I love a he fell first kind of story. It's nice to see emotionally vulnerable men in fiction.

Saoirse is a secret siren and body guard to the crown prince. She is dangerous. No soft finned mermaid creatures here. Even the Fae don't want to get near them. But most of all, she's a danger to herself. Her abilities, if found out, could cost her her life. But what is your own life worth when your beloved sister is in danger? I know personally I would sacrifice a lot of my own stuff to protect my little sister.

More so for fans of Daughter of the Pirate King, but if you watched the little Mermaid and wished for darker more interesting plot themes and a heroine with more complicated desires (wanting to walk on land and marry a prince is a perfectly acceptable desire, some just want other things) then this is a fantastic book for you.

Burton's writing is exceptional and the plot is well paced.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

YA Fantasy featuring a truly deadly siren, and a prince who falls first. I had a hard time getting into it, but enjoyed the last half quite a bit.

I loved how the siren was really truly deadly- reminded me of the sirens from Daughter of the Pirate King. If you enjoy YA books, sirens, and soft hearted princes, this one is for you!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Fae? Witches? Sirens?

All in a dark YA fantasy novel full of some of my favorite tropes? (grumpy/sunshine and bodyguard/guarded, to name a few.) Overall, this was such a fun read. I loved the plot, the writing, and everything else I've already mentioned. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Gabi Burton's debut Sing Me To Sleep was absolutely stunning. This book is about Saoirse who is a siren -- the last of her kind in the kingdom of Keirdre. The kingdom is made up of the fae, witches, and humans. Saoirse pretends to be an ikatus - a fae without an affinity. To sate her hunger for murder, she takes on jobs where she acts as an assassin for a mystery organization. However, her life is about to change - she is about to graduate from what is basically military school at the top of her class. Saoirse is hired to be one of the prince's royal guards. As it turns out, she really likes the prince - Hayes - which is not what she had expected. There is a murder spree going on in Keidre and Saoirse is tasked with helping with the investigation but the person committing the crimes is her.

I absolutely LOVED that the whole cast of Sing Me To Sleep are Black and Brown people. Like, that is awesome and I'd love to read more fantasy books with diverse casts. I loved the grumpy sunshine trope this book had -- Saoirse is grumpy and Hayes is sunshine. Also, the way it plays out is a slow burn but perfect. This book is long - over 400 pages - but let me tell you - it goes quick. It is well paced and we keep getting different tidbits about the world that you have to go through breadcrumbs to get to the bottom of what is happening - the larger picture. So, I guess in other words the world building is so skilled. I can't wait to read the sequel and whatever else Burton comes up with. Gabi Burton is absolutely an author to watch and pay attention to.

I did not expect to love this book so so much. The main characters were so interesting and I loved seeing their journey throughout the book. I loved the setting as well and it was all so good.

Saoirse is a siren in hiding who graduates first in her class from a military academy. The reward? A job as the prince’s guard. He’s a member of the royal family that encourages the oppression of anyone who is not fae. When she is blackmailed over her sister’s identity, she must unravel who is after her and why.

It took me a while to get into this but I ended up really enjoying it. I’m a sucker for court intrigue and drama. The concept was really fun. I liked how it went into the different magical people and the ways in which they’re treated. It also had some really interesting discussion on hiding your true self in order to fit in. I was so annoyed by the ending. Up until the last line ~40 pages it was great.

This was very enjoyable!

I found the world that Burton wrote to be unique and intriguing. I am looking forward to see what else Burton writes.

"You don't get to claim you're a monster just so you can pretend you don't have choices. You do, and you keep choosing wrong."

Sing Me to Sleep is a dark, YA fantasy featuring an all Black and brown cast, starring Saoirse, the last siren in a fae kingdom who is working simultaneously as an assassin and the prince's guard, which as you can imagine, causes some difficulties for her in keeping her secrets safe and choosing her alliances, especially when the Prince decides to investigate the "mysterious woman" who has been behind some high-level assassinations.

Saoirse is a morally-gray character, veering on the dark side of her siren nature, to lure men to the water and kill them. But in this book, she learns more about herself, her history, and her powers and is able to make more-informed choices about her destiny. I, personally, love dark characters and Saoirse is an excellent representation of one who fights with her own wicked nature to try and do what she believes is right. With a slow-burn romance, found family, and shifting alliances, this is a captivating YA fantasy that fans should absolutely add to their shelves.

I spoke about this book on an instagram live and I highly recommended this book! It had me captivated the entire time I was reading! I'm so anxious for the next book!

Did I just finish my favorite read of 2023 so far? *screams in excitement*

Gabi Burton had me enchanted from start to finish with this one. If you know me, you probably heard me rave about the Legendborn Series a whole lot and this book gave me the exact same feelings. I really loved the protagonist Saoirse and I think she might rival Bree on my favorite female fantasy protagonists!

"Sing Me To Sleep" is set in a prejudiced kingdom ruled by the Fae Folk, who successfully outlawed every other creature OR made them their servants. Our protagonist Saoirse - who is a siren and probably one of the most feared creatures to exist in the kingdom - is the last of her kind and successfully disguises herself amongst the fae. But when she is drafted into the position as the prince's guard, her carefully played out scheme is toppled by a political plot that is threatening everyone she ever loved.

Let me tell you about all the things I loved (which was basically everything about this book):

1. The Worldbuilding
The politics and the magic system were SO well thought out and easy to understand. I also really appreciated the discourse on the structural racism represented through the segregation laws in the story. I personally think that the social commentary is very digestible for a younger audience - the book is marketed as YA after all.

While I have seen some people saying that they didn't like the out-of-the-water concept of the Sirens, I thought that this twist on the lore was very interesting. While Saoirse is clearly a morally grey character, I appreciated that her murderous nature was not downplayed but that the story rather focused on her channeling her powers to do something good in the end - while still remaining dangerous - aaah I don't know how to explain this. I LIKED IT OK?!

2. The characters
OOF, Saoirse is one of my favorite morally grey characters ever. I usually don't enjoy first person POVs as much but it was amazing to understand Saoirse's character development alongside her. Her moral struggle with her being a Siren in the beginning and the turnaround of power in the end made me really proud. Almost like a proud parent moment.

HAYES MY BELOVED: This book made me realize that I am a sucker for the "he falls first" trope, especially in combination with the enemies to lovers trope, while the female protagonist is the enemy / villain?!?!?!

3. The plot
I am not going to spoil anything but I really appreciated that the story did not focus on the (slow burn) romance between Saoirse and Hayes but Saoirse's character development and the political intrigue. If you are looking for romantasy - this is not the book for you.

Overall I think that this one of the most amazing YA Fantasy debuts I have ever read and I need to get my hands on the sequel immediately.

I struggled with this one. While some of the concepts were interesting, I think most of the plot, characters and world were underdeveloped and thus underserved by the prose and conflict.

Our MC disappoints as a self-realized siren, killer, rebel; her love interest is unbelievable, and the evolution of romance subpar to me.

The only thing I loved about this book was the family unit and how they loved and supported each other.

This was an incredible book! Saoirse is used to telling lies to survive. It's how she climbed to the top of training and gets offered a job to be a guard to the Prince. But being a siren is dangerous, especially when all the prince's guards are on the hunt for a beautiful woman who just happens to be Saoirse in disguise. This was an amazing book and I totally enjoyed it!

Saoirse Sorkova is a siren-- a deadly creature of the water. Sirens are obviously not welcomed, even in a world filled with other fantasy creatures, including Fae. There are numerous elemental Fae with elemental magic, and Saoirse, to blend in, poses as a Water Fae, but one that cannot perform magic-- an ikatus. Saoirse is training to be a soldier, and ends up being selected as a new member of the Prince's royal guard. She takes this job in order to gain some information, as someone has been blackmailing her adopted family.

It has a little rough time with exposition. It's told in first person POV with Saoirse as the main character. I have heard from some people who enjoy fantasy writing that it's hard to pull off first person POV as you have to describe everything through the character's eyes. It smooths out after maybe the first 20% or so. The overall fantasy setting is fine. It wasn't the most original, but it was built in a way that made sense and worked for the story. I think what makes this book unique is Saoirse as the main character. People describe her as morally grey, but I as a goodie two-shoes would almost say she is a villain. She's really only out for her own motives. And as a siren, she has a very strong desire to kill people. She still very much cares for her family, particularly her younger sister, which is really her only humanizing aspect. You can sort of argue her seriousness of protecting the prince is also good, but she still only took this job to benefit her family, so it's still not completely to help the Prince. She's not the most likable character to me personally, but she was an interesting perspective to read from. I don't think we get a lot of these types of heroines in young adult literature. and they do have a place and readership in the world. I would recommend this if you're looking for a tough main character who doesn't feel guilty for being her true self, and has a strong sense of love and protection for her family.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Saoirse is the best soldier in her class at a prestigious barracks. Upon graduation she’s hired as a personal bodyguard to Prince Hayes. It may sound good on the surface – graduate at the top of your class, get a well-paying job. But there are several problems with that. First, Saoirse is a siren, her existence is illegal, and she wears a disguise. Second, she also works as an assassin for a group of mercenaries. Third, she’s always hated the royal family.

Saoirse is a morally gray character – one of my favorite types. As a siren it’s in her nature to kill, and it’s difficult for her to control those urges. She’s highly protective of her younger sister, is prickly on her best days, and doesn’t like other people as a general rule. Which is why she’s so frustrated when she finds herself beginning to care for Prince Hayes. He insists his staff call him by his first name, is more intelligent than people believe, and is determined to break through Saoirse’s walls. She believes in him and his plans for the kingdom if he ever takes the throne.

It’s rare I come across a book with this much conflict and tension, and I loved every bit of it. Talk about punishing your characters – the author pushes Saoirse to the edge of a metaphorical cliff, and I had no idea how she’d escape that situation. This mystery also kept me guessing and is filled with red herrings. The world-building is well-crafted with details skillfully woven into the story without an info dump. It’s an outstanding debut, and I’ll absolutely be continuing with this series. Burton is an author to watch.

Sing Me to Sleep is for readers who enjoy fantasy mysteries filled with conflict, mythology, and strong family bonds.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley & Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know, I'm pretty conflicted about this book. It did hook me from beginning to end but I also didn't like how the story and its characters turned out.

First off, insta-love. Snore. The prince didn't have much of a personality which didn't help.

Secondly, the protagonist was hard to root for. I admire morally grey characters normally but she really liked to murder people...so that's hard to emphasize with. It felt like the author kept trying to use her obsessive love for a sister we barely saw to make her seem less "bad" but it didn't work too well. Even the sister hated her after her awful behavior which cracked me up.

Still, an entertaining read. My rating's more like 2.25/5 stars.

Content Warnings: Racism, Misogyny, Murder, Grief, Loss of a Loved One, Torture, Kidnapping, Blackmail

Thank you to Gabi and Bloomsbury Publishing for a free e-ARC!

Certainly an interesting premise, with quite a creative execution! A strong tale of racism, romance and finding your true self.

Saoirse is not like most of the other people in the kingdom - she’s a Siren. Thought to be extinct and banned from the kingdom, she has to hide her true self using magic and determination. Only problem being, to get money she has to kill - but with each kill her risk of being found out increases each time.

I did quite enjoy this. The romance was a bit too much for me, I mostly started to just glaze over it but I wouldn’t put that as a negative since that’s just my preference. Straight romance, especially in YA, I tend to have this reaction to personally. The rest of the book though, loved it! I loved the world building, the characters, the magic and fantasy systems. All of it worked really well together imo.

Twist could be seen from a while away, which unfortunately did slightly detract from the ending as it seems like it was meant to be a big “oh wow what a surprise!” thing. But I wouldn’t say it was a bad twist though it just needed things prior in the book to help make it a bit less obvious.

If you want an engaging, immersive fantasy world and a high-stakes plot, you have come to the right place. The story is set in a world with fae and witches and humans all together (though not necessarily harmoniously). I don't think I was expecting how expansive this world would be. Many different kinds of creatures, magic that felt interesting and unique, and a protagonist who society says doesn't belong. Saoirse is a siren, which usually makes me think more mermaid-like, but she lives on land and is actually passing for fae. Because in her kingdom, sirens are dangerous and shouldn't exist. That alone adds a lot of drama and anticipation of her being found out, especially when she joins the personal guard of a royal family who wants her kind dead. I feel like this story did a good job of keeping me on my toes. There were some reveals that didn't feel like as big a deal as they felt like they should be, but Saoirse's pile of secrets keeps growing and there are constant moments of danger that kept me wondering what would happen next. It's got a good blend of action, political-type drama, magic, and romance.

Something that was really interesting about this story was the moral grayness of the characters. Our protagonist, Saoirse, is a siren, and in this story that very much does mean luring men to their death. Throughout the story she struggles with knowing death should be wrong but also feeling a thrill when causing it. She is definitely not an angel and has caused harm, but she also has a good and caring heart. It's an interesting tension to see in her and to think about as a reader, because I do find her a very likable protagonist. There's also Prince Hayes. In some ways he comes off like he wants to be a cinnamon roll prince, while in other ways he's the lazy party boy. It's an interesting combination but highlights that he's not perfect and has a bit of gray in him too.

Overall this was a really good read, and I liked that the stakes felt like they kept building, all to an intense conclusion, perfectly set up for a sequel. I will say, at times the book felt a little too long, but it's got a quick-enough pace and hooks you in to want to know what will happen. It's an exciting new fantasy I'd recommend

(4.5 stars)
It’s been a minute since I read a book from a clearly morally gray characters point of view. The world building was so intriguing and such a delight to read. The morals, motives, and decisions were fascinating to read about . There were definitely some instances of “does this make sense” but overall I was so entertained it didn’t matter to me. I cannot wait to read the second book in this series.