First Review for "Call of the Siren"

My BryonySeries super fan strikes again!

 Once again, she has left a phenomenal review on Amazon, this time for my latest novel, the second in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy: Call of the Siren.

 I've posted it below. But you may also read it here.

And for a few quotes/excerpts, see this post.

 But first, enjoy a few "bonus" comments from her that you won't find on Amazon:

"You're masterful at blending magic/horror and reality into one package."

 "This was strictly human level pain. There were no riches. There was no perceived savior or a rush to fame and fortune. Illusions were ripped away. It was so starkly and darkly human."

 "The beauty of this story is Sue is everyone's ancestor - someone who struggled - REALLY struggled - to fit in and to make a place for herself in a very cruel world. Yes, the magic is most certainly there, but it's that double-edged magic - the real thing. Bloody and ugly and vengeful."

 "It is the reality of Sue that makes the book beautiful. Even the true "fey" could never figure her out."

 And, finally, lest I sit back and rejoice TOO much, she added this: "Don't rest on your laurels, Missy. Waiting for the next fix."

 Yeah, yeah.

 But even the last comment is very BryonySeries. "Missy" was John-Peter's nickname for Karla.

 Thank you for reading this far. Here, now, is the review:

 

 "Call of the Siren" is an irresistible and terrifying novel

After I finished reading "Call of the Siren" it occurred to me that the story has so many elements of a fairy tale. There's Sue, an enchanted child, whose birth is shrouded in mystery. A vague and dangerous melody only she can hear, plays through her mind day and night. For most of her childhood, Sue appears to be in a state of fugue - sleep walking through her life as if she's waiting for something to happen

Sue's mother, Sally, is a hardworking soul - providing everything her daughter needs through her arduous work as a cook at Munsonville Inn. Though Sally provides food and shelter, there appears to be a disconnect between mother and daughter. It's as if they're two strangers forced to live together. You don't get the idea that Sue's life is filled with hugs and comfort.

Lacking a sitter, Sally brings young Sue to work with her each day, where supporting characters show more interest and love than her own mother. When Sue begins wandering to Lake Munsonville at night, Sally is alarmed. The lake is a tragic place where she lost her husband. Before Sue was born, a freak storm killed most the men fishing on Lake Munsonville. The fact that Sue is drawn to the haunted body of water terrifies Sally.

Sally, who is all about fulfilling her obligations, locks Sue in the bedroom at night while she sleeps on a couch outside the girl's room. And though Sally worries there's a strange spell on her daughter, both she and Sue accept the song and its dangers stoically.

Think of princesses before they achieve "happily after after." Sue is the very image of Cinderella, with her years of drudgery and and loneliness in the face of the unfairness of her life. Like the princesses in fairy tales, Sue is passive and submissive. Life is something that happens to her and she allows it. She's appears incapable of fighting back.

The author painfully brings home the tedium of Sue's life - the unending routine of rising at dawn, trudging through the elements to get to a job of drudgery in a kitchen of the local inn. These routines continue throughout Sue's life, with the occasional burst of excitement. Yet, if Sue minds the monotony it seldom shows.

Bursts of poignant poetry dot the book. The verses bring a sense of high emotion that clashes with the harsh reality, making their existence that much more painful.

As she grows, the song in Sue's hears in her head isolates her from her peers. She's a freak whose malady attracts the creepy denizens of the town's underworld (quite a lot of fun for the reader). The authors villains are truly the bottom of the barrel when it comes to evildoing.

Though "Sirens" is a standalone tale, reading the author's other serial books, or at least "Bryony Marseilles" will shed light on a few of the fascinating characters like Dr. Martin Parks, Dr. Gothart - and indeed, the possible origins of Sue's song. Well worth the effort, and more than likely you'll find yourself hooked on Bryony, with your winter reads all lined up.

Halfway through the book, it's clear that Sue is unlikely to ride off into the sunset with a handsome prince. After all, Sue lives in Munsonville, Michigan. Like Stephen King's Derry, Maine, Munsonville is not a "happily ever after" type of burg. Munsonville is the heart of the author's terrifying Bryony series and happiness is rare.

Though she never meets a prince, Sue does fall in love. When she comes of age, Sue takes on odd jobs in the kitchen where her mother works. It's where she first lays eyes on a man named Sam. Now, most folks would take a look at Sam and label him a scheister. That isn't really fair, but neither is life.

But,to Sue, he's the sun and the moon and the stars. The sparkle in his eyes and crooked smile reduce the song to a mere whisper. When she's near Sam the song becomes a mere whisper. Unfortunately, before she can declare her undying love (slipping forever out of passive mode), Sam calls her crazy and disappears.

After Sally's death - and the earth-shattering admission that she is not Sue's birth mother - Sue finds herself lost. Luther, a reporter for the local paper takes over in assuring Sue does not sleep walk. Each night, he carefully locks her in. Each day, she questions who she really is. Predictably, she and Luther become lovers, though her heart belongs to Sam. Still, Luther's not a bad catch, and the reader anticipates a "happily ever after, or perhaps "happily for the time being."

GOTCHA!

Do NOT - repeat: DO NOT - attempt to outfox the author. Denise Baran-Unland's complex prose - her twists and turns and dead ends - will make a fool of you every time.

"Call of the Siren" is Unland's most complex composition to date. It's not an easy read. It is well worth reading, but it will take a bit of discipline. Again, reading a few of the other books in the series will help to a great extent. However, unlike the other books in the series, this one hits where it hurts. The siren song and creepy characters aside, most of us suffer the pains of tedium, rejection and loneliness, and this book brings that home in a very painful way. As adults, we know vampires and monsters are remote possibilities at best. Living with ourselves and our frailties and fears is far more frightening.

In fact, it's painful. Most of us have been Sue. We've faced rejection and confusion. We lose sight of who we really are. We feel a sense of helplessness in dealing with life. When we finally claim our prize, it slips away, leaving us depressed and alone.

"Call of the Siren" is powerful in that it invokes the deep seated fear of abandonment and rejection that lurks in our subconscious no matter how confident we appear. As a horror novel, it's unlike the other books in the Bryony series, but it is every bit as terrifying.