Immense gratitude To #NetGalley for the ARC of this novel for an honest review.

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow is a tale steeped in mythology. The protagonist Tavia is a black siren who must keep here powers and song a secret. Only her family knows here secret, causing stress at home. Tavia and her step-sister Effie try to survive complicated family issues, anger, secrets, as well as the issues of the outside world. This novel address difficult themes such as social injustice, racism, sexism, and misogynoir. Initially the pacing of this novel reads more like a contemporary than a fantasy, once the world building is truly established you are immersed in magical realism. Morrow creates a powerful captivating story that is well crafted with characterization and a storytelling style that is thought provoking.

Thank you Macmillan/Tor and netgalley for the chance to read this as an eARC.

First this cover is a siren song of an image, it drew me in and immediately made me want to read the book. Combine that with the promise of mermaids and Black girl magic and I was sold!

Second, the book itself. So many sections had me wanting to tab/highlight it because the story sadly still echoes a lot of what we see and hear about on a daily basis when it comes to racism (especially as I am reviewing this in the midst of protests for justice in the murder of Black people at the hands of the police). This story is utterly amazing and heartbreaking for its honesty.

The fantasy built into our world seamlessly but there were some flaws: the pacing was uneven, we don’t really gain an understanding of what elokos are, and there was a lot going on at times with two narrators in the first person. This is a solid novel and I love the story, but the flaws would sometimes take me out of the story.

I definitely plan on ordering a hard copy and rereading so I can tab it up. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves urban fantasy, contemporary issue themes, and great female friendships.

Special thanks to the TorTeen team, the author Bethany C. Morrow and Netgalley for the physical and e-ARC copies of A Song Below Water. Receiving these copies did not affect my rating or review.

The Great: The plot twists/major reveals in the second half of the book, are maybe my favorite parts of the story. I did not see ANY of them coming. It has been a while since an author was able to completely and utterly shock me. And Morrow did just that. I'd thought I knew exactly where the story was going and could predict where the main characters would end up. But I was so wrong.

Also, I've found three new characters to love. Tavia and Effie’s sisterhood really stood out to me. They are two sides of the same coin. And their differences and similarities compliment each other. Their fierce loyalty to one another made the story that much better.

Tavia and Effie face similar struggles like being young black girls in a re-imagined yet still a predominantly white city. But they each have their own separate battles as well. They know each other's strengths and weaknesses and try to make sure the other knows that they're there for them. It isn't perfect, but it's really great to see.

And the third character I adored is Gargy the Gargoyle! Want to know more about him? You have to read the book.

The Good: Simply put, plot! Tavia and Effie are battling layers of social injustice. Whether it is based on race, gender, or mythology. Tavia's identity as a siren and Effie's involvement in an incident when she was younger makes them targets for scrutiny and hate. Morrow does a great job tackling these various themes with fantasy elements as a bonus. It felt comforting to see conversations I’ve had with my family and friends on the page. However, it is sad and disheartening to read the social injustices we are currently protesting against almost verbatim in the story. I so easily related characters in Morrow's world to people who we are currently fighting for.

The not-so-good: Unfortunately, the pace, especially for the first half of the book. This is something I expect in a debut fantasy novel. And it usually doesn't deter me. But I have to say that it took me longer than usual to get through it. I'm not sure if it is because of the usual reasons like setting the world/ world-building, introducing the magic system, and mythology. Or whether it was because I was reading it during the George Floyd protests when I was angry and hurt and terrified. And reading those same feelings and injustices in the story made it just a bit harder to read. I haven't fully decided yet.

However, the pace did pick up about halfway in and up until the end of the book.

Overall, I recommend this book to lovers of YA Fantasy, to readers who want to see themselves as glorious mythical creatures, and to readers who need to better understand the black experience.

I have to say I was drawn to this book. Was it the cover, the concept or the summary? I don't know. But I just was. When I started reading it however, I had a feeling of unease. I realized that I didn't quite know too much about the siren myth (and the other myths of sprites and elokos), so I found myself constantly googling things.

I think my only point of contention really was that it felt like I was just thrown into the deep end of this world, so to speak, and was made to figure things out and piece things together rather than given a more cohesive sense of what the world is and who the characters are from the beginning.

However, the book catches up from the sixth chapter and completely had me bowled over. I loved the discussions of race and cultural biases that were formed in this fantasy book. It gave this conversation a different take and was a great read - both in terms of the content and what I was left to think about.

I also loved the relationships that were shown in this book - the love, the need to protect and the mistakes that you make along the way. I would love to see a sequel for this book as I’ve found myself to grow quite attached to the characters - especially Effie, Tavia and Wallace. :)

Thank you NetGalley and the publishing for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I couldn't finish this one. I made it 30% but I've been very lost. I don't understand the relationship between the characters or even other things in the plot, like elokos. Sorry. I wanted to love it! I love all the social commentary but, I struggled.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The first thing that struck me about A Song Below Water was the gorgeous cover. And then the concept won me over: Black sirens in alternate reality Portland?! Yes, please!

