This story was a grower/pleasant surprise for me. At first, I was like Saoirse and the prince don't have any chemistry, and you keep constantly telling me how much she adores her sister. Like, pleaseee.

It took a while for me to get invested, BUT once all the parts came into play, I couldn’t put it down. The plot developments made sense to me, and I liked Saoirse's constant struggle to not revel in the thrill of the kill. She is a constant liar, but we learn to read her true feelings as the story goes on. I eventually understood why she was so overprotective of Rain.

Also, Hayes and Saiorse’s banter gets better. When we learn more about him (spoiler: hello, daddy issues), and the inevitable pull they feel towards each other, it’s hard not to root for them. For Saoirse, the appeal is he's the one person she doesn't have to enchant because he's already so desperately down bad for her.

The ending has me interested in book two, and I think it was the perfect setup. I would read more from this author.

Also, the prince wears a dashiki!

3.5 (I'm teetering so hard between 3 or 4) ( )

“Kill. My instincts tug at my heart, my lips part, and a song pours out. Soft, soulful, wordless.”

As a Siren, Saoirse Sorkova, and creatures like her, are not welcome in the fae kingdom of Keirdre, but neither can they escape through the realm’s impassable Barrier. To survive they must guard their true natures, and hide in plain sight. Keirdre soldier by day, Raze assassin by night, Saoirse cares only for the wellbeing and safety of her younger sister and when Rain is threatened with exposure, she is determined to strike first.

Saoirse relies on bewitched Keil beads to disguise her appearance, but they do nothing to temper her nature. Siren’s are killers, their song deadly and Saoirse, the last of her kind, believes the urge is irresistible, especially when she is near water. Burton stresses Saoirse’s moral ambiguity, Saoirse is convinced she kills because of what she is, so she’s found what she believes is a justifiable outlet that also ensures her sister’s welfare. Despite her questionable decisions, I liked her character, she’s smart, brave, and kickass. There’s not a huge amount of character growth through the story, but I expect it will continue in subsequent books.

Offering a good balance of intrigue, suspense and action, I thought the plot was well paced. Saoirse’s hunt for the blackmailer leads her to the palace, where she takes a position as the personal bodyguard to the Crown Prince Hayes. Her search, and the blackmailer’s additional demands, has her creeping around the palace looking for answers, all while carefully guarding her own secrets. As if Saoirse’s life inside the palace isn’t difficult enough, it threatens to become untenable when the Prince tasks Saoirse to lead the investigation into the whereabouts of his missing best friend, whom Saoirse knows is dead, because she killed him.

Prince Hayes is yet another complication for Saoirse because while she despises the Royal family, he soon proves to be very different from his parents. I enjoyed the inevitability of their romance, but the Prince has to forgive Saoirse of an awful lot and I think he did so too easily.

Blending fantasy, mystery and romance, I found a lot to like in Sing Me To Sleep and I’d be interested in seeing how the series develops. ( )

I'm not generally a fan of stories about the Fae, but this one hooked me right from the beginning. Saorise may be the last of her kind in the kingdom and is simply trying to survive without being discovered. She loves her little sister and will do whatever is necessary to protect her. When she finishes the final trial in first place after years of training, she's shocked to learn the achievement will have her guarding the crown prince. She turns it down, but when she's blackmailed, is forced to reconsider. Balancing the demands of whoever is extorting her, keeping her secret as a siren under control, carrying out assignments for a mysterious person, all of them resulting in a murder, plus the growing attraction between her and the prince, is just the start of everything in this story. Add in an intriguing world where humans, witches and other non-fae are considered less than, plus more red herrings than you can keep track of, and you get a compulsive page-turner. I can't wait for what's hinted at near the ending. ( )