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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
So heartbreakingly beautiful! I was entranced through the entire novel. I love the setting of this piece and the plot. The characters are so beautiful. This premise was something I have never read before and Olson lit it up. It was a happy ending but also so sad. Usually they are blissfully happy and this one wasn’t. I kind of liked it although my heart wants more. It’ll be hard to recover from how unique and amazing this book was!
Oh my heart
Just as Phantom of the Opera ended, so too did this one...and my heart is shattered for Isda as it was for Erik. I’m crying, and this is not good! My heart...augh...
Just as Phantom of the Opera ended, so too did this one...and my heart is shattered for Isda as it was for Erik. I’m crying, and this is not good! My heart...augh...
While I think there could have been a lot more world building, and a lot more characterization in the live interest (let’s face it, he’s really bland), I really enjoyed this book. The mix of plot and conflict was great, and the concept was something I had really wanted.
Such a great premise. Loved the plot and the character development, and the FMC self-awareness at the end, wow.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
4.5 stars! An awesome retelling of The Phantom of the Opera!!! The changes add a whole new perspective to the narrative. There was always room for sympathy for the original Phantom: he was soulful, desperately lonely, and ostracized for superficial reasons. His social maladjustment is tragic. BUT his predatory behavior - both grooming Christine and murdering folks at the opera - inevitably condemns his story to be "Psycho: The Musical!" But Isda, our new Phantom, her anger, her jealousy, her longing and lust, her deceptions, her need for social acceptance AND her disdain of that same society, her acts of rebellion, her experimentation with drugs and struggle with addiction, even her violent outbursts and acts of vandalism, are all just... part of being a troubled teen. She is Cinderella, and Ariel, and Aurora, and Jasmine, and Rapunzel, and every princess we were ever trained to idolize. AND -Isda is up against a racist society which wants to obliterate her simply for existing. My biggest regret is that this book made Isda a pale red-head, because it would have hit SO HARD if this fantasy faux-France had a stigma against faux-Middle Easternish folks, and forced them to cover up based on their appearance or misunderstood religion, or scapegoated them for an uptick of violence in the city. HOW is Isda not a PoC?! Every line she had about wanting to be dutiful, but ultimately feeling betrayed when good behavior didn't garner change or respect, and how she felt /forced/ to commit violence - at times even relished it - just to be Heard and Seen - her whole story SCREAMED #BlackLivesMatter to me. Or, you know, #MuslimGirlsMatter. I really wanted one more turn of the screw! But regardless, Isda's story hits threefold: A survivor of abuse taking back her power; a teenage girl's awakening; and an Other fighting to be considered an Equal. Standing ovation Isda!!!
But for all that I just compared her to the original Phantom, the characters in Sing Me Forgotten are not a perfect 1:1 rehash. In fact, they're all mash-ups, and I am HERE for it! Isda is equal parts Phantom + Christine. Emeric is Christine + Raoul. Cyril is all the opera owners and father figures, including The Phantom, combined. All of the original architecture is there - the orphaned and deceived ingenue; the covetous and capricious tutor; the opera house's violent and reclusive judge - but everyone takes a turn playing out a portion of the story. Sing Me Forgotten is like a masquerade ball where everyone swaps masks as they swap dancing partners. But the /characterization/ and theme is intact! It's like when a book-to-screen adaptation happens, and the book is quoted by a different character (I mean, how many of Dumbledore's pearls of wisdom are given to Hermione in the movies XD). The story of The Phantom of the Opera is all there, but it means something new when The Phantom or Christine's insights echo from all echelon's of society. There IS a specter haunting faux-France: It's Racism, and Greed, and an entitled patriarchy that thrives on hurting invisible little girls. One of the sad truths about The Phantom of the Opera is that all of the cast besides the Phantom are rather flat: Christine is a doe-eyed damsel, Raoul is a white knight, etc. But Sing Me Forgotten is a more human book: Everyone has a deeper layer that haunts them, everyone struggles with their own metaphorical Phantom, everyone has a choice to make between empathy and growth or self-pity and destruction. This was a really intricate dance Jessica S. Olson did, creating rich and sympathetic characters while also honoring their inspiration, and I am EXTREMELY proud of the end result!!! JSO is definitely a force to follow!
Praise where praise is due, but that said, this IS a debut novel, and it reads as such XD. Some of the lines were hyperbolic, or clunky. For example, I LOVE this line; it's even on the cover of the book! "Destruction is a music all its own. One composed of drumbeats and a percussion of passion and pain." She had it, she had the perfect line... and then she wrote too much XD. It only needed to be "Destruction is a music all its own: a percussion of passion and pain." Bam! Done, feelings evoked, message achieved, nice and succinct! Just little things throughout, little tightening moments, that would have elevated this book from a 4.5 to a full 5.