And while I’ve had issues with contemporary fantasy in the past, I did not have problems with that in this one. The way the fantastical intersects with the reality to touch on social issues, including racism, misogyny, and modern politics is incredibly well done.

While I did chafe a bit at the dual first person, as sometimes I did forget who was narrating what, I found Tavia and Effie otherwise pretty solid characters. I liked the overlap of Tavia’s struggles with hiding her new powers, and how that interacts with how she experiences persecution for being Black. And Effie comes to some revelations about herself as well, and while I ultimately found her storyline a bit less compelling, I did enjoy the friendship aspect between the two.

This book is great, delivering on a really cool premise, as well as discussing issues that continue to be relevant in our world today. I recommend this to anyone currently looking for a novel by an up-and-coming Black author that touches on racism in light of recent events.

Stunning cover, amazing concept, lovely writing, and two main characters I fell in love with!

Things I felt a bit lukewarm about: the little-explained world building (what the hell are elokos?), and the kind-of-meandering plot line (this book tried to include a lot, there wasn’t a clear objective right from the beginning, and I felt like that caused some loose ends). Things just kind of happened. It's just something that, as a reader, you mind or you like.

This wasn’t exactly what I expected, but it was a very enjoyable read nonetheless! The sisterhood in this book is just *chef’s kiss* and I was living for Gargy! I am definitely interested in reading more from this author!

A Song Below Water is a modern siren story, which Morrow uses to explore racism. In this alternate universe, all manner of supernatural creatures coexist with humans. And while many of the creatures are respected, even loved, the siren remains the outcast. Their irresistible voices are viewed as a threat to free will, and sirens are forced to hide or be persecuted. This is a heavy and moving story, and I'm so glad to see steadily growing representation in YA fiction. Though it was a coincidence, given the events of late May, this book is more relevant than ever.

Timely and relevant with the current events.

I have never came across a book so timely and reading this is this trying times and with the injustice for George Floyd, I made a decision to preorder this book and add this amazing gem to my TBR.

100% amazing 🎉

From Publisher's Summary: Bethany C. Morrow's A Song Below Water is the story for today’s readers — a captivating modern fantasy about black mermaids, friendship, and self-discovery set against the challenges of today's racism and sexism.

I was instantly captivated by the description of this novel and it did not disappoint. A Song Below Water is an amazing tale of friendship and all the ways that companionship between two black girls can be affirming and validating. The writing is almost lyrical and Morrow weaves in major issues like racism and sexism flawlessly. Nothing is too heavy-handed. I couldn't put this one down! I am not generally a fan of speculative fiction, but this is making me reevaluate that!

I got an ARC of this book.

Look at that gorgeous cover. Just look at it for a moment. Two black women on the cover of a YA book. That is still so rare that I really want you to take it in. This is not the story of some white kid who finds out he is the only one who can save the world. It isn’t the story about a sassy white princess finding out she doesn’t need a knight. This is the sort of fantasy I need in my life. This the fantasy that is about characters that feel real and aren’t just a script or a subverted script. This is new.

The book’s description is a bit misleading. The siren trial does happen, everything is exactly what it says, but it really isn’t about that. The description is more the setting than the plot. The trial and the protest are just such small parts of the narrative. There is even talk about police policing people of color more than white people and just how dangerous the police really are. It has been extra hard to read that right now. I know that exposes my white privilege, but that is good. You should know that when I am reviewing a book about black characters. I am white and I have said and done bad things thinking they were the right things. Books like this help me learn and they help others to feel seen. The plots are just hard. This is a huge bonus for me in this book. There is no shying away from things.

The characters were hard to tell apart at first. The first 25% was so slow for me. I couldn’t tell the two women apart and I couldn’t figure out when the plot was ever really going to start. Then BAM it was full steam ahead. It was a wild ride and I loved every second after that first chunk. So much happened. SO MUCH. If the first chunk was a little faster, then this easily would have been one of the best books I have read in the last few years. I almost put it down and gave up on it repeatedly.

The twist ending was not what I was expecting. I was expecting only a small part of it. I am so happy with it. I don’t want to ruin anything though. Just know that the ending will have an easier to guess portion, but there is a lot you won’t know. No matter how much you think you have figured out there is just a bit more there.

Tavia and Effie are sisters -- not by blood, but in every way that matters. Both of them badly need the support and love of a sister. Like her late grandmother, Tavia is a siren. But the world, not to mention Tavia's father, dislikes and distrusts sirens, and Tavia lives in fear of her secret being discovered. Meanwhile, Effie was long ago the only survivor of a terrifying incident in a Portland park, and she has begin to fear that the incident is coming back for her.

