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A Song Below Water #2
A Chorus Rises
The Hate U Give meets Shadowshaper in Bethany C. Morrow's A Chorus Rises, a brilliant contemporary fantasy set in the world of A Song Below Water.
Teen influencer Naema Bradshaw has it all: she's famous, privileged, has “the good hair”— and she’s an Eloko, a person who’s gifted with a song that woos anyone who hears it. Everyone loves her — well, until she's cast as the awful person who exposed Tavia’s secret siren powers.
Now, she's being dragged by the media. No one understands her side: not her boyfriend, not her friends, nor her Eloko community. But Naema knows the truth and is determined to build herself back up — no matter what.
When a new, flourishing segment of Naema’s online supporters start targeting black girls, however, Naema must discover the true purpose of her magical voice.
Teen influencer Naema Bradshaw has it all: she's famous, privileged, has “the good hair”— and she’s an Eloko, a person who’s gifted with a song that woos anyone who hears it. Everyone loves her — well, until she's cast as the awful person who exposed Tavia’s secret siren powers.
Now, she's being dragged by the media. No one understands her side: not her boyfriend, not her friends, nor her Eloko community. But Naema knows the truth and is determined to build herself back up — no matter what.
When a new, flourishing segment of Naema’s online supporters start targeting black girls, however, Naema must discover the true purpose of her magical voice.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2021
58 people are currently reading
8179 people want to read
About the author
Bethany C. Morrow
16 books1,437 followersBethany C Morrow is a national bestselling author.
Her young adult novels include A Song Below Water, A Chorus Rises, and the Little Women remix, So Many Beginnings, and she is editor/contributor to the young adult anthology Take The Mic, which won the 2020 ILA Social Justice in Literature award.
Her adult novels include Mem, and the social horror, Cherish Farrah. Her upcoming release, The Body, is a churchianity horror.
Honored as SLJ Gold Selections, a Locus, Fiyah, and Audie finalist for Best YA Novel, and an Indies Introduce and Indie next pick, her work has been featured in The LA Times, Forbes, Bustle, Buzzfeed, and more. She is included on USA TODAY's list of 100 Black novelists and fiction writers you should read.
Her young adult novels include A Song Below Water, A Chorus Rises, and the Little Women remix, So Many Beginnings, and she is editor/contributor to the young adult anthology Take The Mic, which won the 2020 ILA Social Justice in Literature award.
Her adult novels include Mem, and the social horror, Cherish Farrah. Her upcoming release, The Body, is a churchianity horror.
Honored as SLJ Gold Selections, a Locus, Fiyah, and Audie finalist for Best YA Novel, and an Indies Introduce and Indie next pick, her work has been featured in The LA Times, Forbes, Bustle, Buzzfeed, and more. She is included on USA TODAY's list of 100 Black novelists and fiction writers you should read.
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December 4, 2023
**3.5-stars rounded up**
After the explosive conclusion to Bethany C. Morrow's, A Song Below Water, teen influencer, Naema Bradshaw finds herself vilified in the public eye.
As an Eloko, a beloved magical being, Naema has been treated as a quasi-celebrity in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, for her entire life.
Now pegged as the mean girl who outed classmate, Tavia, as a Siren, Naema is getting dragged in social media where she has previously only been respected and adored.
Once a movie releases purporting to tell the true story behind Tavia, her sister, Effie, and the event now known as The Awakening, Naema only sees hostility towards her increase.
Growing more and more frustrated with her current situation and the fact that no one seems to understand her side, Naema decides to leave town.
Heading South, Naema goes to stay with extended family that she never sees. This trip is actually her first time leaving Portland and the bubble she has created for herself there.
Greeted at the airport by her cousin Courtney, Naema can tell immediately from his reaction to her, that life is going to be very different outside of Portland.
Her family couldn't care less about her Eloko status. She'll be treated just like everyone else; loved and cherished, but for herself, not for her Elokoness.
It is once she is separated from all the noise in Portland, that Naema is finally able to channel the connection to her ancestors and discover the true power of her voice.
This story was interesting and is a tough one to rate. I really had to consider it once I was done.
We only get Naema's perspective in this book, whereas the first book followed both Tavia and Effie.
This one does incorporate a lot of mixed media, however, and I always enjoy that. It makes the overall story feel more realistic in my opinion.
The bulk of the story focuses on Naema coming into her own. We really get to deep dive into her world.
While there is still an underlining examination of privilege, race, social media and the experience of black women in America, I didn't feel that coming through quite as strongly in this volume as in the first. It's definitely still here, it's just overshadowed a bit by Naema's day-to-day.