Also, the last 100 pages get a bit dumb XD. I don't know if this is a symptom of the author trying to translate the hunt for The Phantom, or is just a debut novel's shaky attempt at a big action sequence and that awkwardness would ware off with future writing... BUUUUUT.... Emeric has less than 24 hours before he loses his sense of self forever because MAGIC, and Isda WASTES every opportunity to bring him the magic potions that could save him! In fact, she drinks all the potions herself! Yes, there is subtext here about how addiction is a selfish monster that steers you away from making empathetic choices, buuuuuuut from a strictly plot-based, non-metaphorical, subtext-ignoring stance... it was reeeeeally annoying to watch Isda dither around not-France instead of rescuing the person she allegedly loves.
All in all, this book left me feeling like Isda: Hungry and longing for more! I cannot wait to see what Jessica S. Olson writes next, and I will be /singing/ praises for Sing Me Forgotten for a LONG time! <3 <3 <3
But for all that I just compared her to the original Phantom, the characters in Sing Me Forgotten are not a perfect 1:1 rehash. In fact, they're all mash-ups, and I am HERE for it! Isda is equal parts Phantom + Christine. Emeric is Christine + Raoul. Cyril is all the opera owners and father figures, including The Phantom, combined. All of the original architecture is there - the orphaned and deceived ingenue; the covetous and capricious tutor; the opera house's violent and reclusive judge - but everyone takes a turn playing out a portion of the story. Sing Me Forgotten is like a masquerade ball where everyone swaps masks as they swap dancing partners. But the /characterization/ and theme is intact! It's like when a book-to-screen adaptation happens, and the book is quoted by a different character (I mean, how many of Dumbledore's pearls of wisdom are given to Hermione in the movies XD). The story of The Phantom of the Opera is all there, but it means something new when The Phantom or Christine's insights echo from all echelon's of society. There IS a specter haunting faux-France: It's Racism, and Greed, and an entitled patriarchy that thrives on hurting invisible little girls. One of the sad truths about The Phantom of the Opera is that all of the cast besides the Phantom are rather flat: Christine is a doe-eyed damsel, Raoul is a white knight, etc. But Sing Me Forgotten is a more human book: Everyone has a deeper layer that haunts them, everyone struggles with their own metaphorical Phantom, everyone has a choice to make between empathy and growth or self-pity and destruction. This was a really intricate dance Jessica S. Olson did, creating rich and sympathetic characters while also honoring their inspiration, and I am EXTREMELY proud of the end result!!! JSO is definitely a force to follow!
Praise where praise is due, but that said, this IS a debut novel, and it reads as such XD. Some of the lines were hyperbolic, or clunky. For example, I LOVE this line; it's even on the cover of the book! "Destruction is a music all its own. One composed of drumbeats and a percussion of passion and pain." She had it, she had the perfect line... and then she wrote too much XD. It only needed to be "Destruction is a music all its own: a percussion of passion and pain." Bam! Done, feelings evoked, message achieved, nice and succinct! Just little things throughout, little tightening moments, that would have elevated this book from a 4.5 to a full 5.
Also, the last 100 pages get a bit dumb XD. I don't know if this is a symptom of the author trying to translate the hunt for The Phantom, or is just a debut novel's shaky attempt at a big action sequence and that awkwardness would ware off with future writing... BUUUUUT.... Emeric has less than 24 hours before he loses his sense of self forever because MAGIC, and Isda WASTES every opportunity to bring him the magic potions that could save him! In fact, she drinks all the potions herself! Yes, there is subtext here about how addiction is a selfish monster that steers you away from making empathetic choices, buuuuuuut from a strictly plot-based, non-metaphorical, subtext-ignoring stance... it was reeeeeally annoying to watch Isda dither around not-France instead of rescuing the person she allegedly loves.
All in all, this book left me feeling like Isda: Hungry and longing for more! I cannot wait to see what Jessica S. Olson writes next, and I will be /singing/ praises for Sing Me Forgotten for a LONG time! <3 <3 <3
TL;DR Review: An absolutely phenomenal retelling of Phantom of the Opera that is filled with magic both on and off the page. You will be pulled into Isda’s world and never want to let go, leaving you wanting as you read the last sentence of the final page. Romantic, dark, and beautiful - Olson has cemented herself in my memory with just one story.
Content Warnings: Death, Torture, Toxic Relationships, Abuse, Child Abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, Imprisonment, Violence, Gun Violence, Guns
”Now this stage belongs to me. Now the music is mine. Now the world pays for its cruelty. This is what I'm capable of.”
