I received a digital advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton, Saoirse is a siren, a creature that is forbidden to exist in her tense, hierarchical society. There are fae, witches, and humans, in that order. Everything else has been banished beyond the magical barrier—or destroyed by the fae royalty. But a few have slipped through and are living in disguise, including Saoirse and her adoptive sister Rain. Saoirse is constantly grappling with the urge to give in to her siren instincts, but manages to control them by directing them toward killing bad people, people whom she’s directed towards by the underground resistance group working against the royals. Then, one day, she’s assigned to work as a guard at the palace, fully expecting to hate Prince Hayes. However, she is drawn to him, as he is unlike his cruel father. But Hayes is searching for the person behind the series of murders across the cities—and of course, that person is Saoirse. So she quickly finds herself caught in a tangle of lies, secrets, and forbidden love, unsure how she will extricate herself.

First of all, it was really annoying that nowhere in the marketing did it mention that this is clearly intended to have a sequel. There’s not nearly enough resolution, and I wish I’d known it wasn’t a standalone before starting to read it.

I also didn’t care much about the romance between Saoirse and Hayes. They’re both decent characters, but there is so much secrecy between them, not to mention systemic class differences, that the dynamic felt really uneven between them. That, and the forbidden love/enemies-to-lovers arc is one I’ve read many times before, and this didn’t bring much new to the table. I also found Saoirse to be a complicated character to like. On the one hand, she kills people—but they’re bad, various kinds of criminals, so it’s hard to fault her for getting some sort of vigilante justice. On the other hand, she feels terrible about her siren-esque compulsion to lure people to their deaths—but sometimes her angst over this comes off really whiny.

I think her relationship with her sister does help soften her as a person, but it also just feels like the relationship between Katniss and Primrose in the Hunger Games. Except more annoying, because again, Saoirse is kind of whiny sometimes, and relies a lot on Rain’s love for her own sense of self-worth. She’s not the worst character by far, but she isn’t my favorite either.

The action and suspense are pretty decent, as is the political intrigue. I think the world this story exists in is pretty interesting, with the blatant segregation and propaganda causing such a wedge between the magical peoples. It’s cool to see the various ways people secretly push back against the policies, because oftentimes their rebellion is rooted in the love they feel for others. We see couples who are legally not allowed to marry still finding ways to live together, to raise families, and to do good in their communities. This is a great element of the story’s world, showing how marginalized groups have to function under the radar but can be the driving force behind good.

The other side of this rebellion is, of course, the resistance that Saoirse gets caught up in. They are driven by a sense of righteousness, and do have a point, though their methods are just as violent and destructive as the regime they’re fighting against. I think this is all very intriguing, and wish it had been explored more. But again, this is obviously supposed to have a sequel, which I’m sure will delve into it further. However, am I going to read the next one, whenever it eventually comes out? Perhaps not.

In the end, Sing Me to Sleep is a solid fantasy that would sit well on the shelf with books like The Hunger Games and Legendborn. I wasn’t entirely sold on the characters or the romance, but the setting and the plot are compelling enough. I just really, really, wish I had known it wasn’t a standalone, because the realization that “I only have fifty pages left, there’s no way they can resolve things!” was not a fun one. However, you’ve been warned, and if you think this sounds good, feel free to read it—just be prepared to wait a bit for book two to get answers.