A Song Below Water

This book is definitely needed for the black girls that have a deep sisterhood and friendship. It travels from black girls struggles into the realm of fantasy. A very powerful and mystical book.

First and foremost, I would say that “A Song Below Water” fits more comfortably in the magical realism realm of fantasy, rather than urban fantasy, and here’s why. In this version of America (and Portland where the story takes place) mythical creatures like sirens, elokos, sprites, and mermaids are real and their existence is not questioned. Tavia is a siren, and her best friend/sister is not, but is sent to live with Tavia for her own protection. They have a gargoyle that sits on their roof and people don’t really care outside of the creature being rare and therefore a bit of a novelty, even though Tavia’s dad really wishes it wouldn’t come around. Because Tavia’s father is terrified of his daughter and doesn’t want the added attention to their home. He’s not scared for her, not anymore, but of her. But the story doesn’t focus a ton on that aspect of the relationship outside of Tavia’s extreme pain and isolation centered around her feeling like her family hates her and wishes she was anything other than a siren. There’s a lot of trauma this book addresses, both familial and racial, but the racial aspects take front and center, as they should, but it leaves the family aspect a bit unresolved. For “A Song Below Water” is not about Black sirens, but about being Black while being a siren.This is why I say the story is more magical realism than urban fantasy, and that’s not a bad thing, I mention it mainly to manage expectations. The magic that these different creatures and races have, along with the mythical races themselves (mainly the sirens) are an allegory for the social issues presented in the book, specifically Black women’s voices within the BLM movement. The whole story focuses on both Tavia and Effie using their voices, and in the case of Tavia, having people terrified of the power within that voice, for in this version of the mythos, only Black women can be sirens. It’s a strong message, and well delivered especially for the teen audience it was intended for, but the book is tragically short for the plethora of issues it attempts to cover.While Tavia is dealing with the fear of being a siren and keeping that secret, she also desperately wants and needs to use her voice to stand up for herself, and others, and to be seen. To be allowed to live without people’s immediate reaction being to respond to her with fear and violence. Plus, Tavia has her own family trauma to contend with, including a father who can be, at times, kind of abusive. And that’s just Tavia’s story! Then you have Effie who is struggling with her own identity and troubled past, all while the adults in her life keep huge secrets from her (in the most infuriating way possible). And then you have characters like Naema who are marvelously complex in being not only a Black woman, but a Black woman that is an eloko and is therefore seen as acceptable by pretty much everyone and what that can do to bolster, and harm, her identity. But the book needed more time to fully explore those complexities. Which is why the magic is very loose in this book, and why, to me, it fits better with the magical realism camp. Which is something I, personally, would have liked to have known before starting as it would have given me a better lens with which to read this story.The book can kind of meander a bit, focusing more on random high school interactions that get too detailed in between dialogue, but it felt a bit true to how a teenager would tell this story so it sort of fits. But the issue there was with how similar Tavia and Effie’s inner voices sounded, despite Effie being, supposedly, so shy as to be crippling when she isn’t playing a role in the ren faire. The representation in this book is wonderful though and I love the relationship these two friends turned sisters had with one another, the book just needed more in order to do all the topics and themes justice, hence the 3.5 stars. But this is definitely a story I’ll be giving to my young niece as I think she’d love it, and would benefit from it greatly!

This is a beautifully written story. I was honestly a bit uncomfortable to read this at first. It's primarily aimed at girls of color. But that's the exact reason I got it. For my middle spawn, who is both black and white (with a touch of Asian and Spaniard for added flavor). To get that kid to read anything that isn't horror or a murder mystery I usually have to give a convincing argument on why they should read whatever book I'm pushing. So I absolutely pushed aside who I am and let myself become Tavia and Effie and to see their world through their eyes.Tavia is a Siren. This mythical race seems to be exclusive to black women in this world; they are also beings that aren't thought highly of even in our own world's modern mythology, so kudos to the author for chosing this specific race to make her point.Effie is trying to figure out who and what she is, and knows that answer lies with finding out who her father is; even if her grandparents refuse to answer her questions.This book is about how black women tend to be silenced, so much so that there are collars made specifically to silence sirens. It's also about learning to accept who you are, friendship, love, and the power and strength both can give even the quietest of voices, especially in the face of adversity, discrimination, and injustice.I'm a big supporter of equal rights and this book hits major points using mythology with a mix of the everyday things people of color of both genders deal with daily.This book doesn't have anything in the way of real action so it does seem to drag for the most part if you're not investing yourself in the story and are just reading it, and I'd personally love to slap the sense into most of the adults, and maybe Effie too at the end; but I get it. It was kinda like that when I first met my dad too, minus the forcing her to question things.This book isn't for everyone, but I feel anyone who advocates for those that are muted because of who they are, and especially those who are muted and wish they were louder, should read this. Most importantly, the teens should read this. They need to know that it just takes one voice loud enough to be heard to make a difference.I give this book 5 of 5 paws and look forward to reading the sequel.

