Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 13/10/2023
Published by: Hodderscape
ISBN: B0BJ7G3VY2
Cover:
This design gives a simple yet gorgeous depiction of the storyline, as it shows the main character, Saoirse, in the middle of rippling water. The genre of the story is also nicely conveyed through the illustration and elaborate text font.
Writing:
Vivid descriptions and details smoothly bring this story and world to life. I also loved how the complex world-building was delivered in bite-sized pieces and merged with the unfolding story.
Knowledge isn’t always power. Sometimes it’s dangerous.
Storyline:
The moments of action at the start of this story quickly pulled me in and brilliantly introduced the characters and world. A delicious undercurrent of tension built from Saoirse’s secrets made the storyline even more engaging, but this gradually dissipated as the story eventually became repetitive and shallow. By the climax, I no longer found either the mystery or romance aspects of the storyline gripping and the final revelations had little impact on me.
Main character:
Despite her killer instincts, I initially liked Saoirse as her character is fierce and sassy. Her perspective also felt fresh and complex due to her struggles and weaknesses. That said, it soon became clear that her character is very manipulative, arrogant and cold, which made it hard for me to connect or relate to her.
sometimes, being loved isn’t enough. Sometimes, you need to be understood.
Secondary characters:
While various secondary characters enriched the storyline, Rain, Carrick and Jeune were the main ones who stood out to me. However, these three were still fairly simple characters with little depth.
Romance:
I initially ate up the clear attraction and interest between the characters, especially as their opposite personalities made their connection even cuter. Sadly, as the story progressed, I struggled to connect with both characters, so this aspect of the story fell flat for me.
Narration & Audio:
Dami Olukoya does a brilliant job of creating a natural, authentic voice that conveys the content and emotions within this story. Besides this, the different character voices made the listening experience even more engaging and entertaining.
In a nutshell, ‘Sing Me to Sleep‘ started strong, with its fresh world-building and main character. However, as the story progressed, I was underwhelmed by the storyline and characters. Those who enjoyed this should check out Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long for another fun romantasy read involving main characters with water-based powers.
Do you agree or disagree with anything mentioned above? Let us know in the comments below. For those who have read this and want to discuss it, swipe for some questions (contains spoilers!!):
Q: What did you think of Saoirse’s powers? Would you want them?
My answer: Saoirse’s siren powers are so immense it makes her character almost untouchable and unrelatable. Besides, as thrilling as it would be to have her power over men, I would hate having to fight murderous inner urges. I also have zero confidence in my ability to get away with serial murder, even with this immense power.
Q: Before the events of the climax, were you team Carrick or Hayes?
My answer: I was team Carrick despite my suspicions that his character was behind the blackmail. I simply loved his friendship and banter with Saoirse – especially since she was very guarded and fake with everyone else.
Q: Did you figure out who the blackmailers were?
My answer: I correctly guessed that Carrick was involved in the blackmailing and Jeune was not, as that would be too obvious. I did not, however, anticipate Laa’el and Erasmus from the prince’s guard also being involved.
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