Interesting take with "signing" throughout as Treva is deaf, so siren song has no effect upon her, really puts things into perspective and pause for thought. Others have already detailed the story, so lets have some fun. Pirate ship, sirens, a kracken, catapults, crossbows, forging.....this one will 'hook' you in. There are the "romanticals" to go along with the action for those who love to swoon, but I really enjoy the action and story line that had a "gotcha" with a twist.
The Little Mermaid story is there as its woven throughout as the backbone, but this it's own unique story. "Chickens and cows have legs. You have legs. Does that make you a chicken?" 2 thumbs up... it's a fairy tail, not a history, science nor text book, but one to enjoy... go read it.
December 12, 2023
This is no princess story!! It's so much better!!
Imagine mixing the adventure and epicness of Pirates of the Caribbean with the swooniness of the perfect romance novel! Treva is such an incredible character. She's deaf, but that only adds to her fiery personality and essentially gives her a superpower when faced with murderous sirens who lure you in by song!
I loved our little merman immediately... Seriously, I was ready to jump into the pages and whack the mer-creatures who were mean to him!! But then things for twisty and I had other thoughts that I will not spoil here! (But you should read it to know what I'm talking about!)
Mecham's writing draws you in from the start and I LOVE how she smoothly wrote a deaf character that immersed the reader in her world so seamlessly. It was so cool to read a story with no sound descriptions or voice tones, I loved getting inside Treva's head and seeing the world through her eyes!
If you're looking for a little mermaid Retelling that breaks all the rules in the best ways, give this one a read!
Imagine mixing the adventure and epicness of Pirates of the Caribbean with the swooniness of the perfect romance novel! Treva is such an incredible character. She's deaf, but that only adds to her fiery personality and essentially gives her a superpower when faced with murderous sirens who lure you in by song!
I loved our little merman immediately... Seriously, I was ready to jump into the pages and whack the mer-creatures who were mean to him!! But then things for twisty and I had other thoughts that I will not spoil here! (But you should read it to know what I'm talking about!)
Mecham's writing draws you in from the start and I LOVE how she smoothly wrote a deaf character that immersed the reader in her world so seamlessly. It was so cool to read a story with no sound descriptions or voice tones, I loved getting inside Treva's head and seeing the world through her eyes!
If you're looking for a little mermaid Retelling that breaks all the rules in the best ways, give this one a read!
March 2, 2024
Such an interesting and different twist on the little mermaid! The main character wasn't necessarily my favorite, but the PLOT you guys. And the TWIST. I really had such a fun time with this book and it was very hard to put down.
Content warnings: This series is a little darker than most retellings I've read, and there's killing and dead bodies, but nothing is graphic or too detailed. The romance-y parts and kissing do get slightly intense at times, but not too much for me personally.
Content warnings: This series is a little darker than most retellings I've read, and there's killing and dead bodies, but nothing is graphic or too detailed. The romance-y parts and kissing do get slightly intense at times, but not too much for me personally.
February 23, 2024
I had a ton of fun reading this! I loved seeing a gender-flipped little mermaid retelling, especially an enemies to lovers one with the siren hunter aspect of it!
The author also added an element I'd never seen before: one of the main characters is Deaf. Not only was this an essential part of the plot, I also appreciated the Authors note at the beginning.
We get to see Tinkerbell and Captain Hook from the first book appear with a small role to play. They weren't as involved as I initially thought they'd be, which is fine, but by the closing scene of the book it felt kind of like they just disappeared, were forgotten about. Also there were a few more physical descriptions than I usually like to see but it is still a clean book: several mentions of his torso (I kinda get it though since he's shirtless for like 80% of the book since he's a siren), a scene where her side is injured and his hand lingers too long type of thing, and 2 passionate kisses that were more emotionally described than physically.
There were quite a few action scenes, particularly towards the end that I didn't want to stop reading. I thought the descriptions of the siren way of life were interesting. Some scenes on an island were pretty reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Content: see above physical descriptions description, it's still a clean book overall, just not squeaky clean; there is no sea witch but there is a transformative "potion" that is mentioned; drinking ale
Christian faith rating: 0/3 clean fiction-- a few mentions of Poseidon (ie "Thank Posiedon" as a expression); see Content section
The author also added an element I'd never seen before: one of the main characters is Deaf. Not only was this an essential part of the plot, I also appreciated the Authors note at the beginning.
We get to see Tinkerbell and Captain Hook from the first book appear with a small role to play. They weren't as involved as I initially thought they'd be, which is fine, but by the closing scene of the book it felt kind of like they just disappeared, were forgotten about. Also there were a few more physical descriptions than I usually like to see but it is still a clean book: several mentions of his torso (I kinda get it though since he's shirtless for like 80% of the book since he's a siren), a scene where her side is injured and his hand lingers too long type of thing, and 2 passionate kisses that were more emotionally described than physically.
There were quite a few action scenes, particularly towards the end that I didn't want to stop reading. I thought the descriptions of the siren way of life were interesting. Some scenes on an island were pretty reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Content: see above physical descriptions description, it's still a clean book overall, just not squeaky clean; there is no sea witch but there is a transformative "potion" that is mentioned; drinking ale
Christian faith rating: 0/3 clean fiction-- a few mentions of Poseidon (ie "Thank Posiedon" as a expression); see Content section
March 27, 2025
This is the second or third gender-bent Little Mermaid retelling I’ve read, and is it bad to say I like them better than the original?!
Treva, bless her heart, takes a bit to warm up to with her prickly personality. Bayne was a sweetheart—love him. Gage had me cracking up as little brothers often do. And of course, I LOVED the cameo appearances of Captain Hook & Tink from Becoming Hook.
Mecham wrote Deaf culture with grace and understanding. I’ve been interested in this book for a while, ever since she mentioned it was written entirely without describing any sounds. As a reader you fill in so many things about the senses, but honestly, I loved how she chose to write it and incorporated sign language.
And the plot twist?! That’s the Mary Mecham twist I was expecting but also totally had me drop jawed! 😂
Content: kissing only, passionately but emotionally not physically descriptive; Bayne is a siren/merman so noticing his bare chest and muscles happens several times
Treva, bless her heart, takes a bit to warm up to with her prickly personality. Bayne was a sweetheart—love him. Gage had me cracking up as little brothers often do. And of course, I LOVED the cameo appearances of Captain Hook & Tink from Becoming Hook.
Mecham wrote Deaf culture with grace and understanding. I’ve been interested in this book for a while, ever since she mentioned it was written entirely without describing any sounds. As a reader you fill in so many things about the senses, but honestly, I loved how she chose to write it and incorporated sign language.
And the plot twist?! That’s the Mary Mecham twist I was expecting but also totally had me drop jawed! 😂
Content: kissing only, passionately but emotionally not physically descriptive; Bayne is a siren/merman so noticing his bare chest and muscles happens several times
April 4, 2025
A unique retelling
3.5 stars
Reading this book immediately after "Becoming Hook" might not have been the best choice. I still enjoyed Hunting Sirens, but it was a rough start.
