Childhood friends Patrick, Ciaran, and Malachi would've been happy to play music for coins on the streets of Dublin, but when their sound – a blend of traditional tunes and rock styling – lands them a record deal, they also get their first tour of America. As they gather fans, however, they also get the attention of three sídhe, fairies straight out of Irish tradition who play by their own rules.
Mal finds himself beleaguered by a prankster whose malicious tricks make him think he's losing his mind, while Ciaran falls hard for a hanger-on whose primal sexuality saps the life from him. Patrick can save them – if he's willing to trust the superstitions he learned during a painful childhood he thought he'd left behind long ago.
But the only thing that matters more than music to Patrick? His friends.
The Only Song Worth Singing by Randee Dawn will be published April 8, 2025. Arc Manor/CASEZIK SF and Fantasy provided an early galley for review.
This novel had a dark, insidious undertone right from the start, and that wasn't lost on me. It gives the story an uneven keel, keeping the reader as disoriented as the three protagonists. If this indeed was the author's intent, it worked. When the three sidhe begin to work their ways into each of the guy's lives, they tend to take most of it in stride (as if the same "groupies" popping up all over is the norm for a band on the road).
I found that the characters took awhile to become distinctive for me. Their voices were not distinctive enough early on. I ended up associating them more to what their fates were becoming rather than who they were as individuals. That made the earlier portions of the book a bit of a slog. It got better as the book hit it's second-third, so I would recommend readers give this one a bit more time to settle in.
The novel is very steeped in all things Irish, from the language that crops up a lot (not always with any translation, sadly) to the folklore. If one is into all that, this one will have an appeal. For others, it could be a lot to absorb.
Addendum: the author let me know that a glossary of Irish terms will be in the final product. This will be a big plus.
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