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melinajoy's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.5
4.75 stars. Highly recommend!
A Song Below Water had this overall anticipatory feeling. It was really hard to put it down. "...two sister friends discovering their magical identities against the challenges of misogynoir."
Sirens, elokos, sprites, gargoyles and more! This book does a really great job of being a magical and fantasy escape, a story anyone can read and enjoy, and yet so real still managing to incorporate relevant struggles of Black people especially Black women. Plus it has sign language and Portland/Vancouver. Reading it is like listening to someone tell you a story (as in it's not in proper English, it's very conversational and internal monologues, and AAVE). It's everything someone could ask for in a book!
Effie and Tavia are great characters, but Gargy the Gargoyle was my favorite because he was so unique- I've never read a book with a gargoyle as a character!
The only thing is that I found myself confused at points with all the different characters- specifically who's related to whom at times (but I figured it out towards the end). But especially because the one of the grandmas is called Mama. So that was a little challenging for me to keep track of.
But overall, can't wait to read the next books!
A Song Below Water had this overall anticipatory feeling. It was really hard to put it down. "...two sister friends discovering their magical identities against the challenges of misogynoir."
Sirens, elokos, sprites, gargoyles and more! This book does a really great job of being a magical and fantasy escape, a story anyone can read and enjoy, and yet so real still managing to incorporate relevant struggles of Black people especially Black women. Plus it has sign language and Portland/Vancouver. Reading it is like listening to someone tell you a story (as in it's not in proper English, it's very conversational and internal monologues, and AAVE). It's everything someone could ask for in a book!
Effie and Tavia are great characters, but Gargy the Gargoyle was my favorite because he was so unique- I've never read a book with a gargoyle as a character!
The only thing is that I found myself confused at points with all the different characters- specifically who's related to whom at times (but I figured it out towards the end). But especially because the one of the grandmas is called Mama. So that was a little challenging for me to keep track of.
But overall, can't wait to read the next books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment
leereadswords's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Racism
talislibrary's review
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
Whilst I think this YA was aimed at the lower end of that bracket, and therefore I was not the target audience, I did enjoy this story. In this multiple-perspective story, you follow Tavia and Effie who show that family doesn't need shared blood. Rich with mythology, A song below water introduces sirens, mermaids and more to our world. The ending was a little rushed for me, not giving me the satisfaction I wanted, but the rest of the book more than made up for it. Bonus - I learnt so much about caring for black hair which was a pleasant surprise!
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Mental illness
thereadinghammock's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A story of friendship, sisterhood, a celebration of Black sisterhood, and the unique weirdness of the PNW. Tavia and Effie are nearly inseparable after Tavia's move to Oregon just before high school, and both doing their best to survive the inherent troubles that teenage life brings. Add on top of that, being Black in a mostly white part of the country, and Tavia being a siren, and it's only a matter of time before something stirs up more trouble for the girls.
Enter Effie's drama, with an unexplained skin condition that seems to be getting worse, her seasonal gig as a professional mermaid seeming more and more real, and unexplained blackouts and these girls are in for a double whammy.
I loved the friendship and unquestioned sisterhood between Tavia and Effie. Their support of each other was nearly effortless, and I appreciated Bethany's characterization of their ability to recognize their own biases and traumas in trying to be a supportive sibling. I enjoyed the couple of plot twists (and I was sure-ish of one of them before the big reveal), but there was enough to keep me engaged and wanting to know more throughout the whole book. Not sure if I needed there to be a sequel, and I really don't feel I'm ready to sympathize with Naema as a character in the next book, but I won't say no to reading it. Just not right away perhaps.
Enter Effie's drama, with an unexplained skin condition that seems to be getting worse, her seasonal gig as a professional mermaid seeming more and more real, and unexplained blackouts and these girls are in for a double whammy.
I loved the friendship and unquestioned sisterhood between Tavia and Effie. Their support of each other was nearly effortless, and I appreciated Bethany's characterization of their ability to recognize their own biases and traumas in trying to be a supportive sibling. I enjoyed the couple of plot twists (and I was sure-ish of one of them before the big reveal), but there was enough to keep me engaged and wanting to know more throughout the whole book. Not sure if I needed there to be a sequel, and I really don't feel I'm ready to sympathize with Naema as a character in the next book, but I won't say no to reading it. Just not right away perhaps.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Minor: Police brutality
rini's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Racism
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Stalking, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
onemamareads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Self harm
Minor: Suicide
zombiezami's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Hate crime
Moderate: Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
typedtruths's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
quick thoughts:
of all the books to be disappointed by, i really didn't think this would be the one.
