3.5 out of 5 stars

I didn't find this book as engaging as the first book in this series. It took a while for me to get into this book and to remember what happened in the first book.

I found the pace of the book picked up in the second half of the story and it was able to hold my attention. I loved the conclusion of this story, I am not sure if this is a duology or if more books are forthcoming. If a third book was written, I would read it.

Rachanee Lumayno, Kurt Kanazawa, André Santana, Krysta Gonzales, and Angela Tran did a good job narrating this novel. I enjoyed listening to their different voices and I will look for more of their work in the future.

When I saw that Tokuda-Hall was returning to the world of The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea I was very excited... but it's also been a few years so my memory of characters and events was a little fuzzy. This didn't end up being that big of an issue, though I didn't remember all of the plot points from the first book so I wasn't always able to easily connect the dots to what was happening in this book.

While I enjoy multiple POVs in novels, unfortunately I think there were too many here. The first 25% of the book was a bit of a jumble trying to keep characters and plot separated and organized. This felt like it impacted the pacing as well. I found myself putting this audiobook aside in favor of listening to other things. The last 25% of the book did hold my interest though and I liked how the pieces and characters fit together in the end.

Rachanee Lumayno, Kurt Kanazawa, André Santana, Krysta Gonzales, and Angela Tran do a good job with the audiobook narration, though I wish there had been more of an audible difference between each of them to make the POV jumps easier to distinguish while listening.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks in exchange for an honest review.

The Siren, the Song, and the Spy is a stunning companion novel to the The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea, The representation as absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend this to everyone! really has such an enjoyable time listening to this audiobook.

I found this book from Netgalley. I started listening to it and then found out that this is book 2 of the series. then I thought of reading tey first book but I was so into the story and plot I could not put it done. If you are wondering The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
the first book in the series.

My Rating
Overall: ★★★★ | 4 Stars

Plot: ★★★★ | 4 Stars

Characters: ★★★★★| 5 Stars

Audio: ★★★★★ | 5 Stars

Ending: ★★★★ | 4 Stars

Fun: ★★★★ | 4 Stars

My Review
The world-building in this narrative is truly captivating. I was so enthralled by this world where so many characters are struggling to do their own things. At the start, I was a little confused about what was happening because I did not know the backstory. However, as the tale progressed, everything became clear. The plot follows the same old arc of The Great Power against Resistance featuring spies, resistance groups, pirates, and mermaids.

The multiple points of view (POVs) were skillfully executed, contributing to a satisfying narrative. They added complexity and momentum to the story, culminating in a well-crafted conclusion. There is one thing that I would like to say that the ending could have been more interesting and satisfying. it was a bit down for my taste but nonetheless, it was a good read.

Do I Recommend it?
Yes!! ofcourse.

I read this book as an audiobook arc. The 5 different narrators were perfect and made following the multiple POVs easier.

Because this book contains so many POVs, I felt like I didn’t get enough of the stories individually.

Very adventurous and exciting, with lots of action. Some characters I recognise from the first book and some new characters added.

Deals with some really important themes like colonialism, gender roles and racism.

If you liked the first book, you’ll enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good audiobook! It’s read by a full cast and is beyond entertaining. The Siren, the Song, and the Spy is just as good as the first book and I can’t recommend it enough!

The tale of a conflicting reign of an empire and the struggles of a resistance group fighting for their freedom. Where secrets are revealed and the malicious deceptions of power are played, the protagonists have to reluctantly make a choice.

The book was a little confusing at first, but the story grows on you with time. The different angles mentioned in the book make it slightly difficult to gauge the perception from a reader's perspective but the plot is worth the effort. So if you do enjoy the components of mermaids, islands revolution, empire and blood magic, this could be your cup of tea. Was it mine though? Slightly yes and slightly no 🤌😅

Thankyou @netgalley @spotify @maggietokudahall for the ARC

Genre: #scifi #fantasy #ya #teens
Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

4.5 stars.
Audiobook is well-read by a full cast.

While I have NOT read "The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea" (the original book in this series), I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. This is also my first book by this author, though it certainly won't be my last. I gobbled this story up in a few short days.

Maggie Tokuda-Hall tackles several poignant themes: colonization, colonial and gun violence, skewed power dynamics, gender stereotypes (plus their reversal and non-binary humans), queer characters (especially loved the ace representation), family secrets, and more. That said, this book is neither overwhelmingly heavy, nor preachy.

In addition to intertwining these important themes and representation into this world/story, the author also bring to life incredible world-building, huge emotional journeys & backstories, and maintains a nail-biting pace throughout. For the most part, the characters were well-rounded, vibrant and evolving - and are especially brought to life by the full-cast narration. (Note: It is possible that had I read the original book in this series first, there would have been even more character development - I cannot speak to that).

All told, "The Siren, The Song and The Sea" is a magnificently fun time, with great representation.

Huge gratitude to NetGalley, and Spotify audiobooks, for and audio-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

I read book 1 to prepare for this ARC and I am so glad that I did! This is such a great story and I can't wait to see where it's headed! I love that Thistle saw the errors of her ways and training and was able to reunite with her mother. And the Dragon OMG that was the best!! Can't wait for the next installment and I kinda want to become a mermaid too!

#TheSirentheSongandtheSpy
#NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I had not read the first book before reading this companion novel, but I wish I had as I think I would have picked up on the characters faster. Overall, I was able to catch up on who the characters were and what was occurring in this world. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives throughout the book as it added so many layers to the book which is reflective of the real world and all the perspectives in life. This book was so beautifully written and immersive. I really enjoyed the story and cannot wait to read the first book.

The Siren, the Song, and the Spy is the second book in this series, though it could work as a stand alone novel. There is barely any connection between the characters early on, and the prior plot is not needed moving forward.
The good: the ending sums up everything nicely. There's a sweet little epilogue that ties it all together. I did enjoy the battles, the espionage, and the plot. The auduobook version is well narrated with great acting. Easy to follow.
The bad: You used "cacophony" no less than four times in the last half of the book. Jumping between characters is a bit hard to follow. And keeping track of what one character knows/doesn't know is rough.

Thistle's transition to Genevieve is by far my favorite plot twist. Didn't see it coming. It's reminiscent of the first book's Florian/Flora moments. Don't know if the author intended it that way...this book lacks in the lgbtq factor and I don't know if the Thistle transition was covering it up or trying to capitalize on it again.

Thank you so much NetGallery, the author, and the publishers for giving me this opportunity to read and review this title..

I DNF this book but can see why many would enjoy the world. I’m rating it a 3 because of the following:

- I found it challenging to follow the point of views
- this caused me to not really feel for any of the characters and not able to connect which is disappointing because the world is really well written.
- I can see the adventure can be really enjoyable to some if you connect with the characters
- because I DNF this book I don’t think it’s fair to rate it lower because there’s potential but it’s not for me

I think I would still recommend this to people but in the end it wasn’t for me. The world was well written but the characters lacked too much that I found no interest in what happened to them.