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A review by rballenger
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
2.0
Type of read: Commuter Read.
What made me pick it up: The TN R.E.A.D.S challenge for July includes reading a book set on the open sea and I was initially drawn to 'A Song Below Water' for the beautiful cover art but then the description also grabbed me. It may not be your traditional out-at-sea book, but it does the trick.
Overall rating: I love the idea of 'A Song Below Water,' but I absolutely do not like the execution. That's not saying that I don't like the story part of execution, it's that I feel like Morrow was not focused or clear with their writing, and that caused the book to be muddled and jumbled together. There is absolutely so much going on within the first few chapters of the book. We are introduced to specific characters, some of which have mythical powers like sirens, mermaids, gargoyles, etc., however, we're also taken into a human fantasy world of a Renaissance Fair. There are so many blurred lines that it's hard to distinguish what Morrow is saying is truly happening and what is happening within the storytelling of the Ren Fair. I've been to many a Ren Fair. I understand how it works. You're transported in time and you go with the story. That's why the storyline of adding and not differentiating between the character's experience and the character's experience within the Ren Fair during the book is so freaking confusing. I also feel like Morrow tried to keep too much of a secret throughout the beginning of the book because the characters are all dark and broody and talking about "what happened" and "from the incident." There needed to be some editing for clarity. I didn't hate it but I won't be reading more in the series. I think Morrow's style just isn't one I enjoy.
Reader's Note: Andrea Laing and Jennifer Haralson did a beautiful job narrating 'A Song Below Water' but their voices felt extremely similar to me. It made it difficult to differentiate between the characters. I did listen to this audiobook at 1.5 speed (which is typical for me) but found this to be an issue at multiple different speeds.
What made me pick it up: The TN R.E.A.D.S challenge for July includes reading a book set on the open sea and I was initially drawn to 'A Song Below Water' for the beautiful cover art but then the description also grabbed me. It may not be your traditional out-at-sea book, but it does the trick.
Overall rating: I love the idea of 'A Song Below Water,' but I absolutely do not like the execution. That's not saying that I don't like the story part of execution, it's that I feel like Morrow was not focused or clear with their writing, and that caused the book to be muddled and jumbled together. There is absolutely so much going on within the first few chapters of the book. We are introduced to specific characters, some of which have mythical powers like sirens, mermaids, gargoyles, etc., however, we're also taken into a human fantasy world of a Renaissance Fair. There are so many blurred lines that it's hard to distinguish what Morrow is saying is truly happening and what is happening within the storytelling of the Ren Fair. I've been to many a Ren Fair. I understand how it works. You're transported in time and you go with the story. That's why the storyline of adding and not differentiating between the character's experience and the character's experience within the Ren Fair during the book is so freaking confusing. I also feel like Morrow tried to keep too much of a secret throughout the beginning of the book because the characters are all dark and broody and talking about "what happened" and "from the incident." There needed to be some editing for clarity. I didn't hate it but I won't be reading more in the series. I think Morrow's style just isn't one I enjoy.
Reader's Note: Andrea Laing and Jennifer Haralson did a beautiful job narrating 'A Song Below Water' but their voices felt extremely similar to me. It made it difficult to differentiate between the characters. I did listen to this audiobook at 1.5 speed (which is typical for me) but found this to be an issue at multiple different speeds.