Chasm of Books: Blog Tour Review: Sing Sweet Nightingale

http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/2014/02/tour-schedule-sing-sweet-nightingale-by.html

I'm so psyched to be participating in Sing Sweet Nightingale's blog tour! I knew I would love this book from the moment I read the synopsis. You can click the tour banner above for a link to the entire tour.

Sing Sweet Nightingale by Erica Cameron
Published by Spencer Hill Press
Format Reviewed: ARC
Publication Date: March 4th, 2014
Genre: Paranormal
Pages: 320
Reviewed by: Stephanie
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

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.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given, offered, or taken to alter this review.

Wow. I knew I wouldn't want to put this novel down before I started it. I was right. Just wow. This was absolutely fantastic.

The narratives were both distinct and different. Mariella's was perfect. She felt so detached from the world around her yet her narrative was solid so I didn't have any problems connecting to it. My immediate thought was that her narrative perfectly reflected her situation. Bravo, Miss Cameron, bravo. Well done. Although Mariella was in deep, deep crap, I could always see her underlying strength, which particularly showed in the real world.

Hudson was great. I loved his narrative. His over all tone was serious and frank but also quite entertaining. When he cares for something or someone, he cares deeply. That quality had me begging Mariella to listen to him the entire time.

The side characters, K.T., Horace, and Dawn were awesome additions to the story. I particularly love Dawn though. She wasn't in it much but her personality is just so cute. I do hope she's in the second novel. Horace was the awesome fatherly figure Hudson needed to keep in grounded with all of the insanity. Needless to say, Horace was endearing in his own respect. K.T. was the best friend Mariella could have ever asked for.

The world building was fantastic. Paradise was everything I could've asked for. It was well thought out and the entire novel felt like a fairy tale. It actually reminded me of Entwined (a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses; in a good way). In it, the princesses go into a secret garden and dance for hours. It seems like a dream but really they're just weaving their own cage. Paradise reminded me of that garden. I'm not saying the two are the same. Just, as comparison, Sing Sweet Nightingale had that type of fairy tale vibe to it. I loved it. Part of it may have taken place in the modern world but even then it never lost the fairy tale.

I'll definitely be picking up the sequel next year.

Erica Cameron knew that writing was her passion when she turned a picture book into a mystery novella as a teen. That piece wasn’t her best work, but it got her an A. After college, she used her degree in Psychology and Creative Writing to shape a story about a dreamworld. Then a chance encounter at a rooftop party in Tribeca made her dream career a reality.

Erica is many things but most notably the following: writer, reader, editor, dancer, choreographer, singer, lover of musical theater, movie obsessed, sucker for romance, Florida resident, and quasi- recluse. She loves the beach but hates the heat, has equal passion for the art of Salvador Dali and Venetian Carnival masks, has a penchant for unique jewelry and sun/moon décor pieces, and a desire to travel the entire world on a cruise ship. Or a private yacht. You know, whatever works.

Her debut novel Sing Sweet Nightingale releases March 4, 2014 from Spencer Hill Press. It is the first book in The Dream War Saga.

Erica is represented by Danielle Chiotti at Upstart Crow Literary. However, for subrights inquiries on Sing Sweet Nightingale, contact Rebecca Mancini at Rights Mix. Regarding publicity for The Dream War Saga, contact Cindy Thomas at cthomas {@} spencerhillcontemporary {.} com.