Customer Reviews

Secret of the Sirens (Companions Quartet)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One day my library teacher was recommending a book to me, but I wasn't listening. Instead I was looking at the upper shelf at a very fat book with a cool symbol on it. By then my teacher had finished talking about the book she recommended which I didn't even know the title of. So, when she asked me if the book sounded good, I said, "It sounds pretty good to me." But when she left I looked straight at the other book. It was called "Secret of the Sirens" by Julia Golding. I decided to read it and it is one of the best books I've read in my life.

It is about a ten year old girl called Connie. She lives with her aunt because of specific problems in her past schools. She has a very special bond with animals and soon discovers that her aunt is in a secret society (for the protection of mythical creatures).

Connie is very strange girl with two mismatched eyes, one green and one blue. She also can talk to animals and claims them to be her best friends.

If you like fantasy of myths this is a good book to read, but you have to be a pretty advanced reader with a big vocabulary. I think this book will become a classic. --By Michael (a student in msdu's class)

For one of my college classes I had to choose a book in the 5th or 6th grade reading level that I had never read before. At first I was scrambling around because it's been awhile since I've been in the 5th or 6th grade. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find a book to read that didn't make me want to bang my head against a wall. Then I was in my local library and I found this book. I have always been interested in mythology so I thought I'd take a chance. I'm glad I did! This book introduces not only creatures from Greek mythology but creatures from other cultures; some of which I had never even heard of before! The story is excellently woven with real life problems, such as enviromental pollution, and problems of a mythic nature, such as flying lessons on a pegasus! The main character, Connie, is easily relatable to the target audience. She has to deal with the pressures of starting a new school and making friends while at the same time feeling odd and out of place. While I felt like the climax of the story started a little early, I can see why the early hook would be neccesary for a younger audience. I was able to sit down and read the book in one setting and throughly enjoyed it! This book would be great to introduce in a classroom to have students look at myths and to create their own stories or to have them draw out scence from the book. This also can be used in talking about the effects of pollution on the enviroment and ecosystmes.

Teaser Summary: Connie Lionheart has always caused "incidences" at school involving animals, which resulted in her expulsion. When her parents relocate for a job, they decide to send her to live with her crazy aunt at the coast. Connie quickly discovers that her aunt is involved in a secret society to protect the environment. Then, she learns the truth about what kinds of creatures the society protects, and the truth about her own unique gifting. However, someone else also knows about Connie's gifting, and would use it for his dark purposes, putting Connie in danger.

The Review: Once I started this book I had a very difficult time stopping. Golding is very good about drawing the reader in, making them care about her characters. You experience the feelings of Connie and Col as they learn about their gifts, and make mistakes in some of their personal relationships. That is refreshing compared to some author's who write their heroes and heroines to be the most selfish and egotistical characters and condone their behaviors as "right."

The best aspect of this book is Golding's gorgeous ability to use words. She does not simple structure sentences to tell a story; she paints a picture using diverse vocabulary and rich language. You experience the thrill and joy of Connie in her bonds with animals through the beautiful descriptions, while the author is able to keep the plot of the story moving at the same time. I found myself daydreaming about which mythical animal I would want to be a companion to. I have decided that it would be some sort of flying creature, either a pegasi, a dragon, or a Sphinx.

It was described as an "eco-fantasy" series. I was afraid that the novel would be all about how awful humans are, and "woe" is the planet. However, I found that I really enjoyed the realistic setting that a new oil refinery was encroaching on the habitat of a flock of Sirens. That idea made the magic and fantasy of the mythical creatures seem like it was occurring in real life, since balancing between the environment and humans is a real life issue in the media.

This book has easily become one of my new favorites. There are three more in the series and I hope that I am not disappointed. For anyone who loves mythical beasts and fantasy this is a MUST read :0).

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Reading the reviews, I thought this would be a good series to read after Harry Potter and Fablehaven. Wow, was I wrong. It's a book good enough for kids, as my 11 year old seemed to enjoy reading it. I, on the other hand, find it boring and predictable. 3/4 of the way through the book, I gave up. I couldn't bring myself to pick it up again.

Everything seems to be okay. I had ordered this for a little friend but he has assured me he received it.

I don't know why this series hasn't blown up yet. My fifth grade boys were starving for a new series after finishing Percy Jackson. We tried a few different books, but they didn't have that mythological theme the boys loved. I happened to find this book and tried it out with them. We all love it! They have just finished The Gorgon's Gaze and are begging for the third book! I will admit that Secret of the Sirens starts off a little slow, because Ms. Golding does a thorough job of setting up the story. But it does pick up and then hooks you, making you want more. The Gorgon's Gaze takes a faster pace than Secret of the Sirens (yay!). I'm very eager to read The Chimera's Curse. If you like mythology, you'll love how this book fits different mythological creatures together in one story. If your girl's enjoy mythology, I suggest the Pandora series.

This was a fantastic read. I am an 18 year old and was desperate for a new book. I'm very picky about what I like to read but once I get hooked, I get REALLY hooked. But I am passionate about very few books and it takes a lot to draw me in.. but this book certainly did the job! It's a fabulous read for animal lovers and ties in a lot of great environmentalism ideas.

It's well-written, very enjoyable and had me begging for more! The next book - The Gorgon's Gaze - is just as good!

This is an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING story of a young girl with amazing powers. In the story she thinks that she is of no use to anyone, but after a while she finds out that she has an amazing gift. She manages to save the world for now from an evil creature who wants to destroy all of humanity. The story is full of suspense at every turn. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. Read the book to find out how a young girl's life is suddenly turned upside down.

I bought this book for my 11 year old daughter. She gave it the 5 stars. She says "It is an amazing fantasy book. In the beginning it is a little boring, but as you go on it gets very exciting. Each page has a lot of adventure. And once you start reading you won't be able to stop." I try to read some of my kids' books to motivate them to read and, unlike some of the other books I've read, this was one that I enjoyed. I've just purchased the other 3 books in the series for my dauther (note: compare hardcover vs paperbacks prices: the hardcovers are cheaper than paperback for the 1st three books in this series)

Connie is a young girl sent to live with her aunt because she is always getting into trouble due to her odd bond with animals. It turns out her Aunt is part of the Society for the Protection of Mythical Creatures. To be part of the society you have to be able to communicate with one type of mythical creature like a banshee, dragon, or siren. Connie turns out to be a universal companion which means she can communicate with all mythical creatures. She is the only known living universal companion.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good start to the series and I look forward to what will happen to Connie in the future. I thought the whole idea of the book was very original and would definitely reccomend it to any young adult especially if they are a fan of Tamora Pierce's Wild Mage series. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because I thought it was slightly annoyin that you never find out little details like exactly how old Connie is. They kept on referring to her as a very young girl but she didn't really think like a little girl.