Full Review - Contains Spoilers:
I’ve put off a lot of books in the past and this was no exception - a gender swapped Phantom of the Opera? It’s exactly my kind of thing, but surely it could not live up to my hopes, while also being unique enough to be a work of its own?
I have put off a lot of books in the past and this was no exception - a gender swapped Phantom of the Opera? With magic thrown in? This is a story that must have been written with me in mind and yet I found myself picking up different books time and time again because I thought I would be disappointed. Surely this book would not be able to stand apart from other Phantom retellings while also capturing what makes me love the original so?
Yet, here we are.
This book itself must be magic because I fell in love with every part of it so quickly. Every character was so unique and beautiful, while being fleshed out that I couldn’t help but open myself up to them right away. Even when I began to suspect the worst from some, I couldn’t bring myself to hate them and seeing the world from Isda’s eyes helped to shape everything. It was haunting, but beautiful and by the end, I swear I was looking for way to prolong my time in Isda’s world.
I so badly wanted a happy ending, to turn the page and find more. To search the author and discover there was an upcoming sequel where the wrongs were put right and Emeric and Isda could be happy. Olson builds up so much hope that is easy to forget the Phantom does not win in the end, so the fact that she is able to cement that hope in you until the very few pages? It’s a wonderful tragedy.
I was in tears by the ending and I could feel my heart aching for everyone, even for Cyril. His cruelty was unforgivable and yet I found myself with the same ache Isda felt at the loss of the only parent she had ever known. I could feel myself mourning the loss of her home and the innocent wonder she had of the city outside her prison. I practically begged out loud for a happy ending, hoping that Emeric could convince her to let him stay. It was like Olson knew the reader would become like the monster inside Isda and beg for another drop of Elixir, for the story to just go on for one more page. Another sentence. Another word. Anything that would keep the ending from coming.
Yet, like Isda, Olson made a choice - she knew that some happy endings are not meant to be. My memories of my time within this world will be cherished and eat at some part of me forever, but I’m happy to have them because every one of them is beautiful.
Content Warnings: Death, Torture, Toxic Relationships, Abuse, Child Abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, Imprisonment, Violence, Gun Violence, Guns
”Now this stage belongs to me. Now the music is mine. Now the world pays for its cruelty. This is what I'm capable of.”
Full Review - Contains Spoilers:
I’ve put off a lot of books in the past and this was no exception - a gender swapped Phantom of the Opera? It’s exactly my kind of thing, but surely it could not live up to my hopes, while also being unique enough to be a work of its own?
I have put off a lot of books in the past and this was no exception - a gender swapped Phantom of the Opera? With magic thrown in? This is a story that must have been written with me in mind and yet I found myself picking up different books time and time again because I thought I would be disappointed. Surely this book would not be able to stand apart from other Phantom retellings while also capturing what makes me love the original so?
Yet, here we are.
This book itself must be magic because I fell in love with every part of it so quickly. Every character was so unique and beautiful, while being fleshed out that I couldn’t help but open myself up to them right away. Even when I began to suspect the worst from some, I couldn’t bring myself to hate them and seeing the world from Isda’s eyes helped to shape everything. It was haunting, but beautiful and by the end, I swear I was looking for way to prolong my time in Isda’s world.
I so badly wanted a happy ending, to turn the page and find more. To search the author and discover there was an upcoming sequel where the wrongs were put right and Emeric and Isda could be happy. Olson builds up so much hope that is easy to forget the Phantom does not win in the end, so the fact that she is able to cement that hope in you until the very few pages? It’s a wonderful tragedy.
I was in tears by the ending and I could feel my heart aching for everyone, even for Cyril. His cruelty was unforgivable and yet I found myself with the same ache Isda felt at the loss of the only parent she had ever known. I could feel myself mourning the loss of her home and the innocent wonder she had of the city outside her prison. I practically begged out loud for a happy ending, hoping that Emeric could convince her to let him stay. It was like Olson knew the reader would become like the monster inside Isda and beg for another drop of Elixir, for the story to just go on for one more page. Another sentence. Another word. Anything that would keep the ending from coming.
Yet, like Isda, Olson made a choice - she knew that some happy endings are not meant to be. My memories of my time within this world will be cherished and eat at some part of me forever, but I’m happy to have them because every one of them is beautiful.
I always love a good music themed book and this one really works well for that. It was elegant and haunting and the world building was really interesting. I guess that that's not surprising since (at least from what I hear) it's based on Phantom Of The Opera. Sing Me Forgotten was a really amazing read for sure. Quite a tragic one too in many ways--by this I mean it was emotional.
Kinda fun to find a YA and twisted version of The Phantom of the Opera.
adventurous
dark
mysterious