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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Because fantasy is not my typical genre, I had a hard time understanding some of the different types of characters that came up and the world building wasn’t as encompassing as I would’ve liked for it to be. That said, the allegory used to connect this fantasy story to present day was incredibly powerful. I loved the characters, Tavia & Effie, and their bravery, their commitment to each other, and to being authentically themselves. This was an enjoyable YA book for me and I learned a little about fantasy lit along the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, and Toxic friendship
anna_wa's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Last night I couldn't put this book down. I stayed up until 3 AM going all the way from page 107 to page 288 (the final page of the book). There was twist after twist after twist and I needed to know the answers to all the questions I had. It was both satisfying and heartbreaking when I finally got those answers (heartbreaking for what the characters had to go through).
The reason I couldn't give this a full five stars in my brain is because of the beginning. The beginning was extremely confusing, and I don't mean it was confusing in a "we're leading up to something" way that all Fantasy/SciFi books are confusing. I mean that it was confusing in an "I don't know what the author is trying to get at here with this dialogue/description" way. For a while I thought about rating it 3 stars because of how confusing the beginning was.
But then I hit the second half of the book and it all clicked. Morrow was in her element there and no longer did anything feel out of place or like it needed more editing. She kept me going, on the edge of my seat, to find out what would happen to Effie and Tavia and their gargoyle, to find out if my theories were correct. (Some of them were but then some of them weren't, and in both cases I was delighted.)
I don't want to spoil too much but I will warn anyone who intends to read it that, despite this being a story of sirens and elokos and other magical creatures, it deals with a lot of very real issues from our world. From the very first chapter Murrow makes it clear that the real life police killings of Black people are gonna be a very important part of the story. But there's a lot more than that (which you can see if you choose to click on my content warnings). However, each and every one of these issues is handled with the sensitivity they deserve from the author. The seriousness of them isn't skimmed over because "it's a magical world so magic can solve everything!" No, there are some things magic can't solve (and some things magic makes worse).
But it also isn't completely a sad story either. Without revealing too much, the ending is promising, tentatively optimistic. And the love between Effie and Tavia is strong from beginning to ending no matter what. Definitely recommended for fans of magical realism and fans of found-sisters-loving-each-other-despite-all-the-obstacles.
The reason I couldn't give this a full five stars in my brain is because of the beginning. The beginning was extremely confusing, and I don't mean it was confusing in a "we're leading up to something" way that all Fantasy/SciFi books are confusing. I mean that it was confusing in an "I don't know what the author is trying to get at here with this dialogue/description" way. For a while I thought about rating it 3 stars because of how confusing the beginning was.
But then I hit the second half of the book and it all clicked. Morrow was in her element there and no longer did anything feel out of place or like it needed more editing. She kept me going, on the edge of my seat, to find out what would happen to Effie and Tavia and their gargoyle, to find out if my theories were correct. (Some of them were but then some of them weren't, and in both cases I was delighted.)
I don't want to spoil too much but I will warn anyone who intends to read it that, despite this being a story of sirens and elokos and other magical creatures, it deals with a lot of very real issues from our world. From the very first chapter Murrow makes it clear that the real life police killings of Black people are gonna be a very important part of the story. But there's a lot more than that (which you can see if you choose to click on my content warnings). However, each and every one of these issues is handled with the sensitivity they deserve from the author. The seriousness of them isn't skimmed over because "it's a magical world so magic can solve everything!" No, there are some things magic can't solve (and some things magic makes worse).
But it also isn't completely a sad story either. Without revealing too much, the ending is promising, tentatively optimistic. And the love between Effie and Tavia is strong from beginning to ending no matter what. Definitely recommended for fans of magical realism and fans of found-sisters-loving-each-other-despite-all-the-obstacles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Misogyny
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Cursing, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Confinement
Misogynoir, police murdering Black people without consequencesexlibris007's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Bullying, Racism, Outing, Hate crime, Death of parent, and Confinement
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Cannibalism
sarah984's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
There were parts of this book that I liked a lot and then parts of it that I couldn't stand, so this was an uneven read for me. Overall, Tavia’s story was compelling, and her arc of learning to find her voice and take pride in who she is really worked for me. I loved the idea of a network of other Black girls who protect her so she can still sing, but the details on that were too murky for me. Why is a girl who doesn't like sirens on it? Who runs it? Are there actual consequences for outing her? It's not clear. The rivalry with the eloko girl didn't make sense to me either. I get why Tavia would be jealous of her but like if you don't want to protect a siren don't join a network? Overall though, I thought this section was spot-on, and the metaphor worked alongside the real-world anti-blackness that comes up.
Effie’s story, on the other hand, is a mess. Nothing happens with her for so long aside from a few vague things, and then she does something awful but it's immediately reversed, so I'm not really sure what the point was. Everything about her relationship to her bio family was uncomfortable to read.
I did love the way the two girls supported each other like sisters, but the book just did not come together as a whole for me.
Effie’s story, on the other hand, is a mess. Nothing happens with her for so long aside from a few vague things, and then she does something awful but it's immediately reversed, so I'm not really sure what the point was. Everything about her relationship to her bio family was uncomfortable to read.
I did love the way the two girls supported each other like sisters, but the book just did not come together as a whole for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Ableism and Cannibalism
readingpicnic's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide attempt
invioletshadows's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I went into this book expecting to love it, and there WAS a lot to love. This book blends the narrative of magic and empowerment of Black women in such a beautiful and poignant way. This book is about the silencing, dehumanization and demonization of Black women. Effie and Tavia’s relationship is so strong and complex and I loved seeing their mutual, fierce support of each other. The narrative occasionally felt a bit heavy handed, but the depiction and analysis of systemic racism, microagressions, and police brutality was masterfully written and blended with the magical aspects of the story.
