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The Starseed Trilogy #0.2
Siren Falling, A Starseed Universe Novella
Selma de Avila, a siren with a quick temper, is finally doing something for herself.
She’s moving to New York City.
Once there, Selma quickly ingrains herself into high society, all the while trying to find love, build a career, and live the life she's always dreamed of.
But everything goes awry, including her control over her magic, when Selma runs into devastatingly handsome, billionaire Andrew Van de Berg and sparks fly.
The problem? He's married.
Despite knowing Andrew is off limits, Selma can’t seem to avoid him. Every encounter with the playboy billionaire riles up her powerful magic and manipulates her body and mind. Within days of meeting Andrew, she’s siphoning magic all around New York, enchanting total strangers, and infuriating the rich wives of New York City.
Will Selma be able to put an end to Andrew's persistent attention and regain mastery of her magic? Or will her magic take over, making her the hated newcomer or worse, toppling Selma into siren madness and pulling the men of NYC behind her?
Siren Falling is a stand-alone prequel novella to The Starseed Trilogy. If you like big-city drama and a redeeming love story, purchase it today!
She’s moving to New York City.
Once there, Selma quickly ingrains herself into high society, all the while trying to find love, build a career, and live the life she's always dreamed of.
But everything goes awry, including her control over her magic, when Selma runs into devastatingly handsome, billionaire Andrew Van de Berg and sparks fly.
The problem? He's married.
Despite knowing Andrew is off limits, Selma can’t seem to avoid him. Every encounter with the playboy billionaire riles up her powerful magic and manipulates her body and mind. Within days of meeting Andrew, she’s siphoning magic all around New York, enchanting total strangers, and infuriating the rich wives of New York City.
Will Selma be able to put an end to Andrew's persistent attention and regain mastery of her magic? Or will her magic take over, making her the hated newcomer or worse, toppling Selma into siren madness and pulling the men of NYC behind her?
Siren Falling is a stand-alone prequel novella to The Starseed Trilogy. If you like big-city drama and a redeeming love story, purchase it today!
ebook
Published July 27, 2018
82 people want to read
About the author
Ashley McLeo
62 books653 followersAshley lives in the lush and green Pacific Northwest with her husband, their dog, and the house ghost that sometimes makes appearances in her charming, old home.
When she’s not writing urban fantasy and portal fantasy novels she enjoys traveling the world, reading, kicking butt at board games (she recommends Splendor and Dominion), and frequenting taquerias.
For all the latest releases and updates, subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, The Coven, today!
When she’s not writing urban fantasy and portal fantasy novels she enjoys traveling the world, reading, kicking butt at board games (she recommends Splendor and Dominion), and frequenting taquerias.
For all the latest releases and updates, subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, The Coven, today!
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 22, 2018
I would actually rate this novella a 3.75.
"Sometimes our stories are not ones we're proud of, but they're still our stories".
I feel like even though this novel is fantasy with magical elements, the moral of the story is still something that every person can resonate with.
We all live our lives, and make choices. And sometimes those choices are not for the best. But we live with the consequences and we move on.
This is Selma's story from her home to New York. It shows how her choices lead her to the Commune we first meet her at in the first full length novel.
I enjoyed seeing Mary within this novella, as well as the full extent of the powers that Selma is working with.
A beautiful cover, and a must read novella within this amazing series!
"Sometimes our stories are not ones we're proud of, but they're still our stories".
I feel like even though this novel is fantasy with magical elements, the moral of the story is still something that every person can resonate with.
We all live our lives, and make choices. And sometimes those choices are not for the best. But we live with the consequences and we move on.
This is Selma's story from her home to New York. It shows how her choices lead her to the Commune we first meet her at in the first full length novel.
I enjoyed seeing Mary within this novella, as well as the full extent of the powers that Selma is working with.
A beautiful cover, and a must read novella within this amazing series!