As far as Naema goes. I really enjoyed her perspective a lot. She is snarky, strong-willed, stubborn and funny. I loved her interactions with Courtney and the rest of her family.
I can see why some people may be put off by her, she can seem a bit of a princess at times, however, I think she feels real.
She is a product of her environment, but once removed from Portland, Naema was able to grow and evolve as a character, which we love to see.
I think Morrow created an important and timely story with both of these books. I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys YA Contemporary stories with Fantastical elements that tackle real life issues.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Teen and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will definitely be picking up future work from this author!
After the explosive conclusion to Bethany C. Morrow's, A Song Below Water, teen influencer, Naema Bradshaw finds herself vilified in the public eye.
As an Eloko, a beloved magical being, Naema has been treated as a quasi-celebrity in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, for her entire life.
Now pegged as the mean girl who outed classmate, Tavia, as a Siren, Naema is getting dragged in social media where she has previously only been respected and adored.
Once a movie releases purporting to tell the true story behind Tavia, her sister, Effie, and the event now known as The Awakening, Naema only sees hostility towards her increase.
Growing more and more frustrated with her current situation and the fact that no one seems to understand her side, Naema decides to leave town.
Heading South, Naema goes to stay with extended family that she never sees. This trip is actually her first time leaving Portland and the bubble she has created for herself there.
Greeted at the airport by her cousin Courtney, Naema can tell immediately from his reaction to her, that life is going to be very different outside of Portland.
Her family couldn't care less about her Eloko status. She'll be treated just like everyone else; loved and cherished, but for herself, not for her Elokoness.
It is once she is separated from all the noise in Portland, that Naema is finally able to channel the connection to her ancestors and discover the true power of her voice.
This story was interesting and is a tough one to rate. I really had to consider it once I was done.
We only get Naema's perspective in this book, whereas the first book followed both Tavia and Effie.
This one does incorporate a lot of mixed media, however, and I always enjoy that. It makes the overall story feel more realistic in my opinion.
The bulk of the story focuses on Naema coming into her own. We really get to deep dive into her world.
While there is still an underlining examination of privilege, race, social media and the experience of black women in America, I didn't feel that coming through quite as strongly in this volume as in the first. It's definitely still here, it's just overshadowed a bit by Naema's day-to-day.
As far as Naema goes. I really enjoyed her perspective a lot. She is snarky, strong-willed, stubborn and funny. I loved her interactions with Courtney and the rest of her family.
I can see why some people may be put off by her, she can seem a bit of a princess at times, however, I think she feels real.
She is a product of her environment, but once removed from Portland, Naema was able to grow and evolve as a character, which we love to see.
I think Morrow created an important and timely story with both of these books. I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys YA Contemporary stories with Fantastical elements that tackle real life issues.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Teen and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will definitely be picking up future work from this author!
June 24, 2021
~Thank you NetGalley and Tor Teen for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review!~
*This is a spoiler-free review, so you can read it even if you haven’t read the book yet!*
"I'm never gonna be okay with people trying to erase the rest of who I am. Never again."
My Rating: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
【Note: The first thing I feel like I should mention is that somehow I didn’t realize this was a sequel when I requested the ARC and I thought it was a standalone. And then I checked Goodreads, and I rushed the finish the first book, so I could read and review this one. I think it was partly because even though this cover is gorgeous it has really different vibes than the first one. It says this could be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading the first book before reading this one because otherwise, this book would be really confusing and hard to understand.】
Characters
I really and thoroughly despised Naema for the way she wrecked Tavia’s and Effie’s lives in the previous book so I was skeptical about whether or not I would be able to connect to her character, but I was pleasantly surprised. At first, it was really annoying since she didn’t seem to regret what she did even one bit, and she thought she was doing everyone a favor, but her character change by the end of the book made it worth it.
Plot and Message
This book was mostly about Naema’s journey and the aftermath of what happened at the end of A Song Below Water. Throughout the book, her struggle with understanding who she is and telling her story was portrayed well. I did feel like this book wasn’t as exciting external plot-wise since there wasn’t as much danger or action, but it still had a very powerful meaning.
Though this wasn’t as fun of a read as the first book, I’d recommend it to anyone who read and enjoyed A Song Below Water!
✨ You can find this review and others on my blog! ✨
*This is a spoiler-free review, so you can read it even if you haven’t read the book yet!*
"I'm never gonna be okay with people trying to erase the rest of who I am. Never again."
