Book Review for Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

A single snatch of song. That's all it takes for Isda to come out of her safe shadows and begin on a path towards death, ruin and betrayal. For so long she has been the Opera Ghost, secretly a monster that would be shot on sight if anyone knew her as more than a rustle in the highest balcony or a bit of confusion over a missing necklace. Emeric's song changes all that though. His voice is like magic that brings life to an otherwise black and white world. Is it worth risking everything that Isda has worked for to let this magical boy into her life? Glimmers of the Phantom of the Opera peek through various corners of this tale, but only enough to lend an air of resplendent magnificence.
Every moment of this novel is like magic. My heart aches with the resonating feelings and elegant details that often seem to dance right off the page. My one complaint is that there was too much mention of corsets. I'm afraid corsets are a very misunderstood undergarment, and every time one was mentioned, it took me out of the story. Everything else was absolutely breathtaking though, making it difficult to put this book down. Thank you, Jessica S. Olson for writing this book. I hope your imagination will build many more castles for me to visit.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a book that is different from other books you've read, I would suggest picking this one up. I cannot think of a book that I would compare this storyline to. You don't have to be a fan of The Phantom of the Opera or know anything about the storyline, but if you are familiar with the storyline, I think you will have a greater appreciation for the story.

Opposite from the male phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Isda is the phantom of the opera house in Channe. As a gravoir, someone who can alter memories when people sing, it is her job to make sure the patrons enjoy each performance by altering any memories they have of mistakes made in the performance. Isda is also never allowed to be seen, as gravoirs are considered dangerous and are killed upon birth. The only reason she is alive is because Cyril, the owner of the opera house, saved her, raised her, and taught her how to use her power.

Isda dreams of being able to see the world outside of the opera house, and when she gets a glimpse into the memories of Emeric, a janitor with an incredible voice and ambition to be on the stage, she discovers there may be a way to free herself after all and to live the life she always imagined.

She convinces Emeric to let her tutor him in singing so that she can explore his memories and learn all she can about catalyseurs in hopes of freeing herself from this prison of hiding in the shadows of the opera house. However, the more she learns from Emeric's memories, the more she learns about gravoirs, her powers, and that the one person she trusted the most may be the one telling her the most lies. As she fights for a chance at freedom, a life full of music, and a life with Emeric, she finds herself fighting against a town and person who would do anything to destroy her.

****

This isn't a fast paced, action-packed story. It's compelling and hauntingly beautiful with a bittersweet ending. It isn't a book I sat down and devoured in two days, but the story came alive in its own way. It almost felt like a song in itself, with crescendos and decrescendos, allegro and adagio, and moving lyrics. It's a story that is meant to be savored and listened to.

The writing and mood for this story was absolutely gorgeous. The character and original plot also gripped my attention and wouldn't let go. I hope to see more from this author in the future.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this amazing book!

Sing Me Forgotten is an incredible YA fantasy where the magic system revolves around people who are able to read or extract memories from people as they sing. The main character, Isda, is a gravoir, a special kind of person who can read and change people's memories as they sing, and her kind is so feared by society that they are hunted down and killed at birth. She was rescued from this fate by the owner of an opera house, and she has been raised hidden in the opera house. As the story unfolds, Isda discovers more about her own talents and why the opera house owner rescued her, and many of these revelations are extremely dark and discomfiting, both for Isda and for the reader along with her.

I truly loved everything about this book. I loved Isda's character, and I enjoyed learning along with her more about her past and the world that she is living in. Her relationships with her father figure, Cyril, and her romantic interest, Emeric, are deep and complex, and I loved all the relationship building throughout the book. I even liked the ending of the book quite a bit, though I can understand why people might find it disappointing. I thought, though, without giving anything away, that it was truly the right way for this story to end. The best part of the book, even better than the great characters and complex plot, is the world-building. The magic system is well-developed, and the society feels extremely real. I felt like I was living in Channe right along with Isda the entire time that I was reading the book.

Highly, highly recommend!!

I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan and already know that most books will just come up short, but alas, I read them anyway, hoping for the vibes or a glimpse of the original book, musical, movie, any or all of it! This book did come up short for me, and wow kind of hated the ending as well. It's a stand alone and I really like the premise of the book and the direction of the book, however, it really fell flat and didn't capture the beauty or the magical vibes of the Phantom like I was hoping. It was a disappointment, but has beautiful cover art and an ok story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Sing Me Forgotten was beautifully poignant, magically entertaining, and brutally honest about the prejudices of humanity against things they just don't understand.

