Sing Me Forgotten
Sing Me Forgotten
By: Jessica S. Olson
A dynamic story of love imbued with the power of music. A beautiful harmony of love and pain with dangerous crescendos of suspense and sacrifice.
“Destruction is a music all its own. One composed of drumbeats and a percussion of passion and pain.”
Isda, trapped in a life of isolation as a disfigured, hunted gravoir.
Emeric, alone on a quest to find his captured gravoir sister.
Their paths cross in the halls of the opera house and their bond is forged through their music. But can their love survive the dangers of gravoir life or will the power Isda finds within herself keep them apart?
“If you aren’t in control of your emotions, you aren’t in control of anything.”
[Apparently this is a rendition of Phantom of the Opera- which I have never read/watched and therefore will make no comparison to]
The setting of this story has a dark, French, gothic vibe- Isda lives in a crypt under the opera house in a street lit with gaslights, stone streets trod by horses and carriages.
The currency is elixir- the golden liquid responsible for storing the memories in one's mind (and is the artwork of this book cover). Elixir can only be extracted or tapped into while someone is singing.
Fendoirs and gravoirs are the "villains" in this world- their faces disfigured from birth, they have the power to extract elixir and tamper with memories and thus are considered dangerous to society-- extract enough elixir and one can forget they have children, forget how to function, or be drained of life.
Gravoirs have wreaked havoc before and they could do it again if given the chance.
“Because they fear us. Because we are powerful. Because we are meant to be their masters.”
Isda's storyline is one of a deep desire to be free. To experience life outside her prison of isolation.
Emeric's storyline is one of courage and determination to rescue his sister and only surviving family member.
Emeric's memories, which Isda can access with her powers offers her the answer to freedom. Unbeknownst to Isda, she may be the key to finding Emeric's sister. What starts out as a mutual, yet separate clandestine partnership turns into the truest bond either of them have ever known.
I loved their story. I loved their characters. I loved their flirty banter. I don't read very many romance novels, and usually YA love feels either shallow or over-the-top, but this one where I thought: "I just love them!" and it really drew me in. They needed each other in the perfect way and they were destined to be together.
And then they face intense adversity and have to make really hard choices. And you turn the pages faster and faster because you just want to see them be okay and ride off into the sunset singing their beautiful duet.
And I won't tell you if they do or not.
I thought Olson did a phenomenal job writing this story, captivating the readers, and bringing her characters to life. Things I thought would be plot holes (except for one I'll put at the end) she acknowledges later in a way that makes sense.
I love the connections between music, memories, power, and life. She truly created a magical story.
Also an interesting study is the concept that people can become what you call them, treat them, or expect them to be.
This was a spellbinding and heart-wrenching book. With love, danger, suspense, and just enough fantasy to keep it innovative, I highly recommend you read it.
“Midnight comes to life, my darling, To guard our memories... So meet me in the darkness, darling, Where past and present meet.”
[Side note: Most of my questions were answered, but my biggest question is this: If Cyril kept Isda hidden away since birth, how did he take care of her as a baby and toddler?? He couldn't just leave her in there by herself all night every night. That's a pretty big investment for the first several years to raise a non-traumatized isolated little individual. It really doesn't matter with this book but as a mother of 4 I can't stop imagining how that would have worked! Jessica Olson: please explain!]
**Received an ARC via NetGalley**
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