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The Unsung Song of a Wren
Hands protected by a thin layer of black latex. It's unlikely she will be in contact with another person or animal (because she's vigilant) but the gloves quiet her mind. By design, Wren Roussel is unknown, living an unassuming life in a Northern Ontario city, that is, until the day Scarlett Hernandez tracks her down. Scarlett knows what Wren is capable of - the ability to see your past life when she touches your skin. Desperate for help, Scarlett needs to learn who she was in a past life and figure out the root cause of her debilitating nightmares of being abducted, held captive, and abused. The cash reward Scarlett offers Wren is enticing and allows a way for her to leave her old life behind, but that's only if her own secrets can remain in the past.
328 pages, Paperback
Published April 29, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 17, 2025
This was an easy but hard read. The bones of the book are quite good: Wren is a woman who has the ability to see other people’s past lives simply by making skin to skin contact. She is enlisted by Scarlett, a total rollercoaster of a character who suffers from severe nightmares, to help her find out the cause of these past life fuelled nightmares.
The hard part of this read stems from lack of editing (I’m assuming on the publisher’s part) and not enough notes. There was a lack of solid descriptions of the different settings this book takes place in, which made it hard to visualize while reading. The character of Scarlett is interesting but deeply unlikable and inconsistent; she literally does crazy things in this novel which made this reader wonder why Wren doesn’t split at the first sign of crazy. There’s a couple of inconsistent narrative points (character eats a banana but then claims to be starving a few pages later because they haven’t eaten anything since yesterday?) and the actual layout in the printed novel has unnecessary spacing which doesn’t follow other novels where that extra gap is used to create a new scene/setting which takes a bit to get used to.
This book has a lot of potential though. Some tighter editing and further exploration of some of the events that take place (Italy or police college) and trimming the end a few chapters (after the main mystery is solved, everything after is a bit unnecessary or could’ve been summed up in an epilogue) would benefit this book. This easily would’ve been a 4 star with tighter editing and copy editing (there weren’t spelling errors per se but the narrator’s POV changes were jarring at moments and there were words being used that didn’t mean what I’m sure the author what trying to convey).
The hard part of this read stems from lack of editing (I’m assuming on the publisher’s part) and not enough notes. There was a lack of solid descriptions of the different settings this book takes place in, which made it hard to visualize while reading. The character of Scarlett is interesting but deeply unlikable and inconsistent; she literally does crazy things in this novel which made this reader wonder why Wren doesn’t split at the first sign of crazy. There’s a couple of inconsistent narrative points (character eats a banana but then claims to be starving a few pages later because they haven’t eaten anything since yesterday?) and the actual layout in the printed novel has unnecessary spacing which doesn’t follow other novels where that extra gap is used to create a new scene/setting which takes a bit to get used to.
This book has a lot of potential though. Some tighter editing and further exploration of some of the events that take place (Italy or police college) and trimming the end a few chapters (after the main mystery is solved, everything after is a bit unnecessary or could’ve been summed up in an epilogue) would benefit this book. This easily would’ve been a 4 star with tighter editing and copy editing (there weren’t spelling errors per se but the narrator’s POV changes were jarring at moments and there were words being used that didn’t mean what I’m sure the author what trying to convey).
August 13, 2026
The story and premise of this book were interesting and could have been really good, but the book itself fell short for me.
It reads like a first draft, full of spelling and grammatical errors, inconsistencies, with many sentences feeling out of place or out of order. The author uses both the A and E spellings of the word “grey”. Many sentences were wordy, unclear, redundant, or incomplete. The author repeatedly started sentences with “The thought of…” followed by loose facts or ideas, never including what the thought does/causes. An example is “The thought of being face to face with Dave may be inevitable”; is the thought inevitable, or is meeting Dave inevitable?
Another example is “The thought of an anonymous call to the police from a landline from some random place (so the call can’t be traced back to her) could be an option to let the police know Duane Strickland and his assumed buddy Roman Moore had something to do with impregnating women in some sort of underground adoption agency for the rich”. Did the thought haunt her, appear to her, cross her mind, make her excited, etc, or are we to assume the thought “could be an option”?
