A Song Below Water: A Novel (A Song Below Water, #1)

by Bethany C Morrow

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.

• ISBN10: 1250315328
• ISBN13: 9781250315328
• Publish Date: 2 June 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 8 February 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[writehollydavis]

3.5/5 stars. Despite being a bit thrown off by the urban/contemporary fantasy elements, since I thought the story was going to be more fantasy with sirens in the water, the social commentary was incredibly important and timely. The parallels between the Black Lives Matter Movement and the happenings in the story really resonated with me. A powerful message plus tons of sisterly bonding I couldn't help but love!!

[empressbrooke]

This book was like a house that has a really strong and solid foundation, but every room was overdecorated and cluttered with way too much furniture to the point that it isn't clear what style each room is supposed to have. Unfortunately this means that everything in the worldbuilding was underdeveloped and half baked. The author and editor really needed to identify a few things to remove in order to give everything else room to breathe and grow - the Renaissance Faire and the "network" of siren protectors (along with the only-mentioned-once gospel choir the network had) would have been my picks, along with at least two of the supernatural creature types included in this book's universe. Near the end, giants are randomly thrown in through a brief mention and there is a huge plot twist involving yet another creature that hadn't even been mentioned prior to the 85% mark. There needed to be a much better foundation laid to earn that twist.

Strangely, I read the author's novella Mem prior to this, and she did a much better job being laser focused on what precisely was needed in the much shorter story than she was in this full length novel.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

There are two things I appreciated most about A SONG BELOW WATER. One of them was the social justice conversation woven into the story. Yes, yes, yes, and thank you to Bethany C. Morrow for sharing that aspect with her readers. The other aspect I really liked was the variety of mythical creatures she chose to weave into her world. No vampires and werewolves in Portland - instead, we've got sirens and eloko and mermaids and more. Loved that.

However, if you're not familiar with some of this less seen mythology, the magic in this book may leave the reader a little lost. It's well worth spending the time to dig in and familiarize yourself with a being once its mentioned because A SONG BELOW WATER takes off running and doesn't necessarily wait for the reader to catch up. It's worth sticking with it, though, because the characters are powerful and inspiring and the story is creative and the messages are important.

All in all, I liked this book a lot and I'm looking forward to the companion novel in the spring!

For a more detailed review of this book and others, or to discover more bookish content, come visit The Literary Phoenix!

[Angie]

YES!
+Only Black women can be sirens, which makes them extra special but also extra feared and discriminated against. Which is why Tavia's family keeps her identity a secret. Particularly after a woman is murdered by her boyfriend and is suspected to be a siren. Not that it should matter, but of course, it does.
+Magical Realism tends to bore me, but this reads more like Urban Fantasy, since it's about supernatural creatures? Either way, it was super slow at first, but then the final third, where the supernatural takes over, was fantastic.
+Effie is a mermaid at a Renaissance faire! I would love a book on this! Also, her discovery story is what saved this book for me. It was so good! I did guess what she was, but that didn't take away from the big reveal.
+Do not touch a Black girl's hair. Do not ask to touch a Black girl's hair. Do not ask if a Black girl's hair is real. Just do not do it. It's rude and racist and gross. Why would we want your dirty hands on our heads?! Don't white girls have clip in extensions?
+Gargoyle.

NO!
-Long chapters.
-I feel like this was two amazing ideas that just did not come together into one cohesive story. The social aspects are definitely dominant over the magical elements, which is fine. But it also made the magic feel like it was secondary, and just slapped on to lighten the seriousness of the social issues to make the story more palatable? There's an important story here about Black girls' place in society, and it would have been the same if Tavia wasn't a siren. Similarly, Tavia's struggles with being a siren would have been interesting to explore without the BLM theme, as well. Combined, they could have been awesome, but I don't think they were merged well.