My Rating: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
【Note: The first thing I feel like I should mention is that somehow I didn’t realize this was a sequel when I requested the ARC and I thought it was a standalone. And then I checked Goodreads, and I rushed the finish the first book, so I could read and review this one. I think it was partly because even though this cover is gorgeous it has really different vibes than the first one. It says this could be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading the first book before reading this one because otherwise, this book would be really confusing and hard to understand.】
Characters
I really and thoroughly despised Naema for the way she wrecked Tavia’s and Effie’s lives in the previous book so I was skeptical about whether or not I would be able to connect to her character, but I was pleasantly surprised. At first, it was really annoying since she didn’t seem to regret what she did even one bit, and she thought she was doing everyone a favor, but her character change by the end of the book made it worth it.
Plot and Message
This book was mostly about Naema’s journey and the aftermath of what happened at the end of A Song Below Water. Throughout the book, her struggle with understanding who she is and telling her story was portrayed well. I did feel like this book wasn’t as exciting external plot-wise since there wasn’t as much danger or action, but it still had a very powerful meaning.
Though this wasn’t as fun of a read as the first book, I’d recommend it to anyone who read and enjoyed A Song Below Water!
✨ You can find this review and others on my blog! ✨
May 28, 2021
Book 113 of 2021
Many thanks to Tor Teen for my digital review copy of this book in exchange for my impartial review. This, in no way affected my review, which was written voluntarily.
A Chorus Rises is the sequel to A Song Below Water, and it tells Naema’s story after the events of ASBW. Naema wasn’t my favorite character from ASBW, and I was really intrigued to see how the author was going to handle her character. I’m glad to say that I loved it. Naema is not perfect, and she never pretended to be. Bethany C. Morrow also did not do a full 180 with Naema’s character to make her unbelievably likeable or give her a tragic backstory to justify why she was Book 1’s mean girl.
Naema is struggling with the blow out of her actions in ASBW. The media is against her, the people of Portland don’t love her as much as they used to, and LOVE, her safe haven, is reforming itself to not be Eloko-centric. Tavia got a movie deal, and everyone is head over heels with the movie – Naema hates this because the movie both casts her as a villain and erases her Eloko identity at the same time.
This is a great story of finding yourself, being enough for yourself, coming into your own, and dealing with changes. Naema finds herself alone after feeling left out by her family and friends, and takes a trip out of Portland to reconnect with her extended family. There, she faces many questions about what it really means to be Eloko.
Naema has to deal with some toxic fans who think that the only way to ‘keep Naema safe’ is to harm some black girls and women. Another thing explored by this book which I appreciate is Naema’s experience with being Stoned and what that was like for her.
I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for everyone to read and love it when it’s out on the first of June.
Many thanks to Tor Teen for my digital review copy of this book in exchange for my impartial review. This, in no way affected my review, which was written voluntarily.
A Chorus Rises is the sequel to A Song Below Water, and it tells Naema’s story after the events of ASBW. Naema wasn’t my favorite character from ASBW, and I was really intrigued to see how the author was going to handle her character. I’m glad to say that I loved it. Naema is not perfect, and she never pretended to be. Bethany C. Morrow also did not do a full 180 with Naema’s character to make her unbelievably likeable or give her a tragic backstory to justify why she was Book 1’s mean girl.
Naema is struggling with the blow out of her actions in ASBW. The media is against her, the people of Portland don’t love her as much as they used to, and LOVE, her safe haven, is reforming itself to not be Eloko-centric. Tavia got a movie deal, and everyone is head over heels with the movie – Naema hates this because the movie both casts her as a villain and erases her Eloko identity at the same time.
This is a great story of finding yourself, being enough for yourself, coming into your own, and dealing with changes. Naema finds herself alone after feeling left out by her family and friends, and takes a trip out of Portland to reconnect with her extended family. There, she faces many questions about what it really means to be Eloko.
Naema has to deal with some toxic fans who think that the only way to ‘keep Naema safe’ is to harm some black girls and women. Another thing explored by this book which I appreciate is Naema’s experience with being Stoned and what that was like for her.
I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for everyone to read and love it when it’s out on the first of June.
May 27, 2021
A beautiful sequel to A Song Below Water, this novel approaches what happens after The Awakening, but this time from the point of view of Naema, the supposed villain of that book.
I loved that we get Naema's perspective and that it isn't a complete shift of her character. Naema is Eloko, which are the most favored and adored magical beings. She is totally used to being the center of attention and being admired for just being herself, but she's caught off guard about how her position has changed. I really liked the way she adapted and grew into her potential throughout the course of the book, and that the growth wasn't linear. She behaves exactly like someone her age would act in these circumstances and teens will be able to relate to both her fall from glory and learning how to change (even if reluctantly).
