An original take on extremely timely topics, A Song Below Water tackles racism and social justice in a semi-magical world where sirens are real (though mostly in hiding, subjected to prejudice on a regular basis). Sisters-by-choice Effie and Tavia are each facing individual struggles, both with their pasts and the present, but at least they have each other. But as events begin to spiral out of their control and flying under the radar is no longer a viable option, will their shared strength be enough to get them through?

While the first 1/4 of the book felt like a LOT of information all at once (understandable given the necessary world-building but still mildly disconcerting), I fell in love with Effie and Tavia almost immediately - which kept me reading until the plot picked up and events began spiraling on at a dizzying, spell-binding rate.

An absolutely gorgeous addition to any YA collection. I’ll of course be sharing this title with fans of The Hate U Give, but it’s equally suited to readers of high-fantasy/science fiction - think Rhoda Belleza, Amie Kauffman, and Roshani Chokshi. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year thus far.

"Effie, sometimes things just happen. Nothing special. Nothing supernatural. There isn't always a reason."

Thanks to Netgalley, Bethany C. Morrow and Tor Teen for this e-ARC.
The review contains a little bit of spoiler. I had to add a bit because I would have been unable to describe my point of view.

I requested this book on netgally because I had seen a friend of mine on Instagram who'd also requested and got accepted for this ARC. She'd also mentioned how excited she was to read this one. I was intrigued by the cover and the synopsis. Another reason for requesting was the black representation in this book.

Even after all this, I dived into this book with very less expectation. I was finding difficult to understand the story at the beginning maybe because I don't know much about the history of black people and in the book itself some descriptions were not clear. I think the author was trying to create suspense this way or something. I admit, there was suspense as this book was literally a slow burn. But when it came to describing the Sirens and their history, I again felt that it was not catered well. The Sirens in this book were a little different than usual. The author mostly, described about Siren voices and how they were controlled by the govt in the past. How Sirens have been from the black race and the difficulties they face fitting in and aren't accepted in the society.

The main characters Tavia and Effie are not sisters by blood but by their friendship bonding. Effie comes to live with Tavia's family after her mother dies. The story revolves around these two sisters and their heritage. It is told from both their perspectives. I loved how the author built up their characters slowly, throughout the whole book. When I was finally, halfway through, things finally were starting to fall in place. The mystery about their heritage was starting to unravel. I was fully engrossed in the book at this point and thoroughly enjoyed the ending. I also loved how the author used the setting of a modern technological world and mingled it with a fantastical tale. I loved the fact that this book teaches young people no matter who they are, whatever race or religion they belong to, they should stand up for themselves and speak up for the injustice they are facing in their lives.

Overall, it was a good summer read.

A Song Below Water is an adventure between contemporary and fantasy worlds that fans of fairy tale retellings will enjoy. In some ways, it feels like the story starts abruptly and some readers may have trouble following at first. This book is best suited for readers who are ready to commit to understanding the world that looks a little like ours but with a lot of new elements.

I am struggling so hard to rate this book. Certain parts of it I absolutely loved, 5 stars for sure. And other parts were so slow, so confusing that I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish. Let's break it down...

A Song Below Water is about Tavia and Effie - Tavia is a siren in Portland, Oregon and living in a time when sirens are reviled, dismissed, tortured and murdered. Her being a siren is kept a secret, held by her family, Effie, Effie's grandparents, and a network of mythical creatures who support her and provide an outlet for Tavia to use her call. Effie is Tavia's best friend, her "play-sister", and plays a mermaid in a local ren faire. Effie has a mysterious past that unfolds throughout the story and will play into her future. Add in a gargoyle, petty created called elokos, nasty sprites and a lot of social commentary and this book takes off.

What did I like?
I really liked so much:
- black sirens! black mermaids! so much black girl magic!
- real examples of what it means to be black (I am thinking specifically about the black hair care which is rare to read about in books)
- the mythos was super intriguing and unique
- social justice, black lives matter, racial equity commentary - this was my favorite part. The way that the book is framed (black sirens are forgotten, not cared about, and not protected) is a direct connection to the ways that black lives and black bodies are dismissed and discarded so easily in our society. There are multiple back stories of black teenagers and women being murdered without any justice, which aligns to things we are heading in the news currently. It felt super timely but done in a really interesting way. I have seen reviews say that the book is "preachy" and I highly disagree - those folks should probably do some inner reflection about their own awareness of these issues.

