Review: Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman

Book Description via Goodreads:

Paperback, 280 pages

June 8, 2011, Flux

Bickering frenemies Meg and Shar are doing serious damage at a midnight sample sale when the fashionistas find themselves arguing over a pair of shoes – with fatal consequences. One innocent bystander later, the girls are suddenly at the mercy of Hades, Lord of the Underworld himself. To make them atone for what they’ve done, Hades forces the teens to become special-assignment Sirens, luring to the Underworld an individual whose unholy contract is up.

Finding that delicate balance between their fashion and addiction and their new part-time job in the eternal hellfire biz turns out to be harder than Meg and Shar expected, especially when an entire pantheon of Greek deities decides to get involved. Then there’s the matter of the fine print in their own contracts…

Source: Natalie Zaman (Thank you!!)

My Thoughts:

Sirenz is one of the best books I’ve read this month! The pace was smooth, not too fast but not too slow. The narrative was the fun, engaging type that pulled me in. The characters are easy to relate to and they are interesting. The alternating perspectives never broke the flow of the story. It was like seeing one scene through two different lenses. I was so in tune with them that I could easily imagine what the other was thinking when she was not narrating. Their voices were so distinct. Shar: shoe-addict, prim and proper, pretty and girly. Meg: dark, charming, considerate and wise. Through disasters and shopping sprees, they bickered and helped each other out. Despite the greed, hatred, doubt, temptation and deceit that brewed, the girls were able to develop a strong friendship.

The twist in the Hades-Persephone mythology, troublesome at best, was mixed up with a handful of contracts, credit cards, feathers and shoes. I liked the naughty, seductive version of Hades. He offered Meg and Shar a way out of their problem: to hire them as Sirens. Bennardo and Zaman retained the tragic side of mythology. Meshed with fashion, modern edge and attitude, Sirenz became a perfect mix.

I couldn’t get enough of the humor in Sirenz. The events, the language and the thoughts of the characters were unfortunate, tragic, alarming and sad. But in the core of it all, there was that inane humor. The characters, especially Shar, brought it out and entertained me with it. Both girls wanted to win Badass Jacket/ Sweet Jeans. As the competition became harder and their lives more complicated, both girls needed to prioritize their mission. I enjoyed the unpredictable love moments. It’s always a joy to read something that doesn’t take the usual road.

The thrill and uncertainty of Goddess Test meets the humor and charm of Confessions of a Shopaholic. Sirenz is funny, surprising, charming and brilliant! I highly recommend this to readers of Greek mythology and Greek-mythology-related books and to readers of chic lit.

Rating: