Book Review :: Sing Sweet Nightingale, by Erica Cameron

Sing Sweet Nightingale by Erica Cameron
Published by Spencer Hill Press
on March 4th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 376
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Mariella Teagen hasn't spoken a word in four years.

She pledged her voice to Orane, the man she loves—someone she only sees in her dreams. Each night, she escapes to Paradise, the world Orane created for her, and she sings for him. Mariella never believed she could stay in Paradise longer than a night, but two weeks before her eighteenth birthday, Orane hints that she may be able to stay forever.

Hudson Vincent made a pledge to never fight again.

Calease, the creature who created his dream world, swore that giving up violence would protect Hudson. But when his vow caused the death of his little brother, Hudson turned his grief on Calease and destroyed the dream world. The battle left him with new abilities and disturbing visions of a silent girl in grave danger—Mariella.

Now, Hudson is fighting to save Mariella's life while she fights to give it away. And he must find a way to show her Orane’s true intentions before she is lost to Paradise forever.

Last updated on 22 February 2022

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I’ve probably talked about Net Galley before (there will be a little more on that in a few days!), and have read several books that have been provided for me in eBook format by them, for me to review. Sing Sweet Nightingale, by Erica Cameron, was one of those books.

What is Sing Sweet Nightingale about?

Sing Sweet Nightingale tells the story of Mariella Teagen and Hudson Vincent, who are connected by a dream world. We meet Hudson as he has just failed to protect his brother against violence, a move that results in death. In all his grief, Hudson turns all the built-up rage against Calease, a creature from the dream world he visited every night when we fell asleep. He destroyed the world he visited in his dreams, but gained him strange abilities, and visions of a girl trapped and silent.

Mariella Teagen hasn’t spoken a word in four years. The love her life, Orane, asked her to stop speaking so that her beautiful singing voice would be for him alone. Orane is a creature in Mariella’s dream world, and though she believes everything is fine and dandy, she is actually in danger. One day she meets Hudson, the new boy in town, and everything starts to change. Hudson seems to know about the world in her dreams, and she becomes both weary and scared of him.

The story is told in first person, alternating chapters between Hudson and Mariella. This was really interesting, as when it was Mariella’s ‘voice’, everything was very internal. Because she didn’t speak out throughout the story, she often replied in her mind, but when she used sign language to communicate it was often different to what she actually was thinking. It was really interesting to read. A character who doesn’t talk…pretty neat! Having said that, I liked Hudson’s character over Mariella’s, and then the minor characters more than Hudson. But that happens sometimes.

Overall, I really did enjoy the story. There was supernatural elements mixed in with everyday teenage drama, a bit of horror, and also romance. It was neat to read a story that was both here in the real world, and they’re in a dream world where things aren’t always what they seem. I think Cameron did a great job at portraying that. If this sounds like you’re kind of thing, be sure to check it out.

Have you read Sing Sweet Nightingale? What did you think?

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This book was provided for me for an honest review by Net Galley.