What We’re Reading

The Cronus Chronicles, Book 2: The Siren Song | Anne Ursu

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After returning from their successful mission to the Underworld, Charlotte and Zee have returned to life as usual. Minus the nightmares/generally strange dreams, and the fact that Charlotte is grounded forever, because it turns out, once you learn that the gods are real, lying to your parents just doesn’t work anymore. Life is just too real for that. Still, it’s not all bad. When a cute new boy moves to town, and seems to have an interest in Charlotte, it’s hard not to feel at least a little uplifted.

Unfortunately, things don’t stay smooth for long.

There’s the strange old man Charlotte, Zee, and even Mr. Mielswetzski have seen around town. And Jason gone missing. And Zee taking an interest in Maddy, Charlotte’s best friend, only to dump her
and pick up with an Ashley. And let’s not forget the total personality make-over he could have done without. And to ice Charlotte’s cake, her father has won an award, and the family is going on a cruise. A History cruise. Every day to disembark and visit local sites. Every teenager’s dream.

Or not.

Still, at least she can get out of the house.

Things go amiss on the cruise almost from the get-go. Her parents arrive late to breakfast on their second day raving about Thalia the lounge singer. It starts pouring just as she’s about to lay out by the pool. Her parents make a date to meet her for breakfast the next morning (after locking her in her room due to a misunderstanding), and miss the appointment. Upon exploration Charlotte discovers the ship to be empty, and in the Mediterranean. Just a wee bit off course from the East Coast.

Eventually, Charlotte finds the passengers and all the crew locked in the Lounge with Thalia, who happens to be a Siren, and her powers don’t work on Children. It’s up to Charlotte. Who, by some
stroke of fate, isn’t alone. Jason, whom she thought she’d seen the day before, is indeed on board. There to help her. Turns out, he knows about her escapades in the Underworld. His dad’s a god, kin to Poseidon. Poseidon doesn’t take well to people messing with his family, and it turns out Philonecron is his grandson. Which puts Charlotte on the hit list. For which an entire ship full of people are about to pay the price. So of course they do the only sensible thing. They head for
Poseidon’s yacht, with the plan of stealing his Trident to control Thalia and free the passengers and crew.

After a near miss with a couple sea monsters, Charlotte and Jason make it to the yacht. They hatch a plan.

Charlotte, never big on patience, sets off on her own. Suffice it to say her plan takes a turn for the disastrous, but fate seems to be on her side, handing her an unlikely ally, and one more shot to save the day.

Again.