What Am I Reading Wednesday (06/16/2021)

Today's What Am I Reading Wednesday book is by another fabulous author I met through the online writer community!

Title: Sing Me Forgotten

Author: Jessica S. Olson

First Reading: Yes!

Initial Impression: Our retelling trend keeps on rolling! Not only was this inspired by Phantom of the Opera, it's also a gender-swapped retelling.

Final Thoughts: Wow. Jessica's twist on the Phantom of the Opera is magical, and dark, and looks at the value of memory both on a personal level and as a commodity. 

Also, I cannot overstate how much I love that we got a true woman villain. One with deep motivations, who we're not expected to identify with because she is, in fact, a villain. 

Jessica actually wrote a guest article for The Sartorial Geek on why "The World Needs More Bad Girls". I'd definitely recommend checking it out!

*****

Bookshop.org Synopsis:

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. 

(BUY LINK)

*****

Author Bio:

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 four 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. She is the author of Sing Me Forgotten (out now) and A Forgery of Roses (March 2022).

 

(Bio & photo source: https://www.jessicasolson.com/about)