I feel like I need to address the obvious first since I’ve seen this in many, if not most, reviews. Naema is not exactly likeable for a good portion of this book. She’s an unapologetic ‘mean girl’ with a serious chip on her shoulder and a lot of growing up to do. But seriously. While reading, remind yourself that 1. She has EVERY reason to be completely 110% pissed off and bitter about what she has been through, and is still going through. Especially since 2. She’s a teenager! I don’t know if anybody remembers what it’s like to be a teenager but it sucks. And I don’t know if you remember what you were like as a teenager but you probably sucked just a little bit, too.

The lessons about race, identity, and prejudice in these books are SPOT ON and I like that Naema was mad and her sorry-not-sorry attitude becomes a strength as she grows throughout the book. I do think the author dragged out the angry, bitter bits in the beginning. Not because it was unfounded, but because it felt redundant after a while. And then there was not nearly enough time devoted to all the realizations and fighting back at the end. She could have cut back on the angst and spent more time on the justice. Plus, like the first book, very little was wrapped up at the end. The result of that with the first book, for me at least, was that without a conclusion at all, I forgot where the story ended, exactly what had happened, and was lost for a good portion of this book, left wishing there was a “previously on” like in tv shows. You can leave room for a sequel without just leaving things entirely unfinished. In the end. I also think the world building could use work- I still don’t fully understand how this world works and it’s confusing. I still enjoyed the first book more, but I’m excited to see where this story goes from here.

Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was not a fan of the writing in the first book of the series but was very curious to learn more about Naema as a character and hoped listening to the audiobook would help with the awkwardness of the writing. Unfortunately, the narrator of this book did not help the awkwardness of the writing at all and her narration felt very stilted and choppy and she kept pausing in weird places in a way that made me forget what had been said earlier in the sentence. I really wanted to like this book because I had had such high hopes for book one that hadn't been quite met, but unfortunately I just don't think Morrow's writing style is for me.

"Whatever you think you know about what I can or will do, I promise, you don't."

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Teen, and MacMillan Audio for both an advanced e-book and audiobook copy of this book!

A Chorus Rises is the sequel to A Song Below Water. This book follows the aftermath of Naema, somewhat of an antagonist in the first book, dealing with the fallout of her decisions and what was done to her by Tavia and Effie. This story is slightly advertised as a standalone set in the same universe, but I would consider reading the first book as critical to understanding the plot/premise of this book at all. I listened to the first book seven months ago, and was so confused because I barely remembered anything about Naema other than that she is Eloko and was turned to stone at the ending.

I was thrown that the narrators are different in this book compared to the first, but adapted quickly as the new narrator really encompassed Naema's voice and all of her sassy one-liners. I also found the mixed media social media posts to be narrated well, and was never confused about who was texting/posting.

This is advertised as fantasy, and while there are two species (Eloko and Siren) heavily mentioned in this book, there is really only one kind of supernatural ability used in this book? Other than one magical power in use, this is almost entirely a contemporary book that mentions mythology/fantasy.

My enjoyment of this book was lower than ASBW because I missed having the magical elements more in play. I also sincerely hope I interpreted at least one of these wrong, but there seemed to be two incest jokes casually thrown into the story that made me uncomfortable (the main one being an aunt told to "keep it in her pants" when she was excited to see her nephew). That kept this from being a three star book for me.

Pros: The cover is stunning, and I will be moving to Arizona soon, so the Arizona setting was fun to read about!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first book and is curious to see what happened to Naema Bradshaw.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audioARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very well done sequel to A Song Below Water, I liked that we got a fresh perspective on some of the situations in the first book, but also I enjoyed seeing a previously hard to like character grow into someone that I was rooting for. The audio was fantastically done, loved the narrators. The end felt a tiny bit rushed, but overall I really enjoyed the dive into what being Eloko means, and how there is more to it than just their song. Definitely recommend continuing the series if you enjoyed the first one!

Bethany Morrow

Your gifts aren’t for you. A voice isn’t pose so you can keep it to yourself. And you aren’t born with wisdom so you can be popular. We had oracles once too, but they’re gone now. Maybe because people stopped believing them, and maybe because they studied telling.”

Bethany Morrow, how. Just HOW! How in the world did you get me to love the antagonist from the first book? Amazing storytelling, that’s how. Naema really grew into herself in A Chorus Rises, and we kind of see her become a bit humbled after the incident in A Song Below Water. She’s still the amazing, confident Naema, but she now has the personality and conscious I gravitate towards. She says, “Just because I make things look easy, doesn’t mean they are”, and yes. I think we previously saw the Naema that was flawless, and no we we see the real Naema.