July 24, 2018
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! :)
Siren Falling provides us with a little backstory for Selma, who in the Starseed Trilogy is a warm, vivacious character that you just want to hug and be friends with. This version of Selma? Not so much. This is who Selma was before the triplets knew her, and she's not exactly a pleasant character to read about. I knew she was going to be trouble from the first line in the book: "Selma gazed upon the pristine beach, imagining skyscrapers and thousands of people striding down wide sidewalks in place of turquoise waters and palm trees." Seriously?! You want to give up easy, coastal living for a crowded city?
Well yes, yes she does, because poor little Selma is bored and wants to be off on her own. From the get go, she manipulates people to get what she wants and tries to justify her actions. THEN she gets busy seducing all the men around because, you know, she's a Siren, and she needs to do that!
I realize that she put many men under her spell, but I rolled my eyes every time a man called her/ gifted her with something lavish/ left their wives for her. How could Selma not see that she has a problem here?!
Even when shit goes down with her friends (I won't go into details so there are no spoilers) I literally do not feel sorry for her. I feel like she's getting exactly what she deserves. Eventually, Selma calms down and realizes she is totally out of control, and she leaves city life behind her in exchange for a more quiet life with a commune of women. No men allowed!
Even though I found Selma quite reprehensible for a lot of the book, I have to applaud Ashley McLeo's writing skills! I was totally invested in the story and wanted to keep reading. I would absolutely be interested in more novellas featuring different characters, because the Starseed universe is full of quite the cast of characters!
Siren Falling provides us with a little backstory for Selma, who in the Starseed Trilogy is a warm, vivacious character that you just want to hug and be friends with. This version of Selma? Not so much. This is who Selma was before the triplets knew her, and she's not exactly a pleasant character to read about. I knew she was going to be trouble from the first line in the book: "Selma gazed upon the pristine beach, imagining skyscrapers and thousands of people striding down wide sidewalks in place of turquoise waters and palm trees." Seriously?! You want to give up easy, coastal living for a crowded city?
Well yes, yes she does, because poor little Selma is bored and wants to be off on her own. From the get go, she manipulates people to get what she wants and tries to justify her actions. THEN she gets busy seducing all the men around because, you know, she's a Siren, and she needs to do that!
I realize that she put many men under her spell, but I rolled my eyes every time a man called her/ gifted her with something lavish/ left their wives for her. How could Selma not see that she has a problem here?!
Even when shit goes down with her friends (I won't go into details so there are no spoilers) I literally do not feel sorry for her. I feel like she's getting exactly what she deserves. Eventually, Selma calms down and realizes she is totally out of control, and she leaves city life behind her in exchange for a more quiet life with a commune of women. No men allowed!
Even though I found Selma quite reprehensible for a lot of the book, I have to applaud Ashley McLeo's writing skills! I was totally invested in the story and wanted to keep reading. I would absolutely be interested in more novellas featuring different characters, because the Starseed universe is full of quite the cast of characters!