After a few years of hearing about -- but not being able to find at a library! -- Bethany Morrow's first book Mem, I was pumped as hell for her YA novel. And I was right to be: It's excellent. Tavia and Effie's friendship forms the heart of this book, and it's a beautiful center for a wonderful book. Though the book includes some gestures toward present and past romance for the girls, their sisterhood remains the central relationship. Not for a single second do you doubt that these girls are going to protect each other and fight for each other, no matter what's happening to them. Without spoilers, Tavia makes a sacrifice for Effie at the end of this book that brought genuine tears to my eyes. Though at first it seems like Tavia's the sister the story's really about, and Effie's the sister who will stand by her to the end, you pretty quickly learn that Effie's got her own stuff, and it's no less painful and important than what's going on with Tav.

Which is actually another really strong element of the book: Everyone Has Stuff! A Song Below Water hands out the full measure of humanity to just about every character, with the possible exception of Effie and Tavia's classmate Naema; she's a real piece of work. Notably, this isn't limited to the kids! Though Effie's mother is deceased and she doesn't know her father (that's a whole other thing), she has two in loco parentis who spend all their time not telling her anything about her dad or her heritage. Tavia's dad takes every opportunity to remind her that he didn't want a siren daughter, and her mom never steps in to defend her. But what's lovely and unusual is that the book doesn't write anyone off for their imperfections (except, again, maybe Naema, who's a real asshole). Tavia and Effie are old enough girls to hold the cognitive dissonance of loving their parents while understanding that they're flawed.

If there's a true enemy in this book, it's the American system of racism and other kinds of bigotry. Bethany Morrow can't have known that the country would be in the grips of such significant social unrest when her book came out, but it's a tragically apt environment for A Song Before Water. LL McKinney coined the phrase stand-in bigotry for speculative fiction stories that use the structures and vocabulary of real-world oppression, while applying them to fictional identities. McKinney makes the vital point that stand-in bigotry often uses real oppression as a prop while declining to interact with the real systems of prejudice that do terrible harm in our own world, as exemplified by the police brutality that has racked our nation over the past week and a half.

Morrow beautifully sidesteps this error. A Song Below Water is fundamentally about racism and sexism, which interact with and exist alongside the fictional prejudices she creates. Tavia and Effie are reminded again and again that they can only depend on each other, that Black girls stand for Black girls because nobody else will do it. Despite the fantastical elements of this book, A Song Below Water exists very much in our own world, with all of its painful flaws and structural inequalities. Morrow makes Tavia's struggle with her siren identity a truly intersectional one, as she understands the risks she already runs as a visibly Black, visibly female person, and tries her best not to add another area of risk by admitting she's a siren. It's a heartbreaking struggle; every part of it keeps her from being fully who she is.

At its heart, A Song Below Water is the story of two girls trying to do right by each other and themselves. As you can probably tell, I loved it and I recommend it most highly.

Note: I received an e-ARC of A Song Below Water from the publisher, for review consideration. This has not affected the contents of my review.

The YA fantasy genre crosses with themes of racism, misogyny, and social justice in this novel about two best friends, one a siren, the other just discovering who she is. Tavia and Effie are closer than sisters and their fierce love and protectiveness of each other was one of my favorite things about this book. The incorporation of prejudice, oppression, and the Black Lives Matter movement into a fantasy context was really well-done.
My only complaint is that the story progressed a little too slowly for my taste. I was so interested in the themes but the story itself never quite grabbed me the way I hoped. I give it 3.5 stars but rounding it up to 4 because I so loved Tavia and Effie and their stories were so incredibly relevant.
Thank you NetGalley, author, and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll admit it, the first thing that drawn me to this book was its cover. I mean, how beautiful is it? Stunning for sure! Then I read the plot and I found it to be really interesting and promising. A book about sirens and misogynoir? It sounded extremely interesting and I so wanted to love it! Unfortunately, this book didn’t convince me.
A thing that I really liked in this novel was the friendship between Tavia and Effie, our two main leads. They really care deeply about each other and we can see that all the time.
Another thing was definitely the representation of our own society in this magical context. The characters here are dealing with racism not only because of the colour of their skin, but also because they are women and they have some kind of magical powers. I think this was an original and good topic. However, this social commentary was pretty much the only thing that kept me going with this book.
Here, there were no world-building and almost no character-building. Since the beginning of this book a lot of specific terms were thrown at us without a single explanation or description, such as sprites and ekolos. I had no idea what they were, so I didn’t know how these creatures looked or acted like. I felt very disoriented and I had to google them in order to find out something.
Going through the first 30% of the story was kind of difficult for me, I was constantly confused about what was really going on and what/who the characters actually were: it seemed all a bit of a mess. I felt like I’d been thrown into the story without any kind of introduction or acknowledgement about what I was going to read about. Fortunately, then it started to become a little more interesting, but the pacing was very slow and for me it was still hard to keep going on with this read. And that’s something that surprised me, because it rarely happens to me.

