Reviews with content warning for Death - Sing Me to Sleep

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Sing Me to Sleep by R.M. Virtues

7 reviews

discarded_dust_jacket's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

There’s a lot I really liked about this book. R.M. Virtues’ writing always hits for me. I thought the story itself was really original, and I appreciated the themes of working through PTSD and grief. The idea of a romance with your sleep paralysis demon was what really drew me in and I had so much fun reading the scenes where Penny and Acheron interacted.

The parts that distracted me:
I was a little confused when it came to the worldbuilding around Acheron’s character. I just never really understood the mechanics of how the sleep demons like, did their job. It’s not at all that I thought the premise was underdeveloped—because I got the distinct impression that Virtues has a very clear understanding of how Hell operates in this universe—it was more like, it didn’t feel communicated to the reader as thoroughly as I perhaps needed it to be.

The romance aspect of the story was a little oddly-paced in my opinion as well. It didn’t feel like a slow-burn (obviously, the book isn’t very long so it couldn’t be), but I couldn’t tell if it was trying to be or not. I guess it just surprised me the first time Acheron mentions loving Penny because it didn’t seem believable that they’d reached that level of intimacy yet (which can absolutely still be accomplished in a shorter, “insta-love” romance).

All in all I had a fun time reading this book, but I’m not sure I’d call it particularly memorable. Great to pick up if you’re just looking for a darker-themed, monster romance palette-cleanser that you can breeze through pretty quickly!

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readwithaashi's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I’ll admit, this one took me a minute to adjust to given consensual non-con, degradation, and dual POV are not my preferred trio. However, I enjoyed this book far more than expected! Not only is the pacing decently balanced, the romance is enticing and the “thriller" elements caught me by surprise.

Looking over the premise, my interest was piqued and, frankly, entirely preoccupied by how monster-loving manifested via meeting your sleep paralysis demon. (I suffer from perpetual insomnia as a result of SP myself, there was intrigue.) I loved Virtues’ creativity with Acheron’s character build – dynamic and seductive, like the story. The care and concern in his relationship with Penny is effective, and factors such as consensual non-con and additional kinks are clearly communicated, softening the edge. Save for my personal tastes, the erotic moments are well executed. They very much fulfill the “protective Dom” fantasy while adopting a feminist lens. I could even forgive the heavy-handedness of the dirty talk.

Acheron’s backstory and world-building I was slow to warm up to, but I was content with the part it played in the climax. A fun, unique take on the afterlife with its own set of rules and beliefs. Had this novel been expanded in length, given more time to flesh out, I would have eaten it up, (but I hear there’s a sequel, so I might give that a try). I even found Jenna enjoyable as one of the side characters, most of whom had edge and layers. Shane, especially, was perfectly introduced. No spoilers, but his role took a delicious turn. All the kudos.

All in all, the wrap-up was quick but fairly cathartic. The ending wasn’t predictable per se. The story ended on a note one might hope for and I found that immensely satisfying. If you want to explore dark topics and supernatural romances through diverse, complex characters, give this book a chance! I look forward to reading more by Virtues in the future.

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hellsploss's review

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

I don't know why I expected this book to wine and dine me first before having the main characters do the literal devil's tango within the first few chapters of the book but here we are. If you're just interested in black pepper level spice scenes with only enough plot to string it together then this is the book for you otherwise stay away.

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shaipanda's review

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adventurous dark hopeful tense fast-paced

4.25

I ended up liking this more than I thought I would - I wasn’t sure how the plot was going to play out but was suprisingly fleshed out considering how short this is and how much of it is just smut lol - but ya great 👀 and overall enjoyed it

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