Gabi Burton's debut, Sing Me to Sleep, is a dark, swoony thriller featuring a teenage siren working undercover to keep herself safe in a world where her existence is illegal.
Saoirse Sarkova is a siren who lives in Keirdre, a magical kingdom of fae, witches, and other mythical creatures, where sirens are believed to be extinct. To protect her identity, the 17-year-old disguises herself as an ikatus, a fae without a magical affinity, and vies for a distinguished role in the Keirdren military. At the same time, Saoirse regularly gives into her instincts "to lure, seduce, and destroy," and allows herself the feeling of "euphoria" that comes with leading men "astray." When Saoirse is offered a position as a personal guard to Prince Hayes, she rejects the job out of hatred for the Royals. But then Rain, her little sister, receives a threatening letter. Saoirse joins the prince's guard hoping that her adjacency to the Royals will help her find Rain's blackmailer. Saoirse is surprised to be attracted to the prince, especially while they are working together to find the person who's been murdering Keirdre's citizens: Saoirse herself.
Burton's YA fantasy takes place in a neo-noir world inhabited by mythical characters who are predominantly Black and brown. Burton seamlessly covers topics of racism and discrimination and walks morally fine lines, such as positioning her female protagonist as a murderer who kills for pleasure as well as social justice. Burton's evocative imagery makes it easy to picture the gritty, fantastical land of Keirdre and its magical inhabitants, making Sing Me to Sleep an outstanding, darkly adventurous novel. --Natasha Harris, freelance reviewer