The Song of the Sirin is a wonderfully epic take on a Russian fairy tale. Nicholas Kotar writes a tale that goes beyond the magical land of Vasyllia and delves into the human heart. It not simply the tale of a quest, but of the struggle between good and evil in the human heart and the search for beauty. I enjoyed the emotional depth of the characters and seeing them make their choices, both good and bad. The novel grew into an intense, epic ending, of the type that I rarely find in books anymore. If you like epic fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, or fairy tales, you will enjoy this book!

I think one of the great strengths of this novel is the variety of viewpoints and the quartet of main characters, as opposed to remaining with Voran the entire time. This allows the readers to understand the world as a whole, and the changing viewpoints were never jarring or out of place. I found myself preferring the other three members of the main quartet to Voran, a testament to how well-rounded his other characters were. I also really enjoyed the Russian folk and fairy tale elements that came up throughout the book. If you know Russian or Russian culture, there will be a number of familiar and amusing elements, but you will not miss much if you don’t. And knowing the fairy tales won’t spoil the ending of the book.

That being said, I did have a couple problems with the book. I found the beginning and set up a bit rushed and the characters’ feelings, especially Voran’s, a bit heavy handed at points. To be fair, I’ve been reading 1000 pages epics recently, so my problems with the pacing may only be reflecting that. At times I found the writing a little patchy, but once he settles into the story properly, Kotar’s writing evens out and I really enjoyed his narration and writing style. Overall I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the sequel.