This author’s writing is super compelling and magical and this book is full of adventure, action, betrayals, intrigues and passion! This is definitely an enemies-to-lovers and slow burn and I urgently need someone to read it so we can discuss the end! I was all in for Hayes until the very end, where it made me think “oh, could he? Nah, he’s a good boy, he wouldn’t… but would could he?”; without further spoiler, and I hope that was teasing enough… please go read the book!! In the second book in this dark and seductive YA fantasy duology, a siren must decide if saving her kingdom is worth betraying the boy she loves. Wow, that was really easy to unknot. Super convenient that they didn’t tie her hands together. This book is idiotic. My answer: Saoirse’s siren powers are so immense it makes her character almost untouchable and unrelatable. Besides, as thrilling as it would be to have her power over men, I would hate having to fight murderous inner urges. I also have zero confidence in my ability to get away with serial murder, even with this immense power. Trapped by her deadly double life, Saoirse can’t leave the palace until she saves her sister . . . but who will save her from herself?

I’ve honestly been indecisive about giving 5 🌟 to this book because I honestly didn’t like the romance, but I loved everything else that in the end I decided for the max rate. First of all, I definitely need more books with mermaids because they make incredibly interesting and complicated characters. Saoirse knows she is a monster and that killing is wrong, but her nature makes it inevitable for her. She is very grumpy and protective with the people she loves even if it is almost impossible to trust others completely because she can’t reveal her true nature. Mermaids shouldn’t be present inside the barrier and she definitely doesn’t want to be discovered by the handsome prince that has given her a job as his personal guard. I say that I didn’t like the romance because basically for the prince it is love at first sight and he does everything to please her without the real connection that should be created in a relationship. Plus he is not even a prince that does everything to fight his father’s injustices, he know they are wrong but he doesn’t even care enough to act on it.. Saoirse on the other hand is a character I love because she is so very real, she struggles to contain her nature, she fails but you can see the good in her and you are inevitably connected. Of course, plot twists make the story even more good and it’s the kind of book where there’s not clear good and evil, everything has a mix of both as it happens in life and that’s what attracted me to it. The romance was terrible. I did not understand Hayes' attraction at all. I can cope with insta-love, usually it even works quite well as it'll speed up the narrative and keep the story engaging. However there was actually zero reason for him to be remotely interested in her. Fine, we'll ignore the insta-love. Then why does he continue to fall harder for her throughout the book, he doesn't know anything about her and she isn't kind to him at all. But alright, we'll accept her dark and mysterious intrigue is enough. She killed his best friend and lied to his face about it, that should've been an instant end to any attraction and Gabi Burton clearly realises it because she tries to explain why he still loves her, but it falls flat as it makes no sense whatsoever.By day, Saoirse disguises herself as a fae, pretending to be the perfect soldier-in-training. By night, she satisfies her darker urges working as an assassin for dangerous mercenaries. And all the while, she keeps the biggest secret of all: that she is not always in control of her Siren powers, or her desire to kill. 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. Why do we care if they kill the evil king and queen again? Like the prince doesn’t even really like them. Like oh no, an army will come through the barrier and kill people to stop genocide and slavery. How terrible. Sing Me To Sleep was a superb debut in that I couldn't put this down and that's pretty epic for a first book. Added to that, I'm so glad this is going to be a series because I need more of Saoirse and Hayes, more of the world and the delicious writing. The big pull for me about this book was the morally grey heroine. I feel like we don't see many morally grey females as we do other genders in fantasy, so this was a bit of a rush. Saoirse was conflicted in so many ways about who she was, inside and outside. Her rise to rookie guard to the Prince was both hard fought and a reluctant post. It was so interesting to see the dynamic between Saoirse and Hayes.