Treva was an interesting character, bold, strong, courageous, and headstrong. But she was also a jerk lol I was hoping a lot of her rude thoughts and opinions of people, especially hearing people, would be opportunities for character growth later, but... That didn't happen. I don't know if that was a conscious choice, trying to draw some sort of parallel or something, but it felt like unwarranted and unfair treatment toward 99% of her people (the 1% was some rude guy who was definitely a jerk haha).
Having a deaf main character was incredibly interesting. The most notable difference for me was not having any sound descriptions. It was fascinating. How the MC reacted to things and had to depend on things, was all so different. Not being deaf, I thought the use of no sound was well done.
Aside from my dislike of Treva's attitude and prejudices, she is was a real and compelling character, especially toward the middle and end.
Bayne was great haha He was the golden retriever to Treva's black cat :) And his story choices were fun to read... 👀 He was my favourite character (even if he did have massive hands: a weird book pet peeve of mine 😂).
I enjoyed the side characters, the call backs to the first book, and the plot twists and turns.
It is was repetitive at times, which wasn't great - I found myself rereading and skipping over bits because I thought I'd missed something or read it already. It was a bit confusing.
And there were several times when I would have liked more reactiona from people, or more emotional foreshadowing.
All together it was a fun read, I just wish Treva hadn't been so rude, the emotions had had a little more time to hit their mark, and the editing had been a bit neater.
14/15+
A little more violence and noticeably more kisses than there were in the first book lol
3.5 stars
Reading this book immediately after "Becoming Hook" might not have been the best choice. I still enjoyed Hunting Sirens, but it was a rough start.
Treva was an interesting character, bold, strong, courageous, and headstrong. But she was also a jerk lol I was hoping a lot of her rude thoughts and opinions of people, especially hearing people, would be opportunities for character growth later, but... That didn't happen. I don't know if that was a conscious choice, trying to draw some sort of parallel or something, but it felt like unwarranted and unfair treatment toward 99% of her people (the 1% was some rude guy who was definitely a jerk haha).
Having a deaf main character was incredibly interesting. The most notable difference for me was not having any sound descriptions. It was fascinating. How the MC reacted to things and had to depend on things, was all so different. Not being deaf, I thought the use of no sound was well done.
Aside from my dislike of Treva's attitude and prejudices, she is was a real and compelling character, especially toward the middle and end.
Bayne was great haha He was the golden retriever to Treva's black cat :) And his story choices were fun to read... 👀 He was my favourite character (even if he did have massive hands: a weird book pet peeve of mine 😂).
I enjoyed the side characters, the call backs to the first book, and the plot twists and turns.
It is was repetitive at times, which wasn't great - I found myself rereading and skipping over bits because I thought I'd missed something or read it already. It was a bit confusing.
And there were several times when I would have liked more reactiona from people, or more emotional foreshadowing.
All together it was a fun read, I just wish Treva hadn't been so rude, the emotions had had a little more time to hit their mark, and the editing had been a bit neater.
14/15+
A little more violence and noticeably more kisses than there were in the first book lol
April 29, 2024
2024 Reads #261/250
March 21, 2024
I really enjoyed the romance aspects of the story the most. The kissing scenes? Yes please.
January 1, 2024
Hunting Sirens honestly surprised me. I didn’t care for the first book in this series. It was almost too close to the original story and didn’t feel at all unique. And thankfully, Hunting Sirens changed my view of this series by doing something very opposite.
Hunting Sirens is a story loosely inspired by the Little Mermaid tales—a conglomeration of inspiration from both the movies and the actual story by Andersen. The story is told from the first person point of view of a young woman named Treva. Treva’s father is a military leader and she has grown up with her brother and cousin, as a woman making her way in a man’s world, refusing to take shit from anyone. However, what I liked about Treva is that while she is part of the “strong female” archetype, she wasn’t considering herself better than the men or others around her or considering them an unnecessary part of her life. She worked with them and supported and loved the people in her life, though she was also often rather annoyed by them (but listen who isn’t occasionally annoyed by extroverts and sticks in the mud?).
Treva has grown up working in a forge as one of the city blacksmiths and a weapons designer. She has been designing weapons for years to help defeat the sirens that are killing their people, both on the sea and at the shore. When innocents and children begin to become the sirens’ food of choice, Treva goes to sea to help fight as the city’s Siren Hunter.
And really, the only reason that this really works for me without venturing into the “strong female” stereotype area is that Treva is deaf. Treva is the only one who can’t hear the sirens and therefore one of the few who is able to go to sea and not be hunted herself. Which, while that’s cool all on its own, I want to pause here for a moment and really congratulate this author. As a reader who is partially deaf, I don’t often see believable representation of the deaf community, much less in a historical or fantasy context. But it was very obvious to me that this author researched the topic thoroughly, likely consulted readers/betas who were in the deaf community, and was very particular about how she was writing and the details she added. So that was really, really neat to see and probably one of the most impressive parts of the book for me.
I liked also that this story lived up to the dark fantasy genre label. The world felt grim and serious, the stakes felt high, and I was immediately invested in the plight of Treva and her people and the conflicts arising from it. That said, I will say that there were certain sections of the book that didn’t work quite as well for me. I found that—without leaving spoilers—one of the major “plot twists” at the end was rather predictable and something I could see coming early on. However, I will say that Treva’s response to that plot twist and betrayal was amazing. It actually made me laugh and I was glad to see the interaction play out the way that it did.
That said, the only part of the book that really didn’t work for me was the middle section (only maybe 4-5 chapters?) of the story where the characters from book one came into play. There was a lot of things in that section that had me pausing and going “was there a reason for this beyond hey people liked them so we need a cameo and I don’t know how to solve this without taking the easy way out and using them?” When Hook and Tink and the others came into play in this story I was immensely disappointed. Firstly because the tone of the book changed immensely, losing its sense of grim focus during those chapters. And also because, well, there’s just nothing really all that likeable or useful about those characters. It felt like by using them that the author was taking the easy road rather than trying to critically work her way through the story without them. I really think that Hunting Sirens could have stood in the story world as its own book without callbacks to other characters or use of them. And it probably would’ve been stronger for it because there was so much good material to work with in terms of conflict and worldbuilding. But I digress.
Overall, this was a solid little story from this author. I hope to see more stories like this in the future and see this author step into writing strong, serious stories with gravity and conflict rather than stories that play safe and stick super close to the original stories. I loved getting to see Hunting Sirens be its own story and breathe its own life.
(3.5, rounded up to 4)
Hunting Sirens is a story loosely inspired by the Little Mermaid tales—a conglomeration of inspiration from both the movies and the actual story by Andersen. The story is told from the first person point of view of a young woman named Treva. Treva’s father is a military leader and she has grown up with her brother and cousin, as a woman making her way in a man’s world, refusing to take shit from anyone. However, what I liked about Treva is that while she is part of the “strong female” archetype, she wasn’t considering herself better than the men or others around her or considering them an unnecessary part of her life. She worked with them and supported and loved the people in her life, though she was also often rather annoyed by them (but listen who isn’t occasionally annoyed by extroverts and sticks in the mud?).
Treva has grown up working in a forge as one of the city blacksmiths and a weapons designer. She has been designing weapons for years to help defeat the sirens that are killing their people, both on the sea and at the shore. When innocents and children begin to become the sirens’ food of choice, Treva goes to sea to help fight as the city’s Siren Hunter.
