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thenovelmaura's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.0
This book was rather unexpected, but I did end up enjoying it! I was expecting a fantasy world based off the description, but this is better described as magical realism. You're dropped right into a world where sirens and elokos exist, without much explanation about how their powers work. For me, the blend of fantastical creatures and Black Lives Matter activism really worked in this contemporary setting, even though the pacing was too slow towards the middle. There was a lot of adults telling these girls to stop asking questions and the story stalled out because they weren't learning any new information. Things really started to pick up at the 2/3rds mark, and then there's a ton of action and revelations to keep you moving towards the conclusion.
I loved the relationship between these two sisters who brought out the best in each other and those around them. There were so many twists and turns on their paths to finding their identities, but I was rooting for them the whole way through. I'd recommend this book to fans of Slay by Brittney Morris, with the caveat that it takes a more sobering look at issues of systemic racism, discrimination, and police brutality than that book does.
I loved the relationship between these two sisters who brought out the best in each other and those around them. There were so many twists and turns on their paths to finding their identities, but I was rooting for them the whole way through. I'd recommend this book to fans of Slay by Brittney Morris, with the caveat that it takes a more sobering look at issues of systemic racism, discrimination, and police brutality than that book does.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Racism
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Suicide attempt
keenanmaree's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
This book was so wonderful. It’s a beautiful exploration of Black female friendship, family, and intersectionality. The characters all feel so real (even the ones who are really mythical beings) and multidimensional, and the story is so gripping that I blew through it faster than I’ve read any other book in a long time, because I just HAD to know what happened next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Racism, Self harm, and Violence
mannab's review
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book was incredible. From the moment I started it, I couldn’t put it down - I found constant excuses to read instead of doing anything else. Some of Tavia and Effie’s issues can get a bit repetitive, but despite that, you’ll want to know who they are and how they’re going to face their challenges. It was particularly incredible the way that Bethany C Morrow intertwined fantasy with reality so beautifully and intricately that I’m not convinced this ISN’T the real Portland.
I also really loved that Black Lives Matter was at the heart of this book and a central theme.
I also really loved that Black Lives Matter was at the heart of this book and a central theme.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Police brutality
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
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
dhwani's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
2.5
I have a lot to say about this book.
Now let this be clear that I'm that kind of person who likes almost every book that they read. So when I say I kinda didn't like this book, I really didn't.
The book is about two sisters, one among them is a siren and the other, well she doesn't know herself. *shrug*
What I liked the most about the book is how the story of two Black girls is laid out, and it does contain scenes of protests, activism, etc. which I ABSOLUTELY LOVED.
Let's get to the negative points now. Firstly, the book is set in the real world (a slightly different Portland) where Magic and Fantasy exist. I'm not a fan of fantasy stories in the mortal world so maybe I didn't like it because of that and someone who enjoys reading fantasy set in the mortal world will love it! But I felt that this book was actually written as a contemporary one and then edited to have fantasy in it. It wasn't well described.
It did get better in the end though, and the ending was something I hadn't expected but yet might seem predictable to some people, I'll say the ending was satisfactory.
Thanks for reading my review :)
Now let this be clear that I'm that kind of person who likes almost every book that they read. So when I say I kinda didn't like this book, I really didn't.
The book is about two sisters, one among them is a siren and the other, well she doesn't know herself. *shrug*
What I liked the most about the book is how the story of two Black girls is laid out, and it does contain scenes of protests, activism, etc. which I ABSOLUTELY LOVED.
Let's get to the negative points now. Firstly, the book is set in the real world (a slightly different Portland) where Magic and Fantasy exist. I'm not a fan of fantasy stories in the mortal world so maybe I didn't like it because of that and someone who enjoys reading fantasy set in the mortal world will love it! But I felt that this book was actually written as a contemporary one and then edited to have fantasy in it. It wasn't well described.
It did get better in the end though, and the ending was something I hadn't expected but yet might seem predictable to some people, I'll say the ending was satisfactory.
Thanks for reading my review :)
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
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 forlaprismaluna's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a vibrant story about misogynoir--very much one of BLM & ren faires & a version of our world that spins its fantasy right into normal life; not quite urban fantasy, felt much more light & casually mythical. it's not a light read ofc, bc there's a lot of poignant mentions of Black issues that have come to light in recent years. there was this moment with a shirt flipped inside out that i WISHED had been expanded upon as a concept, esp re: performative allyship esp in siren spaces ?? the whole siren-eloko dynamic going on in the book was 10/10. i think what happened was the heavier content in the first half of the book imbalanced the pacing ? as if it spent the first half of the book catching the readers up on protests without offering a cohesive tie-in to the world's mythos.
that being said i wish the worldbuilding had been given the space to expand: i think this story would have absolutely benefited from leaning more into its ideas (a lot of them were dropped in and while i *loved* them i was lost on so much of the mythos--even on how the sisters knew each other, that somehow escaped my notice). i'm not here to talk about what it could have been though, i'm here to review what it Is sdlkf tho !! the worldbuilding was very vaguely tethered together and i seem to have missed the context on past + present history dslfjd (i would have LOVED more on the ren faire, the Whiteness of that space, siren history and those dynamics re: effie's whole plotline in the second half)
i absolutely miss ren faires and their dorky charm and i lived for those moments within this book ! wish i had seen more of it (specifically the plot-related content in the second half !!) but i loved the dynamic between tavia + effie. i was dELIGHTED to see them like goddddd it was so nice having both of their perspectives. the hair care narration !! i was overjoyed !! however i didn't realize it until like 90% in but occasionally i would lose track of who was talking bc dialogue/narration-wise they read like the same person w/ different plots but clearly i didn't notice bc those same perspectives had different things going on within the story
wow i keep thinking about the actual worldbuilding. i was mesmerized by all these concepts and i was like heck yeah !! this was one of those books where i was like "this is such a neat concept" even if the delivery could have dived into it more. such a neat concept, but average delivery bc we were so wrapped up in the mystery when it would have been Such a wild ride if they had just had that reveal halfway through the book and dealt with all those new dynamics
that being said i wish the worldbuilding had been given the space to expand: i think this story would have absolutely benefited from leaning more into its ideas (a lot of them were dropped in and while i *loved* them i was lost on so much of the mythos--even on how the sisters knew each other, that somehow escaped my notice). i'm not here to talk about what it could have been though, i'm here to review what it Is sdlkf tho !! the worldbuilding was very vaguely tethered together and i seem to have missed the context on past + present history dslfjd (i would have LOVED more on the ren faire, the Whiteness of that space, siren history and those dynamics re: effie's whole plotline in the second half)
i absolutely miss ren faires and their dorky charm and i lived for those moments within this book ! wish i had seen more of it (specifically the plot-related content in the second half !!) but i loved the dynamic between tavia + effie. i was dELIGHTED to see them like goddddd it was so nice having both of their perspectives. the hair care narration !! i was overjoyed !! however i didn't realize it until like 90% in but occasionally i would lose track of who was talking bc dialogue/narration-wise they read like the same person w/ different plots but clearly i didn't notice bc those same perspectives had different things going on within the story
wow i keep thinking about the actual worldbuilding. i was mesmerized by all these concepts and i was like heck yeah !! this was one of those books where i was like "this is such a neat concept" even if the delivery could have dived into it more. such a neat concept, but average delivery bc we were so wrapped up in the mystery when it would have been Such a wild ride if they had just had that reveal halfway through the book and dealt with all those new dynamics
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Self harm
babayagaofficial's review
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Fatphobia and Kidnapping
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