Undercurrent

Gr 8 Up—Vanessa Sands knows life will never be normal after her horrible summer in Winter Harbor, Maine. Her family is still recovering from the loss of her sister, Justine, and Vanessa is dealing with the consequences of her transformation into a siren. Vanessa clings to her boyfriend, Simon, and best friend, Paige, but withholds the truth from them. She struggles to learn how to adapt to being a siren, with the painful thirst and seductive powers. As Vanessa and Paige start their senior year of high school, Parker King begins to take an interest in her. Despite her love for Simon, Vanessa feels drawn to Parker and breaks up with Simon because she is afraid of ruining his life. As her feelings toward Parker develop, strange accidents begin to happen, accidents Vanessa links to other sirens. Vanessa must discover the truth, but because of her lies, she may have to stop the other sirens on her own. Tricia Rayburn's sequel (2011) to Siren (2011, both EgmontUSA) adds interesting twists to the folklore on sirens. She also adeptly develops the relationships between characters. Nicola Barber captures the strength and vulnerability of Vanessa and gives the other sirens haunting, yet beautiful voices. Teens will be drawn in by the love triangle and suspense and will eagerly await the final installment of the trilogy.—Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY