Series ✦ Penny’s Take
Song of Destiny
Kris Faryn · 2019
78/100
👍 Worth It
Winning the Grand Prize in Missouri RWA's Gateway to the Best and placing first at Northwest Houston RWA's Lonestar Contest is real external validation that this debut earned — not self-reported acclaim. Faryn's decision to reimagine sirens as winged bird-women rather than mermaids is a genuine creative departure from the genre default, and the Brooklyn-to-mythology contrast gives the story a distinctive texture. Dark fantasy means this is not a light read, but YA mythology fans who enjoyed Madeline Miller or Rick Riordan adjacent territory will find this rewarding.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety78
Substance / usefulness76
Craft & writing80
Originality82
Evidence & accuracy80
Hype vs delivers85
Age-fit78
👁 Human-eye gut-check78
Penny’s verdict78
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