Review: Sirenz by Natalie Zaman & Charlotte Bennardo

Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman

Pages: 280
Publisher: Flux
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Purchased

Bickering frenemies Meg and Shar are doing some 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 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...

When I first started Sirenz, it seemed like it would be an air-headed fluff novel all about shopping and clothes and the typical 'I hate my roommate!" plot line. I wasn't very into it, which disappointed me because I had read some really great things about Sirenz.

All that changed when a hot guy got sliced clean in half by the subway.
Yep.

Now you're probably thinking--what the heck? Let me explain. This was the point in the novel when the big bad and totally sexy Hades, god of the Underworld, shows up in all his tight-butt glory and gives the girls an offer they can't refuse. (Um, why would anyone want to refuse?) From there on the story got really interesting and laugh out loud funny at times. Meg and Shar had one of those relationships where they were constantly throwing around jokes about the other, but you know that they cared about each other and were becoming really great friends.

Plot-wise, I was really surprised just how complex it was! It draws on the Greek myths of not only Hades and Demeter, two very powerful Greek gods, but also, as the title suggest, the sirens. In the old lore, sirens were women that were (contrary to what people think) half-woman and half-bird, and they would sit on rocks and lure sailors to their deaths with their singing. The Zaman and Bennardo duo skillfully weaved these myths together with modern day and created something really entertaining. Definitely loved it!

If you're looking for something light hearted yet well written, I definitely recommend Sirenz. Greek mythology fans, read it! I give it 4 out of 5 stars.