I truly appreciate how the author incorporates fantasy while addressing very hard issues throughout the book. Issues such as racism and social justice vibes, which echo Toni Morrison in a way with magical realism. I love the idea of sirens being black girls and the details provided to show that these girls were black. It was not just a passing detail, but extremely in your face throughout the whole book. For example, the girls' talking about their hair. It may seem like a small thing but I find that hair is sooo fundamental in black culture that is important to talk about. I love the relationship and bond Tavia had with Effia and how the problems they face are dealt with. The only thing I did not like about this book is the pacing because I felt it was a bit hard to concentrate on the story at the time due to how slow the story was.

This is about Tavia, a Black teenage girl navigating life with magical powers deemed dangerous - she is a siren - and her "play sister" Effie, also Black and herself haunted by supernatural demons from her past that she dodges by being a mermaid at the Ren Faire, as she turns into who she really is.

Portland, Oregon, has only a handful of black folk and even fewer with magical powers. The community that protects sirens, who are feared, is tight-knit but they can't help Tavia with her identity crisis. When a siren murder trial rocks the nation, tensions escalate and nothing, no one, and no secret is safe.

From the blurb, I'd expected this to be fantasy. It's more contemporary magic realism with mythological elements. But the way the author has integrated the issues Tavia and Effie face as supernatural entities with those that they already face as Black women is seamless and masterful. All of the societal and cultural issues raised in A Song Below Water are extremely topical and important with everything going on right now.

I loved the bond between the two girls, who each get their own POV (though I was routinely confused between whose POV I was in as they sounded very alike). They have each other's back against the world, sometimes even against their own families who are well-meaning but protective, secretive, and afraid in their love. They may not always share everything as they follow their individual journeys to their conclusions, but they'll always be there for each other.

The story is slow to get into, which didn't bother me much as the payoff was worth it, but I felt like there was a lot of info dumping without it leading to proper worldbuilding. I'm familiar with many elements of world mythologies but since the author has put her own spin on many of them (including elokos), it was hard to get a sense of anything concrete when there was hardly any context or explanation for the magical elements, especially since a large part of both girls' journeys was about their powers. I wish that angle was better developed and we had more answers.

But I'd still definitely recommend it!

I really liked this one. Tavia and Effie are sisters, although not by blood. Tavia is hiding the fact that she is a siren, since they are feared. Effie is...perhaps something? We don't know yet. We do see the struggles they go through. Morrow does an excellent job of mapping her fantastical word on our own, with many parallels between what happens to sirens and what happens to black people in general.

I received a complimentary copy of A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow from Tor Teen through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. A Song Below Water came out in June 2020!

In this contemporary fantasy, many magical beings are acknowledged and part of everyday life. Sirens are the only magical beings that are generally feared and regulated. Between being a siren and a black girl in Portland, Oregon, Tavia must be careful at all times. Her best friend Effie is lowkey famous because of an incident from her childhood where she was the only survivor. Effie suspects she may be magical but she has no idea how or why. When a siren murder trial rocks the nation, life becomes a lot more complicated for Tavia and Effie.

This contemporary fantasy addresses racism and sexism, especially toward Black women. I tried to read this closer to when it came out and it wasn't clicking for me. I tried again a couple weeks ago and did the audiobook this time. For some reason that clicked better for me. Much of this book is about self-discovery and existing in a world that fears and demeans you. I think I struggled with this book at first because it's more of a character study than a book with a vividly defined plotline throughout. I'm so glad I listened to the audiobook. The narrators were great and the story worked better for me that way. I'd recommend this if you're looking for a contemporary fantasy by a BIPOC author!

I have a lot of thoughts about this book, but I don’t know if I can explain them well. On the one hand, I loved the concept, the underlying meanings, the discussions of racism, misogynoir, and social justice and how the author used Black women as sirens to explore those ideas. However, on the other hand...wth did I read??? The mystery of what was happening in town mixed with the story of the sirens seemed like a lot...sort of like two different stories clashed into one. I enjoyed both, but I think combining them just caused me to be a bit more confused and unfocused that I wanted to be. It also felt like some things were unfinished/rushed in favor of closing out other plot lines. Either way, this was definitely a one of a kind read.

Only a very slightly alternate universe, the power of this book is it’s connection to our current reality.

