Book Review: Darkening Song

Darkening Song by Delphine Seddon is a gripping, compelling novel and it was also really sad, even if it had hopeful moments. Darkening Song is a new adult, women’s fiction book which follows 16-year-old Alora and her manager, Eva, who is only 18 herself. Set in England, the book begins with pop-star Alora’s attempt at unaliving herself on a livestream on a social media app during her second tour. Alora is sent to an unconventional recovery facility on an island that seems to cater to celebrities with mental illness and addiction disorders. The book follows Alora’s journey to recovery, while also flashing back to Alora’s almost-instant rise to fame.

Eva thinks she is living the dream once she signs Alora. No one at the record company where she interned would listen to her, so Eva visited Alora herself and said she would be her manager (with no experience). Neither young woman handles Alora’s meteoric rise to fame well. Further, Alora’s experience recording her painful first album remains hidden, but powerful and toxic for years.

My Thoughts

This book was fascinating and tragic. The chapters were short and it was a fairly fast read. If you love music or follow pop culture, you will likely enjoy this one, but be prepared and check for the content warnings. There is a lot of heavy material in this book.

Music Industry Inspiration and Critique

Alora’s music reminded me of a mix of Fiona Apple and Billie Eilish. She was crowned the queen of “misery pop” but her life became a mess. I felt the novel drew inspiration from the pop princesses of the late 90s early 00s and the way young women were treated in a music industry dominated by patriarch, misogyny, and abuse. Darkening Song is a deep character study of Alora and Eva’s thoughts, dreams, and life choices, yet also a critique of the commodification and objectification of women in music industry.  Darkening Song is an entertaining novel with something to say.

I was not able to read the audiobook, but I heard that it includes recordings of the Alora’s songs.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Saturday Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.