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A review by jess_mango
A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow
4.0
3.5 stars
A Chorus Rises is the sequel to [b:A Song Below Water|39085465|A Song Below Water (A Song Below Water, #1)|Bethany C. Morrow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573233301l/39085465._SY75_.jpg|60654169], but follows a different character. This book is told from the point of view of Naema Bradshaw. In the first book, she was cast as the villain of sorts since she exposed Tavia's secret of being a siren. Naema herself is an Eloko, which means she can sing a song that influences the behavior of others. She doesn't see herself as a villain and this book gives us a chance to see her perspective. After the events in the first book, Naema faces backlash from the press and removes herself from the scene. As she tries to get her life back, she discovers a group online using the hashtag #justicefornaema who is looking to punish others who may be sirens. The problem is all sirens are black girls so Naema sees it as double-bad since it appears to be a front for racist individuals to act on their feelings.
This was a good follow-up to A Song Below Water and while I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first book, it was still a good read. I didn't connect with Naema as much as a main character as I did with those from the first book. I did like that the author used the story to show the dangers of people getting riled up on social media and how there can always be racism lurking even under different guises.
Thank you to the publisher for the audio book!
A Chorus Rises is the sequel to [b:A Song Below Water|39085465|A Song Below Water (A Song Below Water, #1)|Bethany C. Morrow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573233301l/39085465._SY75_.jpg|60654169], but follows a different character. This book is told from the point of view of Naema Bradshaw. In the first book, she was cast as the villain of sorts since she exposed Tavia's secret of being a siren. Naema herself is an Eloko, which means she can sing a song that influences the behavior of others. She doesn't see herself as a villain and this book gives us a chance to see her perspective. After the events in the first book, Naema faces backlash from the press and removes herself from the scene. As she tries to get her life back, she discovers a group online using the hashtag #justicefornaema who is looking to punish others who may be sirens. The problem is all sirens are black girls so Naema sees it as double-bad since it appears to be a front for racist individuals to act on their feelings.
This was a good follow-up to A Song Below Water and while I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first book, it was still a good read. I didn't connect with Naema as much as a main character as I did with those from the first book. I did like that the author used the story to show the dangers of people getting riled up on social media and how there can always be racism lurking even under different guises.
Thank you to the publisher for the audio book!