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tatyanavogt's review
5.0
I LOVE urban fantasy, I love the world this was built in, I loved the characters, I love uncovering their stories, I loved the social commentary that broke my heart and made me cry, I loved this book. The more I got into it, the more I started to enjoy it. Feeling almost indifferent at the beginning, unsure what it would be all about.
I loved the ties to reality. The heartbreaking truth it touches on in this fantastical world. I think it was done in a beautiful way. I think this was a great book. I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the social commentary.
All sirens are black women but not all black women are sirens. What do you do when you're a siren not only trying to fight for equality for being a black woman but also trying to fight for you right to live as a siren. What do you do when a siren related case is on trail and the decision can effect your safety as a siren. And what do you do if all of this is happening at the same time that your sister is dealing with her own problems that you desperately want to help with.
This book is about being a black woman in the world, but it is wrapped up in a world of sirens, mermaids, gargoyles and other fantastical creatures. A Modern world with schools and police and prom. It's interesting, its engaging and it thought provoking. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.
I loved the ties to reality. The heartbreaking truth it touches on in this fantastical world. I think it was done in a beautiful way. I think this was a great book. I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the social commentary.
All sirens are black women but not all black women are sirens. What do you do when you're a siren not only trying to fight for equality for being a black woman but also trying to fight for you right to live as a siren. What do you do when a siren related case is on trail and the decision can effect your safety as a siren. And what do you do if all of this is happening at the same time that your sister is dealing with her own problems that you desperately want to help with.
This book is about being a black woman in the world, but it is wrapped up in a world of sirens, mermaids, gargoyles and other fantastical creatures. A Modern world with schools and police and prom. It's interesting, its engaging and it thought provoking. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.
votesforwomen's review
3.0
I’m definitely not the target audience for this book, but it was beautiful in its imagery and it’s urgency. I would agree with other reviewers that the worldbuilding was hard to follow in some respects, especially as regards the magical beings that exist in this world. But the sisterhood was the BEST and I want more of that.
jessraven's review
5.0
An absolutely breathtaking, inspired, and mind-bogglingly badass use of the fairy tale formula. I couldn't put it down! Morrow skillfully lays the groundwork for the mystery surrounding Effie while weaving a powerful story about Tavia and her siren song, and the fantasy genre is far richer now that it has A Song Below Water among its ranks.
By blending siren mythos with the well-known narrative of the silent mermaid, Morrow makes her reader consider what it means to have a voice, to recognize its power, and to use it - even if it may be safer to remain silent. If everyone were to literally take a page out of this book, then the world would be a much better place.
This reader cannot wait for the story to continue this summer!
By blending siren mythos with the well-known narrative of the silent mermaid, Morrow makes her reader consider what it means to have a voice, to recognize its power, and to use it - even if it may be safer to remain silent. If everyone were to literally take a page out of this book, then the world would be a much better place.
This reader cannot wait for the story to continue this summer!
heyimberbie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I saw a review for this book and literally all the person said was “Black girl magic”, so I said “say less” and ordered it immediately because like, look. at. the. cover!
I want this book displayed on my shelf just for the cover alone. I would put it in a picture frame and hang it on my wall if I could, are you kidding me?!?!
But anyways, to talk about the actual book now, this is one of the best books I’ve read, and it truly surprised me because the audience this book caters to is definitely teenagers. I normally hate YA books but I feel that the way the author wrote a book with a focus on issues within society but was still able to use fantasy elements that would be able to keep/attract the attention of teenagers is genius. Bethany is an absolute genius. And the characters? Chefs kiss.
I have not been able to stop thinking about the relationship between Effie and Tavia, Black girl magic is honestly the perfect way to describe them. They were such incredible characters and were such a light in a world that could be so evil towards them. I related so much with Effie and her love for Renaissance fairs, but I also related to Tavia and how she had a deep rooted love for her sister even if her sister didn’t open up to her about certain things. Also Tavia’s whole journey with her father and her voice going unheard but also being ashamed of that is something that made me reflect on my own life in many ways.
This book also made me think about how toxic stan culture can be on the mind and the desire that fans have for parasocial relationships. I’ve seen so many fans lately go to bat to defend authors and celebrities that don’t know them at all, and the defense of these hardcore fans have in turn basically absolved these celebrities from taking any accountability whatsoever. I think that’s a conversation that really needs to be had especially within bookish spaces and why people feel the need to silence marginalized people just because fans want to defend the right to comfort. I really thought about this after seeing the relationship between Effie and Elric and how Effie struggled to separate herself from the persona of Euphemia (albeit for different reasons). Watching how the fanfic world was so infatuated with Euphemia and Elric made me think about fan behavior irl.
I would recommend this book to anybody to read. It was funny and silly, weird, disturbing, sad, educational, it was a number of different emotions all combined together and it really made me think a lot! It also really makes me sad knowing that this is a book that is being banned because soooo many teens and young adults NEED to read this book and experience it. It’s such a heart warming read and it will always be deeply special to me.
I would recommend this book to anybody to read. It was funny and silly, weird, disturbing, sad, educational, it was a number of different emotions all combined together and it really made me think a lot! It also really makes me sad knowing that this is a book that is being banned because soooo many teens and young adults NEED to read this book and experience it. It’s such a heart warming read and it will always be deeply special to me.
rballenger's review against another edition
2.0
Type of read: Commuter Read.
