Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Sing Me to Sleep was one of the books I mentioned as one of my most anticipated releases on 2023. And honestly this book had me at sirens and fantasy. Once you add water to fantasy I'm in! I was sent a finished copy from Bloomsbury ahead of release.

Saoirse is the only siren left in her world, a kingdom closed off from the rest of the world by a barrier where fae sit at the top of society. She must keep her identity a secret in order to protect her adoptive family. Because her true face is so alluring she wears a magical disguise during the day and often spends nights killing men for an unknown employer. Blackmailed into being apart of the royal guard, Saoirse must uncover secrets the royal family has hidden or risk her sister being exposed. Her feelings towards the royal family become more complicated because the prince seemingly sees past her façade and is drawn to her any way.

Since Saoirse is 17 it's a little uncomfortable to think of her and seductive in the same sentence. So I wasn't quite sure how this book would handle her siren identity and the imagery that brings to mind. It's a very fine line to walk and Gabi Burton does a great job without bringing the book into adult territory. Saoirse is alluring without being overtly sexual.

What works in this book is the chemistry between Saoirse and Prince Hayes. There's the perfect push and pull between them that doesn't feel overly drawn out. It also doesn't overshadow the plot where we're following Saoirse as she tries to determine the identity of her blackmailer while also covering up her own misdeeds. There's an internal struggle between the person she wants to be and her instincts to kill. While she's been able to justify killing men who gets handsy at the pub, she's dealing with the fallout of killing someone innocent and if her instincts make her a monster.

There's also the relationship with her family and the dynamics she has with other individuals around her. Some authors struggle with giving a large cast of side characters the right amount of page space. But here characters have their own identities outside of our main character. There's also so many underlying secrets in this world and just the right amount of information is given to readers in a way that makes it feel fresh.

Fast-paced from the first chapter, plenty of twists, and just the right amount of mystery; this is a solid debut that will leave readers wanting more.