TBR Challenge [Backlist Banger] Audiobook Review: Cursed (Fallen Siren #1) by S. J. Harper (Narrator: Johanna Parker)

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Cursed by S. J. Harper
Narrator: Johanna Parker
Series: Fallen Siren #1
Published by Audible Studios on December 14, 2013
Genres: Mystery, Mythology, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Length: 7 hours and 47 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Bought
DNF
Purchase Links: Amazon*Kobo*B&N
Goodreads

Meet FBI Agents Emma Monroe and Zack Armstrong.
She's cursed. He's damned. Together, they make one hell of a team.

Emma Monroe is a Siren, cursed by the gods and bound to earth to atone for an ancient failure. She’s had many names and many lives, but only one mission: redemption. Now that she works missing persons cases for the FBI, it could be just a rescue away. Unless her new partner leads her astray.

Special Agent Zack Armstrong just transferred into the San Diego Field Office. He’s a werewolf, doing his best to beat back the demons from his dark and dangerous past. As a former Black Ops sniper, he’s taken enough lives. Now he’s doing penance by saving them.

Emma and Zack’s very first case draws them deep into the realm of the paranormal, and forces them to use their own supernatural abilities. But that leaves each of them vulnerable, and there are lines partners should not cross. As secrets are revealed and more women go missing, one thing becomes clear: as they race to save the victims, Emma and Zack risk losing themselves.

Cursed is the first book in the Fallen Siren series by S. J. Harper, narrated by Johanna Parker. Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing this at 70%. I just couldn’t get invested in the story, and it ended up being a bit of a disappointment.

My first thought when I started listening was that the narration sounded overly familiar, as if I’d heard these exact character voices in another audiobook before, though I couldn’t place which one. There was nothing inherently wrong with the performance, but it didn’t stand out either—it was just average.

As for the characters, Emma is supposed to be an ancient Siren, but her personality and mannerisms didn’t reflect that at all. While I understand she’s trying to blend into modern society, this is written in the first person. Even in her internal monologues, if the text hadn’t explicitly stated her age, I never would have guessed it. Living for centuries is a heavy weight, and that weight was completely missing from her voice. Her love interest, Zack, was nice and sweet, but ultimately uninteresting. Honestly, I found myself completely uninvested in Emma’s romantic arc.

I originally picked this up for the mythology, but the world-building fell surprisingly flat. For a heroine who has been around since the age of the Greek gods, we learn very little about what actually happened to the rest of the pantheon. We know Demeter hangs around, but where are all the other gods?

Overall, the pacing was slow and dragged out. I was expecting a lot more mythology, adventure, and mystery, but the story simply failed to ignite.

Note: I also came across a few Goodreads reviews mentioning that author S. J. Harper is a co-writing pen name involving Samantha Sommersby (aka Lori James, former owner of All Romance Ebooks (ARe) which had a huge scandal back in 2016.) Online Blog Article: All Romance Ebooks (ARe) Update On Closure and Lori Jame

Rated: DNF 70%

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August’s TBR Challenge Theme: Backlist Banger (book that’s been in your TBR a long time, backlist title by favorite and/or prolific author etc.)

For the “Backlist Banger” prompt, I went with Cursed by S. J. Harper. This title has been sitting on my TBR shelf way back since 2013, though I eventually grabbed the audiobook on sale for $6.95 in February 2019. I was initially drawn to it because of the mythology elements in the blurb, which is a trope I love.