Can we talk about the cover? Gorgeous! Sing Me Forgotten is a gender-bent phantom of the opera and it is wonderful! I HIGHLY recommend this to any lover of Phantom of the Opera.

Isda loves to dance and be a part of performances. I like the name Isda. Isda works her magic to get rave reviews. Isda loves the performers but not having to hide her face behind masks in shame. Isda is almost in danger when Emeric sees her. Isda is to help Emeric become a professional singer . I loved the characters and descriptions of events. Isda loves having more control

I really enjoyed this book. Some light romance and a main character with some depth to her. I liked that she wasn't just one sided and was still struggling with the dark v. light aspects of her life/nature. I did like that this book attempted to tackle the difficult issues of race, identity, and inclusion. Most YA novels fall short in how they address larger world issues, and I enjoyed the fact that this one faced them head on.

I was super exited when I heard this was a "Phantom of the Opera" retelling as Phantom is one of my absolute favorite books and absolute favorite musicals - then I was super nervous that it would let me down or I'd be annoyed at this retelling since Phantom is already so perfect.

Well, all I have to say is wow: "Sing Me Forgotten" did not disappoint. I loved all the parallels to the original story and all the subtle nods, winks and easter eggs nested into the story/language too. BUT ultimately Olsen really made it her own - and that's what makes it so wonderful. Olsen weaves french(ish) decadence with the beauty of music (& the theater), a big dash of magic & a fierce lead to make an absolutely beautiful and moving story. It really goes above and beyond a romance with so many important and touching messages to read into. "Sing Me Forgotten" really left an impact on me and that is why I love it so much - and that is not something I state lightly.

Other thoughts:
- Music - so much music and musical references here which Olsen did VERY well you can tell she's a trained performer, which is much appreciated.
- Isla is the sweet and fierce semi-monster female lead living in the crypt of the opera and I love her.
- I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the magic element at before starting the book but IT IS SO GOOD, it really takes and twists this story to make it so strong and unique.
- Gothic fantasy is the genre I didn't know I needed in my life
- It is a young adult genre so there's some young adult-y things in there, but every time something felt a bit "fluffy" Olsen hit you with something else - a really nice (& delicate) balance throughout
- I see the nod to Harry Potter & I appreciate it
- I think musically inclined/theater peeps will appreciate this book the most but it really is a wonderful read for anyone - it traverses past the realm of theater
- I think this will absolutely WOW the readers unfamiliar with Phantom and I think the way Olsen handled the Phantom aspects gives a warm hug to us that are familiar (I'll say it again - very well done).
- I love this cover; so so pretty

"Sing Me Forgotten" is romantic, magical, fierce, passionate, moving, decadent, strong and above all, a fantastic story.

Fun engaging book!
The setting is set in a cool opera house. With a whimsically detailed city and creative setting.
The characters were well developed and it told a fun unique story. A great YA musical story.

Thankyou for the eArc copy Netgalley.

The best gender-bent Phantom of the Opera I have read in a long time. Isda is rescued as a child and kept hidden in the opera house where her life is dull and boring, that is until Emeric arrives and is hired to clean the opera house. Their friendship blooms and she discovers there is a high cost to her freedom. A must read for any Phantom lover.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

* I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

As soon as I heard this was a gender bent Phantom of the Opera retelling and I saw the gorgeous cover, I knew I had to read this one! A stunning debut from Olson, I was completely swept away into this beautiful and magical world. I was drawn immediately to Isda. She’s a gravoir and has been living beneath the opera house, that Cyril, the man who rescued her, owns. She longs so much for human connection, but must live hidden away from a society that thinks of her as a monster. She meets Emeric, a boy that’s been hired to clean the opera house, and everything changes. He has an amazing voice, unlike one that Isda has ever heard. His memories give her hints as to how to break free from her prison of a life, and she begins to spend more and more time with him. She soon learns that the price for her freedom is steep.

Emeric is the best! He’s so full of sunshine and light. I loved his sense of humor and just how sweet he is. He also has dimples, *sighs*!

The romance between Isda and Emeric is definitely swoon worthy and they are two characters you won’t soon forget.

If you like lush, atmospheric, gothic romances, then this book is for you! It will leave you thinking about it long after the last act has ended.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for letting me read this early! I first saw the cover and was entranced it's so beautiful. I read the synopsis and was sold, because I love Phantom of the Opera. This is such a unique novel and by the end of it my heart was breaking. Isda is a character the perfects both the good in humanity and evil. It was predictable in who the villain was going to be, but I was okay with that. I want more on Emeric's separate adventures with Arlette and Isda's journey on herself. Does she give in to those base impulses eventually? Or does she learn how to calm it? This is one I would also be okay if it ended as a stand alone, as the ending was beautiful and heart wrenching. I will definitely look for more of this author either exploring this world or not.

This is a wonderful gender-bent retelling of the Phantom of the Opera. It is a truly magical story! How do I even begin to talk about this story, it is magical, heartbreaking, and memorable. The characters were all amazing and I can honestly say I adored them. The plot revolves around a girl who lives in the shadows at the opera who was born with marks on her face and powers, that she uses to extract memories from people through music. One bday she falls for a very sweet boy who sings like an angel. There is politics and angst and a broken corrupt kingdom that hunts down those with such magical abilities. She was an amazing protagonist and her pain, love, dear, and every motion she felt, was just so powerful. This was an overall wild journey but this story was absolutely wonderful. Isda was an amazing protagonist and I adored Emeric as an adorable caramel making boy, and their beautiful and magical bond. THAT ENDING THOUGH, it completely broke my heart and I am just ready to break down in tears. It was so bittersweet. In the end, please go read this book!
*Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Freaking fantastic book!
The setting. Oh, the setting! Gorgeous opera house, detailed city, and the main characters room!
The characters are depicted in lovely detail. I fell in love with Isda immediately. I wasn't a big fan of her guardian Cyril. And there are no words for Emeric!
The story line follows very closely to The Phantom of the Opera, which I saw many years ago but there are similarities.
The writing of this book was superb. So many great details and played out lovely in my mind. I could see this as a movie for sure.

I must say that the ending wasn't surprising but nonetheless I was hopeful.
I loved this book and will await future releases from Jessica S. Olson.

This book is true definition of magic! This is outstanding, powerful, magical and painful because it slowly breaks your heart and makes you deeply root for the characters.

Gender switched Phantom of Opera: a monstrous girl hid behind the shadows, was born with marks on her face, using her powers connected to the enchanting magic of music, extracting memories and she falls for a sunshiny boy, wearing pendant, singing like an angel in the middle corrupt kingdom and growing threat of political angst.

Yes, this is so much more than I expected but the author is creative musician who pulls the strings of our hearts and play them gently, adroitly and passionately to compose a memorable, soul brushing, extremely emotional symphony.

She awakens so many contrast emotions at the same time: love, hate, fear, excitement, regret, disdain, shock because even though this book is poetic, lyrical, poignant, heart wrenching, it is also violent, dark, terrifying with its gory, gothic atmosphere and action packed chapters ending with blood baths.

Overall: this gives me everything I like. It’s perfectly written.

I truly loved both Isda and Emeric who sings like angel, makes homemade caramels and I also know I never forget their beautiful, intimate, powerful bounding.

No more words: I LOVED IT SO MUCH. Giving my five memorable, musical, magical stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for sharing this spectacular ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I loved every single thing about this story. The beautiful writing gave it a truly gothic feeling which the setting added to with great effect. It was easy to picture the opera house and the catacombs beneath. The magic system was utterly fascinating and gave such depth to the murky area of what it meant to be a gravoir or fendoir and why Isda was hidden away to begin with.

Isda was brilliant and refreshing. I loved the complexity of her character and the realness with how she interacted with Emeric since Cyril had been the only person she'd ever had any contact with up to that point. Cyril and his gray areas continued to layer the story. Emeric was such a charming character and the way things evolved between them took me to extremes of emotion and that end... my heart.

Breathtaking, you'll want to preorder this one ASAP so you don't miss out.

YES! I am so glad to have been provided an ARC of this beautifully written book. I will DEFINITELY be purchasing this book for my library. Jessica Olson writes this so well that you are there. It is the perfect amount of description to sweep you away into this magical story.

Isda isn't supposed to exist. Seeing her character growth is worth everything to me. Her character & Emeric's character are PERFECT.

I really feel like this will be a top rated book upon its release! Thank you so much NETGALLEY for this preview... again, I can't wait for the release to put this book in the hands of my patrons.

This was exceptional.
I'm in love and heartbroken at the same time from that ending.
The prose was masterful. I loved the nods to the original Phantom of the Opera story.
I'm going to need a moment to recover from this one. Pre-order it immediately.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson is a retelling of Phantom of the Opera. However, I felt like this book was uniquely its own.

Isda is not supposed to exist outside of the walls of the opera house. She has a special gift of manipulating memories when someone sings. She was saved by Cyril, the opera house owner. Cyril has used Isda's gifts to keep the opera house successful. If anyone finds out that she exists, both Isda and Cyril would have to pay with their lives. Someone does find out about Isda. Emeric, an opera house worker and a singer himself, meets and befriends Isda. As their friendship grows, Isda has difficult choices to make.

Olson's prose is beautiful, the world building paints a picture in the reader's mind, and the plot is unique. Isda and Emeric are complex characters who readers will adore and root for.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a unique read! Pitched as a gender bent Phantom of the Opera, Sing Me Forgotten ended up being so much more than that. Isda is wonderfully complicated, morally gray, and unfailingly determined despite her feared and hated status as a gravoir.
I loved the writing; every scene was written in beautiful and vivid detail, especially the beautiful opera house and Isda’s home in the crypts.
Isda’s and Emeric’s story was devastating and heartbreaking; I really felt for these characters and became incredibly invested in them from the beginning. Emeric is one of my favorite YA love interests, from his obsession with caramels to his kind nature. I also thought he was a perfect match for Isda.
The mythology of gravoirs and fendoirs was so interesting as well; I really liked the story of Les Trois as well as how the fear of them eventually evolved into gravoirs being killed as soon as they’re born because of their powers. The magic system was truly unlike anything I’ve seen before.

*Thank you very much to the publisher, author and Net galley for an EARC of Sing Me Forgotten in exchange for an honest review * I honestly thought that this was good. A genderbentry retelling with both characters coming to life thanks to the writing.

This book was received as an ARC from Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book put me over the edge in a dark, Gothic way because while I was reading, the book reminded me of a singing Rapunzel and how her owner (Cyril) kept Isda on lockdown to keep her power a secret but use her power discretely to boost ticket sales. Then, here comes singer Emeric and his angelic voice that draws Isda's attraction and now Isda wants nothing but affection from Emeric. and this relationship could compromise her existence and all that she knows could be gone forever! I know our patrons will love this book and I can't wait to hear the discussions that will come in our book club.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.