Sisters, Effie and Tavia, are everything to each other. They are each other’s best friends and secret keepers, and they both have some pretty big secrets. Effie doesn’t know her magical familial background, and her grandmother who may be the only one who knows is keeping it from her, but not knowing is dangerous. Tavia hides that she is a siren because of the societal stigma against sirens.. When the news is full of coverage of the murder of a siren, the safety that the girls’ and their families have worked so hard for becomes even more difficult to keep.

Ultimately a story about the power of sisterhood and friendship, A Song Below Water is also a thoughtful look into the prejudices and bigotry that we see every day. Much of the language around sirens will be recognizable from conversations around the Black Lives Matter movement and women’s rights. A beautiful and heartfelt story.

I really enjoyed this. It had a pretty unique take on sirens and it was really interesting. I enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters and their journeys to find themselves in a complicated world.

An interesting and extremely timely book. Reading how the two main characters relate to their world and the challenges they face - both realistic and fantastic - was refreshing and new.

POC Mermaid? YASSSS!!!!!
PNW references? More than you can count!!!!
A well written fantasy story about two close high school friends? Definitely!!!
This will be one of those books that you'll want to read quick, but at the same time you'll want the story to continue.

A Song Below Water
By Bethany C. Morrow

Effie and Tavia are in the throes of discovering exactly who and how are they are to approach the world that looms up in their futures – just like all teens. . . but luckily, they have each other. These are not your normal run-of-the-mill teenage girls. In these pages there be mermaids, sirens, gargoyles, elokos, sprites, humans turned to stone, families that have mixed marriages of magical species, skin shedding, and renaissance fairs.

I was excited to read this book, a fantasy/magical realism tale set in my home region, the Pacific Northwest! It was very satisfying to see the author’s generous inclusion of so many home places, cultural commonalities, even TV stations, Fred Meyer stores, and current local issues. Very cool. Keep Portland Weird, our mantra. The story weaves back and forth between these two girls, and the story is told campfire style, as if it is being unfolded to listeners sitting close by, with even sly asides to assist when jokes are dropped (didja geddit?).

There are many characters who carry key elements and knowledge that created some difficulties for me to follow – and the magical/fantasy behind who and what everyone is was weak enough to slow down my eagerness to engage in puzzling out confusions. Some kind of description of the internal structure of this “magical/alternate” Portland, and even a definition of some of these magical creations would have helped me immensely. That lack diluted my final gratification at the tale’s end. (get it??)

A good start for this author, and I look forward to her next offerings.

A Sincere Thanks to Bethany C. Morrow, Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates/Tor Teen and NetGalley for providing an ARC to read and review.

Mermaids that are women of color...YESSS PLEASE! This was definitely an epic YA fantasy for me. I was excited to get a black girl mermaid read so I went in with high expectations and it delivered to the fullest. I couldn't give it a full five star rating because I needed a bit more from it plot wise, but I loved the diversity of this book and what it captured and talked about. From racism to social injustice it is the perfect fantasy read for this troubling times we are in.

The characters were all well-written enough to make me feel every single emotion they felt. I loved them all equally even though some needed to be slapped every now and then. I loved the water and how atmospheric it felt as I was reading. The friendships and bonds in this story are so real that you feel apart of the story.

This is an immersive story that will give you an escape from the real-world while helping you understand the world at the same time. This was an epic read and I highly recommend it to the fullest!

Sirens are mythical creatures who according to myth sung men to their deaths when their ships sailed into the rocks. But in this retelling Sirens are black women whose voices are being silenced both literally and figuratively but Tavia is going to bring a change to the world as they know it. While Tavia is finding her voice Effie is trying to find who she really is, all while trying to go to prom! I loved this book, it was mythical and beautiful and such a timely retelling of mythology!

A Song Below Water goes a great job of talking about misogynoir through the silencing of sirens. Questions of who cares about siren lives other than sirens, easily echoes the continuous question of who cares about black women other than black women? Tavia is a teenage siren and her father's worst fear is her getting found out as siren's are universally mistrusted and hated. When a murder trial occurs where the victim is a suspected siren it becomes harder for her to silence her voice as her fury starts to outweigh her fear, but unluckily for her, the only way for a siren to gain respect and be listened to is to be silenced. Coupled with her sister Effie's book long transformation into something"monstrous" neither girl is someone the populous would be a fan of if they're found out, but hiding is starting to make everything hurt.

