aw_reads 's review for:

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

3.0

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…the world is better off when we’re silent, and if the system skews toward making that happen…Well. Everybody’s safer for it.

This book caught my eye for several reasons: the gorgeous cover featuring black women, sirens, and the parallels drawn between a fictional ostracized minority group and our own realistic community of black men and women. There was much to love about this book. And while the author manages to tackle numerous social issues, the characters and their personal narratives are sorely lacking.

The best part about this book is how relevant it is to the current social climate. Morrow highlights the plight of the black American but also shines a spotlight on the oft-forgotten (or dismissed) issue of the black woman in America. As a black woman myself, it felt like a breath of fresh air to see the troubles that we might face day to day in a YA book.

I loved the conversations the author sought to inspire among her readers, though, it could all be overwhelming considering the large number of topics she explores: victim blaming, police brutality, murder, bigotry and racism, sexism, protest and social justice, racial profiling, and much more. The book felt too small to cover so much ground. And so each issue felt skimmed over rather than completely exhumed for social discussion.

"They just went along with her post-mortem character assassination because she was already the worst thing she could be: a Black woman .”

Themes aside, the sister relationship between Tavia and Effie was wonderful. They had a solid, supportive relationship that felt free of drama. There was no hidden jealousies or discontent. It was all love and encouragement from the start.

Strangely though, the girls as individuals were very flat. I could barely tell the other apart. Their voices were indistinguishable from each other and their personalities held nothing beyond their roles as black women.

Besides the lackluster characterization, there was barely any explanation about the author’s alternate universe. I was very unsure of what the rules were concerning magical creatures living among humans. Morrow creates her own versions of well-known creatures, such as sirens and gargoyles, but their abilities and appearances are incredibly vague.

Some things were simply left unexplained. An eloko is mentioned throughout the book, a creature I’ve never heard of, yet not once was it properly explained what is an eloko. And though there are sprites, they never actually appear on the page. So what are they in this universe? What do they look like? What is their purpose? The questions are many by the end of this book.

Other issues (or questions) I had with this book are small but still negatively impact the narrative: Why are all the adults terrible? What is the point of a mean girl who seemingly has NO motivations whatsoever? Why are ALL of the classmates useless as people? Why are all the people in a supposed supportive network unsupportive?

I wanted to LOVE this book, but there was too much that didn’t really work out. As a commentary on current events and black America. it succeeds, but as a novel with a solid plot, characters, pacing, and setting, it doesn’t quite.
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Caught between a 2.5 and 3 star rating

I truly wanted to love this one, but as I weigh the pros and cons, the cons come out a bit heavier. Full review to come!