β Scribed by Tricia Rayburn
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Vanessa and Justine Sands have spent their summers in Maine hanging out with the neighboring Carmichael brothers for almost as long as they can remember. But this year, after a terrible fight with their parents about her future plans, Justine jumps off a cliff to her death. Vanessa doesn't believe that her sister killed herself so she starts digging for answers. It turns out that Justine's death isn't the only one that summer. Dead men are washing ashore all along the coast, and the weather is going crazy. As she searches for clues, Vanessa begins to suspect that there might be a connection between the many deaths. This novel starts out well, but quickly drags. Rayburn's writing has an almost cinematic quality, but that causes problems when things aren't explained clearly and readers are left to infer too much in the action. While the premise of sirens in modern-day North America is fascinating, the idea is not fully explored. Far too much of the book is spent with Vanessa chasing after her sister's boyfriend for answers. Also, the science behind the climactic scene makes absolutely no sense and isn't plausible.-Necia Blundy, Marlborough Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Vanessa, 17, wishes that she was more like her confident older sister Justine and was less afraid of the dark and the ocean at her family's Maine summerhouse. Then, shockingly, Justine is found dead on the shore, and although the death is termed accidental, Vanessa decides to travel from their family home in Boston to Maine to search for answers. There, she learns that Caleb, Justine's regular summer boyfriend, is missing, and of the mysterious, sea-related deaths of local menβeach, eerily, found smiling. Together with Simon, Caleb's brother, Vanessa begins to unfold intertwined mysteries and searches for the courage to thwart a sinister, potentially deadly plan. Rayburn's modern-day, edgy spin on siren mythology combines suspense, dark drama, and romance. Vanessa is an appealing protagonist, whose detailed narrative incorporates well-drawn issues, from grief to relationship complexities. Although the sometimes dense story includes occasional contrivances and a rushed conclusion, this will appeal to fans of contemporary supernatural novels, and the lingering ambiguities and loose ends will leave readers wanting more. Grades 9-12. --Shelle Rosenfeld
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