Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson Pages: 336
Published by Inkyard Press on March 9, 2021
Genres: Young Adult, retelling, Romance
Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.
Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high—and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.
But Isda breaks Cyril’s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet, solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she’s ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finds in his memories hints of a way to finally break free of her gilded prison.
Haunted by this possibility, Isda spends more and more time with Emeric, searching for answers in his music and his past. But the price of freedom is steeper than Isda could ever know. For even as she struggles with her growing feelings for Emeric, she learns that in order to take charge of her own destiny, she must become the monster the world tried to drown in the first place.
Sing me Forgotten is a young adult retelling of The Phantom of the Opera by author Jessica S. Olson. There are so many reasons why I was excited to read this book. One- I love retellings. Two- I love cool and unique magic. Three- the cover and summary totally sucked me in. and four- I am a sucker for gender- swapping books. Sing Me Forgotten combines so many of those reasons! It is a gender-swapped gothic retelling of The Phantom of the Opera and it’s set in a world of forbidden magic. Umm, yes please! I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to read more from Jessica S. Olson! If you are a fan of cool magic systems and you love retellings and/or Phantom of the Opera, you need to check out Sing Me Forgotten. I think it is my favorite Phantom re-imagining I have read yet!
In Sing Me Forgotten, we meet our main character Isda, who can manipulate people’s memories. However, she can only access her magic when someone is singing. I thought this version of magic was so unique and cool, and I loved seeing it at play in the story. Isda lives hidden in the opera house because magic is forbidden, and she is told that she would be shunned and rejected if she went out into the public. Isda is such a likeable character. I loved her. And she is not all positivity and rainbows. She is deliciously morally grey, just like the phantom. I was rooting for her, even when she made some questionable decisions, I couldn’t help but remain steadfast on her side. And when she met Emeric, I completely fell in love. He is so swoon worthy. Not only because of his fantastic voice, but also because he is just a great person.
Sing Me Forgotten, is a heartbreakingly fantastic love story. I was in awe over the amount of emotion that Jessica Olson was able to weave into her story and was able to pull out of me while I was reading it! She really tugged on my heartstrings in the best ways. She took me on a rollercoaster ride, and she made me cry! (which is something that doesn’t happen too often with me in books) I also loved learning about the French inspired world that our story is set in. The kingdom is full of political corruption, and has lots of it’s own problems. I would be really interested to see more books set in this world, even if they are with completely new characters.
If you are a fan of gothic atmosphere and magical story telling, Sing Me Forgotten is a book that you will love! Jessica Olson does a fantastic job making the characters feel real and making their story something that is so easy to get lost in. She packed so much into this story- romance, betrayal, murder, revenge and I loved all of it! Sing me Forgotten is a fantastic book!
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