As with ASBW, A Chorus Rises explores broader themes such as privilege, gender, race, and social media. There's a great deal of food for thought and reflection along with the engaging storyline. There's not quite as much fantasy in this book as with the previous one where I felt a bit lost, but that's all right because the story transcends the genre.
I listened to most of this as an audio book, and the narrators did a fantastic job giving Naema voice and attitude. The narration fit the personality I had imagined for her perfectly.
I voluntarily reviewed complimentary advance copies of both the audio and print versions of this book, all opinions are my own.
I loved that we get Naema's perspective and that it isn't a complete shift of her character. Naema is Eloko, which are the most favored and adored magical beings. She is totally used to being the center of attention and being admired for just being herself, but she's caught off guard about how her position has changed. I really liked the way she adapted and grew into her potential throughout the course of the book, and that the growth wasn't linear. She behaves exactly like someone her age would act in these circumstances and teens will be able to relate to both her fall from glory and learning how to change (even if reluctantly).
As with ASBW, A Chorus Rises explores broader themes such as privilege, gender, race, and social media. There's a great deal of food for thought and reflection along with the engaging storyline. There's not quite as much fantasy in this book as with the previous one where I felt a bit lost, but that's all right because the story transcends the genre.
I listened to most of this as an audio book, and the narrators did a fantastic job giving Naema voice and attitude. The narration fit the personality I had imagined for her perfectly.
I voluntarily reviewed complimentary advance copies of both the audio and print versions of this book, all opinions are my own.
May 24, 2021
The Short Version: An incisive examination of privilege, racism, and the powder keg of social media. A must read for anyone who loves black girl magic and character driven stories
The Long Version: Naema Bradshaw was turned to stone by a gorgon a year ago and since then, her life has NOT gone as planned. She’s been effectively silenced by her favorite social media site and almost everyone thinks she’s the villain, though she certainly does not.
Having not read the first book in this series, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got this Audiobook ARC via NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. I was pleasantly surprised by this though.
The book, in a brilliant turn RBG would tip the cap to, uses the point of view of a black girl with magical powers to explore privilege (magical people of her kind are treated like celebrities in Portland). The portrait is insightful and nuanced and makes Naema insanely likable. Her character voice is strong, funny, unapologetic (mostly), and often misguided in the way most teens are. You root for her even when she’s clearly in the wrong, it’s beautiful character construction.
Now I typically like my fantasy stories to be packed full with non-stop action, and if that’s what you’re looking for, this isn’t it. This is a character driven story and there were definitely times in the second act I just wanted something BIGGER to happen. That being said, Naema held my attention and made this a worthy listen.
The third act of this book is a Gatling gun loaded with bricks and the final confrontation is pitch perfect and gave me literal goosebumps.
On top of great writing and great characters, the narrator of this audiobook absolutely CRUSHED IT. I felt the shade dripping from her voice and each character is fully realized by her. One of the best performances I’ve listened to.
Overall a 4.5 out of 5. Strongly recommend for anyone who wants to be reminded what great books can do and how YA can be a vehicle for books that are accessible to the young but just as profound as anything out there.
Component Ratings
Concept/Idea: 4 out of 5
Characters: 5 out of 5
Character Development: 5 out of 5
Plot: 3.5 out of 5
Pacing: 3.5 out of 5
Prose: 4.5 out of 5
Dialogue: 5 out of 5
Narrator performance: 5 out of 5
Ending: 5 out of 5
The Long Version: Naema Bradshaw was turned to stone by a gorgon a year ago and since then, her life has NOT gone as planned. She’s been effectively silenced by her favorite social media site and almost everyone thinks she’s the villain, though she certainly does not.
Having not read the first book in this series, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got this Audiobook ARC via NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. I was pleasantly surprised by this though.
The book, in a brilliant turn RBG would tip the cap to, uses the point of view of a black girl with magical powers to explore privilege (magical people of her kind are treated like celebrities in Portland). The portrait is insightful and nuanced and makes Naema insanely likable. Her character voice is strong, funny, unapologetic (mostly), and often misguided in the way most teens are. You root for her even when she’s clearly in the wrong, it’s beautiful character construction.
Now I typically like my fantasy stories to be packed full with non-stop action, and if that’s what you’re looking for, this isn’t it. This is a character driven story and there were definitely times in the second act I just wanted something BIGGER to happen. That being said, Naema held my attention and made this a worthy listen.
The third act of this book is a Gatling gun loaded with bricks and the final confrontation is pitch perfect and gave me literal goosebumps.