July 18, 2018
Selma is a Siren from an Ancient & famous bloodline. They live quietly on the Spanish Island of Menorca. Selma craves 'more'!! After staying with her family for far longer than she expected she finally decides that the call her heart feels to New York City in America can't be put off any longer!! 🇺🇸
With warnings to respect her magic and of the 'Siren Song Madness' from her Mother ringing in her ears, Selma sets off on her life's new adventure! 🎵 The pressure of the high cost of living, rent etc has her tapping into her siren magic to convince her landlord to offer her a great deal on an amazing apartment & on her new boss to double her salary!! Finding high earning employment is essential to her plan to start her own business but to still live well!! 😳🙈
On the night of a High Society Ball that Selma & some friends crash, she meets a man that becomes smitten with her - Her & her magic react in a huge way to him too!!!🔥✨ As time passes it's clear something is really wrong with Selma, her magic is changing but more worrying is her personality is too, not that she can see it!!! 🙁😳
It was great to read Selma's back story. We had a snippet of it in 'Souls of Three: Book 2 The Starseed Trilogy'. It was a real teaser 🙂
*I find the concept of Siren's, their power & what it does, very uncomfortable. I know it's fictitious but I get 'swept away' when I read, I tend to avoid 'Dark' books because of this! So the Siren powers come across almost in a similar way as 'date rape' drugs to me. 😢😳Obviously Selma didn't act on the situation & it actually put her in danger!! I just wasn't very comfortable with the subject matter hence my 3 star review.*
The writing is as well done as this Authors other books so it's 100% worth reading 😍 Don't miss out on this companion novella 💗✨
Debbie, 1970, UK
With warnings to respect her magic and of the 'Siren Song Madness' from her Mother ringing in her ears, Selma sets off on her life's new adventure! 🎵 The pressure of the high cost of living, rent etc has her tapping into her siren magic to convince her landlord to offer her a great deal on an amazing apartment & on her new boss to double her salary!! Finding high earning employment is essential to her plan to start her own business but to still live well!! 😳🙈
On the night of a High Society Ball that Selma & some friends crash, she meets a man that becomes smitten with her - Her & her magic react in a huge way to him too!!!🔥✨ As time passes it's clear something is really wrong with Selma, her magic is changing but more worrying is her personality is too, not that she can see it!!! 🙁😳
It was great to read Selma's back story. We had a snippet of it in 'Souls of Three: Book 2 The Starseed Trilogy'. It was a real teaser 🙂
*I find the concept of Siren's, their power & what it does, very uncomfortable. I know it's fictitious but I get 'swept away' when I read, I tend to avoid 'Dark' books because of this! So the Siren powers come across almost in a similar way as 'date rape' drugs to me. 😢😳Obviously Selma didn't act on the situation & it actually put her in danger!! I just wasn't very comfortable with the subject matter hence my 3 star review.*
The writing is as well done as this Authors other books so it's 100% worth reading 😍 Don't miss out on this companion novella 💗✨
Debbie, 1970, UK
July 29, 2018
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
First off, I should note that I love the world that the author - Ashley McLeo - has created here. I've read books 1 & 2 in the series and was excited to learn that there was a prequel novella.
The world building in this is just as strong as the full novels, even though this was only 149 pages. The book has a fully developed plot, plenty of character development, and lots of drama for those characters to experience.
New York is a perfect place for Selma to have the adventures she has in this story, and it makes a great backdrop for the reader too.
All that said, it was hard to really like or relate to Selma here. At least for me, the choices she makes were not particularly laudable ones and she comes across as pretty selfish and thoughtless in the things she does.
Of course, there's a reason for that and a story arc that makes all this makes sense in the larger context of this world and what comes later in the next generation's stories. I personally would not recommend reading this story before the first and second full length novels in this series [which you absolutely SHOULD do, if you like books with strong female characters, great plots, expansive world-building and magic!] even though chronologically this story happens first. You need to fall in love with Selma as a better person before you discover how she developed into that person in my opinion.
Overall, I zipped through this story almost in one sitting, and I enjoyed reading it almost as much as the full length novels. Ashley McLeo loves her characters and the world she's created for them, which comes across in all her books. It's hard for a reader not to fall in love with them too - this reader certainly has!
First off, I should note that I love the world that the author - Ashley McLeo - has created here. I've read books 1 & 2 in the series and was excited to learn that there was a prequel novella.
The world building in this is just as strong as the full novels, even though this was only 149 pages. The book has a fully developed plot, plenty of character development, and lots of drama for those characters to experience.
New York is a perfect place for Selma to have the adventures she has in this story, and it makes a great backdrop for the reader too.
All that said, it was hard to really like or relate to Selma here. At least for me, the choices she makes were not particularly laudable ones and she comes across as pretty selfish and thoughtless in the things she does.
Of course, there's a reason for that and a story arc that makes all this makes sense in the larger context of this world and what comes later in the next generation's stories. I personally would not recommend reading this story before the first and second full length novels in this series [which you absolutely SHOULD do, if you like books with strong female characters, great plots, expansive world-building and magic!] even though chronologically this story happens first. You need to fall in love with Selma as a better person before you discover how she developed into that person in my opinion.
Overall, I zipped through this story almost in one sitting, and I enjoyed reading it almost as much as the full length novels. Ashley McLeo loves her characters and the world she's created for them, which comes across in all her books. It's hard for a reader not to fall in love with them too - this reader certainly has!
July 21, 2018
Selma de Avila has dreamed all her life of leaving her little Spanish Island of Menorca to go live in the Big Apple, New York. She hopes to find a career and a nice handsome man to spend her life with. Selma has decided that now is the time and putting it off any longer is not an option. So she hops on a plane to fly across the big ocean to land in the Big Apple with her mother’s warning about one of her ancestors going mad from using too much of her powers in her ear.
Selma doesn’t exactly believe the tale that her mother has warned her about she thinks it is she an excuse for some sirens when they have gone overboard with the use of their magic.
But once she arrives in New York and she sees all the hot men and her magic starts to build up and she must get rid of it, the men start to follow her around and leave her messages, messages from men she doesn’t even know she begins to wonder if her mother’s warning was not true after all.
Selma soon realizes that she is losing control of her magic and if she doesn't get control of it soon then she is going to go mad like her ancestor. Selma finds the help she needs in a very dear friend, Mary McKay who is visiting from her little Spanish Island of Menorca.
Siren Falling is a very short and fast read that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what Selma was going to do next and how she was going to handle all those men. Siren Falling is a great little introduction into Selma’s life of how she came to be in New York and where she is from and what made her the person she is today.
Siren Falling is for anyone who likes witches, sirens or any magical creatures. Come join Selma in Siren Falling on her magical journey across the water from Menorca to New York.
Selma doesn’t exactly believe the tale that her mother has warned her about she thinks it is she an excuse for some sirens when they have gone overboard with the use of their magic.
But once she arrives in New York and she sees all the hot men and her magic starts to build up and she must get rid of it, the men start to follow her around and leave her messages, messages from men she doesn’t even know she begins to wonder if her mother’s warning was not true after all.
Selma soon realizes that she is losing control of her magic and if she doesn't get control of it soon then she is going to go mad like her ancestor. Selma finds the help she needs in a very dear friend, Mary McKay who is visiting from her little Spanish Island of Menorca.
Siren Falling is a very short and fast read that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what Selma was going to do next and how she was going to handle all those men. Siren Falling is a great little introduction into Selma’s life of how she came to be in New York and where she is from and what made her the person she is today.
Siren Falling is for anyone who likes witches, sirens or any magical creatures. Come join Selma in Siren Falling on her magical journey across the water from Menorca to New York.
August 23, 2018
Ashley Mcleo is an amazing writer bringing magic to life, vividly in our everyday world. The person working next to you might be hiding their magic. Ashley has the eyes to reveal the magic all around us and make it real. Her stories are that true to life and at the same time transport you to a world of magic all her own. If you have read Prophesy of Three, you have already met Selma a few years later and this is a lovely introduction to her earlier years. If not, meet the sultry siren now and grab the amazing other Starseed novels as soon as you finish!
Selma de Avilla has spent her whole life on the sleepy island of Menorca, dreaming of bigger things. Life is simple on the island even for a siren like Selma, surrounded by her family of equaliy strong sirens. Selma is bored, not cut out for the life here, to settle down with someone she has known all her life, raise a family, never leaving the island. She longs for adventure.
Selma has ambitions! Her eyes are set on NYC and a career fashion. She wants to meet new people, see new things. But her mother worries, bad things have happened when sirens move away from the safety of their families. Sometimes they lose control of their magic, even their minds!
Joins Selma as she embarks on her journey to seek her fortune. What will she encounter in the Big Apple? Fame? Fortune? Love? Or will she lose control as he mama fears? Grab your copy of Siren Falling and experience the unique magic of Ashley McLeo!