And really, the only reason that this really works for me without venturing into the “strong female” stereotype area is that Treva is deaf. Treva is the only one who can’t hear the sirens and therefore one of the few who is able to go to sea and not be hunted herself. Which, while that’s cool all on its own, I want to pause here for a moment and really congratulate this author. As a reader who is partially deaf, I don’t often see believable representation of the deaf community, much less in a historical or fantasy context. But it was very obvious to me that this author researched the topic thoroughly, likely consulted readers/betas who were in the deaf community, and was very particular about how she was writing and the details she added. So that was really, really neat to see and probably one of the most impressive parts of the book for me.
I liked also that this story lived up to the dark fantasy genre label. The world felt grim and serious, the stakes felt high, and I was immediately invested in the plight of Treva and her people and the conflicts arising from it. That said, I will say that there were certain sections of the book that didn’t work quite as well for me. I found that—without leaving spoilers—one of the major “plot twists” at the end was rather predictable and something I could see coming early on. However, I will say that Treva’s response to that plot twist and betrayal was amazing. It actually made me laugh and I was glad to see the interaction play out the way that it did.
That said, the only part of the book that really didn’t work for me was the middle section (only maybe 4-5 chapters?) of the story where the characters from book one came into play. There was a lot of things in that section that had me pausing and going “was there a reason for this beyond hey people liked them so we need a cameo and I don’t know how to solve this without taking the easy way out and using them?” When Hook and Tink and the others came into play in this story I was immensely disappointed. Firstly because the tone of the book changed immensely, losing its sense of grim focus during those chapters. And also because, well, there’s just nothing really all that likeable or useful about those characters. It felt like by using them that the author was taking the easy road rather than trying to critically work her way through the story without them. I really think that Hunting Sirens could have stood in the story world as its own book without callbacks to other characters or use of them. And it probably would’ve been stronger for it because there was so much good material to work with in terms of conflict and worldbuilding. But I digress.
Overall, this was a solid little story from this author. I hope to see more stories like this in the future and see this author step into writing strong, serious stories with gravity and conflict rather than stories that play safe and stick super close to the original stories. I loved getting to see Hunting Sirens be its own story and breathe its own life.
(3.5, rounded up to 4)
December 6, 2023
Disclaimer: I was provided this ARC by the author. I was not required to write a review and all thoughts and opinions are my own!
You know a book is trouble when it keeps you from studying during finals week 😬😬
Hunting Sirens was PHENOMENAL!! I was drawn into the story from page one and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
Treva was such a cool main character. I've definitely never read a book with a headstrong female blacksmith before! She kind of reminded me of Spensa from Skyward Flight by Brandon Sanderson....in a good way of course :D
Bayne....Man I loved Bayne. Such a true gem. His concern for Treva and his people was so sweet!
I loved the spin on The Little Mermaid! It was subtle, not overdone, and Mecham made it her own!
Overall, Hunting Sirens was a (distractingly) amazing book! I can't wait to read more from Mecham!
You know a book is trouble when it keeps you from studying during finals week 😬😬
Hunting Sirens was PHENOMENAL!! I was drawn into the story from page one and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
Treva was such a cool main character. I've definitely never read a book with a headstrong female blacksmith before! She kind of reminded me of Spensa from Skyward Flight by Brandon Sanderson....in a good way of course :D
Bayne....Man I loved Bayne. Such a true gem. His concern for Treva and his people was so sweet!
I loved the spin on The Little Mermaid! It was subtle, not overdone, and Mecham made it her own!
Overall, Hunting Sirens was a (distractingly) amazing book! I can't wait to read more from Mecham!
February 26, 2024
4.5 stars
One of my most anticipated books for the year.
after loving Becoming Hook so much, I knew I needed to continue.
To be honest when I first started the book I found Treva annoying and hard to relate to. I didn’t want her to be the main character at first.
Though I wished the love interest had a pov, I understand why he didn’t and why it was a single pov.
The plot was amazing and was one of the main reasons I continued with the book, and there were a couple of plot twists I didn’t see coming.
Even though I disliked Treva in the beginning, and was convinced I didn’t like her, she grew more like able once I tried to find the best in her.
I had gone on the author’s website and seen she had quizzes so I decided to take one.
Which character would you be was the one I took.
And I got Treva. I was confused and annoyed lol but when I read the description of why, I thought about it and realized that we were really similar.
Different things for sure as well, but once I had that mindset, and started reading again, I saw her in a totally different light and grew to appreciate her character.
Even to the point of siding with her against a character I had loved up to that point (if you’ve read it you probably know who)
All in all, I liked the book and would recommend it!
Clean romance, some detailed kisses but nothing beyond the kiss.
One of my most anticipated books for the year.
after loving Becoming Hook so much, I knew I needed to continue.
To be honest when I first started the book I found Treva annoying and hard to relate to. I didn’t want her to be the main character at first.
Though I wished the love interest had a pov, I understand why he didn’t and why it was a single pov.
The plot was amazing and was one of the main reasons I continued with the book, and there were a couple of plot twists I didn’t see coming.
Even though I disliked Treva in the beginning, and was convinced I didn’t like her, she grew more like able once I tried to find the best in her.
I had gone on the author’s website and seen she had quizzes so I decided to take one.
Which character would you be was the one I took.
And I got Treva. I was confused and annoyed lol but when I read the description of why, I thought about it and realized that we were really similar.
Different things for sure as well, but once I had that mindset, and started reading again, I saw her in a totally different light and grew to appreciate her character.
Even to the point of siding with her against a character I had loved up to that point (if you’ve read it you probably know who)
All in all, I liked the book and would recommend it!
Clean romance, some detailed kisses but nothing beyond the kiss.
January 1, 2024
Buckle up and get ready for an exciting and swoon-worthy adventure!
If you are looking for an intense, swashbuckling adventure with fairytale elements and romance with fabulous kisses, this is the book for you!
First off I loved how I was so immediately drawn into this world that Mary Mecham created. It felt so real and full of texture. Not only did I love the magical world created but how she drew me into a world without sound and the whole experience of what it might be like to be Deaf.
Treva was such a delightfully grumpy, headstrong, kick butt heroine. She didn't conform to any of the boxes others tried to place her in. I loved her strength and her deep desire to help her people even though she might appear to be grumpy. So much so that once she discovers her immunity to the sirens she is determined to go out and eraticate them to help her people.
Note: she does hunt and kill sirens as the title suggests- it is lightly described and never glorified, in fact she feels a lot of internal guilt over it.
I loved how realistically portrayed the sirens Bayne is. Not only is he delightfully attractive but he actually felt like a merman. I adored how patient and sweet he was along with his enjoyable interactions with Treva. And the romance in this book was melt-worthy while remaining clean.
This gender flipped little mermaid retelling was a delight all the way through, giving me a unique and unexpected adventure. It didn't go in many of the directions you'd expect from the fairytale which made me love it all the more.
Happy reading!
Alesha Adamson
If you are looking for an intense, swashbuckling adventure with fairytale elements and romance with fabulous kisses, this is the book for you!
First off I loved how I was so immediately drawn into this world that Mary Mecham created. It felt so real and full of texture. Not only did I love the magical world created but how she drew me into a world without sound and the whole experience of what it might be like to be Deaf.