The doxxing that happens later in the book was so reminiscent of The Insurrection and how it was planned. I was fuming. It was so relevant to today’s society, it was absolutely chilling how realistic it was. Morrow made that so relevant, I will forever consider Morrow an auto-buy author. I think what I love the most about this book as that even though it’s “YA fantasy” it is so applicable to the society we live in now.

Overall, I loved A Chorus Rises. I loved the ancestors, Courtney the best cousin ever, and the character arc Naema had. This was perfection, and if you read the first book, you have to read the second. (If you haven’t read the first, go back and read it before this one) Thank you so much MacMillan for the gifted copy!

4.66 stars

This is Naema's story. In A Chorus Rises, we meet Naema again, now dealing with the aftermath of her actions. Her adoring fans have turned against her. She is currently the infamous villain who exposed a siren to the world.

Will she check her privilege and take accountability? Or will she continue to make excuses and miss out on the opportunity to learn about her powers and use them for the greater good?

I read A Chorus Rises as an audiobook produced by Macmillan Audio. It is a beautiful production, and in my opinion, Cherise Boothe and Eboni Flowers brought the characters to life and honoured the story. The pace was impeccable, the chemistry undeniable, and Naema's journey was even more potent through "her" voice. For such a polarizing character, after all, she starts the book as the villain; I feel that hearing her allowed me to go into her journey without bias. I hope that makes sense!

Naema's arc was really well done. She was still the same character from A Song Below Water and acted her age very much as she is now facing things she didn't expect - infamy, loss of followers, and bad press. I appreciated that her journey wasn't linear and that she couldn't change until she understood why changing was necessary. Hers was a beautiful coming-of-age story.

A chorus rises read more contemporary than fantasy, and I did miss a bit of the magical elements. I would love to see a third book, now that characters and mythology are established.

In retrospect, I appreciate not knowing much about elokos in the first book. Naema's story was the perfect way to introduce the mythos and yet another nuance to racism black girls face each day.

Fame, wealth, and popularity ARE privileges some minorities have, but even with them, they are still the target of racism, albeit more subdued. We live in a society that will make exceptions for some minorities if they are considered "privileged enough" and will reward these "model minorities." How TF is this okay? And do people lie to themselves to THAT extent of tone-deafness?? The answer is yes. And I am glad Morrow is talking about it.

I won't go much into what elokos are, as finding it out is an intrinsic part of Naema's arc. Still, I think their power is an analogy to the aforementioned fame, wealth, and popularity.

I also loved the critique of what happens when you seek your self-worth from external sources and then lose it. A Chorus Rise is a journey about finding your value within yourself and learning who you are.

Morrow's use of metaphors and analogies is superb, delicate, and powerful. I am excited about her next book.

Naema is a magical influencer who tries to recover after her life was turned upside down. With deep brown skin and big eyes, she is an attractive Eloko with the ability to charm people. She is having post-traumatic stress over how she was stoned, and it gets worse as things move along. She is also being confronted by fans who think that the only way to honor her would be to harm sirens. With the airing of Tavia/Effie's movie, Awaken, and the usual Portland hostility, Naemas had enough.

While staying with her Aunt Carla Ann and her cousins, Naema learns about the various problems that society has become accustomed to. She learns that being in this world is not an easy thing to do, especially if you're constantly checking in. This episode shows how much she learns about herself during this reunion, and how these truths will affect her future. It also shows how she can overcome her fears and become a better person.

The first part of this book talks about Naema trying to stand but instead falls to the ground. It's not until she learns how to hear her ancestors' voices that she truly learns how to stand. Things are going to get very dark indeed, and it gets worse before they get better. As Naema learns about the people who are behind the Knights of Naema, she realizes that her best self has yet to come. In the wake of ASBW, Naema cries for a second life, but no one can hear her. This is the worst thing that can ever happen to an Eloko.

You wanted to be a chef, you worked so hard, you cried, you drank so much, you were so passionate that everyone identified you as a chef. You’ve achieved all your goals, and everyone is praising your work. Then, one day, someone cuts out your tongue and chops your hands off with your branded knife. You might be thinking that Naema is a villain, but she is not. Instead, she is an entirely heroic character. Thank you, Macmillan, for the gifted copy via net galley.

