Review: Siren's Treasure

The latest ARC I received from the new All That Glitters multi-author series of fairy tale retellings is Siren's Treasure by Suzanna Fowers. This action-packed retelling of "The Little Mermaid" comes out tomorrow! Since "The Little Mermaid" is one of my favorite fairy tales, I was particularly excited to read this entry in the series. This is the third book I've read from All That Glitters. Each one has been drastically different in terms of theming, characters, and tone. This story focuses heavily on the lore behind the original fairy tale while packing it with fantasy and Greek mythology elements. Although most people are at least a little familiar with fairy tales when they read adaptations, this book requires readers to know the original story inside and out before diving in. This wasn't a problem for me, but I think new books should explain as much of the story they're telling as possible to help the reader along.

Siren's Treasure is a sequel to the original story of "The Little Mermaid" that focuses on the descendants of the merfolk and humans who were affected by the events of the fairy tale. Thessa is the niece of Undine, the original "little mermaid" heroine, whose father will die if she is unable to obtain the dagger that her aunt was given to kill the human prince she was in love with. To get it, she will need legs. She makes a deal with Scylla, the sea witch, to trade her siren powers for a pair of legs. Upon turning human, she is reunited with Raggon, a pirate prince whom she rescued when she still had her mermaid powers. After spending more time with him, she learns that the history she was told about her aunt is different from what the descendants of the human prince were told.

This book leans very heavily into the lore of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, but changes it just enough to confuse even readers who are familiar with the original story. Raggon has magical seafoam powers in his bloodline that were granted by Undine after she became a sylph (or daughter of the air). Thessa believes that her aunt sacrificed herself to let the prince be happy with his new lover, while Raggon believes that his ancestor married Undine after her transformation into a sylph, granting powers to all their descendants. However, Undine would not have gotten the knife and sacrificed herself to become a spirit in the first place if the prince had not married another woman. The book did not provide an adequate explanation of these events.

Aside from some complications with the lore, Siren's Treasure is a thrilling adventure with high stakes and tons of magical mayhem. There are two villains in this story, Scylla the sea witch and Circe the land witch. Both protagonists have impressive magical abilities. Thessa is unique as a siren because she can heal with her voice, and Raggon's ancestry allows him to teleport like X-Men's Nightcrawler by morphing into sea foam. Just as Thessa is on a quest to save her father, Raggon seeks to use Undine's blade to save his brother from a curse that is slowly transforming him into a dragon. It seems like there's some kind of new peril happening on every page. The romance between Thessa and Raggon builds momentum pretty quickly out of necessity for the two of them to resolve their mutual conflicts.

Siren's Treasure is a thrilling and action-packed retelling of "The Little Mermaid" that combines fantasy, adventure, and romance. While its heavy reliance on the original fairy tale's lore may pose a challenge for some readers, the book's fast-paced plot, magical mayhem, and complex characters make it a compelling read. Despite some inconsistencies in the storytelling, Suzanna Fowers' vivid world-building and engaging characters shine through, making Siren's Treasure a captivating addition to the All That Glitters series.