Isda is a gravoir, or someone who can alter/extract memories from people when they sing. Hidden away in an opera house by Cyril, she hears a young man, Emeric, singing and it calls to her very soul. Through vivid descriptions, darkly woven thoughts, morally gray actions, and cringe-worthy scenes of pain we are taken one a wild ride in a fantasy world. I was seriously entranced by this story.

I'm neutral about this book, so 3 stars.

I LOVED the first 40%. Such an innocent romance blossomed. Then it just went haywire. So much angst, betrayal, despair, pain, torture. Isda became obsessed with power, Emeric, sweet Emeric just wanted his sister and the girl he was starting to love, and Cyril was...just Cyril. So many things happened and piled up and by the end I didn't feel very happy with this story.

The ending? Some would say it was supposed to end like that but when I read romantic fiction I want an HEA. THIS BOOK DID NOT HAVE AN HEA. You've been warned. It broke my heart. And it just ENDED. It sounds stupid but I'll forget this ending and make up my own.

And I'm pissed. Because the story was SO good until it wasn't.

I think I like the idea of The Phantom of the Opera more than I actually like 'it'. I pick up every single retelling or adaptation I come across and I haven't really enjoyed a single one. And that doesn't change much here. *deep sigh*

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with an arc of Sing Me Forgotten.

Sing Me Forgotten✨
Jessica S. Olson

Fantasy | Gender bent Retellings | Magic

🌟4.75 / 5🌟

Thank you to Net Galley and Inkyard Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review
Current Publication Date: March 9th 2021

When I saw this beautiful cover and learned it was a gender bent retelling of Phantom of the Opera I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. The story was truly magical and enthralling! The protagonist Isda was powerful and compelling. She has spent her entire life an in opera house, not interacting with the outside world or anyone other than Cyril. That is until she meets Emric the boy with a golden voice and personality. As she digs deeper into his memories she learns of the outside world and of another like her.

I loved the music and magic of the opera house, and the wonderfully dynamic magic system that worked through song. The contrasting themes of beauty, light, and magic with the gothic setting, her grotesque appearance, and ever present threat of murder. This novel was full of thought provoking questions: What is the value of your memories and their connection to your inherent self? Can human friendship and love transcend the physical appearance?

My only critique is that with so few main characters the world feels a little small. I understand that was likely done on purpose to reflect the isolation of Isda and the importance of her relationship with Emric. Regardless I found transfixed by the world and characters. I stayed up until four in the morning to reach the end, if that’s not a glowing endorsement I don’t know is!😂 Sing Me Forgotten was one of the best debuts I have read in while, and I cannot wait to see what’s next from Jessica Olson!💛

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I will be staring into space for the foreseeable future thinking about that ending. I don’t even know how to accurately convey my emotions because there’s so many and they’re conflicting.

True rating: 4.5/5

I absolutely love retellings and a gender bent Phantom retelling.. I’m sold. This book may contain magic within the story, but the book itself is pure magic. Isda is such a unique main character who was crafted beautifully. She’s equally strong and emotional. It’s a delicately crafted balance to make such a complex and interesting main character. Following her journey from the shadows, you see Isda grow and learn. Learning the most important lesson: not everything is always as it seems.

Watching the relationship with Emeric unfold was incredible. I loved every second of it. Top notch romance. I fell in love with them and never stopped. Truthfully, all the character relationships were dynamic and had so many layers, continually keeping you guessing.

What a fantastic book! One you’re surely not going to want to miss.

I have mixed feelings about this book. At the beginning, I thought for sure, this would be my first five stars book of 2021. It had a fantastic atmosphere as this book was set in an Opera. I was also listening to the perfect soundtrack for it, giving me the best experience. However, my love for this book quickly faded. This is how it went:

First 30% - 5 stars
Between 30% and 95% - 3 stars
The ending - 1 star!

So let me ask you... how should I rate this book? Because I have no clue. I'll probably stick to three stars but oh, I am so disappointed after being so hopeful in the beginning especially with that ending that made me think "Really?!" and had me check if this was indeed a standalone and not the first in a series.

In Sing Me Forgotten, you will meet Isda, a girl who has power over people's memories whenever they sing. However, in this world girls like her are called "gravoirs" and are hunted down. They are killed at birth after three Gravoirs became too dangerous a while ago. There are also Fendoirs who have powers just not as much. They are allowed to live but they aren't completely free. When she was born, Isda was thrown into a well but a man called Cyril decided to pick her up and raise her as his own as long as she kept hidden away and as long as she earned him money with her powers... When Isda meet a boy with a beautiful voice, she'll take risks that might be dangerous for her.