*I love the cover – it is gorgeous!*I really liked the concept of this urban fantasy world where sirens, sprites, eloko, mermaids and gargoyles. I’ve always been fascinated with sirens and gargoyles. The fact they are here together in one book is awesome.*This book was released in 2020 when the tensions in the USA was at an all time high with the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so much more. The pandemic was going on, Black Lives Matters protests, it was volatile, and if you watched the news, Portland, Oregon was the home of many protest stand-offs. So this book being set in Portland with the death of Rhoda Taylor gracing the news – it definitely reflects our current time.*I really enjoyed the parts that brought in some creepiness like the sprites and their singing Red Rover…what was up with that? I did enjoy when the story went there towards the fantasy side so I want more of that.Tavia and Effie are tight as can be – their bond is very strong which is beautiful.Triggers: police brutality, racism, suicidal attempt*I was sometimes lost reading this book because there was a lot going on. Also at times Tavia and Effie were so tight, I couldn’t remember if I was reading Tavia or Effie’s chapter.*As much as I loved the fantastical elements in this book, I was confused a lot and this book is under 300 pages, which means I should have finished this quick. I didn’t, I struggled through it. I was probably expecting more fantasy and explanations about the different creatures living in this world.Final Thoughts:I love the concept of this book but the execution didn’t work for me. I wanted more of the magical elements. I wanted the fantasy to blend better with the contemporary world with black lives matter dominating Tavia and Effie’s life because the issues in this book are relevant, important and need to be read. I’m reading the second book next since I have it as an arc from NetGalley so I hope that one is better.

I have to admit that this was a cover buy, Octavia and Effie on the cover look so beautiful in the blue and watery background, but I knew I had to pick this debut by Bethany C. Morrow at some point. While I enjoyed most of the book with great characters and interesting takes on mythology in a slice of life type setting, it struggles with pacing and world building context, holding it back from being great.I enjoyed the characters, especially our two PoV characters, Octavia and Effie, who aren’t blood sisters, but Effie lives with Octavia’s family and provides a stable foundation to each other as they deal with high school drama and navigate their lives in a magical version of Portland. They both have their own struggles, Octavia with her voice and her siren life, and Effie with her reoccurring nightmares while doing her mermaid bit at the annual fair. But I love the sisterly bonding as they both try to find themselves in different ways. The other characters are somewhat fleshed out, mostly their families, but others felt a bit flat and one note and I wish we got to know them a bit longer.The world is somewhat developed, with lots of mythological creatures and the takes Morrow has with them are very interesting, and I was always awaiting to hear more. However, I think some terms and ideas were defined and expanded more, I wouldn’t have gotten lost on some of the finer details that led to a critical conflict late in the story. Like the rival group at the girls’ school or this network Octavia is supposed to be a part of.The biggest issue with this story is the pacing. It takes to 40% for things to start to pick up, and it’s not until about 2/3rds of the story that we get into some real conflict, which I think might be partly due to the blurb, but it was really slow going for the first quarter or so, where it felt like a slice of life story with some magical creatures (which isn’t bad, I like that sort of thing) as well as social commentary but it didn’t feel like much was happening story-wise. Then things ramp up near the end (like the last 20% or so), and it felt like things went a bit too fast. I think if it wasn’t strict “PoV switch at every chapter”, it would have flowed better. Also, some plot points and elements felt like they were haphazard in presentation, even though some factors come together in the end, though others are dropped. It wanted to be and tell everything at once and lacked a clear story focus.Side note, the cover blurb (at least the US version) is slightly misleading. I was expecting that it was going to be solely in Octavia’s PoV and that Effie was just a sidekick, but Effie’s story is just as important. I was thinking the cover had Octavia and Camellia Fox, the YouTube influencer Octavia likes watching.I’m still debating if I’m going to pick up the next book, A Chorus Rises, but if you like a slice of life story in Casadia with mythological creatures, check this one out.