The Siren and the Scholar by J. M. Stengl

Fantasy. 350 Pages. 5 Stars

And with an all new cover, take a look at that! Just for fun, check out the previous two. Can you guess which is my favorite?

Synopsis:

Can true love survive when memories are stolen away?

When Kamoana the siren is transformed into human shape, she knows that her mother, the powerful sahira Queen Pukai, laid the spell on her, but she can’t remember why. It has to be some kind of test, most likely related to romance and undoubtedly involving a three-day deadline, but Kamoana can’t remember being in love with anyone, let alone a human. How dared her mother tamper with her memories! 

To make things worse, at Faraway Castle, the playground of royal, noble, and wealthy singles from around the world, the possibilities are almost limitless. How can Kamoana even figure out who the guy is, let alone make him fall in love with her, before her three days are up? Even more to the point, does she really want to marry anyone? Her goals involve education and a career, not marriage.

But when Kamoana’s memories begin to return and her love revives, the game becomes serious. Can she convince a man with no memory of her to fall in love again?

My Review: 

This is the second book in the Faraway Castle series by J.M. Stengl. I was positively dying to read this one ever since I set hands on the prequel, The Little Siren. And, the publisher graciously sent me a free advanced copy of the ebook, for which I cannot be more grateful. Thank you!!

The setting was again primarily at Faraway Castle, though we did get to explore a little big of sea on Nelumbo’s back and through flashbacks. The timeline was slightly unclear, though not enough to disrupt the story. My main confusion was how the events lined up in time with book one, but it all clicked into place eventually. The story did employ flashbacks, but they didn’t jolt me from the story either, and I think they were very tactfully handled. I found a few typos and one minor inconsistency, but other than that, the book was well-written technically speaking. I like Stengl’s writing style and I love the world she’s created. Her characters are heartwarming and I have fallen head over heals for them. Kammy and Tor are my absolute favorite pair in her world. The side characters were varied and well-done too. Of course, I gushed a little over the returning cameos, but Tor and Kammy stole my heart from the beginning of the prequel. I think it’s that heart-wrenching, impossible situation they found themselves in that I just can’t get enough of. (And I was really very pleased with Pukai’s character. She surprised me and I found her a most unique addition to the traditional story.) I love how their story has turned out and wish I could have read another eight-hundred pages of it! There were some mind-boggling plot revelations that I did not see coming, but was completely enthralled by. The storyline is fraught with scenes that made me smile and yearn for more. I will read this one over and over again.

Mild violence, clean romance, and no foul language. Highly recommended!

More: 

Prequel novella 0.5 Cinder Ellie (4 Stars)

Prequel novella 0.6 The Little Siren (5 Stars)

Book 1 in the Faraway Castle series is Ellie and the Prince (5 Stars)

Book 3 is The Rose and the Briar (5 Stars)

Book 4 is The Lady and the Wish (5 Stars)

Book 5, The Mirror and the Curse, is being written as we speak! Eep!

You can get The Little Siren free here by signing up for Stengl’s newsletter! I haven’t been bombarded and spammed by her letters yet (they’ve been pretty infrequent so far), so I can totally recommend signing up. If you find you don’t enjoy the newsletters, you can always unsubscribe at any time.

I have reviewed each of the above on Goodreads. Follow the links to find more info on the books and then scroll down to see the reviews. Mine is among them.

This series should be read in order.

ON GRACEBOUGHT:

If you missed it, be sure to check out the reviews for the previous book in the series here on GraceBought! And stay tuned next week for my thoughts on book 3!

Ellie and the Prince