ARC Review: Silent Echo by Elisa Freilich

Title: Silent Echo (A Siren's Tale #1)
Author: Elisa Freilich
Publication: September 10th 2013 by Diversion Books
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

Haunted by silence, a mute teenage girl is mysteriously given back her voice ... and it is divine.

Rendered mute at birth, Portia Griffin has been silent for 16 years. Music is her constant companion, along with Felix, her deaf best friend who couldn’t care less whether or not she can speak. If only he were as nonchalant about her newfound interest in the musically gifted Max Hunter.

But Portia’s silence is about to be broken with the abrupt discovery of her voice, unparalleled in its purity and the power it affords to control those around her. Able to persuade, seduce and destroy using only her voice, Portia embarks on a search for answers about who she really is, and what she is destined to become.

Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, SILENT ECHO: A Siren's Tale is an epic story filled with fantasy, romance and original music.

-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: Liked it

-- My Thoughts --

     I have always been intrigued by mythology. Specially Greek mythology. This was the main reason I wanted to read this one. And although it was very good on the mythology part and I liked it, but it could have been better.
     Portia Griffin has not uttered a single word for sixteen years. She is mute but she loves music. And her life is as normal as it could be with her loving best friend, Felix, by her side. But when new student, Max Hunter enters her world, everything turns upside down. She can suddenly speak. But not just that, she can influence people in a way no one else can. And everything Portia knew about her life changes. For better or for worse.
     The main thing that bothered me in this book were the characters, mainly Portia. I couldn't connect with her, she didn't sound or act like a normal teenager. And Max was the same. But i like to admit that Felix is the character I loved the most. He added his own element to the story. His loyalty and his love is what kept thing book so intriguing and what almost made me cry a couple of times. He truly is different from the other guys i have read about in YA novels and the author definitely managed creating a three dimensional and REAL character. He is a gem.
     I LOVE Greek mythology. it has so many twists and turns in it. And you can take it to many different levels. I loved the story of the sirens and how the author contributed them into her story. She definitely nailed it on the background part. When Portia's voice comes back, different songs turn out in the book. I didn't really like this part. Some of the songs were just weird and the rhyming in them was even more weird. But I truly think that it requires a great talent for the author to write such wonderful poems.
     This book ended on a sort-of cliffhanger, it's been a while since I have read a book with a cliffhanger ending, so it totally didn't bother me. I am glad to see that there is a lot of potential for this series, and I HOPE that the author will continue with exploring the mythology-inspired background she has put for her series.