What did I struggled with?
- although the mythological aspects were super cool, the reader is just dropped into it. I had no clue what elokos were, which isn't that big of a deal because I just googled it and I google a lot of things when I read, BUT the entire world was just dropped into my lap without explanation. A chapter about how this world came about, the context, and the way mythos became reality would have been nice.
- Some of the loose threads of the murders should have been tied up - the reader is kind of left hanging
- this is definitely a YA novel with a lot of the annoying teen challenges. Although sometimes I am fine with that, it was a bit much for my brain at the time of reading.

I might try and read this book again when I am not living through a pandemic, and also processing the way that black people are exponentially more impacted by this disease as well as the continual murders of black people who are just trying to live their lives. My brain might not have been in the perfect place to really read and enjoy this book. But overall I would recommend it just because the mythos, the story, the framing is just so cool and a much needed break from the typical fantasy YA we see.

Tavia is a siren in modern-day Portland, constantly trying to conceal her powers. She lives with Effie, her best friend and adopted sister. Tavia tries to remain inconspicuous, seeking answers about her powers. Effie performs as a mermaid at the local Renaissance Faire, hoping for additional clarity about her past and family. As Effie struggles with strange changes happening to her and Tavia worries about accidentally revealing herself as a siren- the girls experience the perils of high school (bullying, romance, mean girls).

This was so good!! I loved how mythology was creatively intertwined with social issues such as misogynoir. A Song Below Water was excellent with lots of important social commentary, realistic prose, and a strong bond of sisterhood. I was kept guessing until the very end as Effie and Tavia work together to unravel the mysteries and secrets they face.

My favorite part was the powerful bond of sisterhood between Tavia and Effie. It was so refreshing to watch them always be there for each other. No matter the obstacle, they stayed united against all turmoil. Readers looking for stories about social commentary, mythological powers, and an unbreakable sisterhood should absolutely check out this book. A Song Below Water releases June 2, 2020! Thank you to Bethany C. Morrow, Tor Teen, and Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so excited to be seeing more people of color on gorgeous book covers like this!! I was excited to read this one because I’m a sucker for anything fantasy, and yes, I judged this book by its cover. And I judged it worthy.

Tavia and her sister-not-sister, Effie, are growing up different in modern-day Portland. Tavia is a siren (straight out of mythology) and Effie is experiencing some strange changes as of late. Throughout the novel is the usual teenage angst and problems that befall high schoolers — fitting in, bullying, romance. But entwined is a social commentary about growing up different in America — whether that is because you are a strange mythical creature or just a race that isn’t white.

This book had a lot of potential, but it wasn’t for me. The colloquial language caters to a much younger audience than myself, and the blend of urban realistic fiction with fantasy just read awkward to me. Some of the slang read incredibly cringey. The prose reads for a pre-teen audience, but the content doesn’t match.

In recent reviews, I discussed the pitfalls that usually happen when an author decides to incorporate social commentary in the YA genre, and unfortunately, this happened in this book. I valued the approach to pairing the oppression that comes with being something literally different (read: not a human) with the oppression that comes from being a person of color in America. But it seemed like the author wanted to drop in every single issue that impacts the Black community into the novel, in just 288 pages WHILE also trying to create a fantastical world. What results is a few sentences that get dropped about issues of beauty standards, gentrification, stereotypes, gun violence, police brutality, equitable access to education, etc. I wish Morrow had spent a little less time on trying to capture the gamut of social issues and spent more time on character development and voice.

Morrow’s plot is engaging, mostly because of the mystery surrounding Effie. It’s a quick and easy read that lovers of fantasy or mythology will devour. I’d recommend this book for younger high schoolers.

Our world needs more books with Black Girl Magic. Our world also needs more mythological books. But most of all, our world needs books like this, where Black Girls are secret sirens and wannabe mermaids, where they have networks of safety for each other.
Parts of this were like reading a Twitter feed of call-outs, and I had to remind myself I couldn't hit the retweet button. So instead I paused reading, yelled about how much THIS MATTERS, and then dove back in.
Honestly I can't applaud this book enough.

***I received an uncorrected proof of this ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review***


"We should all speak like sirens. Use our voices to make a difference, because all of them matter."✝


I don't know what exactly what I was expecting from this book, but I got more than I bargained for in the BEST way. The world of A Song Below Water is much like ours, except there are magical creatures (sirens, eloki, sprites, gargoyles, etc) among us. Morrow effortlessly weaves together a tale of fantasy with the misogynoir of the real world. Eloki are celebrated, despite a mythos that rumors cannibalism. Sprites are views as funny little tricksters, despite the belief that their tricks have the power to turn children into statues. Sirens, however, are feared and silenced. And "for a long time sirens have been Black women. Not just mostly. Exclusively.✝" Sirens are being murdered without consequence and literally silenced with dampening collars. Morrow uses fiction to explore the myth of the "angry Black woman" and the way that the white world views Black women as somehow other, even monstrous.