I have had this book on my radar for quite some time and was super excited when I got approved to read an early copy! The synopsis spoke to me a lot and I couldn’t wait to dive in! The conclusion to this book makes me question if the author just couldn't decide on best way to finish stuff happening and discovered a perfect solution - le sequel, opening pandora's box completely unnecessary for the story to be done IMO. This book could've been saved by remaining a standalone, having dark ending for the FL but actually settling her crimes properly, not some lovey-dovey 'hope never dies' ending we got. Themes beautifully shared in this book are: prejudice, equality and acceptance, and the importance of loyalty and that it can signify family, not just blood. It is also about protecting your loved ones and reaching your potential. Trapped by her deadly double life, Saoirse can't leave the palace until she saves her sister . . . but who will save her from herself?This design gives a simple yet gorgeous depiction of the storyline, as it shows the main character, Saoirse, in the middle of rippling water. The genre of the story is also nicely conveyed through the illustration and elaborate text font.

Saoirse is at war with herself — her natural instinct as a siren is to kill and she hears that small voice in her mind constantly demanding it of her — and that struggle is one of the aspects of her character that make her so intriguing. What will she choose? Is it her nature that makes her do what she does? Or is it that deep down, she actually wants to do it? We sympathize with her struggle and read on to see if she will win her battle or succumb. Saoirse is a character that I was invested in from the very beginning, and I can’t wait to see where her adventures take her in the sequel. Saoirse should hate Prince Hayes. After all, his father is the one who enforces the kingdom’s brutal creature-segregation laws. But when Hayes turns out to be kind, thoughtful, and charming, Saoirse finds herself increasingly drawn to him—especially when they’re forced to work together to stop a deadly killer who’s plaguing the city. There’s only one problem: Saoirse is that deadly killer. When Saoirse unwittingly kills a friend of the prince, she finally starts to ask the questions she never dared ask before of her employer. As she digs deeper, she uncovers her employer’s sinister motives: ridding her kingdom of the Royal family, starting with the frustratingly charming Prince Hayes. Keeping her secret and protecting her identity means risking the safety of her kingdom – and the life of the first man who doesn’t need a Siren Song to fall for her. Hayes, our sweet Prince, was an interesting character. I don't usually get intrigued by such characters, meaning the innocent, unhappy privileged kind. But something about Hayes made me like him instantly. It's partly thanks to the Hayes effect and partly the author's incredible writing. He also had a beautiful character development. He didn't lose his sweet demeanor, but he grew up (the hard way). I'm always a fan of fantasy worlds that are filled with different magical beings, and here we have fae, witches, (humans) and a siren. Yes, one, because Saoirse is the last siren, and so she needs to hide her identity.

Did we miss something on diversity?

The world-building was done very well. I loved getting to know the creatures that live within the wall and the powers they have. The snippets of information about the outside are sparse, but that makes me only more curious to learn more about the world itself! From the first chapter, I was immediately captivated by our main character, Saoirse. She has such a strong voice throughout this book and I'm so happy we get her the way we do. She was nothing short of extraordinary. She is a classic antihero, morally grey character (like actually morally grey) and she has no shortage of flaws, but I loved her SO much. She reminds me of so many fantasy heroines but also feels uniquely separate from them as well. She’s a murderous assassin with a penchant for lying and scheming, but she is MY GIRL.

This book was so disappointing. I'm not sure if it was rushed due to the hype of little mermaid or for some other reasons, but it needed a few more rounds in editing. There were so many plot holes or things just told rather than shown. I felt little to no connection to any of the characters and the relationship between the fmc and male love interest was so poorly written. Mesmerizing faes, sirens, enchanting siren song – you will feel pulled into this story right from the beginning! Sing Me to Sleep was beautiful, terrific, magical and extremely unique!’ Netgalley – 5 star review 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. The story starts of very strong, and that strong feeling remains during the whole time reading this book! Also, couldn’t you just sing a song and be like tell me your secrets and they would have to and then you could kill them? Wouldn’t that work?As a siren, Saoirse can physically taste emotions, and this adds a layer to her character that allows us a further window into her reasoning. She can taste her sister’s fear, she can taste the disappointment of her loved ones when they realize what she has done, and so her decisions are influenced by that emotional connection she has to those around her. It makes for a fascinating internal struggle that draws you in and demands you read on. Oh my freaking god I loved this book! I read it in under 24 hours it was so damn good. A captivating story of hidden identities, secrets, betrayals and a slow burn romance to die for’ Netgalley – 5 star review I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would recommend it to fans of sirens and readers who enjoyed The Cruel Prince and To Kill A Kingdom' Netgalley - 5 star review