Thank you so so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Chorus Rises follows Eloko influencer Naema Bradshaw in the events following a year after Naema had been "Stoned". This stoning took place at her high school Prom by a Gorgon named Effie and the curse was then broken by a siren named Tavia. All of this took place in the first novel, A Song Above Water. Tavia is now seen as the hero, much to Naema's dismay, while Naema herself is cast as the villain rather than a victim. Naema was live streaming at the time of the stoning and therefore outed Tavia as a siren. Now that she is seen as the enemy, can Naema find a way to get back into her followers good graces? And what will she do when a movie depicting Tavia's heroic story further propetuates Naema as the villain?

Let me begin this review with 100% honesty, I didn't realize this was a sequel and have not read A Song Above Water. I do not know if Naema is a reliable narrator when it comes to the events of her being Stoned, so I only have her side of the story. Now that the air is clear, let's get into the meat and potatoes of this review.

When I began this novel I was completely turned off by Naema. She is self-centered, shallow, attention seeking, and a real clap if you want me to live kinda of diva. The narrator does an AMAZING job expressing all of this, even making her cringy in the beginning. I questioned DNF-ing this story because she was so awful. But every story is worth hearing, no matter if it fits what I like or even find cringy. I am SO SO SO PLEASED that I finished this novel. When Naema goes to visit some family in the south, her character really shines. When faced with the opportunity to harm Tavia and every Siren in the future, she makes it impossible not to exclaim "Yes, Queen Naema!". She will make a follower out of you by the end of the novel, mark my words.

The underlying nods and truths to racism is deep in this novel. I as a white female will never understand the struggles that a POC deals with from the moment they are born. This novel really showed the struggle(some "minor" others a more major attack) that comes with multiple situations in everyday life. The writing addresses it in a way that doesn't disconnect from the story, rather enriching it and helping the reader grow along with Naema. This is an OwnVoices novel not to be missed.

My struggles with the novel were all simply in the beginning with how vapid Naema is, bit it really lead to a stellar conclusion in character development so I'm not even sure I'd call it a negative. Five glowing stars, and recommended for ages 10+. There are alot of lessons in this story I feel younger readers would benefit from and there is nothing that would prevent them from reading and enjoying this.

Following the events of A Song Below Water we find Naema wanting to tell her half of the story. After all she is an eloko and deserves to be heard in her beloved Portland after Effie and Tavia so cruelly stoned her, in her own words.

I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I was hoping after tye awesome prequel. I was 80% in and Naema was still a spoiled, whiny thing and it was driving me crazy. Once she meets up with her family in the Southwest things got better but it was still a slow book for me.

The narrators were amazing! The way they captured the emotions of the different characters was great and made it easier to follow along.

This was a great follow up to A Song Below Water. Getting to see this world through Naema’s eyes gives a new perspective and honestly a little more empathy’s towards her character. Like A Song Below Water, A Chorus Rises explores race in a way that breaks through the magical realism. I feel like the story wraps up in a satisfying way, but I wouldn’t be mad if more stories come out from this universe.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the early review copy of the audiobook.

A stellar follow-up that flips its predecessor on its head, going so far as to reclaim what I presume were the bad reviews. A Chorus Rises tackles the concept of what it means to be the model minority, with all its inherent privileges and lack thereof. But don't be fooled by the synopsis, this is a definite sequel.
Maybe I'm biased, since I've always been a fan of viewing a story from multiple angles, but Morrow beautifully presents Naema's (perfectly flawed/human) side of the story, and expands the reader's understanding of Eloko in so doing. Which, was quite appreciated after being a bit let down by the world and mythos-building in A Song Below Water.
Without giving too much away, I will also say that the conclusion is what really clinched this one for me - identity, belonging, and sisterhood at its finest. A Chorus Rises kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

CW: doxing, racism, gaslighting

I didn't read or listen to the first book, so I was a bit confused, but still enjoyed the story, I loved the story but disliked the main character, I don't know how the author managed to do this but she did. A great fantasy, easy to read and digest and get lost in.

the stoning changed things for Naema who suddenly being cast as the villain. But as she rebuilds again she realizes what it means to use her platform for good.

(I was given this book as a ARC or Advanced Reader Copy given through NetGalley as an audiobook for an honest Review. All of these thoughts are mine and at no point was I pressured or swayed in my opinion)

This book comes out on June 1st.