There are a few instances where our main character asks questions or wonders about details she was already given. An example is that when Scarlett relapses and drinks, Wren worries about how the alcohol will affect her body because she doesn’t know how long it has been since Scarlett’s last drink. Wren should already know that Scarlett had been sober for almost 3 years, because Scarlett told her that. Another example is Scarlett drugging Wren and admitting that Molly usually gives a more euphoric high than Wren experienced, then pages later Scarlett mentioning the Molly and Wren processing the detail as if it were brand new.
The 2 main characters flip flop in their emotions, perspectives, desires, and principles repeatedly throughout the novel, making the intended emotions difficult to track. In one example, Scarlett is yelling at her parents about her nightmares, then half a page later it reads that “A switch is flipped and Scarlett’s calmish demeanour snaps to offended” which was odd because Scarlett had not previously been calm.
The story has a few twists and turns, unfortunately, all of which were easy to predict from early on. Had there been fewer hints, the bombshells may have hit harder. I think some of the twists had potential to be surprising or moving had they been hidden longer.
I did like the ways in which the personalities and histories of the main characters paralleled and opposed each other, and I found their strained dynamic to be entertaining. There was a lot of missed potential for their relationship to be deeper or more complicated.
I enjoyed the concept and think that this novel has room to grow if given dedicated attention to detail, deeper character profiles, and more mystery. I also think a few rounds of focused editing would be of benefit to clear out the spelling and grammar mistakes.
If you’re less picky than I am, you may enjoy this book! I just personally wasn’t able to immerse myself in the story because I was distracted by the English.
It reads like a first draft, full of spelling and grammatical errors, inconsistencies, with many sentences feeling out of place or out of order. The author uses both the A and E spellings of the word “grey”. Many sentences were wordy, unclear, redundant, or incomplete. The author repeatedly started sentences with “The thought of…” followed by loose facts or ideas, never including what the thought does/causes. An example is “The thought of being face to face with Dave may be inevitable”; is the thought inevitable, or is meeting Dave inevitable?
Another example is “The thought of an anonymous call to the police from a landline from some random place (so the call can’t be traced back to her) could be an option to let the police know Duane Strickland and his assumed buddy Roman Moore had something to do with impregnating women in some sort of underground adoption agency for the rich”. Did the thought haunt her, appear to her, cross her mind, make her excited, etc, or are we to assume the thought “could be an option”?
There are a few instances where our main character asks questions or wonders about details she was already given. An example is that when Scarlett relapses and drinks, Wren worries about how the alcohol will affect her body because she doesn’t know how long it has been since Scarlett’s last drink. Wren should already know that Scarlett had been sober for almost 3 years, because Scarlett told her that. Another example is Scarlett drugging Wren and admitting that Molly usually gives a more euphoric high than Wren experienced, then pages later Scarlett mentioning the Molly and Wren processing the detail as if it were brand new.
The 2 main characters flip flop in their emotions, perspectives, desires, and principles repeatedly throughout the novel, making the intended emotions difficult to track. In one example, Scarlett is yelling at her parents about her nightmares, then half a page later it reads that “A switch is flipped and Scarlett’s calmish demeanour snaps to offended” which was odd because Scarlett had not previously been calm.
The story has a few twists and turns, unfortunately, all of which were easy to predict from early on. Had there been fewer hints, the bombshells may have hit harder. I think some of the twists had potential to be surprising or moving had they been hidden longer.
I did like the ways in which the personalities and histories of the main characters paralleled and opposed each other, and I found their strained dynamic to be entertaining. There was a lot of missed potential for their relationship to be deeper or more complicated.
I enjoyed the concept and think that this novel has room to grow if given dedicated attention to detail, deeper character profiles, and more mystery. I also think a few rounds of focused editing would be of benefit to clear out the spelling and grammar mistakes.
If you’re less picky than I am, you may enjoy this book! I just personally wasn’t able to immerse myself in the story because I was distracted by the English.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2025
This was truly an endearing and beautiful debut novel.
I was captivated by MC Wren's unique ability (medium or clairvoyance). Whatever it may be, it's not something l've ever read about and it definitely intrigued me and kept me interested throughout.
When Wren touches people she has the ability to see their past life. This ability has plaqued her for her entire life, and now in her thirties she just wants to be invisible and try to keep a quiet mind. But circumstances bring her to Scarlett which sets them both on a turbulent path of trying to solve missing person cases from over 30 years ago.