Treva was such a delightfully grumpy, headstrong, kick butt heroine. She didn't conform to any of the boxes others tried to place her in. I loved her strength and her deep desire to help her people even though she might appear to be grumpy. So much so that once she discovers her immunity to the sirens she is determined to go out and eraticate them to help her people.
Note: she does hunt and kill sirens as the title suggests- it is lightly described and never glorified, in fact she feels a lot of internal guilt over it.
I loved how realistically portrayed the sirens Bayne is. Not only is he delightfully attractive but he actually felt like a merman. I adored how patient and sweet he was along with his enjoyable interactions with Treva. And the romance in this book was melt-worthy while remaining clean.
This gender flipped little mermaid retelling was a delight all the way through, giving me a unique and unexpected adventure. It didn't go in many of the directions you'd expect from the fairytale which made me love it all the more.
Happy reading!
Alesha Adamson
December 14, 2023
This is one of my favorite books of all time! It has sweet romance, action, and adventure, as well as driven, complex characters. Mary has you turning the pages while biting your nails! Plus, I love how it builds upon the first book on the series but can be read as a standalone. Read this book and the entire series! (I received an ARC for my honest review.)
did-not-finish
April 24, 2025DNF
I'm actually shocked I disliked this so vehemently that I quit. Becoming Hook was a great book that is easily my favorite Peter Pan retelling. Mecham is a skilled author that usually does a stellar job of highlighting physical, emotional, mental differences/struggles.
However, I found Treva to be highly unlikeable. I'll preface this by saying that I'm an unusually tall woman who is no stranger to being taller than most women and a good number of men. I grew up a tomboy and to this day still don't feel like I fit into a feminine mode. I wear men's clothes, men's shoes. I hate dresses and skirts and high heels. I don't like styling my hair and I never wear makeup. Etc. etc. Traits that Treva also possesses. So none of this is because I felt personally attacked.
I do not like when characters look down their noses at other people because "I'm so special and unique and you're so... GIRLY." And Treva basically scorns everyone. She doesn't like kids, other women, or men.
She's rude to her mother, turns up her nose at all things traditionally feminine, and treats hearing people like they are lesser as a whole.
Treva enjoys lording her height over men and making them feel inferior because of it. "... I loved when men seemed intimidated by my height and confidence..."
I don't speak for all tall women, but as one I don't enjoy intimidating anyone with my height. In fact, I'm more likely to try and slouch a bit if the disparity is huge in order to not make someone feel like I'm towering over them as much. So I can't say it's a quality I admired in Treva. And honestly I have NO clue if men or women are intimidated by my height. I haven't asked(who would?) and I'm not trying to pick up on any signs that they are.
Not liking traditionally feminine things is fine. I don't like them, but it's not a bragging point. I don't think people who do are beneath me or stupid. So no, Treva, maybe they're not intimidated by your self-confidence. Because only people who are secretly insecure need to tell themselves they're better than others.
Lastly, and I can't testify as a member of the Deaf community, but I found the constant snarky remarks from Treva about hearing people less than endearing. She thinks them jumping at loud noises is dumb. She thinks any talk that doesn't get straight to the point is stupid. But what I found most cringe-worthy was how she felt about hearing people who tried to learn some sign language.
In terms of native languages, spoken or not, it's very intimidating to learn a new one to any degree. I know one of my biggest fears with speaking in a language that's not native to mine is that people will think the same things Treva thought here.
"... often sought validation from the few Deaf individuals they knew, expecting praise from both the hearing and Deaf communities for their mediocre efforts at slaughtering my native language..."
I can't tell you how scary it can be to try your limited second language capacities out and hope whoever you're talking to won't laugh at you or be disgusted at your efforts.
I have had opportunities to communicate with people who don't know English well. And sometimes I know more of their language and sometimes they know more English. But in either situation it's clear both parties are stumbling to degrees to communicate. I don't look down on someone for not being able to speak my language to the same level as I do. And I've in turn appreciated people who are willing to still communicate with me as I stumble my way through their language, and who maybe know enough English to help correct me or teach me if I ask. And quite frankly I'm too old to learn fast. So yes, sometimes I'm only learning a couple words at a time because I want to just repeat them over and over until they stick. Any more than that and I'd lose all of it.
In short, Treva is the kind of person who I'd never want to communicate with because she's just look down her nose at me.
Long ramble to say that I have no interest in a main character that I'm hoping at this point gets eaten by a shark. Only I imagine she'd be just as disagreeable to eat as she would be to spend time with.
I'm actually shocked I disliked this so vehemently that I quit. Becoming Hook was a great book that is easily my favorite Peter Pan retelling. Mecham is a skilled author that usually does a stellar job of highlighting physical, emotional, mental differences/struggles.
However, I found Treva to be highly unlikeable. I'll preface this by saying that I'm an unusually tall woman who is no stranger to being taller than most women and a good number of men. I grew up a tomboy and to this day still don't feel like I fit into a feminine mode. I wear men's clothes, men's shoes. I hate dresses and skirts and high heels. I don't like styling my hair and I never wear makeup. Etc. etc. Traits that Treva also possesses. So none of this is because I felt personally attacked.
I do not like when characters look down their noses at other people because "I'm so special and unique and you're so... GIRLY." And Treva basically scorns everyone. She doesn't like kids, other women, or men.
She's rude to her mother, turns up her nose at all things traditionally feminine, and treats hearing people like they are lesser as a whole.
Treva enjoys lording her height over men and making them feel inferior because of it. "... I loved when men seemed intimidated by my height and confidence..."
I don't speak for all tall women, but as one I don't enjoy intimidating anyone with my height. In fact, I'm more likely to try and slouch a bit if the disparity is huge in order to not make someone feel like I'm towering over them as much. So I can't say it's a quality I admired in Treva. And honestly I have NO clue if men or women are intimidated by my height. I haven't asked(who would?) and I'm not trying to pick up on any signs that they are.
Not liking traditionally feminine things is fine. I don't like them, but it's not a bragging point. I don't think people who do are beneath me or stupid. So no, Treva, maybe they're not intimidated by your self-confidence. Because only people who are secretly insecure need to tell themselves they're better than others.
Lastly, and I can't testify as a member of the Deaf community, but I found the constant snarky remarks from Treva about hearing people less than endearing. She thinks them jumping at loud noises is dumb. She thinks any talk that doesn't get straight to the point is stupid. But what I found most cringe-worthy was how she felt about hearing people who tried to learn some sign language.
In terms of native languages, spoken or not, it's very intimidating to learn a new one to any degree. I know one of my biggest fears with speaking in a language that's not native to mine is that people will think the same things Treva thought here.
"... often sought validation from the few Deaf individuals they knew, expecting praise from both the hearing and Deaf communities for their mediocre efforts at slaughtering my native language..."
I can't tell you how scary it can be to try your limited second language capacities out and hope whoever you're talking to won't laugh at you or be disgusted at your efforts.
I have had opportunities to communicate with people who don't know English well. And sometimes I know more of their language and sometimes they know more English. But in either situation it's clear both parties are stumbling to degrees to communicate. I don't look down on someone for not being able to speak my language to the same level as I do. And I've in turn appreciated people who are willing to still communicate with me as I stumble my way through their language, and who maybe know enough English to help correct me or teach me if I ask. And quite frankly I'm too old to learn fast. So yes, sometimes I'm only learning a couple words at a time because I want to just repeat them over and over until they stick. Any more than that and I'd lose all of it.
In short, Treva is the kind of person who I'd never want to communicate with because she's just look down her nose at me.
Long ramble to say that I have no interest in a main character that I'm hoping at this point gets eaten by a shark. Only I imagine she'd be just as disagreeable to eat as she would be to spend time with.
December 13, 2023
What an exciting retelling! Ms. Mecham always brings adventure into the magical worlds she creates and this one is no different. The people of Haven Harbor are trapped on an island nation and surrounded by bloodthirsty sirens, starving and losing hope. Treva, a Deaf blacksmith, is immune to the tempting call of the sirens lurking in the deep and steps into the perilous role of Siren Hunter. Maybe she can free her people by ridding the waters of sirens. However, another creature dwells in the sea, more ferocious and deadly. When Treva faces the monster and loses, she is saved by a handsome siren with no voice. Can they set aside their differences long enough to unite their nations? Or will Treva ignore her growing feelings and finish what she started?
I was so excited to return to this world! I had read the first in the Legends of Neverland series and was anticipating this next one. Treva is such a cool heroine! I love reading how Ms. Mecham did research to try to respectfully include Deaf representation! She is strong-willed, competent, and willing to sacrifice for her people. She certainly felt how she stood out as a Deaf person, but she was confident in herself. She was a warrior and a survivor. I really enjoyed her practical POV and getting to see more of the world through her eyes. As the Siren Hunter, she was hunting sirens and there is a measure of gray in that. It might be a bit off-putting for some, especially if you prefer your characters black and white. I also appreciated her family! They supported each other and wanted what was best for her. I especially like her relationship with her brother. They teased each other, but did enjoy each other’s company!
Bayne was also such an interesting character! I really enjoyed the Little Mermaid elements, but Ms. Mecham definitely put her own spin on it! Like Treva, he was a warrior and I liked how they grew together. It felt natural and I was really invested in seeing how they would work together. I was on the edge of my seat seeing how they would defeat the monster. It was very exciting and drew me in. This is a fantasy adventure with some violence and action. It is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone. There is a romantic plot, but only kissing.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.
I was so excited to return to this world! I had read the first in the Legends of Neverland series and was anticipating this next one. Treva is such a cool heroine! I love reading how Ms. Mecham did research to try to respectfully include Deaf representation! She is strong-willed, competent, and willing to sacrifice for her people. She certainly felt how she stood out as a Deaf person, but she was confident in herself. She was a warrior and a survivor. I really enjoyed her practical POV and getting to see more of the world through her eyes. As the Siren Hunter, she was hunting sirens and there is a measure of gray in that. It might be a bit off-putting for some, especially if you prefer your characters black and white. I also appreciated her family! They supported each other and wanted what was best for her. I especially like her relationship with her brother. They teased each other, but did enjoy each other’s company!
Bayne was also such an interesting character! I really enjoyed the Little Mermaid elements, but Ms. Mecham definitely put her own spin on it! Like Treva, he was a warrior and I liked how they grew together. It felt natural and I was really invested in seeing how they would work together. I was on the edge of my seat seeing how they would defeat the monster. It was very exciting and drew me in. This is a fantasy adventure with some violence and action. It is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone. There is a romantic plot, but only kissing.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.
January 9, 2025
One of the best gender swapped little mermaid retelling maybe Disney should hire Mary Mecham
Hunting Sirens
Mary Mecham
Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice level 🫑🫑🫑/5(bell pepper ratings means that it's not as 🌶️ as open door books but sizzling enough to fan your face and or swoon)
Review
Another amazing retelling from the author she's had me hooked with her fantabulous retellings and now she's captured my heart with this siren song and I can't resist the lure and I know I'll end up with Betraying Korth in my hands as soon as I finish typing this review 🫣
Our FMC is Treva who is deaf which makes her the perfect candidate for hunting the sirens who've been infesting Haven Harbor's waters for many years but she's just a blacksmith and a great one at that so her training starts and she is off to hunt and after a few successful hunting trips she faces an enemy she didn't know existed and receives help from a siren who lost his voice. Stranded in an island with no one to come rescue her she finds help through CAPTAIN JAMES HOOK and his crew from book 1(my favourite part is always cameos) what she didn't expect is to fall for a siren whose kindness and charm might just cause her downfall.
An amazing retelling I definitely think Disney should hire her and shouldn't be allowed to make changes to her manuscripts because she writes literal masterpieces when it comes to retellings! The plot is beautifully set, the characters are relatable with vibrant personalities that even minor characters shine, the fighting scenes are so well written I'm convinced that the author is secretly a captain of a ship, the disability aspect is portrayed so accurately and it shows the author has done her research so well. The cover is gorgeous and the title relevance is on point and makes the series interesting.
Hunting Sirens
Mary Mecham
Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice level 🫑🫑🫑/5(bell pepper ratings means that it's not as 🌶️ as open door books but sizzling enough to fan your face and or swoon)
Review
Another amazing retelling from the author she's had me hooked with her fantabulous retellings and now she's captured my heart with this siren song and I can't resist the lure and I know I'll end up with Betraying Korth in my hands as soon as I finish typing this review 🫣
Our FMC is Treva who is deaf which makes her the perfect candidate for hunting the sirens who've been infesting Haven Harbor's waters for many years but she's just a blacksmith and a great one at that so her training starts and she is off to hunt and after a few successful hunting trips she faces an enemy she didn't know existed and receives help from a siren who lost his voice. Stranded in an island with no one to come rescue her she finds help through CAPTAIN JAMES HOOK and his crew from book 1(my favourite part is always cameos) what she didn't expect is to fall for a siren whose kindness and charm might just cause her downfall.
An amazing retelling I definitely think Disney should hire her and shouldn't be allowed to make changes to her manuscripts because she writes literal masterpieces when it comes to retellings! The plot is beautifully set, the characters are relatable with vibrant personalities that even minor characters shine, the fighting scenes are so well written I'm convinced that the author is secretly a captain of a ship, the disability aspect is portrayed so accurately and it shows the author has done her research so well. The cover is gorgeous and the title relevance is on point and makes the series interesting.
December 12, 2023
There are two things very important in my life. Reading (and everything books in general). And disability representation in mainstream media. Mary Mecham shares my passion for both and I'm therefore incredibly happy that I discovered her through her lovely Rumplestiltskin retelling. I've read more books by her since then, discovered her author page on Facebook and signed up for her arc team. I was really excited to dive into this retelling with some more disability rep!
I love enemies to lovers, but quite often the romance is hastened or they quite easily overcome being enemies. In this book the enemies to lovers part is actually really well done. The characters are truly enemies and finding a way to be together and forgiving each other for everything takes time. A lot of time. It isn't until the very last chapter of the book that we know for sure that these two might get a chance at their happily ever after.
I also quite liked the conflict in this book. From the moment we meet Bayne we start to understand that this conflict might not be as black and white as we initially thought. Since Bayne and Treva are forced to get to know each other, we also get to know them. We start understanding why the sirens felt they had to do what they did. And of course we understand why the humans felt the need to reply the way they did.