On top of great writing and great characters, the narrator of this audiobook absolutely CRUSHED IT. I felt the shade dripping from her voice and each character is fully realized by her. One of the best performances I’ve listened to.
Overall a 4.5 out of 5. Strongly recommend for anyone who wants to be reminded what great books can do and how YA can be a vehicle for books that are accessible to the young but just as profound as anything out there.
Component Ratings
Concept/Idea: 4 out of 5
Characters: 5 out of 5
Character Development: 5 out of 5
Plot: 3.5 out of 5
Pacing: 3.5 out of 5
Prose: 4.5 out of 5
Dialogue: 5 out of 5
Narrator performance: 5 out of 5
Ending: 5 out of 5
zzzz
March 17, 2024#1) A Song Below Water ★★☆☆☆
this cover needs to be framed and hung in a museum
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March 9, 2022
Enjoyed this more than the first. I think for me the first one dipped too far into the fantasy genre for my liking. There were less gargoyles and underwater creatures so the narrative was able to stand out for me more without getting too caught up in the world building.
A good coming of age story. A lot of emphasis on how they were able to control their own narratives because they had a large following on social media, this part of it felt very young which is fine cause this is definitely geared toward an audience younger than me.
I enjoyed the conversations about race and identity and privilege, but didn't love the near constant cattiness toward the antagonist of the first book (Tavia) could have said less, but still...
A pretty good YA jam. I liked it.
A good coming of age story. A lot of emphasis on how they were able to control their own narratives because they had a large following on social media, this part of it felt very young which is fine cause this is definitely geared toward an audience younger than me.
I enjoyed the conversations about race and identity and privilege, but didn't love the near constant cattiness toward the antagonist of the first book (Tavia) could have said less, but still...
A pretty good YA jam. I liked it.
March 28, 2022
For the majority of this book I found it difficult to be in Naema's point of view because she was still acting like the antagonist she was in A Song Below Water. With a big lean into the 'mean girl' attitude who thinks everything is for her and about her it was rough going, but I appreciate the character arc Naema has here and without that beginning it wouldn't be as fruitful.
It just made the first two thirds of my reading experience feel a little exasperating.
It just made the first two thirds of my reading experience feel a little exasperating.
June 1, 2021
6/1- Happy pub day to this beautiful book! I would recommend checking it out!!
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, I have dreamed of having an arc for a while now and decided to take my chances on Netgalley. To my surprise, the first arc I requested, A Chorus Rises, was accepted. I have been anticipating this book ever since I read A Song Below Water and I am extremely happy that I was given this advanced reader copy.
I definitely recommend reading the first book in this duology since everything connects back to that book and I would see someone being extremely confused as to what was going on in this book.
Even though the writing style can be confusing at some points (not counting the grammatical errors that will be fixed in the final copy), it is extremely atmospheric and interesting to the point where you become engrossed in the story. The characters really come to life and you learn to understand each of them in the roles that they take in Naemas(the MC’s) life. I also think that the articles that were incorporated into this story brought a whole other aspect to the development of the plot and the main character.
I didn’t love this as much as I liked A Song Below Water but I think I can contribute that to the main character of this book. The first book has two main characters, which fits with that part of the story, but I think that I liked those characters much more than I liked the main character of A Chorus Rises. Naema is extremely obnoxious in the beginning, pouting about how everything is pitted against her, even with her rude past. In this sequel you see her develop into a more well-rounded individual who is aware of the people around her, but she can get annoying at some parts. Despite my dislike of this character, I think this was the perfect idea for the sequel of A Song Below Water and the best pick for an MC.
Not only is the writing in this book great but it also includes SO many good discussions. It talks about how white women are quick to stand with their whiteness and black men with their gender. It talks about targeting black women and gentrification and SO MUCH MORE. And Bethany C. Morrow does it in an understandable but subtle way.
Overall the writing in this story and the interesting storyline were extremely enjoyable to read about.
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, I have dreamed of having an arc for a while now and decided to take my chances on Netgalley. To my surprise, the first arc I requested, A Chorus Rises, was accepted. I have been anticipating this book ever since I read A Song Below Water and I am extremely happy that I was given this advanced reader copy.
I definitely recommend reading the first book in this duology since everything connects back to that book and I would see someone being extremely confused as to what was going on in this book.
Even though the writing style can be confusing at some points (not counting the grammatical errors that will be fixed in the final copy), it is extremely atmospheric and interesting to the point where you become engrossed in the story. The characters really come to life and you learn to understand each of them in the roles that they take in Naemas(the MC’s) life. I also think that the articles that were incorporated into this story brought a whole other aspect to the development of the plot and the main character.
