"Chickens and cows have legs. You have legs. Does that make you a chicken?"

Trapped on an island nation and surrounded by bloodthirsty sirens, the starving people of Haven Harbor are losing hope. Treva, a Deaf blacksmith immune to the tempting call of the sirens lurking in the deep, steps into the perilous role of Siren Hunter. If she can rid the waters of enough sirens, her people could be free at last.

Unbeknownst to her, another creature dwells in the sea, even more ferocious than the dreaded sirens. When Treva faces the monster and loses, her life is saved by a handsome siren who has no voice. Can mortal enemies set their differences aside long enough to unite their nations? Or will Treva ignore her growing feelings and finish what she started?

"I think I love you too."
"You only think so?" Bayne teased.
"Well, it has never happened before, see. It might just be heartburn."

To say this a gender-flipped Little Mermaid is...a bit of a stretch. I would say it was more inspired by than an actual retelling but I digress.

I really, really liked getting a Deaf perspective through Treva...and the author's note that she ran it past multiple people in the Deaf community to ensure that it was a true representation even though the author herself is not Deaf. The call-outs with attention to air flow (knowing someone stepped into her forge), vibrations (like rapped knuckles on a table), etc. were a really insightful view I had never considered as a sighted person.

On top of that, having Deafness as a super power against sirens? HECK YES. Sign me up!

And on top of that, on top of that...a voiceless siren? And Treva's subsequent rationalizing of who she can and can't hate because of various reasons that this introduces? It's a good look at prejudice and how sometimes we don't remember that individuals make up the greater whole.

Sadly, no sea witch. Just a kraken.

The only things keeping it from a five star is because of Treva's perspective on femininity and because I just really wasn't feeling the romance.

Recommended for fans of any retellings!