Though I'm still a bit confused about Effie's own transformation and the exact allegory there, I still found myself thoroughly entranced by Effie and Tavia's stories. These two girls' sisterly relationship helped to hold the book together even when they're both terrified of what's happening each to them directly and in the world around them. Tavia gains her voice, Effie gains her full self, and throughout it all you have the two of them helping to hold each other up when they need it and supporting exactly who they're becoming.

Mega apologies for the delay. This year has been a lot mentally, physically, emotionally..

This was actually a book I was in the middle of before the pandemic slammed into our lives and I’m happy that I picked it up once more. It reignited something in me that made me want to kickstart reading once more. The characters are delightful and as a black woman with a. young black daughter this is the representation I long to see. It’s wonderful.
The prize is gorgeous and invites you in so although the begging faltered a bit and was hard to get into at first once it gets going I didn’t want to put it down.

I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks very much for this ARC. Stay safe.

Apologies to the publisher for such a big delay in this review, this has been a stressful time!

This was such a wonderful and timely read. A magical tale of sisterhood and justice, about trying to be true to yourself in a place that will punish you for it. This is a more contemporary magic realism novel which gave it a real fresh feel but also incredibly raw as it deals with the very real problems of racism and police brutality in a magical alternate version of Portland.

Theres magic and secrets and a wonderful twist on fantasy mythos across the spectrum including all versions of magical creatures. But what really underscored the whole book is the deep love these two sisters, not by blood but by an even deeper bond, hold for each other.

This was such a wonderful read and really makes you look at the current state of the world and how massively it impacts the lives of so many people.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sirens aren’t something I’ve ever read about before so being introduced to them in a contemporary magical realism novel was refreshing. I was confused for most of this book, as the characters themselves are, but I think that the author did an amazing job maintaining intrigue rather than the confusion keeping me at a distance.

Bethany C. Morrow used the magical elements of the story to talk about racial injustice, police brutality, racial profiling and the power of protest which felt grounded in the world we live in. The magical elements didn’t overpower the messages of the story but they added an extra layer of mystery.

This book would be a great introduction to those new to fantasy and if you love well-developed characters, this is the book for you. Tavia and Effie have distinct voices (this is true for both the writing and the audiobook) and their development as characters is well paced throughout the novel. I’m interested to see where the sequel goes as this isn’t the usual type of book that becomes a series but I’m excited for that release.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book and it’s something that has opened up a whole new world of creature fantasy to me.

4 out of 5 stars!

A Song Below Water tells the story of Tavia and her best friend Effie. Tavia is a siren and they both live in Portland, Oregon, where siren's voices are feared and kept under control. Effie is definitely the quiet one and is searching for her true identity. The story is filled with magic, Black girl empowerment, sisterhood and for some moments, it was impossible to guess what would happen next, which was amazing.

Although there is fiction in the book, it talks about real issues that Black people face everyday, like racism, police brutality and more.

Trigger Warning: What seems like a suicide attempt at first.

A Song Below Water is also a beautiful book in which there is humour, hurt and characters fighting for justice. I definitely recommend it!

If there was ever a book that I would somehow put in a reverse time capsule to send to my thirteen-year-old self, A Song Below Water would be in that pile (along with a bunch of Steven Universe VHS tapes and everything written by N.K. Jemisin).

Read the full review at Lightspeed Magazine.

We all need this book. Tavia is tired and terrified: in modern day Portland, Oregon, the voices of sirens are skewed as dangerous. As a Black teen in a very white city, she already has enough to worry about without anyone discovering she has the magic and power of a siren. Her best friend Effie, on the other hand, has no idea what she is: Effie’s skin itches, she is continually blacking out, and she hopes answers will be found when she returns to role-playing as a mermaid in the fantastic annual fair. The two navigate an America that praises gargoyles, elekos, and sprites, but seeks to silence and threaten Black voices. Bethany C. Morrow crafts a vivid story about sisterhood, strength, and standing against racism. A Song Below Water enchanted and challenged me. Immerse yourself, open your ears, open your eyes, and prepare to be swept away.

A novel that blends #BlackGirlMagic with teen self-consciousness and the stakes of real world issues related to the oppression of Black people and their voices through fantasy stereotypes. Intense and captivating stakes with some confusing plotting.