Sirens Unbound: Book Review and Giveaway

Review at a Glance

• Title: Sirens Unbound
• My Rating: 3.75
• Genre: Fantasy
• Format: Paperback*
• Publication Date: July 29, 2019
• Author: Laura Engelhardt

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Sirens Unbound Book Blurb

Amy’s day starts with three things: Coffee, breakfast, then brains. In that order.

Relax, it’s not what you think. She’s just your everyday neurosurgeon who can fix everyone’s brain but her own. It doesn’t matter if she has fifty years of life experience and regularly works with mages—she’s still a mundane.

She’s turning fifty, and her last achievement was what, ten years ago? She’s not sure if anyone even remembers it.

Determined not to be a one-hit-wonder, Amy jumps head-first into a new opportunity. Literally.

Some people have affairs to deal with a midlife crisis—Amy has brain surgery.

The results are even bigger than her career ambitions, and Dr. Amy Bant will need the help of her siblings to survive what comes next. Cordelia, an agoraphobic underwater photographer, Thomas, a playboy with a Brazilian tourism business, and Mary, a choir director with a truth-teller husband are all keys to unlocking secrets a whole lot closer to home than any of them could have realized.

Turning fifty doesn’t have to be mundane—not when you’re in the Bant family!

Sirens Unbound is a 400-page paranormal women’s fiction novel told from each member of the Bant family. This is Book 1 in the Fifth Mage War Series, a magical epic about sirens, fae, and family ties.

Giveaway

Sirens Unbound REVIEW

As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:

• 1 star: Did not finish
• 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
• 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
• 4 Stars: Loved this book!
• 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.

My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.

I’m human.

Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.

This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂

My Thoughts About Sirens Unbound

This is a perfect example of why I always include my star rating system before I start reviewing a book. Some people might think 3.5 stars isn’t good, but no. 3.75 stars means I really liked the book and almost loved it.

Laura Engelhardt builds an extensive and multidimensional world in Sirens Unbound, and in order to build that world, she has to spend some time doing that. Which probably accounts for the slowish start. Add to that, there are multiple POVs to contend with, and it just took me a minute to really get into the story.

There’s also a lot going on here, which is a great thing for a series. With the interacting characters and multiple storylines, there are endless possibilities for growth and action in later books.

But do you know what I really loved about this book? Once of the main characters in a 50 year old woman. A 50 year old heroine in a fantasy novel??? What?! This is no coming of age, teenage story filled with angst and under developed frontal lobes. This is a story about a grown up woman and her siblings. Adults dealing with adult problems in an extraordinary world. It was so freaking refreshing, I can’t even tell you.

Sirens Unbound is a great start to a series and makes me excited to get into the next installment. I know there is so much more to explore.

Recommended For…

Fantasy lovers looking for something a little different to break the mold.

About the Author

An avid sf/fantasy reader, Laura Engelhardt writes the kind of book she likes to read: fantasy with intricate worlds and complex characters facing moral dilemmas. She started writing plays in college, then moved to Germany, where she continued to write while teaching ESL to executives. After moving back to the U.S., she supported her playwriting by teaching ballroom dance and working retail. Deciding that living in her parents’ attic wasn’t for her, Laura went to law school and then spent the next seventeen years as a lawyer and compliance officer in New York City. In 2017, she quit Wall Street and began helping people resolve disputes as a mediator and arbitrator. She now lives in New Jersey with her family.

connect with author: website ~ facebook ~ goodreads

*Thanks so much to Laura Engelhardt and iReadBookTours for my copy of Sirens Unbound in exchange for an honest review.