This book is a call to arms, and a must-read to any would-be allies in America. It demands that we "Speak, siren!" (SayHerName!) Black women aren't required to define their oppression, but this book does an amazing job giving fictional insight to real-world problems. READ! THIS! BOOK!


✝check against final text

This book gave me everything I needed and wanted and even more. Yes, I'd been wanting to read about sirens, who doesn't? (honestly) But this book gave me more. It's about misogynoir (!!!!!) the way it handled current issues such as sexism and racism was so well done!

I was so excited when I heard about this book, but unfortunately I ended up not liking it as much as I thought I would. I appreciated the message and what the book is trying to do. It's about the misogynoir young black women experience, and the intersection of being a supernatural black woman all the stigma that comes with it. Tavia realizing the power of her voice, as a young black woman and a siren, was so powerful. I appreciated the strong sisterhood between Tavia and Effie and I loved all the nerdy, renaissance faire references.

But I had trouble getting into the world of the book and I don't think it found the balance between contemporary/urban and fantasy. It's set in real-world Portland but with mythological creatures such as sprites, sirens, giants, elokos, and gargoyles, but I couldn't quite understand why those creatures and not others. There didn't seem to be any rules to the magic or mythos, or at least any I could grasp. I spent a lot of the time reading confused but intrigued. Being outed as a siren is dangerous so Tavia has a network of women to help keep her safe, but we don't really get to see the network or what they actually do. Tavia was so paranoid about being found out, but at the same time it seemed like a lot of people knew. Overall I would have appreciated a lot more world-building.

Some of the best #blackgirlmagic - well, more like #blackgirlmythos - I've ever read. Morrow takes you on a journey through Portland reimagined with mythological beings and events. Tavia and Effie have to navigate not only the trickiness of high school but also their own awakening into who they are meant to be within their world. The connection between sirens and the treatment of specifically Black women is painfully beautiful. It's direct without being aggressive, and it sends a necessary message to all readers, regardless of race. As a teacher of primarily white students, I am always eager to find strong writing with Black characters - not only to put on my bookshelves for my students of color but also to use to educate my white students on realities and ideas they may not be aware of or subjected to. I feature 10 books at the beginning of the school year, and this will - without a doubt - be one of them. Morrow develops her characters with a unique voice and style. Even though they're "sisters", they are uniquely unforgettable. This is a gorgeous read from start to finish.

DNF

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an early arc for A Song Below Water but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get into it.

I was very excited to read it because:

1) Black Sirens
2) Magical Realism
3) Discussing important topics

And while there is that, I felt that there wasn’t enough history/information about the origins of sirens and that left me disappointed. Also, I wasn’t able to care about the characters (even though I’m a plot kind of person) to keep me interested.

I might wait and see other people review this book once it’s released but for now, I’m not planning on finishing it which makes me sad.

This is an amazing book--I only wished I could connect with the characters more.

When I first saw this ARC on Netgalley, I was so excited to get into it: black characters taking the centre stage, sirens, and fighting back against the hegemonic views of society. However, this book missed the mark for me due to shallow characters and difficulty connecting with them.

I really wanted to like this book because of the rave reviews but unfortunately it got discarded in my pile of books that I did not finish. The characters felt too shallow and the main plot was a bit confusing and at the same time incredibly cliche and predictable. When I first saw the premise I was hoping that there would be a twist somewhere in the book or that the writing would just be so impeccable I wouldn't even know that I was reading a book with an overdone plot but sadly it became a disappointment.

Sirens. Gargoyles. Renaissance Faires. Portland. What more could you want in a book? A Song Below Water is, I think, going to be one of the most unique YA releases this year. After all, there’s a lot to like. The plot is intriguing, the characters are loveable, and the setting is at times both magical and painfully realistic. What sets this book apart from other fantasy books these days is the author’s fierce and poignant call out of racism, particularly racism against black women. There are definitely some tense, uncomfortable moments in this book, and I really respect the author for including them. This is a great book, and I really hope we get a sequel.

This is an amazing urban fantasy where Morrow has used creatures and beings of mythos while creatively making them her own. The magical beings are used to not replace or metaphor the social injustices, but, to highlight them even more.

Sirens are always black girls, but not all black girls are sirens, they are profiled, and they are not seen as victims. It starts with the death of Rhoda Taylor, a black woman who was killed by her boyfriend, but then rumours swirl, was she a siren? Suddenly her death seems...acceptable, her boyfriend is even seen as the victim and sirens are under even more scrutiny.

Morrow seriously blew this out of the water, the girls are sisters in every way that matters, their families try to protect them with the fear that only parents who face the brutal realities of losing their children due to simply who they are [whether color of skin or for being a siren or magical being].

