Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.
Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high—and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.But Isda breaks Cyril’s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet, solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she’s ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finds in his memories hints of a way to finally break free of her gilded prison.
Haunted by this possibility, Isda spends more and more time with Emeric, searching for answers in his music and his past. But the price of freedom is steeper than Isda could ever know. For even as she struggles with her growing feelings for Emeric, she learns that in order to take charge of her own destiny, she must become the monster the world tried to drown in the first place.
- Title: Sing Me Forgotten
- Author: Jessica S. Olson
- Publisher: Inkyard Press
- Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings, Romance
- Release Date: March 9, 2021
- Targeted Age Range: Young Adult
- Trigger Warnings: Manipulation, mentions of attempted drowning (not graphic, chapter 1), mentions of blood and killing (not graphic, chapter 2) – This is not a complete list as I have not finished the book yet, once I have finished it a full list of trigger warnings will be posted.
I read Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera when I was ten-years-old. I know, not typical reading for a ten-year-old, but I was definitely not your average child. In the 18 years it’s been since I first read Phantom, I have continued to be fascinated by this story. I have listened to the musical cast recordings multiple times (the 25th anniversary production with Sierra Bogges, Ramin Karimloo, and Hadley Fraser is my personal favorite version) and watched the film versions, but I haven’t yet read a retelling of this story.
When I heard that a retelling of Phantom was being released and that the roles of the Christine and Phantom characters had been gender swapped, I was immediately curious. I personally have some (okay many) issues with the dynamic between Christine and Phantom in the original story, and am interested to see how that dynamic is different when you swap the genders of the two characters. Though I’m only around 8 chapters into Sing Me Forgotten, I’m very intrigued by the world that Olson has created and look forward to seeing how things play out.
Links for Sing Me Forgotten: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | Indie Bound
Jessica S. Olson claims New Hampshire as her home, but has somehow found herself in Texas, where she spends most of her time singing praises to the inventor of the air conditioner. When she’s not hiding from the heat, she’s corralling her three wild—but adorable—children, dreaming up stories about kissing and murder and magic, and eating peanut butter by the spoonful straight from the jar. She earned a bachelor’s in English with minors in editing and French, which essentially means she spent all of her university time reading and eating French pastries. Sing Me Forgotten is her debut novel.
Jessica is represented by Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency.
Yesss the 25th anniversary is amazinggg!! I’m so excited to see what the author does with that premise, I need to get my hands on a copy ASAP!!
I hope you enjoy this one Caitlyn! ❤️