Overall, Sing Me Forgotten has beautiful magical moments that made me believe in its potential. I was engaged and cared for our main characters. Unfortunately, it didn't hold up like I was hoping it would. It ended up being a bit too simple while I would have loved something a bit more complex. And even though I'm a bit mad by that ending, I'm still glad I got to dive into this book and I would be curious to read any new release by this author.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

This is how you do a reimagining of a classic story! It took many of the same ideas and scenes from Phantom of the Opera and gave it just enough of a unique twist to be its own thing while still paying homage to the source material. I love Phantom of the Opera so obviously I loved seeing all the parts that were similar to that story, though I was also wishing other parts were the same as well. Still, I like this author's twist on the story.

I like to get my negatives out of the way first, but I feel like all the ones I have a pretty nitpicky. The one that stands out to me the most is Isda's relationship with Cyril. I sensed instantly what was really going on and hoped that the author was going to surprise me. I ended up liking it in the end because it reminded me a lot of Rapunzel and Gothel, but I can't help wishing it'd gone a more unexpected angle all the same. I also wish that some stuff was built up a little bit more. The climax felt like it happened in the middle of the book, only to have another climax happen later. In a weird way, the structure was kind of like a play-- or an opera, I guess. If that was the intention, I wish it had been made a little more clear in the book's formatting. I also feel like maybe Emeric's backstory was a little too convenient for Isda. Because of his past, Emeric was way more accepting of her. I don't mind their romance since I thought it was paced well; I just wish it hadn't been so easy for the two of them to connect.

There are so many other good things about it. All of the nods to Phantom of the Opera are good, and the writing style fits the musical tone of this book perfectly. Even when shit hits the fan, there's a certain beautiful style to the words. Isda is an engaging and interesting main character. The world-building is also really fascinating. I hope that this stays as a one-shot but I'm definitely intrigued by all that this book introduced. There are a lot of unanswered questions of how this world works and why things are a certain way, but I don't need them to be answered in order to enjoy the story.

I really liked how Isda was more of an anti-hero/villain, which keeps faithful to the Phantom's story. They both did nasty things to people for their own selfish reasons. I can't say I felt as much sympathy for her as I did for Erik, but I did love how honest she was when she thought about the terrible things she was doing. And I'll just say it: her powers were cool and it was both terrifying and awesome when she described using them for bad things.

This book will be most enjoyable for those who love music and are familiar with the Phantom of the Opera story, but I think it might still be enjoyable for those less familiar. It has good imagination and some lovely imagery in its writing. Highly recommended!

Sing Me Forgotten is a gender-swapped retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. That cover alone should make you lust for this book.

Isda is a gravoir, a magical being, feared and killed for their ability to influence memories. Cyril, owner of the Channe Opera House, rescued Isda from death when she was a child. He raised her in secret, keeping her within the confines of the opera house. Isda's job is to influence the memories of the audience so they give favorable reviews and buy tickets for additional performances.

What Isda longs for is the opportunity to perform. Otherwise, she's content with her lot until Cyril hires the gorgeous Emeric as the night janitor. Isda hears Emeric sing and she's captivated by his voice but even more so by his memories of a little girl - a gravoir.

Lush descriptions, rich with musicality and an atmospheric, detailed writing style make the inside of Sing Me Forgotten as gorgeous as the striking cover.

For fans of Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles.

(SPOILERS)

I enjoyed this book so much, but I felt it never quite reached its full potential.

It started off strong with some impressive, unique world-building that was happy to find involved a forbidden romance. The author did a lot of showing with the telling, like how the history of Les Trois destroyers comes up whenever the main character is looking at paintings or sculptures of them. I thought it was really well done.

I never had any trouble imagining the opera house, people’s homes, or the city streets. I knew what everyone looked like and could imagine them down to their mannerisms. All of the descriptions were beautifully written. The descriptions of singing and the music of the opera house were also lovely. But I tried to look up the opera Le Berger anyway so I could hear the finale duet the author referenced, and only found a brief, instrumental excerpt of Les Bergers by Jacques Offenbach. I was disappointed that the opera used as such an important facet of the story was so obscure I can’t even track down an audio copy to listen to.