That being said, I want to talk about the depiction of Sign Language and disability in this book, that almost entirely ruined the reading experience for me. I’m talking about this because I went into this book after hearing so many good things, and while I think the book deserves the praise in some aspects, I want people to think more critically about how disability is represented in books like this. Intersectionality is important, and it’s hard to praise diversity in one aspect when another aspect was handled poorly.
The biggest issue that I want people to be aware of: Tavia fakes a disability to hide her identity as a siren. She claims she has a disease that affects her vocal chords and causes her to go nonverbal as a way to cover up the times when she feels the need to stay silent to prevent herself from compelling someone with her siren voice. 1) Faking a disability is never acceptable under any circumstances. Disabled people (particularly those with invisible disabilities) already suffer from enough suspicion without fuel like this being added to the fire. 2) Choosing not to speak is different from going nonverbal. There are plenty of reasons people can go nonverbal, or be selectively or completely mute. Refusing to speak because speaking would cause you to compel someone is NOT the same as going nonverbal.
Before I continue, I’d like to thank @deafreader and @slangwrites for talking through the sign representation in this book with me! I appreciate your feedback and valuable discussions to help me better word the ways this book could have represented sign language and signing better! Several times throughout the book, the narration will say some variation of “When I speak sign”, or “She can speak sign”, etc. Signing is NOT a spoken language, and therefore this statement is unnecessary and incorrect. There are several times throughout the book where the phrase is said more accurately as “when i sign”, so the inconsistencies were very frustrating. This is something that could have been fixed with another edit pass, or having a d/Deaf or a disabled person who signs consult on this aspect of the book. When aspects of a disability are thrown into a book like this, it feels as though it was done merely for diversity kudos, without any real thought or care.
That being said, I want to talk about the depiction of Sign Language and disability in this book, that almost entirely ruined the reading experience for me. I’m talking about this because I went into this book after hearing so many good things, and while I think the book deserves the praise in some aspects, I want people to think more critically about how disability is represented in books like this. Intersectionality is important, and it’s hard to praise diversity in one aspect when another aspect was handled poorly.
The biggest issue that I want people to be aware of: Tavia fakes a disability to hide her identity as a siren. She claims she has a disease that affects her vocal chords and causes her to go nonverbal as a way to cover up the times when she feels the need to stay silent to prevent herself from compelling someone with her siren voice. 1) Faking a disability is never acceptable under any circumstances. Disabled people (particularly those with invisible disabilities) already suffer from enough suspicion without fuel like this being added to the fire. 2) Choosing not to speak is different from going nonverbal. There are plenty of reasons people can go nonverbal, or be selectively or completely mute. Refusing to speak because speaking would cause you to compel someone is NOT the same as going nonverbal.
Before I continue, I’d like to thank @deafreader and @slangwrites for talking through the sign representation in this book with me! I appreciate your feedback and valuable discussions to help me better word the ways this book could have represented sign language and signing better! Several times throughout the book, the narration will say some variation of “When I speak sign”, or “She can speak sign”, etc. Signing is NOT a spoken language, and therefore this statement is unnecessary and incorrect. There are several times throughout the book where the phrase is said more accurately as “when i sign”, so the inconsistencies were very frustrating. This is something that could have been fixed with another edit pass, or having a d/Deaf or a disabled person who signs consult on this aspect of the book. When aspects of a disability are thrown into a book like this, it feels as though it was done merely for diversity kudos, without any real thought or care.
I want to clarify that I think this was an honest mistake, done without any intent of malice or harm to readers. But as a disabled person, it still hurts when disabilities are treated with so little thought. This goes doubly so when it’s a particularly popular book that has loads of reviews where no one seems to notice, or address the aspects of the book that are harmful. Please, authors and readers, take disability representation into account. Don’t leave us out of your discussions, your critical thinking, your activism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Self harm, Violence, Sexism, Bullying, and Ableism
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Murder
elthechameleon's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
It’s a pleasant book, but it’s a little difficult to get your head wrapped around the world building. But, the connections to real-world misogynoir do feel thoughtfully done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Hate crime, Police brutality, and Racism
Minor: Outing
alsoapples's review
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Police brutality, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism
Minor: Eating disorder
amandaquotidianbooks's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.75
I loved the intersection between race and magical species in this contemporary urban fantasy. I also enjoyed how the two POV characters were equally important to the story. There was an excellent integration of recent politics into the story, specifically police brutality and BLM.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality and Racism
Minor: Gore, Death of parent, and Bullying
aseel_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
5.0
2022: 5 ⭐
Not t sure why I didn't rate this higher the first time I read it, it's still absolutely brilliant and I have thought about this book all the time since reading it two years ago. It blended social critique, mythos, and family dynamics so well.
2020: 4.25 ⭐
This was everything I never knew I needed. Just the real world/fantasy/mythology intersected with racial issues was *chef's kiss*. I love the sister bond we have and the writing was excellent. Honestly, just wish this was longer
Not t sure why I didn't rate this higher the first time I read it, it's still absolutely brilliant and I have thought about this book all the time since reading it two years ago. It blended social critique, mythos, and family dynamics so well.
2020: 4.25 ⭐
This was everything I never knew I needed. Just the real world/fantasy/mythology intersected with racial issues was *chef's kiss*. I love the sister bond we have and the writing was excellent. Honestly, just wish this was longer
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Suicide attempt, Racism, Police brutality, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Death of parent