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Review #4838390
Viewing a review of:
Siren's Song Open in new Window. [13+]
A ghostly tale of a tragic love
by W.D.Wilcox Author Icon
Review of Siren's Song  Open in new Window.
In affiliation with The WDC Angel Army  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
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Greetings, Wilcox *Smile*

I'm here because Wraithy WiÔŽchy of Woe! Author Icon sent us to look for items in the Horror genre. This was rated 13+, so I figured it wouldn't be as "horrifying" as some of your other work. Indeed, it feels to me more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a straight-up horror story.

With sad/scary stories, I tend to sit back and "pick them apart" when I'm done, looking for holes in the plot or weakness in the moral undergirding, as a way of distancing myself from the "reality" of what I've read. Here, I find the situation a bit loopier than would be credible, as the man gave no hints at the beginning when he was describing what happened, that he was anything but an average local person. And morally speaking, I don't see how the father's desire to protect his daughter from a mysterious foreign stranger makes him ultimately responsible for the whole mess. So he was "supposed" to let her marry a man who turned out to already be married? Is this a subtle critique of religious dogmatism? Or am I overthinking? I see the opening emphasis on how lust was to blame, which fits in with the end reveal of a man with a double life. But the whole thing is rather peculiar, as there really would have been no way to end it well with such a stranger.

Overthinking aside, this was well put together, with atmosphere and emotional impact. You painted the scenes well and made everything come alive. One puzzling phrase is where the man says he "was filled with nauseating sympathy," which doesn't make sense. Also, the double set of modifiers there is a bit much. Other than that, it was surreal, tragic and haunting.

Take care, thanks for sharing, and keep writing *WingL**Heartv**WingR*


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