I liked the characters, but the cast was so very small. There’s the main character, her adoptive father, her love interest and his sister, and the politician she’s helping ruin. But that’s all. Everyone else is a nameless bystander. The five featured characters had narrow motivations and that left the plot feeling a bit thin. So much potential for complexity was lost by omitting two of the central characters from the original Phantom of the Opera: Carlotta and Viscount Raoul de Chagny. Emeric became the star of the opera house far too quickly and easily. Isda simply tripped the lead tenor to replace him. We missed out on so many dramatics without a gender-bent Carlotta gumming up the works. And yes, there was a bit of tension between Isda and Emeric over her concerns about her appearance beneath her mask, but she got over that really fast. Their romance felt too easy. The fact that she got so jealous over a nameless, faceless stranger dancing with him at the ball made it hit home even stronger that the story was lacking something significant without a recurring Viscountess character to try and steal Emeric’s attentions away from Isda.

The characters we did have felt very nicely fleshed-out. They had fully realized pasts to explain their current motivations. They stayed in-character and on-task. I thought Isda’s master Cyril was a particularly excellent villain, because, just like Isda, I wondered if Emeric could be mistaken, and if it was possible he truly loved her like he was her father. He was very controlled and consistent, his lies completely believable. He fooled me, too.

The first half of the book was so well-written that my expectations were high for the second half, but for me, once Isda was discovered at the masquerade, the rest of the book felt a bit sloppy, like it was still in a rough draft stage. Everything felt just a little too convenient, from Emeric being able to topple an entire statue with his bare hands to Isda finding a woman slicing and bagging fresh bread, ripe for the stealing.

I liked that Isda’s hand was crushed beyond repair, ruining her for playing music forever. That had real emotional impact. But I felt like it happened too early, because she continued to evade her master and elude capture by riding a horse, climbing walls, jumping over fences, and even scaling drain pipes in spite of this massive handicap. The author continuously referenced the pain in her hand, but I just didn’t find it believable that even with elixir she could function so well that an entire army of capable men with fully functioning limbs couldn’t recapture her. There was no real sense of danger because she too easily escaped every trap and her crushed hand didn’t actually physically hinder her at all. (But I absolutely LOVED that she traveled via the sewers, and that they connected directly to the catacombs and crypt where she lived. That was brilliant!)

I found the big chase scene at the end very tedious. I didn’t fear for Isda because she too easily evaded capture. It was mentioned that it took her “hours” to traverse the streets on horseback to get to the opera house, and I rather felt like it took hours to read that scene because it just wasn’t as exciting as intended. The way she was checking her watch every so often did not provide the sense of urgency it was intended to; it became a monotonous distraction. Again, it wasn’t believable that a city full of armed police couldn’t catch her. Then she climbed a drain pipe to the roof of the opera house for a showdown with Cyril, and somehow had time to pick up the knife, carve a rune into her injured hand with her good one, and then carve another into her good hand with her teeth? I don’t understand why she would have taken the hardest possible path, the one that would take the longest and cause her the most pain, when it was already previously established that she could carve marks elsewhere (her thigh instead of her collar bone) and they would still work.

I was glad to see the author kept the famous chandelier-crashing scene in her Phantom retelling. I gasped out loud when it first appeared Emeric had died. I liked that she finally got her revenge on Cyril, and that readers found the true motivation behind his schemes, and even that Isda still felt pity for him after all he had done.

I was very confused, though, that any old elixir will do the job. When Isda drinks elixir she receives the memories of those she takes from. That seems very specific. I had it in my head that she would have to reclaim Emeric’s exact vials of elixir to give him back his specific memories. I didn’t think it was very clear that elixir is elixir, no matter whose. I kept waiting for her to go looking for his own vials and that never happened. It was another point where things were set up just a little too conveniently, though once I understood elixir to be non-specific to the recipient, I did think it was delicious vengeance that she gave Cyril’s elixir to Emeric.

The ending of the story honestly felt wrong. I would have been okay with Emeric dying and Isda raising his sister on her own. (That would have even left room for an intense sequel, when two of the next Les Trois had already gathered.) Even though he was my favorite character, his death would have been meaningful and have a purpose. But he did come back, and I understood Isda’s erasing memories of her from his mind to spare him pain, but I was surprised he let her do it. And I was shocked that she told him where his little sister was so he could be with her. Her whole point in leaving him was that he was the catalyseur (which was a great plot twist, as I was convinced from the beginning it was his necklace), but when she considered that the entire problem of their being with each other was exactly the same problem he and his sister would encounter, she literally shrugged it off and said, “Not my business.” I really can’t buy that. It would have made more sense if she had erased his memories of his sister as well and taken her away, or left his memories intact and assured him that the two of them would be safe together but they had to say goodbye to him and go away on their own. I just don’t understand her willingness to sacrifice her only chance in the world at happiness for the good of mankind, but simultaneously leaving mankind to its fate, which she knows is not going to turn out well. And without her love and without her music, what is the point of her living anymore? The Phantom of the Opera died, and perhaps so should Isda have.