I didn’t love this as much as I liked A Song Below Water but I think I can contribute that to the main character of this book. The first book has two main characters, which fits with that part of the story, but I think that I liked those characters much more than I liked the main character of A Chorus Rises. Naema is extremely obnoxious in the beginning, pouting about how everything is pitted against her, even with her rude past. In this sequel you see her develop into a more well-rounded individual who is aware of the people around her, but she can get annoying at some parts. Despite my dislike of this character, I think this was the perfect idea for the sequel of A Song Below Water and the best pick for an MC.
Not only is the writing in this book great but it also includes SO many good discussions. It talks about how white women are quick to stand with their whiteness and black men with their gender. It talks about targeting black women and gentrification and SO MUCH MORE. And Bethany C. Morrow does it in an understandable but subtle way.
Overall the writing in this story and the interesting storyline were extremely enjoyable to read about.
June 29, 2021
I'm going to keep this one brief but explain my thoughts:
1. This book has a super cool premise. I wish I would have read the first book to get a full understanding of the series.
2. Beautiful cover. Judge it. It's gorgeous.
3. I really like the whole Influencer take with the magic powers. I've been wondering where this was hiding in books, and clearly I just haven't been looking hard enough. It gave it a really cool edge and made me very intrigued to see where the story was going.
4. I like the coming of age parts of this book too. I like seeing characters grow and learn. It's all the good parts of the high school reading I used to do - growth and experimentation. People learn and mould and grow.
Overall, I'd like to see more from Bethany C. Morrow. Excellence book!
Four out of five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
1. This book has a super cool premise. I wish I would have read the first book to get a full understanding of the series.
2. Beautiful cover. Judge it. It's gorgeous.
3. I really like the whole Influencer take with the magic powers. I've been wondering where this was hiding in books, and clearly I just haven't been looking hard enough. It gave it a really cool edge and made me very intrigued to see where the story was going.
4. I like the coming of age parts of this book too. I like seeing characters grow and learn. It's all the good parts of the high school reading I used to do - growth and experimentation. People learn and mould and grow.
Overall, I'd like to see more from Bethany C. Morrow. Excellence book!
Four out of five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
September 10, 2021
Honestly, I didn't think I was going to make it through this book. I didn't particularly care for Naema in the beginning (and that hurts to say because I usually stan magical Black girls), but she started to grow on me a little as the book progressed, though I still did not particularly like her at the end. Part of Naema's self-assuredness could rightly be attributed to her being an Eloko, but she also felt older than 17 at times, especially in her interactions with some of the adults like Leona and Officer Blake.
I was a little disappointed that the Ancestors didn't play more of a role. They were there kind of underneath the surface, and I wish they had been explored a little more. Naema's stoning more or less precipitates their presence, but how do other Eloko usually come to hear them? And how many others could?
I definitely preferred the first book in the series to this one, but I do recognize that it is difficult to take someone who is not really a sympathetic character when they are first introduced and try to turn them into a heroine.
I was a little disappointed that the Ancestors didn't play more of a role. They were there kind of underneath the surface, and I wish they had been explored a little more. Naema's stoning more or less precipitates their presence, but how do other Eloko usually come to hear them? And how many others could?
I definitely preferred the first book in the series to this one, but I do recognize that it is difficult to take someone who is not really a sympathetic character when they are first introduced and try to turn them into a heroine.
October 4, 2021
Naema’s perfect life comes crashing down when she’s cast as the person who revealed Tavia’s secret powers. Naema is determined to get back to the top, and with her online supporters, she feels empowered. However, those supporters start targeting Black girls, and Naema must use her power to put an end to it.
This book was both entertaining and important. Fantasy elements were added into issues that are relevant today. And I love Morrow’s writing style!
This book was both entertaining and important. Fantasy elements were added into issues that are relevant today. And I love Morrow’s writing style!
April 3, 2023
I had a lot of issues with the first book in this series, and unfortunately it doesn’t get any better in the sequel. Naema was an incredibly unlikeable main character - she’s selfish, vain, mean, and I hated reading from her perspective. I mean I think it's all her parents' fault - because what kind of parent gives the master bedroom to their infant child? And then turns it into a suite for them when they're thirteen? You could see where Naema's selfishness comes from but that doesn't mean it made me like her any more. It meant that by the time she does get some character growth, I just didn’t care anymore because I wasn’t enjoying myself. The worldbuilding is also just nowhere to be seen - what is an Eloko?? I didn’t get a proper explanation at all throughout the whole book. And it’s just something that you can randomly be born as? I was so confused. I never DNF books, but this was one that I honestly seriously considered DNFing, because I knew my life would not be changed by finishing it, and I hate saying that about any book. Doubly sad about not liking this one because the cover is so gorgeous, but the story is not.