Couple things I loved. First Wren's resilience against all that life has thrown at her (plus her patience with Scarlett 😤)
Second, it's set in Ontario Canada ❤️
This is a wonderful literary novel. Thank you again to the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review debut.
Definitely recommend
I was captivated by MC Wren's unique ability (medium or clairvoyance). Whatever it may be, it's not something l've ever read about and it definitely intrigued me and kept me interested throughout.
When Wren touches people she has the ability to see their past life. This ability has plaqued her for her entire life, and now in her thirties she just wants to be invisible and try to keep a quiet mind. But circumstances bring her to Scarlett which sets them both on a turbulent path of trying to solve missing person cases from over 30 years ago.
Couple things I loved. First Wren's resilience against all that life has thrown at her (plus her patience with Scarlett 😤)
Second, it's set in Ontario Canada ❤️
This is a wonderful literary novel. Thank you again to the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review debut.
Definitely recommend
April 21, 2026
Very interesting premise, and I feel there is a lot of potential to grow if this turns into a series. However, I found the novel a bit boring. There was a lot of fluff and unnecessary detail that felt like it was there to meet a word/page count. It feels as though the editing was glossed over as I also noticed a handful of typos throughout the book (e.g., spelling pool as poll). Furthermore, I felt like many of the characters didn't talk like real people. The climax of the book felt a tad underwhelming to me, and the pacing after that scene felt so slow. Good bones but definitely room to grow.
May 18, 2025
Wren Roussel can see a persons past life by touching their skin. So far, it has been more of a burden than a gift. When Scarlett appears desperate for help against the nightmares of a past life that have plagued her, Wren is hesitant to assist. With the promise of a hefty cash reward in exchange for help, Wren agrees to try to solve the mystery with Scarlett.
The characters had rich back stories. I found the plot captivating, and it held the right amount of growing tension paired with questionable characters to make an interesting story. The pacing was good and overall I enjoyed this novel.
A few rough transitions and weird POV changes is my only complaint.
This is is a debut novel and I'm excited to read more Erin Forget stories in the future.
Thank you to Erin Forget for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The characters had rich back stories. I found the plot captivating, and it held the right amount of growing tension paired with questionable characters to make an interesting story. The pacing was good and overall I enjoyed this novel.
A few rough transitions and weird POV changes is my only complaint.
This is is a debut novel and I'm excited to read more Erin Forget stories in the future.
Thank you to Erin Forget for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
June 4, 2025
💕 I absolutely loved the premise of this story. Having the power to see a person’s past lives just by touching them. It’s intriguing. It sounds like it would be exciting, but we learn pretty quickly that it’s not always so.
When the book starts, Wren has isolated herself, and stays from any lingering human contact. It’s a sad path that her “gift” has become a curse.
Scarlett is a fantastic character. “The only predictable trait about Scarlett is that she is unpredictable.” She seems so well put together, but in reality, is haunted by nightmares. Visions of her horrific previous life - tormented and seeking justice. She’s a mess and I love it.
One can only imagine how these images have caused her restlessness and feelings of delusion until she meets someone who can explain them to her. And thus begins the unravelling of a mystery of the girl who died a horrific death.
When the book starts, Wren has isolated herself, and stays from any lingering human contact. It’s a sad path that her “gift” has become a curse.
Scarlett is a fantastic character. “The only predictable trait about Scarlett is that she is unpredictable.” She seems so well put together, but in reality, is haunted by nightmares. Visions of her horrific previous life - tormented and seeking justice. She’s a mess and I love it.
One can only imagine how these images have caused her restlessness and feelings of delusion until she meets someone who can explain them to her. And thus begins the unravelling of a mystery of the girl who died a horrific death.
August 8, 2025
I loved every minute of this book! Watching Wren wrestle with her unique ability to see people’s past keeps you locked in while Scarlett’s volatile personality keeps you on your toes. A real page turner of a mystery that gives you both satisfaction and a cliffhanger ending! Can’t wait for Erin’s next book!
July 4, 2025
Was intrigued, could not put book down.
Something new and fresh.
Left wanting more about Wren.
Something new and fresh.
Left wanting more about Wren.
July 5, 2025
Loved it! Couldn’t put it down and finished it in 4 days.
July 9, 2025
An interesting twist on psychic abilities. The MC, Wren, comes to understand more about herself, her family and her abilities when she sets out to unravel a past mystery.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews