Happy Sunday everyone! Today I'm sharing two ARC mini reviews: Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson (available March 9, 2021) and Namesake (Fable #2) by Adrienne Young (available March 16, 2021). Thank you very much to NetGalley for providing me with these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. Read on to see my thoughts on these two books:
❋ ❋ ❋ ❋
Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson was such a pleasant surprise. To say the least, I was intrigued the moment I heard it described as a gender switched YA fantasy retelling of The Phantom of the Opera and for the most part it really worked for me. Olson's writing style is lush and atmospheric. It's easy to fall for the characters and the musical/ memory magic system of the gravoirs. The first half of the novel are quite engaging which kept me hanging on to every word, but it does drag a little in the third quarter, but you've got that outstanding yet terribly brutal finale too. I really wanted to know more about the wider world of the novel since the story is mostly confined to the opera house. I've got to say though that the author does a marvelous job of recreating the tone of the original story, especially when it comes to Isda as the Phantom. Overall, Jessica S. Olson's Sing Me Forgotten is an impressive debut novel that's well worth your time if you're looking for an atmospheric YA retelling or if you're a fan of The Phantom of the Opera. I'm definitely looking forward to Olson's next release A Forgery of Roses due out in 2022 which is supposed to be a YA fantasy Stalking Jack the Ripper meets The Picture of Dorian Gray.
My review is also on Goodreads.
❋ ❋ ❋ ❋
Namesake (Fable #2) by Adrienne Young is a great follow-up and finale to the Fable duology. I know I've said it before and I'll say it again, but Young has quickly become a favorite author of mine. Her world-building is fantastic as usual and here we get to see so much more of the scope of Fable's world. I also really enjoyed getting to see Fable herself again. I certainly appreciate that she's smart and brave, and that she takes no crap from anyone. I wasn't the particularly interested in West as much as I probably ought to have been to make their romance really work. I have to admit though that my favorite element is the sense of adventure and all that swashbuckling. Overall, if you haven't started this duology (or finished it up), what are you waiting for because I can't recommend it enough if you're at all interested in YA fantasy adventure. I can't wait to try Adrienne Young's upcoming Fallen City duology in 2022.
Have you read or are you planning to read these books? What are you reading this weekend? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting below!
I probably didn't really check out Fable before. It sounds fantastic. Since it's YA it probably wouldn't hurt trying. Also glad it's just a duology. Recently, I've been into reading series where all the books are out.
ReplyDeleteBoth parts of the duology are definitely worth picking up! I hope you enjoy if you give them a try.
Delete