May 28, 2021
I'm giving this 1 star, and that's probably being generous.
The MC is awful. I loathed her. She is a 2D, self centered, and entitled mean girl. No attempt at a redemption arc until over 75% of the way through, and then it was underdeveloped, rushed and simply too little too late....
There was no growth or development. It was more like I knew I was supposed to feel for her by the end but there were no reasons why I should. It was boring and frustrating to read her prattle on and justify her despicable behaviour. I really had to push myself to finish this book. I'm struggling to think of something nice to say about it....
The first book, A Song Below Water, was better and worth the read. But this installment was a massive disappointment. I can't say I'm inclined to pick up anything that comes after this.
The MC is awful. I loathed her. She is a 2D, self centered, and entitled mean girl. No attempt at a redemption arc until over 75% of the way through, and then it was underdeveloped, rushed and simply too little too late....
There was no growth or development. It was more like I knew I was supposed to feel for her by the end but there were no reasons why I should. It was boring and frustrating to read her prattle on and justify her despicable behaviour. I really had to push myself to finish this book. I'm struggling to think of something nice to say about it....
The first book, A Song Below Water, was better and worth the read. But this installment was a massive disappointment. I can't say I'm inclined to pick up anything that comes after this.
March 15, 2021
I wasn't expecting to feel sympathy for this book's MC who was a part protagonist in the first book. Lovely story and even better messages. A+
March 22, 2021
"I'm never gonna be okay with people trying to erase the rest of who I am. Never again."
Naema Bradshaw is THE Eloko and THE girl to be in Portland. That is, until she is outted as being the person who exposed and bullied a siren. Social media cancels her, her fans cancel her, her friends don't get her anymore, and her boyfriend is acting weird. So Naema escapes to her roots in the Southwest to get away from the drama and learn more about herself and her magic. During this escape she finds a subset of fans who have remained loyal and are ready to fight tooth-and-nail for her. But when those loyal few turn their crusade to targeting Black girls and women, under the guise that they are sirens, Naema needs to put aside her differences and learn how to use her magic to protect herself and others.
I 100% recommend reading A Song Below Water before you read this. I know in some areas that this has been advertised as being in the same world, but not necessarily connected and you can get away with just reading this but I would not agree with that. This and the first novel are 100% connected and if you want the full story you will need to read it. Otherwise things get confusing.
My rating for this is 3.5 stars. This story really shows that there is ALWAYS two-sides to every story. The story, the messages, most of the characters, and the ending are all actually a 4 star in my mind. But, unfortunately, Naema is soooooooooooooooooo hard to like at the start that I can't give this a full 4. It took me over 75% of the book to actually end up feeling for her. She was so opposed to developing herself and realizing she is part of the problem for the first three-quarters of the book that I almost didn't finish it. She resisted change so hard and had a "poor me, no one understands that I need my fame and followers to live" and goes as far to say she can't help it that she has come to live off the "status they gave her"; I was so ready to hate her throughout the whole story.
Thankfully, she does develop, change, grow, and realize her misgivings. By the end of the story I felt like I had grown with her. She went from being all about herself to the slow realization that she is lucky to be Eloko and be able to be "protected" from the racism that sirens get by being so. Naema really becomes a hero by the end and I am so thankful for that. I just wish there were shimmers of the person she is by the end throughout the beginning so I didn't want to DNF this book so bad. I wish that there was more time for Naema's redemption because it was EXTREMELY NEEDED.
The underlying message of this book that it's all fun and games while you're famous until you get outed as being a 'not-so-great' person and have to re-evaluate what is actually important in life is too true. We see it time and time again, but even less now. We see 'woke' celebrities get away with things all the time, which is an awful message.
All in all, the story was great; with so many important messages involving race and discrimination. I like to consider it The Hate U Give with a bit of fantasy on top.
As a pair, A Song Below Water and A Chorus Rises are amazing. If I were to recommend this I would say to read both one right after another, so you get the full picture.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. These are my own opinions.
Naema Bradshaw is THE Eloko and THE girl to be in Portland. That is, until she is outted as being the person who exposed and bullied a siren. Social media cancels her, her fans cancel her, her friends don't get her anymore, and her boyfriend is acting weird. So Naema escapes to her roots in the Southwest to get away from the drama and learn more about herself and her magic. During this escape she finds a subset of fans who have remained loyal and are ready to fight tooth-and-nail for her. But when those loyal few turn their crusade to targeting Black girls and women, under the guise that they are sirens, Naema needs to put aside her differences and learn how to use her magic to protect herself and others.