And last but not least I really really liked how Treva was written. I really felt like I learned a lot about the deaf community, their way of thinking and speaking and why it's truly a community and not simply a disability. I'm very curious what the dialogues would have been like if they had been written in the actual grammar used, but I'm really happy that the author introduced us to Treva, showed her in all her beautiful and less beautiful glory and made us fall in love with her.
I love enemies to lovers, but quite often the romance is hastened or they quite easily overcome being enemies. In this book the enemies to lovers part is actually really well done. The characters are truly enemies and finding a way to be together and forgiving each other for everything takes time. A lot of time. It isn't until the very last chapter of the book that we know for sure that these two might get a chance at their happily ever after.
I also quite liked the conflict in this book. From the moment we meet Bayne we start to understand that this conflict might not be as black and white as we initially thought. Since Bayne and Treva are forced to get to know each other, we also get to know them. We start understanding why the sirens felt they had to do what they did. And of course we understand why the humans felt the need to reply the way they did.
And last but not least I really really liked how Treva was written. I really felt like I learned a lot about the deaf community, their way of thinking and speaking and why it's truly a community and not simply a disability. I'm very curious what the dialogues would have been like if they had been written in the actual grammar used, but I'm really happy that the author introduced us to Treva, showed her in all her beautiful and less beautiful glory and made us fall in love with her.
March 4, 2024
While I enjoyed this modern play on The Little Mermaid, I think I liked Becoming Hook more. I was pleased to see him and Tinkerbell make an appearance in this story as well!
I REALLY admire that the author brought in Deaf characters. I so wish I knew ASL and could sign more than the few words and phrases that I do know. I hope someone from the Deaf community reads this book and feels heard/seen.
Part of this book moved a little slow for my taste, but it definitely picked up. I love that Treva and Bayne got their HEA. And I'm happy that Korth gave the pirates and sirens a chance to work together-which ultimately lead to that HEA. I'm looking forward to his story next!
I REALLY admire that the author brought in Deaf characters. I so wish I knew ASL and could sign more than the few words and phrases that I do know. I hope someone from the Deaf community reads this book and feels heard/seen.
Part of this book moved a little slow for my taste, but it definitely picked up. I love that Treva and Bayne got their HEA. And I'm happy that Korth gave the pirates and sirens a chance to work together-which ultimately lead to that HEA. I'm looking forward to his story next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2025
Excellent retelling!
I was intrigued when I saw the clip of Mary Mecham describing her books. I mistakenly thought this was the first book and would usually stop reading and get the first book. Instead, I was too engrossed in Treva's character to stop. Amazing storytelling and the way she made it easy to see who was speaking or signing made the reading flawless. I enjoyed all of the characters, especially the snippets of Captain Hook and Tinkerbell. I will immediately begin their story after writing this review. Thank you for giving a new look to one of my favorite stories!
I was intrigued when I saw the clip of Mary Mecham describing her books. I mistakenly thought this was the first book and would usually stop reading and get the first book. Instead, I was too engrossed in Treva's character to stop. Amazing storytelling and the way she made it easy to see who was speaking or signing made the reading flawless. I enjoyed all of the characters, especially the snippets of Captain Hook and Tinkerbell. I will immediately begin their story after writing this review. Thank you for giving a new look to one of my favorite stories!
April 6, 2025
Wow! Mary Mecham had me on the edge of my seat for this retelling! I loved the engagement and banter back and forth between MC and let’s take a moment to appreciate how much research having characters being deaf and writing in this perspective! I’m not deaf but she notes how much research and having friends on the deaf-spectrum read her book to represent this correctly. I am WOW-ED. I knew I would love it and much as Becoming Hook, and just loved the deaf heroine. The plot flowed beautifully and was engaging! I hope we have a POV from the Siren’s someday too! :D
March 20, 2025
This was a really fun book that kept me hooked from the beginning. Mecham's writing style is so easy to read, yet still sophisticated and elegant. I read this in pretty much a day, I loved the way the characters interacted, and the fact that I couldn't foresee the twists as I read. The characters were also really cute together, and I really hope they appear in future books because I loved them.
December 15, 2023
Good book
I enjoyed reading this gender-flipped little mermaid retelling. It was interesting to see the parts I was familiar with from the fairytale, and I am interested in reading the next book in the series.
I enjoyed reading this gender-flipped little mermaid retelling. It was interesting to see the parts I was familiar with from the fairytale, and I am interested in reading the next book in the series.
February 28, 2024
Perfect for fans of fairytales and Pirates of the Caribbean. The unique characters,(a speechless Siren MMC and a deaf blacksmith FMC?? Yes please!) make up for the less unique world building.
putting-back-for-right-now
August 9, 2024Not in a fantasy mood and right now nothing is pulling me into the story. A soft DNF for now.
February 14, 2025
Awesome!
An exciting twist on the little mermaid! I very much enjoyed this book and loved all the twists and turns! Clean, captivating, and suspenseful, you need to read this!
An exciting twist on the little mermaid! I very much enjoyed this book and loved all the twists and turns! Clean, captivating, and suspenseful, you need to read this!
May 28, 2024
Overall, I liked this retelling. It added a healthy amount of badassery to a tale which traditionally is interpreted as one in which the FMC is seen as nothing more than a lovesick fool. Plus, the disability rep was incorporated into the story in a natural way without seeming preachy or presumptuous.
Treva annoyed me at first, but by the end of the book I tolerated her. She is very not-like-other girls, and I know that term gets thrown around a lot, but Treva is one in the truest sense of the world. A decent amount of sentences in this book are dedicated to bashing other girls for being ditzy airheads whenever they are interested in a man, or calling them shallow and vain for wearing skirts and doing their hair. The author constantly reemphasizes the point that Treva is 1) tall 2) muscular 3) scary to men. Poor Treva never had a suitor because she was taller and stronger than most of the men in her village, we should feel so sorry for her but also for the weak pathetic men (p.s. ignore the fact that Treva is also "brutally honest" (a title which I just bestowed on her, but she would definitely describe herself as) and actively rejects people who try to engage with her).
That being said, I do think her spiky personality is a defense mechanism. Treva is Deaf and represents some interesting commentary on the Deaf community and ASL in the US right now. For example, Treva grumbles about how people in her village ask to practice their signing with her, and she says something like, "it's like they want me to praise them for taking time to learn a few words in sign language." I cannot speak to the Deaf community's experience, but I can see how irl people using ASL can feel like that. However, I also think that acknowledgement should be made to the person's attempt to learn ASL. Unfortunately, in the US, the "default" is not knowing ASL and most people only use spoken language. Which means that anyone who is learning ASL is doing so of their own volition, and I think more people should adopt that inclusive mindset. But anyways, back to Treva: I get where she's coming from, but I didn't really vibe with her aloof, stubborn, and haughty personality. Bayne tempers her fire a little, but she didn't show much growth throughout the book.
Bayne was alright. I don't have much to say about him, other than you could probably make a drinking game out of every time he is described as "muscular" or "chiseled". It kinda annoys me when characters are written to be ridiculously ripped for no reason other than making the other characters drool (although it was really funny watching Treva be like, "I looked at his muscular arms again...but only because I'm a blacksmith and I couldn't help but notice that he would make a great blacksmith too...no other reason"). I found Bayne to be more tolerable than Treva, but there were aspects of his character I thought were underdeveloped in comparison.
