Temptress, Shapeshifter, Bird, Fish: Seven Books That Explore the Myths of Sirens

The myth of the siren has captivated storytellers for millennia. They’re mentioned first in the Odyssey and Argonautica as bird-like women with alluring voices, waiting upon jagged rocks to draw unsuspecting sailors to a dismal, watery end with their song.

They are shapeshifters, too. Medieval iconography denoted their metamorphosis from winged and taloned, to scaled and tailed mermaids. Similar creatures appear across cultures: In Germany there is Lorelei of the Rhein. There are the Celtic myths of the selkies and the merrows. Many can move from land to water, changing their forms so that they might deceive.

Whether bird women, fish women, or humanlike temptresses, these mythological creatures are consistently and fittingly tied to the ocean—that changeable, dangerous, alluring, necessary body that can ensnare and end even the mightiest of men. And regardless of the medium in which these stories are told, their message is almost always the same—beware the temptation of women.

I was a young girl when I got my hands on my first book of mythology, and since then, I’ve devoured any and all forms of the siren myth, until finally, I thought: what if I write my own? A story that challenges the idea of women’s treachery. A story about a creature whose allure is the very thing that makes her monstrous, who cannot find precisely where she belongs, and who shifts from one shape to another in order to survive.

I’m not the first modern storyteller captivated by these creatures, and I certainly won’t be the last, but what I love most about this current wave of siren stories is that they are being told by women. The ancient tale has been claimed and retold, reshaped yet again, by the very people it so long oppressed. Across varying genres and age groups, these books explore autonomy, relationships, power, sensuality, belonging, and so much more.

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Kalie Cassidy, In the Veins of the Drowning

Atmospheric, evocative, and romantic, this dark fantasy about a threatened Siren who forges a bond with a brooding, self-righteous king in order to flee the king who raised her explores themes of belonging, desire, and duty. Fast pacing, lush prose, well-developed characters, and a slow-burn romance make this book a summer must read.

Cassandra Khaw, The Salt Grows Heavy

This story has the same terrifying allure that I imagine a siren song would. Unsettling and lovely at once, this horror novella is a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale about discovering the darkness in the world, as well as the darkness within oneself.

It follows a voiceless mermaid and a plague doctor through the savage collapse of a kingdom and sets them on a path that forces them to embrace the cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive. Nightmarish, with stunning prose, this book sank its teeth in and refused to let me go.

Emilia Hart, The Sirens

I loved Hart’s debut, Weyward, and waited impatiently for her sophomore novel about sisters separated by time but bound together by the sea. Unsurprisingly, it was worth the wait. The Sirens is a compelling mix of contemporary, historical, and speculative fiction told through multiple points of view, mysterious dreams, and magical revelations.

With one set of sisters on a convict ship set for Australia and the other managing haunting images, a strange skin condition, and stories of men going missing, I was utterly engrossed. And as always, Hart’s prose is immaculate.

Kell Woods, Upon a Starlit Tide

In a fantasy landscape rife with retellings (I’m not complaining!) Upon a Starlit Tide feels deft and wholly new. This historical fantasy combines the beloved fairytales “The Little Mermaid” and “Cinderella” and infuses them with dark atmosphere, delicate nuance, and a fantastic, well-fleshed out romance.

After Luce rescues a shipwrecked nobleman, she begins to question all the well laid plans she’s made for her life. With spellbinding writing, betrayal, and magic, and a dash of Bluebeard thrown into the mix, this book was impossible to put down.

Rose Sutherland, A Sweet Sting of Salt

Beautifully windswept, with a touch of the gothic, this sapphic retelling of the selkie wife folktale is rife with yearning and features a slow-burn and tender romance. The setting—Nova Scotia in the 1800s—makes for a stunningly atmospheric backdrop, but the unabashed pining in A Sweet Sting of Salt is the real star of the show.

It follows a young midwife as she endeavors to uncover a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new, pregnant wife. Now she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she’s come to love—safe. If you love historical fiction with a hint of magic, this one’s for you.

A.G Slatter, All the Murmuring Bones

An atmospheric and spellbinding tale of dark family secrets, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and sea. I love a determined, and sometimes prickly, main character and we find just that in Merin.

We follow her as she tries to undo a generations long family bargain with the merfolk, as well as pave a new path for her rather dismal life. Eerie, twisty, and suffused with rich storytelling, this is a story about strong women and the men who seek to control them.

Gabi Burton, Sing Me to Sleep

This dark and seductive YA fantasy debut has all the components of an unputdownable read. Original and well-spun worldbuilding, a fun grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and morally gray characters combine in a this plot-forward story about a siren assassin, who can sing men to an early grave, and a forbidden prince that she’s tasked with protecting.

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In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy is available via Little Brown.