Forbidden romance, dark fantasy and siren magic in YA debut
Gabi Burton’s debut young adult novel, “Sing Me To Sleep,” is a page-turner from start to finish. This beautifully crafted tale follows a siren, Saoirse Sorkova, as she navigates a society that is stacked against her. The kingdom of Keirdre enforces strict creature segregation laws, placing Fae above all other creatures, particularly sirens and humans. In fact, sirens are not even supposed to exist within the barrier surrounding the kingdom.
Saoirse is the top soldier-in-training in her barracks, while by night she plays the role of assassin for her mysterious employer. Forced to hide her identity — even as the sea and its song beckon her to come, to sing, to kill — Saoirse plays a deadly game as she finds herself graduating top in her class, which leads her into the service of Prince Hayes, son of Keirdre’s ruling monarchs and the family that enforces the laws that make her very existence illegal.
But, she will do whatever it takes to protect her sister, even if it means guarding the royal family she hates.
With a killer on the loose and the Prince doing everything in his power to show himself to be the opposite of what she expects, Saoirse is forced to reassess everything she thought she knew and everyone she believed she could trust, as secrets come to light and lines are drawn. Packed with magic, a morally gray heroine and a slowburn forbidden romance, “Sing Me To Sleep” is a stunning debut.
One of the greatest strengths of this book is that Burton has created a compelling protagonist who walks the fine line between what is right and what is wrong. When her sister, the one person she cares about most in this world, is in danger, how far will Saoirse go to protect her?
As a siren, Saoirse can physically taste emotions, and this adds a layer to her character that allows us a further window into her reasoning. She can taste her sister’s fear, she can taste the disappointment of her loved ones when they realize what she has done, and so her decisions are influenced by that emotional connection she has to those around her. It makes for a fascinating internal struggle that draws you in and demands you read on.
Saoirse is at war with herself — her natural instinct as a siren is to kill and she hears that small voice in her mind constantly demanding it of her — and that struggle is one of the aspects of her character that make her so intriguing. What will she choose? Is it her nature that makes her do what she does? Or is it that deep down, she actually wants to do it? We sympathize with her struggle and read on to see if she will win her battle or succumb. Saoirse is a character that I was invested in from the very beginning, and I can’t wait to see where her adventures take her in the sequel.
The other benefit of Saoirse’s ability to taste emotions is the incredibly detailed language that this allows Burton to infuse into the novel. Emotions have colors, scents and flavors — happiness is sweet, lust is spicy — and as the reader we are given another layer through which to experience this tale: taste. This level of sensory language and worldbuilding is not something that I have experienced much of in any books in recent memory, and it is a wonderful addition to the story that Burton is weaving, one that makes the book all the more enjoyable.
“Sing Me To Sleep” moves at a swift pace, blending a detailed world of creatures, magic and fantasy into a wonderful YA debut. Featuring an all Black and brown cast of powerful women, disarmingly charming princes and resourceful witches, “Sing Me To Sleep” is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas’ “Throne of Glass” series and Tricia Levenseller’s “Daughter of the Pirate King.”