DNF.

I was so excited for this book but, once I started reading it I ended up feeling apathetic about. It felt like the idea was really phenomenal but the execution was rushed. I found the pacing of the story really difficult to keep up with and couldn't understand the family dynamics within the book. I struggled to reconcile an adult queen placing the responsibility for finding her husband on a young man who knows nothing about what happened apart from the fact that he is part siren. I did enjoy the sibling relationships but, at the end of the day, I couldn't finish this. I think I got about 30 percent of the way through before the pacing and plot holes were giving me a headache. I do think that, with some extra work on pacing and characterisation, this book could be really great.

2.75 stars.

Son of the Siren is a fantasy novel about a half human, half siren who lives with his human half siblings in a palace. After the death of his father, Lirien's siren-like tendencies start to come to light, and he accidentally sings a magical enchantment to his step-mother, which causes her to fall in love.

I ended up DNFing this book at 30%. The writing felt very middle grade to me and I didn't care at all about the story or characters. This book was a miss for me, but I could see hardcore fantasy lovers enjoying it if they don't mind more of a middle grade feel. 2 stars from me. Thank you to Oliver Heber Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

YA, Standalone.

Shockingly, this novel is based on a young boy whose mother was a siren. The author's world building was complete, the storyline was cohesive and had many elements to it that can draw a wide variety of people in. It was action packed and has nice elements of love in many forms, but most focused was young love.
This was a stunning mixture of mythology and fantasy, and will be perfect of those who love Adalyn Grace's "All the stars and Teeth".

I loved this fantasy book. It’s a magical read and the story is well written as well as easy to follow. Lirien, is born half human and half siren and has to face many struggles trying to save his father and family. I loved the ending! If you’re a fan of fantasy don’t walk, run to buy it.!

Son of the Siren by Kristina Elyse Butke is quite an intense, action-packed read! Something(s) hooked me pretty quickly, and I was hooked!
Lirien, who is half-human and half-siren, has never fully been accepted by his human family. After the kidnapping of his beloved father, Lirien tries task after task to get him back. One task ends in his stepmother falling violently in love with him and his half siblings being turned into magical creatures. Lirien runs after his siblings, trying to save them and ends up interacting with the fae, elves, and other creatures that live in the surrounding forest. As he fights to break the curses on himself and on his family, he faces danger and finds true friendship and love. In the end, he must make the ultimate sacrifice to find true happiness.
Thank you, NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books, for an advanced copy of Son of the Siren in exchange for an honest review. I couldn't put it down!

thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

fun!! ending made me cry! bittersweet for sure. it has a lovely balance of adventure in the form of cursebreaking and a love story. the latter half had me more entertained than the beginning, but the world building in the first half is wonderful. at first i couldn't really tell if this book landed in the ya or adult range. its content was certainly of at least a new adult nature, but at times the writing style felt more like a ya novel. it's not a dealbreaker for me on this one though, as it consistently kept my attention.

"Son of the Siren" is a novel that I approached with eager anticipation, hoping for an enthralling dive into its story. Unfortunately, the book did not meet my expectations and failed to hold my interest throughout.

One of the significant issues for me was the main character. I found the protagonist underdeveloped and lacking the depth needed to evoke empathy or connection. A well-crafted main character should draw readers in, but in this case, the character's journey felt superficial and unconvincing.

Moreover, the stakes in the story felt forced and didn't evoke any real emotion. High stakes are crucial in driving a narrative and engaging the reader, yet here, they seemed artificially inflated and failed to resonate. The tension and urgency that should compel a reader to keep turning the pages were noticeably absent.

While "Son of the Siren" may find its audience among readers who appreciate its specific style or themes, it was not for me. The lack of a compelling main character and the unconvincing stakes made it a challenging read. This book had potential, but it fell short in execution, leaving me disengaged and ultimately disappointed.

I was excited to read this one because I liked the idea of a half-siren male, with a mother who is a siren and a father who is human. The world building and side characters were great and well thought out. But in this story, as he is being forced to try to reverse a siren curse by singing the "siren song", his stepmother hears the song, falls under the song's spell, and and falls head over heels in love with her stepson. The lines and boundaries she crosses made it uncomfortable, as she persues her stepson romantically while under this siren song's spell. I think something else could've been done with the storyline instead of a stepmother pursuing her stepson. But other than that part of the storyline, the rest of it was a very enjoyable book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC of Son of the Siren, in exchange for an honest review.

It started off pretty interesting but the whole step-mother thing is creepy. I am super into mermaid books or little mermaid retellings but I am not sure about his one. If you just totally ignore the step-mother thing then it's fine.

I couldn't get into this one, unfortunately. The premise seemed good, but the execution was off. I understand the point of the siren's song, but to have ensorcel his own stepmother into trying to seduce him just seemed like a teenage boy's fantasy. I know there was more to it than that, but it just put me off from the beginning, and I just could never get into it.

This was a really well done YA fantasy stand alone novel! Lirien is half siren and half man, his siren mother lulls his father to the sea where he disappears, Lirien's stepmother goes crazy and forces him to bring his father back! By accident Lirien sings his siren song and BOOM stepmama falls head over heels in love/lust with him and things go crazy from there! I loved this adventure story, Lirien goes on an epic quest to undo his song/save his younger siblings. He meets a vengeful fae fox and an elf with a sacred sword, they go off on their perilous journey! I loved the flow of this book and it had just enough world building to be interesting but not confusing!

Son of the Siren has an intriguing premise and I was drawn to it because it has a male (half)-Siren as main character for once.
And while Lirien was a good character, sadly the story did not enchant me like I hoped it would.

I missed a bit more world building and a bit more "pull", this story feels written for a younger audience despite some heavy topics. So before reading Son of the Siren make sure to look up trigger warnings because the Queen did overstep boundaries with her stepson Lirien.

Overall it's not a bad story, it just wasn't for me.

A fun take on the Children of Lir story with engaging characters and a wonderfully designed world! Thanks to NetGalley and Olive Heber Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In The Son of the Siren, love is a twisted curse, like the dark magic of a siren’s song. Half-siren Lirien witnesses this when his mother sings his father into the sea. Attempting to reverse the curse, Lirien ensnares his stepmother, who then transforms his siblings into animals. Joined by a vengeful fae fox and an elf with a sacred sword, Lirien embarks on a perilous journey to save them. Meanwhile, his own curse looms if he strays too long from the sea.

⁤The story overall is good. ⁤⁤The pacing is good, and I felt engaged most of the time. ⁤⁤However, the writing was lacking, and it may have been because of the world-building. ⁤⁤I would also definitely encourage anyone wanting to read this story to look up the trigger warnings since the story did have some strange elements to it. ⁤

⁤The world-building in this book was minimal at best. ⁤⁤That is not necessarily a bad thing, and it depends on what type of fantasy book you prefer. ⁤⁤I personally prefer a book with a bit more world-building, which this, sadly, did not have.

“Son of the Siren,” by Kristina Elyse Butke

Lirien, half-siren, lives as a human prince until his father is taken to the sea by his siren mother. In an attempt to get him back he tries to sing the siren song, but the song causes his stepmother to become obsessed with him. When he turns her down, she uses dark magic to get him to love her. It ended up causing Lirien’s siblings to turn into to animals and spread across the land. Lirien goes on an adventure to find them and turn them back to humans.

An adventurous book focused on the morals and coming-of-age of the main character through the epic quest. I think it’s a good book for teens, boys and girls because the main character is a boy, but the story has lots of fairytales that girls are traditionally drawn to. The romance (thinking a girl is cute) is sweet and light which makes it a good book for teens on the younger side. I wish the main character was more emotional, he is very stoic and a matter of fact. 3 out of 5 stars, fun adventure.

-Fae
-Sirens
-Royalty

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

"The Son of the Siren" by Kristina Elyse Butke is a captivating novel that has elements of fantasy, mythology, and romance. The story is about a young man named Lucas, who discovers that he is the son of a siren. As Lucas grapples with his newfound identity, he goes on a journey deep into a world of secrets, powerful magic, and dangerous enemies.

The writing is descriptive, with images of the fantastical and real-world settings. Characters are well-developed and relatable. Lucas, as the protagonist, is particularly compelling; his internal conflict and growth throughout the story are both believable and engaging.

The novel's pacing is well-balanced, it has action, dialogue, and introspection. There is tension and suspense, that kept me hooked from beginning to end. It is a creative way to incorporate siren mythology and also adds a unique twist to the genre. Overall, "The Son of the Siren" is a great read for fans of fantasy and mythology. I cannot wait to see what she does in the future with her writing.

OMG I DON'T HAVE ANY WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS BOOK. THE STORYLINE, THE CHARACTERS WERE IMMACULATE. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I READ SO FAR THIS YEAR.

I was provided an early digital copy from the publishers through netgalley.

This will be spoiler free

⭐️⭐️⭐️This book is a sleeper. ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

This may be overused quite a bit within book reviews however I could not put this book down. It hit the ground running with page one. There was never a dull moment within the entirety of the book and it was always moving forward to its goal. The MMC/FMC are not your typical characters with the monotonous personalities. The world itself is described with enough detail to give you an image but not too much to where you are reading page after page of what something looks like. I thoroughly enjoyed the world the author has made and the writing style. I’d be very interested in more works within this world. It has substantial potential.