I would highly recommend this book to any urban fantasy fan who is ready to have a more creative look at sirens. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this book.
Unfortunately, I DNFed it at 27%, around the 6th chapter.
And I feel so guilty that I gave this book 2 stars.

Why did I DNF this book?
Well, I was so confused. I had no idea about what was going on, and I has no connection to the characters. Tavia and Effie were quite shallow, I didn’t feel anything for them at all which made me reluctant about whether I should bore myself with the rest of the book or just let my impatience take over. I made the decision to close this book, and DNFs usually make me really guilty. I really really wanted to like this book. Honestly! But there was no connection, there was no plot progression after a quarter of the book and I was confused about the author’s terminology.

What I liked about this book
1) Pointing out problems in the society Well, there was something I liked, though I felt like the author was trying to tackled TOO MANY PROBLEMS in one tiny book. The theme of this story is obviously trying to point out racism and discrimination of sirens and people of color. I appreciate her effort to do that, but I guess the story didn’t lure me in.

Disappointments

1) Character voice The character voice between Tavia and Effie, the two narrators, is indistinguishable. They sound exactly the same, and there was no connection to the characters. Why? The author TELLS the character’s emotions instead of SHOWING them. For example, Tavia says ‘I’m terrified.’ It feels shallow. I had no connection to them, and...I’m sorry. Again, I wanted to like this so much.
2) Terminology The author talks about sprites, gargoyles and ekolos. I had to google what they were (except for gargoyles) but the author had her own spin to these creatures. I am not condemning the fact that the author chose to have a unique spin on these creatures, but there was a very vague explanation that did not paint a picture for me.
3) High-school problems are not my type I guess this is more of an opinion than disappointment, but I am not so interested in high-school and IB things. Scenes about those felt shallow and had me skimming past them quickly.

Conclusion
Would I recommend this book? I would only recommend it if I can reread it when I am in a better state of mind.
Why did I pick this book up? I saw this GORGEOUS cover on NetGalley, read the captivating description, and the point where I click ‘request’ was when I saw it was set in Portland, Oregon.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was so much fun to read! It combined so many things I love to read about; strong women, sibling relationships, fantasy with a sprinkling of mythology, found families and highschool drama.

A Song Below Water is a fantasy story that talks about real-life inequalities such as racism, sexism and the intersections of the two. This book discusses these struggles in a way that is raw but as we are looking through the lens of the two powerful young Black women protagonists we are filled with their hope and their drives to not give up. As some of the themes discussed are dark the book could easily feel sad or heavy-handed, but it doesn't at all! The book is so much fun and filled with such love and joy between the two sisters. I am hoping this gets turned into a series because I am not ready to leave Tavia and Effie yet!

I'd recommend this book to most people, especially if you love YA fantasy and/or YA contemporary or family drama stories. The modern-day fantasy setting borders both genres really well and is easy to read, you just want to keep turning pages. I'd also really recommend this book to young people who might not be familiar with experiencing racism, sexism or other inequalities because I think this book could teach someone a lot whilst still being a really great page-turning story. I'd of loved to read this as a teenager in school! Coming out next month from Tor Teen!

Thank you Net Galley, Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates, and Tor Teen for the e-ARC in exchange for review. 4/5 Stars! This YA Magical Realism Novel set in Portland, Oregon is a fantastical ride for the reader. This book has a beautiful story of sisterhood and found family. I loved the Siren mythology and all the magical elements that make this story amazing. This book also handles current issues in our society such as racism and sexism in a flawless manner. This book is perfect for fantasy loving feminist. The one thing I would change about this book is I wish the Contemporary Fantasy lore would have been further expanded on. For example I would love to learn more about the other magical creatures besides the main ones featured. I also would have liked more history details on this Contemporary Fantasy, such as were Sirens always feared or is this specific to post colonization societies?

I really wanted to like this book and it started off so promising but ths was so effing rough to read. It was so confusing. The author introduces a lot of mythical creatures but it's so hard to find out the lore behind them all. I would love to look some of these up but the author repeats throughout the book a lot that the most popular lore surrounding these creatures are all fake. So doing extra research seems useless. The time the author spends explaining what isn't true should have been spend explaining what is because I was so confused throughout this whole book and I just couldn't figure it out. There also isn't much character work done besides the two main characters. I got none of the side character's motivations. It made things so confusing as well. I also just don't think the social commentary was balanced well with the mythical stuff. Whenever it would switch over the more social justice things it felt a bit jarring. The last problem I had with this book is that a lot of side storylines were introduced but never really resolved. It was kind of frustrating. Yeah, I was really excited for this book but the excecution was just not there for me at all.