I loved A Song Below Water, so A Chorus Rises was a must read for me. The worldbuilding continues to be genius level, and A Chorus Rises answers many of the questions I had from the first book. I loved this exploration of identity, magic, and family. Naema is a vibrant protagonist who absolutely will not let you go, and I'm so glad we got her story. This is a triumphant sequel, and I will devour any future books set in this universe.

I loved A Song Below Water, and was ecstatic to find out there was going to be a sequel. While this book focuses on Naema in the aftermath of what happened in book 1 and her own self discovery journey I would highly recommend reading A Song Below Water first. You could probably read this as a standalone, but you will likely be confused about the events that are mentioned and who the characters are as they are already established going into this book. Much like the first book this is full of social commentary, had great character development, a magical fantasy element, and so much more. I will say that this is more contemporary than the first book. While it does have a fantasy/magic element, it is not the main focus nor as prominent as it was in the first book. I felt Naema's character development and the social justice element were at the forefront, with the fantasy element being a nice compliment.

Naema was a bit of a villain in book 1. As an Eloko, she is beloved because of her magical abilities and put on a pedestal by her parents and the people of Portland where she lives. Naturally she's a bit of a spoiled brat. It took me quite a while to warm up to her in this. Stick with her though, she is on a journey. When she is cast in a poor light after exposing Tavia as a siren last year at prom, she has to deal with the blow back on her social media platform. She has to deal with the trauma she experienced that night, and how the story is being told without her input. Determined to set the record straight, Naema wants to tell people what really happened that night at prom. There are 2 sides to every story and Naema's side is either twisted or left out. In the mean time, a social media group dedicated to Naema is forming and wants to protect her, especially from sirens. This loyal group, turns out to be a radical group targeting African American girls and women they suspect of being sirens in Naema's name. Clearly she is not OK with that when she realizes their intentions, and has to put aside her differences with Tavia to use her power, privilege and influence for good and to protect the innocent.

Naema leaves Portland to connect with family and discovers that there is more to being Eloko than her melody and social media following. She realizes that there is more to Naema than being an Eloko, she is more than one thing she has to figure out who she is. Race is at the forefront of her mind as she spends time with her non-magical family, especially when she experiences racial profiling first hand. Her status as an Eloko has protected her from the prejudice her family experiences regularly. I thought her cousin Courtney was a great side character who called her out for some of her self-centered actions and was a good sounding board for her. He was a huge part of her development. I really enjoyed her development as a character.

I thought that the narration of the audiobook was really well done. The narrator was able to give the different characters unique voices so I was able to distinguish who was speaking. I also thought the mixed media aspect of the book was interesting as there were several chapters told in chat room format, interviews, etc. and that wasn't lost in the audio format. It also wasn't awkward to listen to nor did I find it confusing.

I was provided an audio ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I loved this one!!! I loved this BIPOC book that touched on racial tensions and issues of our time, as well as making it extremely relevant with fame, social media, and had a hint of fantasy!

I DNF'd this book about 40% in. I wasn't crazy about ASBW, but I will say that I did better with ACR in audio format. What I do like: complex themes of race and community, the toxic sides of fame, having your own voice. I do like how Naema knows who she is and her complex character, although what really made me DNF was the incessant complaining. I don't really love characters who just wine and wine and wine and I couldn't go through 60% more of this book with that. I'm sure there's good character development, I just didn't last that far with all the complaining and bad attitudes. Yes Naema is not perfect and a flawed character, but I just can't get past that personal pet peeve of mine.

The Short Version: An incisive examination of privilege, racism, and the powder keg of social media. A must read for anyone who loves black girl magic and character driven stories

The Long Version: Naema Bradshaw was turned to stone by a gorgon a year ago and since then, her life has NOT gone as planned. She’s been effectively silenced by her favorite social media site and almost everyone thinks she’s the villain, though she certainly does not.

Having not read the first book in this series, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got this Audiobook ARC via NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. I was pleasantly surprised by this though.

The book, in a brilliant turn RBG would tip the cap to, uses the point of view of a black girl with magical powers to explore privilege (magical people of her kind are treated like celebrities in Portland). The portrait is insightful and nuanced and makes Naema insanely likable. Her character voice is strong, funny, unapologetic (mostly), and often misguided in the way most teens are. You root for her even when she’s clearly in the wrong, it’s beautiful character construction.

Now I typically like my fantasy stories to be packed full with non-stop action, and if that’s what you’re looking for, this isn’t it. This is a character driven story and there were definitely times in the second act I just wanted something BIGGER to happen. That being said, Naema held my attention and made this a worthy listen.

The third act of this book is a Gatling gun loaded with bricks and the final confrontation is pitch perfect and gave me literal goosebumps.

On top of great writing and great characters, the narrator of this audiobook absolutely CRUSHED IT. I felt the shade dripping from her voice and each character is fully realized by her. One of the best performances I’ve listened to.

Overall a 4.5 out of 5. Strongly recommend for anyone who wants to be reminded what great books can do and how YA can be a vehicle for books that are accessible to the young but just as profound as anything out there.

Component Ratings
Concept/Idea: 4 out of 5
Characters: 5 out of 5
Character Development: 5 out of 5
Plot: 3.5 out of 5
Pacing: 3.5 out of 5
Prose: 4.5 out of 5
Dialogue: 5 out of 5
Narrator performance: 5 out of 5
Ending: 5 out of 5

I'm not going to lie, I was very nervous going into this because Naema was my least favorite character in A Song Below Water and I didn't know how I would like a story with her as the main character, but that's the power of a POV switch. I grew to really appreciate Naema as a character. I really loved the conversations around her Blackness vs her Eloko-ness, codeswitching, being an acceptable minority and using other forms of your identity as protection, and her frustration at her personal experiences only having value if she shares her trauma publicly. They were all really great and impactful.

I also really liked the different media style chapters between Naema's prose chapters, it helped build some insight for how, mainly Portland, was feeling after the Stoning event at the end of A Song Below Water. But I do think that the side characters (even ones introduced in A Chorus Rises) were under developed and just kinda there. And the ending was a little rushed for me too, so the personal growth wasn't fully there. Overall, while I still don't really like Naema as a character, I appreciate her journey and the conversations this book continues after A Song Below Water.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

It was a really nice sequel to a song below water. I love the elements of urban fantasy in this book alongside all the light brought into social issues, it feels magical yet relevant.

This was such an interesting novel. For the first half, maybe, I couldn't stand the main character, Naema. She was such a rich, entitled, privileged b*tch. Her previous interactions with Effie and Tavia certainly didn't help. But... over the course of the novel she slowly expanded her worldview and started to change. Very slowly, and very reluctantly, but she soon became someone I could cheer on and be fully invested in. Because underneath all the awfulness, she cares. Deeply. And not, as it first appears, just for herself.

I questioned Bethany Morrow's judgement in making Naema the protagonist of this follow-up novel, but I have to admit it was a genius move. I actually ended up liking this novel more than the first one. Its exploration of race and privilege and how they intersect was thorough, brutal, and enjoyable. I will definitely be reading her future novels.

The audiobook was excellent, and the narrator captured Naema's voice perfectly from beginning to end. The other character voices were also excellent, and it was a joy to listen to.

*Thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Tor-Forge, and MacMillan audio for providing an e-arc and audiobook arc for review.