The ending felt so rushed and unsatisfying. But, on the whole, I loved this book. The worldbuilding was unique, the writing was beautiful, and this is a book I would enjoy rereading and would recommend to others. I would definitely be interested in purchasing a copy after final publishing to see if anything has changed. Even if nothing is ironed out, this was still a gripping story and I’m a fan.

The premise for this book is very interesting: the backstory of a genderbent variation on the Phantom of the Opera. I enjoyed this book for the most part, and I do think it will be an enjoyable story for young adult readers who are interested in gothic horror, fantasy, and magic.

The author writes details well. As I read, I could envision the settings, whether inside an operahouse, underground, or running through a city, quite clearly. The descriptions she gives of the locations, objects, even people, are very well done and yet never overshadow the story. The descriptions of the magical elixir and the music as well are excellent.

Where the book does break down a bit is in the world building. This book isn't one where the mystery of the main character is one that she is discovering as she goes along. She knows that she is a being with the power to use music to change other people's memories from the very start. Yes, she does learn more about using her power over the book, but it is never treated as a mystery to be solved. Yet, this is information that only very slowly gets introduced to the audience, which makes the first quarter of the book rather confusing and difficult to really get into. Supposedly, something about the gravoir's facial features identify them even as newborns, but we never really know what that feature is. Also, the main character, Isda, always has a mask on, but when she finally meets another gravoir, nothing about her appearance makes her visually stand out in the same way, at least not that we are told.

Another major plot point of the book is the ability to draw out other people's memories as an "elixir," which is treated as a currency of sorts. But, why? We see later in the book that it is an energy source, of sorts, but is it a magical energy source? Does it operate like adrenaline? Why is it of value? It is very unclear. Does it or does it not need a "catalyseur," and how does Isda 1. know what one is, and 2. think that the other gravoir who is a young child knows what one is and where to find it?

Overall, this is a very interesting and unique story, and an especially inviting twist on the story of the Phantom of the Opera. I look forward to seeing more by the author.

I received a copy of this book from Inkyard Press and Netgalley.

A genderswapped Phantom of the Opera? Oh, do go on!

Isda is cloistered in a Parisian opera house because she was born a gravoir, a person who can take memories in a society that uses memories as currency.

She meets Emeric and as their relationship grows so does Isda's desire to have a life outside her caretaker Cyril.

I loved this twist on the Phantom story and the writing is itself like a song.

This book swept me away as if I was watching an opera. The characters and situations are unique and thoroughly enjoyable! The conclusion was satisfying as well! I will not soon forget "Sing Me Forgotten!"
"

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. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Absolutely loved this book! A unique take on the Phantom of the Opera story, I was absolutely engrossed with this story from start to finish! I wholeheartedly recommend for anyone!

"What someone looks like isn't what determines their humanity." -Sing Me Forgotten
Sing Me Forgotten is the debut novel by Jessica S Olsen. A heartfelt and fantastical retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, Sing Me Forgotten is perfect for all readers in your life, so spread the word!

Isda is bound by duty and fear to stay hidden in the Channe Opera House. Isda is a character that chooses to not be defined by her tragic past.  Instead, she devotes her life at the Opera House by learning how to play the organ, singing, imitating choreography and putting the skills she was born with to by helping the man who saved her from certain death.

Isda’s storyline reminded me a lot of the Rapunzel fairytale. Isda is naïve, and implicitly trusts her caretaker, Cyril. She knows if anyone in Channe realizes that she exists, her death would be imminent. By hiding her away, he tells Isda that she is safe. His only demand is that she use the gift to help alter the memories of the patrons of the Opera.

It is only when Emeric Rodin enters the Opera House and washes Isda’s world with color does she realize that perhaps her small life in the Opera House isn’t as cozy as she had hoped. The storyline of Sing Me Forgotten is so enchanting and most readers will know vaguely how the classic fairytales have played out, but because Isda is so beguiling you become invested and hope against the certain reality of what is to come.

As a debut novel, Sing Me Forgotten packs a weighty punch. Classic literature lovers, music lovers, fantasy fans, and everyone in between with love this book. With vivid imagery, rich descriptions, poignant emotions, and charismatic characters Sing Me Forgotten is a must-read for every kind of reader.

This vote originally appears on Lit.Buzz!