Kindle Unlimited edition
Selma de Avilla has spent her whole life on the sleepy island of Menorca, dreaming of bigger things. Life is simple on the island even for a siren like Selma, surrounded by her family of equaliy strong sirens. Selma is bored, not cut out for the life here, to settle down with someone she has known all her life, raise a family, never leaving the island. She longs for adventure.
Selma has ambitions! Her eyes are set on NYC and a career fashion. She wants to meet new people, see new things. But her mother worries, bad things have happened when sirens move away from the safety of their families. Sometimes they lose control of their magic, even their minds!
Joins Selma as she embarks on her journey to seek her fortune. What will she encounter in the Big Apple? Fame? Fortune? Love? Or will she lose control as he mama fears? Grab your copy of Siren Falling and experience the unique magic of Ashley McLeo!
Kindle Unlimited edition
July 25, 2018
This is a great stand alone story, and I can wait till it joins the star seed series. It must be pretty hard to cope on your own as a supernatural alone in a new city when you’ve lived with family all your life. This story alludes to the fact that Selma is a lot older than her looks make her out to be. She starts loosing control of her magic and it nearly takes over. It’s a good thing she has a true friend in Mary that will stand up to her and not let her get away with the things she’s pulling. After Selma gets her magic drawn back in to her she divides its time to visit the supernatural save house. She starts finding herself there and makes some great friends. I can’t wait to see how Selma developed and grows once she reaches Oregon. I was given a free review copy and I submit this review voluntarily.
August 6, 2018
Siren Falling is a cautionary tale of a Siren named Selma, moving away from her small Spanish island into New York City, wishing to get away and control her own life. Too bad that her seduction magic has decided to say otherwise, slowly turning her dream into a nightmare.
The first third of the novel, outside of a few moments, felt like a slog to get through, though the occasional appearance of Selma’s friend Abby did brighten things up in certain scenes. As much as I tried to get into Selma and her manipulative behavior to get ahead, I couldn’t. It’s not until things start going downhill for Selma due to losing control of her magic that I started enjoying the story. I felt a little bad for Selma, despite most of the trouble that she’s in was her doing to begin with.
While 1995 New York was vivid and lively, some of the prose in places came off as odd and I couldn’t really understand some aspects, and the way her powers were described felt kinda weird and muddled for me.
I do like the way the novel was resolved, as well as Selma’s fate, and I found it to be an okay read. Maybe if I read Souls of Three first, it might have made a bit more impact, since Selma is supposed to be an important supporting character in that book.
The first third of the novel, outside of a few moments, felt like a slog to get through, though the occasional appearance of Selma’s friend Abby did brighten things up in certain scenes. As much as I tried to get into Selma and her manipulative behavior to get ahead, I couldn’t. It’s not until things start going downhill for Selma due to losing control of her magic that I started enjoying the story. I felt a little bad for Selma, despite most of the trouble that she’s in was her doing to begin with.
While 1995 New York was vivid and lively, some of the prose in places came off as odd and I couldn’t really understand some aspects, and the way her powers were described felt kinda weird and muddled for me.
I do like the way the novel was resolved, as well as Selma’s fate, and I found it to be an okay read. Maybe if I read Souls of Three first, it might have made a bit more impact, since Selma is supposed to be an important supporting character in that book.
July 21, 2018
Selma is a siren and has been living at home with her parents for a while.
She leaves home and goes to live in New York city.
She makes friends and gets a job.
She meets Andrew and is instantly attracted to him only problem is he is married.
Her powers start getting out of control.
Her friend Mary tries to help.
Can Selma control her powers or will they send her mad?
I highly recommend this book to read i couldnt put it down.
It has witches and sirens, magic and romance.
If you love all those things. You will love this book.
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
She leaves home and goes to live in New York city.
She makes friends and gets a job.
She meets Andrew and is instantly attracted to him only problem is he is married.