The siren hunting aspect of the story was cool. It added action, excitement, and a new twist to the classic fairytale. I kinda guessed where that element of the story would go () but it was fun getting there. I got a decent dose of smug satisfaction guessing a couple of the twists in the story.
However, one thing that bothered me was the lack of internal conflict. Perhaps, by nature of this story being a lighter read, it did not have the capacity to explore emotional depths, but that affected the reader's suspension of disbelief. On one hand, we have a cute enemies-to-lovers romance, but on the other hand we have a double genocide. Sirens are obliterating humans, humans are annihilating sirens. Treva seemed (emotionally) unaffected once she started hunting sirens, which sat the wrong way with me. She is supposed to be our lovable protagonist, but adding a lack of remorse or conflict to her already obstinate personality made it hard to relate to her. Granted, she does have her moments of "I've never killed anyone before" and "how can I be with Bayne when I've been hunting his kind?", but time isn't really given to her for her to unpack and process these thoughts. Similarly, both Bayne and Treva seem to just kinda gloss over how they've been massacring each other's communities. They characters do have moments of "how can you forgive me for causing so many deaths?" and "how can you love and trust me when I'm supposed to hurt you?", but as with the previous problem, the characters never really unpack this. As such, it was hard to root for their romance.
It's totally possible that I'm reading too much into this and hurting my own perception of the book. But I do think these things are worth asking.
Treva annoyed me at first, but by the end of the book I tolerated her. She is very not-like-other girls, and I know that term gets thrown around a lot, but Treva is one in the truest sense of the world. A decent amount of sentences in this book are dedicated to bashing other girls for being ditzy airheads whenever they are interested in a man, or calling them shallow and vain for wearing skirts and doing their hair. The author constantly reemphasizes the point that Treva is 1) tall 2) muscular 3) scary to men. Poor Treva never had a suitor because she was taller and stronger than most of the men in her village, we should feel so sorry for her but also for the weak pathetic men (p.s. ignore the fact that Treva is also "brutally honest" (a title which I just bestowed on her, but she would definitely describe herself as) and actively rejects people who try to engage with her).
That being said, I do think her spiky personality is a defense mechanism. Treva is Deaf and represents some interesting commentary on the Deaf community and ASL in the US right now. For example, Treva grumbles about how people in her village ask to practice their signing with her, and she says something like, "it's like they want me to praise them for taking time to learn a few words in sign language." I cannot speak to the Deaf community's experience, but I can see how irl people using ASL can feel like that. However, I also think that acknowledgement should be made to the person's attempt to learn ASL. Unfortunately, in the US, the "default" is not knowing ASL and most people only use spoken language. Which means that anyone who is learning ASL is doing so of their own volition, and I think more people should adopt that inclusive mindset. But anyways, back to Treva: I get where she's coming from, but I didn't really vibe with her aloof, stubborn, and haughty personality. Bayne tempers her fire a little, but she didn't show much growth throughout the book.
Bayne was alright. I don't have much to say about him, other than you could probably make a drinking game out of every time he is described as "muscular" or "chiseled". It kinda annoys me when characters are written to be ridiculously ripped for no reason other than making the other characters drool (although it was really funny watching Treva be like, "I looked at his muscular arms again...but only because I'm a blacksmith and I couldn't help but notice that he would make a great blacksmith too...no other reason"). I found Bayne to be more tolerable than Treva, but there were aspects of his character I thought were underdeveloped in comparison.
The siren hunting aspect of the story was cool. It added action, excitement, and a new twist to the classic fairytale. I kinda guessed where that element of the story would go () but it was fun getting there. I got a decent dose of smug satisfaction guessing a couple of the twists in the story.
However, one thing that bothered me was the lack of internal conflict. Perhaps, by nature of this story being a lighter read, it did not have the capacity to explore emotional depths, but that affected the reader's suspension of disbelief. On one hand, we have a cute enemies-to-lovers romance, but on the other hand we have a double genocide. Sirens are obliterating humans, humans are annihilating sirens. Treva seemed (emotionally) unaffected once she started hunting sirens, which sat the wrong way with me. She is supposed to be our lovable protagonist, but adding a lack of remorse or conflict to her already obstinate personality made it hard to relate to her. Granted, she does have her moments of "I've never killed anyone before" and "how can I be with Bayne when I've been hunting his kind?", but time isn't really given to her for her to unpack and process these thoughts. Similarly, both Bayne and Treva seem to just kinda gloss over how they've been massacring each other's communities. They characters do have moments of "how can you forgive me for causing so many deaths?" and "how can you love and trust me when I'm supposed to hurt you?", but as with the previous problem, the characters never really unpack this. As such, it was hard to root for their romance.
It's totally possible that I'm reading too much into this and hurting my own perception of the book. But I do think these things are worth asking.
December 12, 2023
Warning: This review contains LOTS of spoilers! I found it impossible to write without including them!
Hunting Sirens was a highly original and exceptionally well told story, but of course I would expect no less from Mary Mecham, who is a maestro at writing! It was particularly interesting to see deafness from Sterling and Treva’s perspectives as a positive thing and by no means a disability! In fact, I often felt jealous of Treva as I was reading and I never thought I’d be jealous of a deaf person, but Mary has this unique ability to take something we think of as a negative - and especially something we consider a hindrance or disability - and turn it into not only a positive attribute in her characters’ lives but also an advantage over a deathly foe! Indeed, who but a deaf person could even hope to triumph over the sirens who were singing sailors to their deaths? I was struck by Treva’s courage and tenacity as she first created ingenious weapons to defeat the sirens and then set sail alone to try and overcome them. It was a foolhardy mission to say the least, but one which made an incredible impact right from the start - although even Treva herself didn’t know this at the beginning of her mission.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this book and seeing some old friends again:
Treva herself was obviously a person to emulate as she had a lot of noteworthy characteristics such as diligence, integrity, forthrightness, determination and a quick wit in addition to those I mentioned above. She loved her blacksmith work but volunteered for the mission to kill sirens not because she had a sadistic streak (in fact she was rather kind when it suited her!) but because her people were slowly dying of starvation with the trade routes and access to the waters closed by the fearsome sirens, and she saw no other choice. She was constantly conflicted about this decision and felt guilty about killing her attackers, even when she managed to convince herself they were basically humanoid fish!
Bayne was witty, intelligent, sweet, kind, patient and fascinating. He was a perfect example of the perfect gentleman – would that more human men were like him! Having saved Treva’s life, he deposited her on a desert island but didn’t realise that she would soon die of dehydration and hunger unless drastic measures were taken, as sirens can drink sea water and it never occurred to him that a human wouldn’t be able to. His care for Treva was heartwarming as he first convinced her to play catch with coconuts and later brought her fish to eat. It was lovely to see her overcoming her own prejudices and resistance to Bayne’s attentions and learn to trust him, especially when he committed the ultimate sacrifice and chose legs over a tail in order to gain her love. Their banter was adorable and funny and I loved every word of it! Later in the book, it was also interesting to see how Treva’s family and the townspeople reacted to Bayne rather negatively and how they learnt to overcome their feelings in order to accept him as a hero and a friend, rather than an enemy. In this world, where racism runs rampant Hunting Sirens is an important book to read, as it shows us that different cultures can live together in harmony when prejudices and false beliefs are set aside and wrongs are forgiven.