What made me pick it up: The TN R.E.A.D.S challenge for July includes reading a book set on the open sea and I was initially drawn to 'A Song Below Water' for the beautiful cover art but then the description also grabbed me. It may not be your traditional out-at-sea book, but it does the trick.
Overall rating: I love the idea of 'A Song Below Water,' but I absolutely do not like the execution. That's not saying that I don't like the story part of execution, it's that I feel like Morrow was not focused or clear with their writing, and that caused the book to be muddled and jumbled together. There is absolutely so much going on within the first few chapters of the book. We are introduced to specific characters, some of which have mythical powers like sirens, mermaids, gargoyles, etc., however, we're also taken into a human fantasy world of a Renaissance Fair. There are so many blurred lines that it's hard to distinguish what Morrow is saying is truly happening and what is happening within the storytelling of the Ren Fair. I've been to many a Ren Fair. I understand how it works. You're transported in time and you go with the story. That's why the storyline of adding and not differentiating between the character's experience and the character's experience within the Ren Fair during the book is so freaking confusing. I also feel like Morrow tried to keep too much of a secret throughout the beginning of the book because the characters are all dark and broody and talking about "what happened" and "from the incident." There needed to be some editing for clarity. I didn't hate it but I won't be reading more in the series. I think Morrow's style just isn't one I enjoy.
Reader's Note: Andrea Laing and Jennifer Haralson did a beautiful job narrating 'A Song Below Water' but their voices felt extremely similar to me. It made it difficult to differentiate between the characters. I did listen to this audiobook at 1.5 speed (which is typical for me) but found this to be an issue at multiple different speeds.
What made me pick it up: The TN R.E.A.D.S challenge for July includes reading a book set on the open sea and I was initially drawn to 'A Song Below Water' for the beautiful cover art but then the description also grabbed me. It may not be your traditional out-at-sea book, but it does the trick.
Overall rating: I love the idea of 'A Song Below Water,' but I absolutely do not like the execution. That's not saying that I don't like the story part of execution, it's that I feel like Morrow was not focused or clear with their writing, and that caused the book to be muddled and jumbled together. There is absolutely so much going on within the first few chapters of the book. We are introduced to specific characters, some of which have mythical powers like sirens, mermaids, gargoyles, etc., however, we're also taken into a human fantasy world of a Renaissance Fair. There are so many blurred lines that it's hard to distinguish what Morrow is saying is truly happening and what is happening within the storytelling of the Ren Fair. I've been to many a Ren Fair. I understand how it works. You're transported in time and you go with the story. That's why the storyline of adding and not differentiating between the character's experience and the character's experience within the Ren Fair during the book is so freaking confusing. I also feel like Morrow tried to keep too much of a secret throughout the beginning of the book because the characters are all dark and broody and talking about "what happened" and "from the incident." There needed to be some editing for clarity. I didn't hate it but I won't be reading more in the series. I think Morrow's style just isn't one I enjoy.
Reader's Note: Andrea Laing and Jennifer Haralson did a beautiful job narrating 'A Song Below Water' but their voices felt extremely similar to me. It made it difficult to differentiate between the characters. I did listen to this audiobook at 1.5 speed (which is typical for me) but found this to be an issue at multiple different speeds.
literaryleftie's review
4.0
This book most definitely exceeded my expectations. It was a little slow to start, but I quickly fell head over heels for this book.
taylersimon22's review
3.0
Fantasy is not something I dabble in a lot, but A Song Below Water taught me so much about different types of mythical beings I didn't know much about.
I really liked the commentary on social movements and how young people can use their voice. Sometimes I was fired up and hyped to see how involved and knowledgeable young people can be. I love when books can talk about what matters.
Sometimes, though, the themes seemed disjointed. At times, the metaphor of being an outsider and someone seen as less human worked really well with the social justice theme, but at times the book seemed like it was talking about mythical beings as a complete separate story and they didn’t meld well together. The relationships also were weird to me, and seemed thrown together sometimes.
The ending was pretty cool. It was a good release of the built up tension throughout the story.
I really liked the commentary on social movements and how young people can use their voice. Sometimes I was fired up and hyped to see how involved and knowledgeable young people can be. I love when books can talk about what matters.
Sometimes, though, the themes seemed disjointed. At times, the metaphor of being an outsider and someone seen as less human worked really well with the social justice theme, but at times the book seemed like it was talking about mythical beings as a complete separate story and they didn’t meld well together. The relationships also were weird to me, and seemed thrown together sometimes.
The ending was pretty cool. It was a good release of the built up tension throughout the story.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
4.0
4.5/5
This book surprised me! I had the urge to read it after I saw it on someones bookshelf on TikTok. Mermaids? Magic realism? Heck yeah. I loved how the world was modern but accepted the races like it was normal (kind of). The challenges that the two sisters faces were interesting. My only problem with the book was the pacing.
This book surprised me! I had the urge to read it after I saw it on someones bookshelf on TikTok. Mermaids? Magic realism? Heck yeah. I loved how the world was modern but accepted the races like it was normal (kind of). The challenges that the two sisters faces were interesting. My only problem with the book was the pacing.
lovelife1008's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yourlocal_nychotdog's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0