Review: A Song Below Water

“We should all speak like sirens. Use our voices to make a difference, because all of them matter.”

― Bethany C. Morrow, A Song Below Water

Author: Bethany C. Morrow

Publisher: Macmillan publishers

ISBN: 9781250315328

My rating: 3/5

Summary

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Nevermind she's also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she's also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.

My reading experience

This book was an okay read for me. Actually, I was hoping to enjoy it more since I had high expectations about it, and the concept sounded very cool. Unfortunately, it was sometimes hard to get through.

This book combines topical themes, including racism, politics, social justice, identity search, etc... and combines this with a twist of fantasy. I need to be honest, I liked the world building. It was quite original to see a combination of high school drama with magical creatures like sirens, gargoyles, and sprites.

It soon became clear that sirens are not so welcome as other creatures, both at high school and in society. In addition, the book depicts social protests in a realistic and shocking way. I therefore think that the book addresses the problem of racism and inequality in a good and unique way.

However, it was very hard for me to get into the story. In the beginning, a lot of information was given, sometimes a bit too detailed, in my opinion. I had the feeling the story went too fast sometimes. It almost felt rushed. I think the story would have worked better if everything had been built up gradually, and not so much information was given at once. The writing style also wasn't really my thing.

Although I had the feeling everything was rushed, I need to mention I adored the last chapters. They were very emotional and beautiful written. The plottwist at the ending was a bit predictable but still interesting.

So in general, I really liked the concept and the world building. It is an okay book with a very strong ànd important message. And if I'm being honest I became curious about the sequel.