This is a solid 4.5 stars
I don’t know how the author did it but she did. she made me love Naema. That is to say, she made the antagonist from the first book fun and enjoyable to read while still making her the same character she was in the first book. All of this making this book enjoyable to read.

Naema life has turn itself the wrong way round
After the stoning it’s like she is in an alternate universe as suddenly she is being cast as the villian and being dragged online by her fans for calling out a siren.

And nobody. Not her friends, her boyfriend, or her fellow Eloko seems to understand what she is going through. The stoning affected her. And nobody seems to understand that.

And to sum up that is pretty annoying to deal with.

As she goes about her life things aren’t the way that she wants them to be
Naema isn’t living the life that she wants, but Tavia seems to be living it for her. And that’s just great, I mean the person who got her stoned is getting movie deals and all the attention? While she, the victim is getting dragged on the internet and losing her platform? Yeah that seems fair.

But it’s okay because Naema isn’t going to let that get her down. She is going to rise up. And Tavia? She’ll get what’s coming.

But as she builds her self and platform backup some realizations hit Naema
And that realization? As she starts to build herself up again back up again, the new fans that she is surrounding herself with are starting to become a little suspect.

And when they start to targeting fellow black girls Naema realizes that has to use her platform for good. and doing that? being able to make changes in the world that can actually do some good might actually be the way that Naema wants to go.

The audiobook was great to listen to.
The audio side of listening to this book was great for immersing into the story. This book is narrated by Cherise Boothe and Eboni Flowers and they did the perfect job with this story.

The voice actors brought life to this story. As a result the voice of Naema was perfectly used in a way that fit the character. Able to perfectly portray the character in all her mean girl glory without making her completely hateable in a way that would make me want to quit listening.

And I am not even getting into how the narrators are perfectly able to use the slang that is filled within this book and feel the age that they where. So the audiobook is definitely recomendable.

I Loved Naema even if I kind of hated her at times.
Naema is a perfectly hateable character. For the things that she did in the previous book. And for her self obsessed parts of herself in this book. Though Bethany C. Morrow was able to write Naema in a way that still made her likable and someone that I wanted to succeed in life and grow to be a great person that I felt she could become.

Not to mention that Naema had depth to her that showed more of what she goes through and shows some of the reasons that she grew into the person that she is today. A lot of those reasons? The world that she grew up in.

Speaking of the world
I loved the world in the first book. Filled to the brim with magic and lore that I wanted to sink my teeth into. And this one was just as filled the last one.

In this book we got more insight into the Eloko, who in the first book we saw as the people that everyone couldn’t help but just love.

This book goes more into depth into them as people along their magic. We learned more lore on how there magic works, and into them as people. All of which was a joy to learn.

I mean I am always down for more lore.

The conclusion was also satisfying to say the least
throughout this book I wanted to see Naema grow as a person. I wanted to see Naema be the person that I knew that she could be.

And really, I wanted to see her succeed.

And the ending didn’t disappoint on that front. I loved how it ended and how everything was wrapped up. Everything that I hoped the ending would be? It was that and more.

So if you’re looking for more from A Song Bellow Water that give this book a change. Maybe even pick up the audiobook.

And you can find out where to pick up this book HERE

Solid follow-up to A Song Below Water (which I adored). It’s less action-packed and dramatic than ASBW, as it’s far more of a character portrait exploring Naema’s internal journey and growth, but it works well in that vein. I love that these books place magic identity as one more intersecting factor within the realistic context of identities and oppressions/privileges, rather than taking the too-common easy way out of many fantasy books, where a magical/fantasy identity is a stand-in or metaphor for something like race or gender or disability, like a world in which society marginalizes and oppresses fairies just ignores anything else - usually a justification for “writing about racism” without actually....writing non-white characters.

A Chorus Rises deals with very real, significant issues, through a fantasy lens, without sacrificing that reality or significance - and does so via a protagonist who is absolutely a delight to read in all her snarky, confident glory.

Since I was lucky enough to listen to an early copy of the audiobook, specifically, I'd also like to note how fabulous the narration, by Cherise Boothe and Eboni Flowers, is. Naema's voice is just how I would imagine it, and the multimedia element - news excerpts, interviews, social media posts, etc. - works well in audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance review copy!

How can you love a book but hate the main character for a large portion of said book? I don’t know, but somehow I did. This was a phenomenal sequel!

A beautiful sequel to A Song Below Water, this novel approaches what happens after The Awakening, but this time from the point of view of Naema, the supposed villain of that book.