Her powers start getting out of control.
Her friend Mary tries to help.
Can Selma control her powers or will they send her mad?
I highly recommend this book to read i couldnt put it down.
It has witches and sirens, magic and romance.
If you love all those things. You will love this book.
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
July 21, 2018
This was a good, but difficult read. To read of Selma's journey to New York and how she handled it ,was hard. But a good in sight to her and how she ends up at the commune. Mary really is a good friend to her. And the witch's of salem, with their safe house , are invaluable. Selma learns a hard lesson in this book. And you can see how she develops, to become the supporting character we know and love.
August 8, 2018
LOVED SELMA'S STORY!
It was great to look into Selma's past after reading Prophecy of three and Souls of three. And great to see that Richard was the same beautiful sexy bartender and had stuck around. Wow though... she certainly causes havock and mayhem in the big city. This book is great to read on it's own but it is also a great addition to the other two I mentioned earlier and can be read either before or after those. Recommended reading 🤓
It was great to look into Selma's past after reading Prophecy of three and Souls of three. And great to see that Richard was the same beautiful sexy bartender and had stuck around. Wow though... she certainly causes havock and mayhem in the big city. This book is great to read on it's own but it is also a great addition to the other two I mentioned earlier and can be read either before or after those. Recommended reading 🤓
September 13, 2018
This is a well written story about Selma and her adventure to the US and how she handled big city life. After reading the first book in this series, Prophecy of Three, I enjoyed the trip back in time to get to know Selma. I have to say, I didn't really like Selma at this point in her life. She acted as if she knew everything and had to learn some important lessons. Very interesting and enjoyable read.
July 17, 2018
I received this free for a honest review from Ashley McLeo.
I really enjoyed this novella. It gives you a better understanding of Selma and the struggle she went through when she moved to New York.
Alone in a new country Selma sets out to find herself and instead finds trouble. Her magic is out of control and if not for her friend Mary McKay she would have gone mad.
I really enjoyed this novella. It gives you a better understanding of Selma and the struggle she went through when she moved to New York.
Alone in a new country Selma sets out to find herself and instead finds trouble. Her magic is out of control and if not for her friend Mary McKay she would have gone mad.
July 31, 2018
Siren Falling is about Selma from the Terramar commune which is where Lily was raised in the starseed trilogy. This was a great story, Selma moving away to New York and dealing with life as a siren in the big wide world and searching for a real connection. You felt for Selma with her wanting a true connection and friendship.
August 20, 2018
For sure this read is darker than The other books in The Series. Still YA but touching some dark matters.
Selma is a siren That we met in The oryginal Series. I Would call it prequel with Selma's origin.
A siren in a big City. Temptatioms. Uncontrolled Powers.
I really liked That story even with darker plot ad it suited it so well!
Selma is a siren That we met in The oryginal Series. I Would call it prequel with Selma's origin.
A siren in a big City. Temptatioms. Uncontrolled Powers.
I really liked That story even with darker plot ad it suited it so well!
August 7, 2018
Another wonderfully powerful story in the Starseed Universe. Selma is amazing and not just because she is a Siren but because she is a woman who has lived an amazing life. I really enjoyed everything about this story.
August 15, 2018
Powerful Journey!!
Ashley McLeo’s books have an intriguing storyline that will take you on a wild, powerful ride. This is the beginning of Selma’s journey, her choices, consequences for all and the struggle she has to navigate to reach the other side. This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy
Ashley McLeo’s books have an intriguing storyline that will take you on a wild, powerful ride. This is the beginning of Selma’s journey, her choices, consequences for all and the struggle she has to navigate to reach the other side. This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy
July 19, 2018
Knocked it out of the park again. It was wonderful to take a look into one of the supporting characters of this series. Looking forward to the next book!
August 24, 2018
This story keeps you enraptured and wanting for more. You get a different view of Selma and a feel for who she can be if she allows it. I can't wait for more.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews