Sing Me Forgotten - Book Review

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson
Publication date: March 9, 2021
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: Fantasy, fiction, retelling
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆
Strengths: Interesting fantasy element
Weaknesses: Mild pacing

When a story is based on a classic, it has lots of naysayers right out of the gate. While I've never seen or read the classic Phantom of the Opera, I was still intrigued to check out this gender-reversing story with a splash of fantasy.

What a charming book! Isda has never known a life outside of the opera house, other than what she's watched in peoples' memories. Cyril rescued her from a well where her mother had her thrown to die, since that was the fate for those born who were obviously monsters. The risk of them stealing all the memories and destroying the world was too great. 

Eventually Isda meets Emeric, a janitor at the opera house with a beautiful voice. She offers to train him and pretends for them both that he has no idea what she really is. He recognizes her talent and knows she may be the one to help him achieve his dream of being on stage.

The end of the story for Isda and Emeric wrapped up quite neatly, and not entirely as I expected. I loved the fantasy element of the memory elixir and its moral and economical implications. The value of memories as liquid gold also feels quite fitting. 

Overall, I'd give this book 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for those who enjoy re-spun classics, and fantasies that wrap up rather nicely. So many fantasies I see lately are ongoing series, but this was a succinct story with a finite end.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review.