PROS:
• the sisterhood. i'm a sucker for family in books, and Effie & Tavia's sisterly relationship was a big focus of this story. also, the emphasis on bond > blood was perfect.
• the premise & themes. the idea of using mythological creatures as a metaphor for misogynoir worked so well, especially how siren powers were used to justify Black women being silenced. it did a good job of exploring sexism & racism, including a really powerful protest scene.
• urban fantasy elements. as much as i adore a good werewolf, fae & vampire urban fantasy, the fact we had gargoyles, elokos & sirens instead added a different layer.
CONS:
• the plot. the clunky, disjointed way scenes jumped around made the dozens of subplots knot in an impossible tangle. i could barely follow what the hell was happening at any given point. i read the last 50 pages twice and i still couldn't explain the ending.
• the world-building. while i adored the bare bones of the premise, the execution was lacking. i don't usually mind being thrown into a world and slowly piecing the world together from context, but when there is no context or any background, it makes it a little difficult to follow.
• the writing. my personal preference for writing styles sways more toward the lush, descriptive side. the pacing was so rapid, there was no time to build the landscapes or develop the characters in the way i personally prefer. i live for those slower moments so the fact i couldn't picture anything pulled me out of the story. i also hated how the characters explained their jokes in parenthesis.
• the characters. if the chapters weren't labelled, i don't think i could have told effie & tavia apart. their voices weren't distinctive.
- the secondary characters. i can't lie, i liked wallace but i don't know why. we know nothing about him! or any of the characters really. the cast fell flat.
there is no denying this is an important read, however, so i recommend reading some #ownvoices reviews. you can check out leelynn @ sometimes leelynn reads's review here and sammie @ the bookwyrm's den's review here.
▷ Representation: Tavia (mc) & Effie (mc) Black; Wallace (li) Latinx; Black & BIPOC scs.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram
of all the books to be disappointed by, i really didn't think this would be the one.
PROS:
• the sisterhood. i'm a sucker for family in books, and Effie & Tavia's sisterly relationship was a big focus of this story. also, the emphasis on bond > blood was perfect.
• the premise & themes. the idea of using mythological creatures as a metaphor for misogynoir worked so well, especially how siren powers were used to justify Black women being silenced. it did a good job of exploring sexism & racism, including a really powerful protest scene.
• urban fantasy elements. as much as i adore a good werewolf, fae & vampire urban fantasy, the fact we had gargoyles, elokos & sirens instead added a different layer.
CONS:
• the plot. the clunky, disjointed way scenes jumped around made the dozens of subplots knot in an impossible tangle. i could barely follow what the hell was happening at any given point. i read the last 50 pages twice and i still couldn't explain the ending.
• the world-building. while i adored the bare bones of the premise, the execution was lacking. i don't usually mind being thrown into a world and slowly piecing the world together from context, but when there is no context or any background, it makes it a little difficult to follow.
• the writing. my personal preference for writing styles sways more toward the lush, descriptive side. the pacing was so rapid, there was no time to build the landscapes or develop the characters in the way i personally prefer. i live for those slower moments so the fact i couldn't picture anything pulled me out of the story. i also hated how the characters explained their jokes in parenthesis.
• the characters. if the chapters weren't labelled, i don't think i could have told effie & tavia apart. their voices weren't distinctive.
- the secondary characters. i can't lie, i liked wallace but i don't know why. we know nothing about him! or any of the characters really. the cast fell flat.
there is no denying this is an important read, however, so i recommend reading some #ownvoices reviews. you can check out leelynn @ sometimes leelynn reads's review here and sammie @ the bookwyrm's den's review here.
▷ Representation: Tavia (mc) & Effie (mc) Black; Wallace (li) Latinx; Black & BIPOC scs.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Misogyny, and Suicide
Moderate: Police brutality, Self harm, and Bullying
Minor: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
➸ Trigger warnings for
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