Sing Me to Sleep

Sing Me to Sleep, Book 1

By: Gabi Burton

Narrated by: Dami Olukoya

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton, read by Dami Olukoya.

Featured in the New York Times, Glamour, Buzzfeed, and more!

In this dark and seductive YA fantasy debut, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and These Violent Delights, a siren assassin falls for a forbidden man.

Killer. Liar. Soldier. Spy.

Saoirse is a killer: Her ability to sing men to an early death makes her the top assassin in the kingdom.

Saoirse is a liar: If the royal family ever finds out she’s a siren, she’ll be executed immediately.

Saoirse is a soldier: As the top student at the most prestigious training academy in Kierdre, Saoirse has spent years honing herself into the perfect killing machine.

Saoirse is a spy: When her little sister is blackmailed, Saoirse takes a dangerous job to protect her—personal bodyguard to the crown prince. One misstep, and Saoirse will lose her life.

But the biggest threat of all is to her heart. Prince Hayes would call for her death in an instant if he knew the truth. But the closer Saoirse gets to Hayes, the harder it gets to resist him.

©2023 Gabi Burton (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Great drama

A great drama that has plenty of different characters and magic, as well as royalty. This is a great story, a main character that is struggling with her own insecurities and battling her own demons. I love that found family- sort of. Betrayal is shocking, but necessary for the outcome. I cannot wait for the next book!

Best fantasy book of the year

Absolutely loved this new take on sirens and Iam so excited for the next week . I want more from the prince !

Masterpiece!

i normally don't read fantasy, but this was absolutely amazing. Burton masterfully creates this world and develops 3-dimensional characters. Whether or not you agree with the actions of the characters, you understand their perspective. I absolutely loved every moment of this book from the opening scene to the very last word, I was hooked. I am not ready for the story to end and am looking forward to book 2.

Big Themes Powerful Characters

Gabi Burton did an excellent job with this debut novel. The world she created was beautiful, fantastic and cohesive. Her characters were strong and nuanced. I can’t wait for the second novel.

I wish I could give this 10 stars

Absolutely incredible! That ending 🤯 I cannot wait for book two! This book is perfect for fans of Holly Black’s Cruel Prince trilogy. You will not be disappointed. Also, amazing narration by Dami Olukoya!

Great debut!

This was a great debut story! This book had me engaged and wanting to know what would happen next. It was interesting to see a morally grey female lead while the love interest is the opposite. Can’t wait to pick up the sequel!

Great (and dark!) ya read

This was a refreshing listen after so many ya/na with teen fmc’s who “aren’t like the other girls.” The main character is morally grey and doesn’t feel bad about it. She’s clever, strong, and cares deeply for her family. The audio book was awesome! Fantastic narration.

An All Black/Brown Cast!

The kingdom has been walled off and divided among the three races who are supposed to inhabit it. The ruling class is made up of the beautiful and elemental fae; the middle class is made of the witches, who provide the potions and make beads the fae enjoy; and the serving class is made up of humans, who are “barely” good enough to provide cheap labor.
So how did a siren come to live in this restrictive, segregated kingdom?
Saoirse doesn’t know, and it’s not her primary concern. She is more concerned with keeping her and her sister’s identity secret, for if anyone realizes Saorise is a siren, she’ll be put to death. For sirens are known to have an insatiable desire to kill.
That’s certainly the case for Saoirse, but she tries to temper these urges by working as an assassin in between her shifts as a guard. Things get complicated when she’s added to the prince’s guard, and he starts to investigate the disappearance of his best friend—Saorise’s latest victim. Caught between a rising rebellion helped by her assassinations and a growing love for the prince, Saorise has to fight her very nature to protect that which she loves most.

This book was built on the “Liars Revealed” trope, which causes me nothing but stress over how it will resolve, so I had to take this book more slowly than others. I did like Saorise; she was a morally grey character, justifying her marks in all sorts of different ways. Hayes started out as childish, but Saorise really knocks some sense into him and helps him grow up. I really liked this world and the history and magic that was built into it. I also like the mystery around Raze and Rain—though a certain character had me screaming at the book. In a good way.

Amazing narrator and amazing story

I'm super picky about what audiobooks I listen to because I can't listen to a monotone narrator or a narrator that does too strange of accents (sometimes it's funny, but there's a time and a place), but Dami Olukoya ROCKED this!! Their narration is truly what convinced me to get this audiobook and I will be looking to see if they've narrated anything else!
As for the story of the book, I so thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait for what's next!!

Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton

Sing Me to Sleep is a total ride from start to finish! Imagine diving into a world where sirens are real, secrets are deadly, and the tension is off the charts. The main character is so fierce, taking on a mission that’s as thrilling as it is dangerous. Gabi Burton does an amazing job mixing fantasy, romance, and action—you’ll be flipping pages like crazy. The twists kept me guessing, and the romance had me swooning. If you love a story that’s packed with adventure and leaves you craving more, you’ve got to pick this one up!