Sterling and Gage are 2 characters I most definitely would love to see in future books. They were both extremely funny, wonderfully sarcastic and kindhearted. I really enjoyed seeing how Sterling embraced his deafness just as Treva did (Mary herself told me that during her research for this book she discovered that the majority of deaf people consider this “disability” a boon and a blessing rather than a curse) and it was great to watch both these men protect Treva both from the unwanted attentions of hearing people showing off their mediocre sign language skills and greater dangers. It was sweet to see how Treva’s family supported her in every way, from learning sign language in order to communicate with her, to supporting her work in the forge and her proclivity to wear trousers under her skirt (although her mother was none too approving of this last little quirk!) It was her family members who first made an effort to accept Bayne when he and Treva returned to Haven Harbor and this led many townspeople to do the same, paving the way for this couple’s happy ending.
Korth was every bit a prince and a stickler for the rules. I do hope he lightens up in Betraying Korth, but he was a fun character to get to know nonetheless!
Hook, Tinkerbell and Pan made an appearance along with their trusty crew of pirates. It was fun to see Treva’s fascination with the pixie dust on Tink’s wings and the way Tink just owned the honour given to her. I had hoped to read more about Pan (a truly fascinating character) but Mary has assured me that he will reappear in future books, so that’s good. It was fabulous to see how the pirates, sirens, and humans all ended up banding together against a common foe in one of the most epic sea battles I have ever had the privilege of participating in. Truly it felt like I could taste the seawater as I read, so vivid were Mary’s descriptions!
Having read Becoming Hook, in which Peter Pan delighted in torturing pixies and other hapless inhabitants of Neverland, I was expecting this book to be more intense and dark but Treva felt conflicted over having to kill the sirens - even though she knew it was the only choice available. This book does explore darker themes such as genocide, betrayal and racism but it is brilliantly told and had me hooked from beginning to end. September 2024 cannot come soon enough for me – I am more than ready to return to Neverland through the pages of the third book!
I was gifted an ARC and all opinions are my own. I apologise for the spoilers, but I couldn’t figure out a way to write an honest review without them!
Hunting Sirens was a highly original and exceptionally well told story, but of course I would expect no less from Mary Mecham, who is a maestro at writing! It was particularly interesting to see deafness from Sterling and Treva’s perspectives as a positive thing and by no means a disability! In fact, I often felt jealous of Treva as I was reading and I never thought I’d be jealous of a deaf person, but Mary has this unique ability to take something we think of as a negative - and especially something we consider a hindrance or disability - and turn it into not only a positive attribute in her characters’ lives but also an advantage over a deathly foe! Indeed, who but a deaf person could even hope to triumph over the sirens who were singing sailors to their deaths? I was struck by Treva’s courage and tenacity as she first created ingenious weapons to defeat the sirens and then set sail alone to try and overcome them. It was a foolhardy mission to say the least, but one which made an incredible impact right from the start - although even Treva herself didn’t know this at the beginning of her mission.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this book and seeing some old friends again:
Treva herself was obviously a person to emulate as she had a lot of noteworthy characteristics such as diligence, integrity, forthrightness, determination and a quick wit in addition to those I mentioned above. She loved her blacksmith work but volunteered for the mission to kill sirens not because she had a sadistic streak (in fact she was rather kind when it suited her!) but because her people were slowly dying of starvation with the trade routes and access to the waters closed by the fearsome sirens, and she saw no other choice. She was constantly conflicted about this decision and felt guilty about killing her attackers, even when she managed to convince herself they were basically humanoid fish!
Bayne was witty, intelligent, sweet, kind, patient and fascinating. He was a perfect example of the perfect gentleman – would that more human men were like him! Having saved Treva’s life, he deposited her on a desert island but didn’t realise that she would soon die of dehydration and hunger unless drastic measures were taken, as sirens can drink sea water and it never occurred to him that a human wouldn’t be able to. His care for Treva was heartwarming as he first convinced her to play catch with coconuts and later brought her fish to eat. It was lovely to see her overcoming her own prejudices and resistance to Bayne’s attentions and learn to trust him, especially when he committed the ultimate sacrifice and chose legs over a tail in order to gain her love. Their banter was adorable and funny and I loved every word of it! Later in the book, it was also interesting to see how Treva’s family and the townspeople reacted to Bayne rather negatively and how they learnt to overcome their feelings in order to accept him as a hero and a friend, rather than an enemy. In this world, where racism runs rampant Hunting Sirens is an important book to read, as it shows us that different cultures can live together in harmony when prejudices and false beliefs are set aside and wrongs are forgiven.
Sterling and Gage are 2 characters I most definitely would love to see in future books. They were both extremely funny, wonderfully sarcastic and kindhearted. I really enjoyed seeing how Sterling embraced his deafness just as Treva did (Mary herself told me that during her research for this book she discovered that the majority of deaf people consider this “disability” a boon and a blessing rather than a curse) and it was great to watch both these men protect Treva both from the unwanted attentions of hearing people showing off their mediocre sign language skills and greater dangers. It was sweet to see how Treva’s family supported her in every way, from learning sign language in order to communicate with her, to supporting her work in the forge and her proclivity to wear trousers under her skirt (although her mother was none too approving of this last little quirk!) It was her family members who first made an effort to accept Bayne when he and Treva returned to Haven Harbor and this led many townspeople to do the same, paving the way for this couple’s happy ending.
Korth was every bit a prince and a stickler for the rules. I do hope he lightens up in Betraying Korth, but he was a fun character to get to know nonetheless!
Hook, Tinkerbell and Pan made an appearance along with their trusty crew of pirates. It was fun to see Treva’s fascination with the pixie dust on Tink’s wings and the way Tink just owned the honour given to her. I had hoped to read more about Pan (a truly fascinating character) but Mary has assured me that he will reappear in future books, so that’s good. It was fabulous to see how the pirates, sirens, and humans all ended up banding together against a common foe in one of the most epic sea battles I have ever had the privilege of participating in. Truly it felt like I could taste the seawater as I read, so vivid were Mary’s descriptions!
Having read Becoming Hook, in which Peter Pan delighted in torturing pixies and other hapless inhabitants of Neverland, I was expecting this book to be more intense and dark but Treva felt conflicted over having to kill the sirens - even though she knew it was the only choice available. This book does explore darker themes such as genocide, betrayal and racism but it is brilliantly told and had me hooked from beginning to end. September 2024 cannot come soon enough for me – I am more than ready to return to Neverland through the pages of the third book!
I was gifted an ARC and all opinions are my own. I apologise for the spoilers, but I couldn’t figure out a way to write an honest review without them!
August 26, 2024
This book was a fun read. One of my favorite things was that the main character was Deaf. I haven't come across many books of this genre with characters that have that kind of a disability and because I know that I love it when I find good books where the main character is autistic that I can recommend to my son, I'm sure people in the deaf community are happy to find this book with a main character that is relatable to them. Also, I loved how her deafness was actually a strength to her in this book. I enjoyed reading this book. It is clean and well written.
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