I loved that we get Naema's perspective and that it isn't a complete shift of her character. Naema is Eloko, which are the most favored and adored magical beings. She is totally used to being the center of attention and being admired for just being herself, but she's caught off guard about how her position has changed. I really liked the way she adapted and grew into her potential throughout the course of the book, and that the growth wasn't linear. She behaves exactly like someone her age would act in these circumstances and teens will be able to relate to both her fall from glory and learning how to change (even if reluctantly).

As with ASBW, A Chorus Rises explores broader themes such as privilege, gender, race, and social media. There's a great deal of food for thought and reflection along with the engaging storyline. There's not quite as much fantasy in this book as with the previous one where I felt a bit lost, but that's all right because the story transcends the genre.

I listened to most of this as an audio book, and the narrators did a fantastic job giving Naema voice and attitude. The narration fit the personality I had imagined for her perfectly.

So, surprisingly enough, this book was a lot easier to get through even though for about 75% of the book, I hated Naema (maybe it was easier because I had the audiobook to listen to). Either way, while Naema and her thoughts were unbearable at times, the actual storyline of this book was a lot more fun for me compared to its predecessor. Courtney was a fun character, as well as Lil’ Bit, so they made it a lot more enjoyable as well. The end redeemed Naema and her personality for me, but if I were just reading this book without the audiobook to push me along, it would have been really hard to get through. She had great character growth though, and she did have a lot of valid thoughts and points, she just didn’t take responsibility for a few things which made her hard to like at first. LOVE the cover of this book, the pink was what caught my eye originally.

This is one of the best sequels I ever read. The first book left me a little confused and with a lot of questions and I think this was a great follow up to get the answers I needed. This book takes place after the events in A Song Below Water and follows Naema who was the “mean girl” from book one. She was written as super unlikable in the first book (which is fine black girls don’t all have to be likable) and this book provided us with insight to why she made all the decisions she did. This book is really a reflection on what it’s like to feel like you’re not Black enough both by the standards of other Black people while also feeling too Black for everyone else. Being Black especially a black young woman in this country is complicated and I think Naema embodies that so well. I also appreciate that she’s confidant and stands by her decisions and does what’s best for her. Some would call that selfish and maybe it is but just as equally Naema knows how to take care of the ones she loves. I also really loved the family dynamics in this story. Naema being the uppity cousin who comes to visit the rest of the family and feels like an outsider but also comes to see how much they love her? Been there done that! Her and her cousin Courtney were cousin goals. Finally, I really like this books message of our power coming from our ancestors and them giving us the initiative to take charge in the present. Black people in this country have been denied the opportunity time and time again to know our past but that doesn’t mean that those ancestors aren’t watching over us. At least, that’s what I believe. So please read this book after you read A Song Below Water. You will come to love Naema just as much as I did.

I read this book directly after reading A Song Below Water. So my bitterness towards Naema was still incredibly fresh. Which honestly made the first part of the book a trudge that I don't think I would have experienced if I had, had more of a gap between them.

I do think this book is an intriguing take on Privilege, Social Justice, and Racism paired with the powder keg that is Social Media. In contrast, A Song Below Water made me think more broadly of events in the last several years.
A Chorus Rises left me feeling like I had been taken back to Fall/Winter 2020 and January 2021. Specifically to how Social Media had been twisting and warping our real lives, showing how much damage can be caused by what happens within the World Wide Web pages.

Naema gets a redemption arc that I long to see in works of fiction. It does not feel ingenious, though. It isn't a 180, where she completely turns her back on her old self. But we get to watch him grow and learn as she branches out. This causes it to feel genuine rather than just expecting the reader to believe someone has changed.

This was an excellent follow-up to A Song Below Water, and I would recommend it to those who enjoyed it.

(Thanks to NetGalley Macmillian Audio and Tor Teen for allowing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!)

Hooooooooly cow y'all!

I really enjoyed A Song Below Water, but I think that A Chorus Rises blows it out of... well... the water. We have an enormous presence of social justice, a strong commentary on intersectionality, and a dialogue on the dangers of the internet and social media. Plus we get to focus on Naema as she deals with the fallout from last year's prom. And believe me, she earns her redemption arc. The narration on the audiobook is flawless and I'd go as far to say that it's even better on audio. You can really hear the ever-present sass and emotions in her words, truly embodying Nae. If you want an urban fantasy that focuses on real-life issues, this is a fantastic choice.

*Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review*