I was so excited to read about sirens, black mermaids and gargoyles, but so disappointed that the story fell flat. It surrounds two teenage sisters-by choice living with the challenges of teenage years, complicated further by identity issues. Tania is frightened by the consequences of the world finding out she is a Siren, and Effie struggles with her complicated family history. This contemporary fantasy, set in Portland, Oregon, a city that is challenging for those with brown skin, is told in alternating first-person narration. I found the plot to be confusing, and the first part of the story to plod along so slowly, that when it did pick up, I was no longer engaged. I would still recommend it to those who like YA contemporary fantasy, with a Black Girl Magic spin.

Social and race issues meet mythology in such an incredible way.

Two sisters (well “play sisters” as they refer to themselves) are struggling to deal with romance, school and most importantly identity. Effie and Tavia navigate their way through their junior year all while dealing with Tavia keeping a dangerous secret that put the lives of black women in further danger, she’s a siren. Effie is struggling with finding her own identity, where does she come from, what is being kept from her?

This novel was amazing. It was full of twists, turns and powerful moments. I found this book easy to understand. I really appreciated the author’s writing style, I loved her character development and I genuinely felt the love between Effie and Tavia. I really enjoyed reading this, I never wanted to put it down and I think it would be a really good book to include in English classes. It tackles race issues, misogynoir, the current political climate, family dynamics, and so much more in ways that feel really approachable and easy for anyone to understand.

I found some of the situations a bit confusing, primarily with Effie’s perspective. I found the conclusion to come slightly out of nowhere, it is explained but the ending felt a bit rushed. The pacing seemed a bit off as a result. It may have been intended, but it felt a little lost on me.

I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed this book. I understand that I am coming from a different perspective, but I was really grateful to be allowed to read this ARC. I think everyone should check this out, it’s a wonderful bridge between fantasy and contemporary.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the eBook.

★★★½

The topics explored in this book, as well as the wonderful bond between the two protagonists make this a worthwhile read. However, the pacing and straight-up uneventfulness made it very difficult to go through.

For a debut fantasy novel, I would say this was decent. I don't regret reading it at all but I hope that the author's future fantasy novels are a bit more exciting and eventful!

I adore the cover for A Song Below Water! however I definitely have mixed feelings about the book. I loved that the author is trying to make a point about social issues, racism, etc. However mixing fantasy in with that theme just felt like too much clashing to me. I really loved the mythology and the fantasy in this book but would have loved to see it by itself! There's a gargoyle and a siren and a gorgon that are all incredibly exciting! I just definitely would have loved to see more of this fantasy explained and focused on!

Welcome to alternate universe Portland OR, where myth meets reality with great consequence. Morrow weaves the real and the fantastic with great skill, incorporating horrors from our current reality alongside the coming of age stories of two supernatural teenagers.

Tavia and Effie are growing up with regular teenage problems, but are also coming to terms with their growing and changing powers. Tavia is a siren in a world where people are afraid of what they don't understand, so she must keep her identity (mostly) hidden. She lives with her overprotective family and her best friend Effie, who is struggling with trauma in her past and missing her deceased mother. Together, they attend high school, see each other through some romantic drama (not with each other), and get involved in a public demonstration that takes a frightening turn.

Underlying all of this jam-packed plot is the parallel between how this alternate universe is treating people like Tavia and Effie, and how our actual reality is treating Black girls/women. The comparison is beautifully illustrated - Morrow isn't exactly light-handed about it, but it comes across succinctly and with great impact.

Although the story meanders a bit (there is a LOT happening, all the time), I think it's wonderfully told and so unique, while also being very relevant and impactful. I'd recommend this to anyone reading YA - there's something for almost everyone here.

Ultimately, I didn't get very far into this book before I realized I wouldn't enjoy it. The story wasn't compelling to me, very much a case of "it's not you, it's me." The concept seems really interesting and I'm sure it's something a lot of people will enjoy, but unfortunately, I can tell it won't end up working for me, mostly because every time I try to pick it up, I struggle to continue with it. One of the other issues I was noticing was that I had trouble distinguishing between the two narrating characters to the point where it was distracting me. As well, I found the writing style a little odd for me, perhaps using too much slang in places that didn't make sense.

Part of me thinks this is a book I would rather enjoy in a physical copy, so maybe down the road I'll check this one out from my local library, but at the moment, it's a no from me.

Incredibly grateful for the publishing company for allowing me an arc, though, and I hope that this book will be wonderful for other readers, especially black readers!

-Book Hugger