I 100% recommend reading A Song Below Water before you read this. I know in some areas that this has been advertised as being in the same world, but not necessarily connected and you can get away with just reading this but I would not agree with that. This and the first novel are 100% connected and if you want the full story you will need to read it. Otherwise things get confusing.
My rating for this is 3.5 stars. This story really shows that there is ALWAYS two-sides to every story. The story, the messages, most of the characters, and the ending are all actually a 4 star in my mind. But, unfortunately, Naema is soooooooooooooooooo hard to like at the start that I can't give this a full 4. It took me over 75% of the book to actually end up feeling for her. She was so opposed to developing herself and realizing she is part of the problem for the first three-quarters of the book that I almost didn't finish it. She resisted change so hard and had a "poor me, no one understands that I need my fame and followers to live" and goes as far to say she can't help it that she has come to live off the "status they gave her"; I was so ready to hate her throughout the whole story.
Thankfully, she does develop, change, grow, and realize her misgivings. By the end of the story I felt like I had grown with her. She went from being all about herself to the slow realization that she is lucky to be Eloko and be able to be "protected" from the racism that sirens get by being so. Naema really becomes a hero by the end and I am so thankful for that. I just wish there were shimmers of the person she is by the end throughout the beginning so I didn't want to DNF this book so bad. I wish that there was more time for Naema's redemption because it was EXTREMELY NEEDED.
The underlying message of this book that it's all fun and games while you're famous until you get outed as being a 'not-so-great' person and have to re-evaluate what is actually important in life is too true. We see it time and time again, but even less now. We see 'woke' celebrities get away with things all the time, which is an awful message.
All in all, the story was great; with so many important messages involving race and discrimination. I like to consider it The Hate U Give with a bit of fantasy on top.
As a pair, A Song Below Water and A Chorus Rises are amazing. If I were to recommend this I would say to read both one right after another, so you get the full picture.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. These are my own opinions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2021
DNF @ 77%
I was so excited for this book, but it just wasn't what I was hoping for it to be. I loved A Song Below Water, and when I saw this sequel focuses on Naema, who is arguably the villain of the first book, I was really intrigued.
While I do love the growth that Naema goes through in this book, she's still that mean girl. Maybe I knew too many mean girls in school myself, but I just couldn't get behind Naema as a protagonist. She's still extremely self-centered through most of this book, even as she's coming to some realizations about what it means to be "eloko first" versus her identity as a black woman. There is so much rich commentary here about race and privilege, internet fame, who is given a "voice" and why... It's just frustrating that we need to wade through chapters and chapters of Naema's pettiness and selfishness to get there. I just... I can't get behind someone who is like "I'm spoiled and I own that. So what?" Bleh. I did, however, ADORE Naema's relatives, and her cousin Courtney is what kept me reading much of the time.
I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Cherise Boothe and Eboni Flowers. Cherise Booth does an amazing job of conveying Naema as our narrator, and I love that she gives each character their own unique voice. She really made it easy to fully immerse myself in the book. Eboni Flowers narrates the inter-chapter mixed media parts and also does an amazing job. 5 stars for the narration.
This is the second book in the A Song Below Water series, and while I'm seeing it billed as a stand-alone I think you really need to read A Song Below Water to get the full effect of this book.
A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
I was so excited for this book, but it just wasn't what I was hoping for it to be. I loved A Song Below Water, and when I saw this sequel focuses on Naema, who is arguably the villain of the first book, I was really intrigued.
While I do love the growth that Naema goes through in this book, she's still that mean girl. Maybe I knew too many mean girls in school myself, but I just couldn't get behind Naema as a protagonist. She's still extremely self-centered through most of this book, even as she's coming to some realizations about what it means to be "eloko first" versus her identity as a black woman. There is so much rich commentary here about race and privilege, internet fame, who is given a "voice" and why... It's just frustrating that we need to wade through chapters and chapters of Naema's pettiness and selfishness to get there. I just... I can't get behind someone who is like "I'm spoiled and I own that. So what?" Bleh. I did, however, ADORE Naema's relatives, and her cousin Courtney is what kept me reading much of the time.
I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Cherise Boothe and Eboni Flowers. Cherise Booth does an amazing job of conveying Naema as our narrator, and I love that she gives each character their own unique voice. She really made it easy to fully immerse myself in the book. Eboni Flowers narrates the inter-chapter mixed media parts and also does an amazing job. 5 stars for the narration.
This is the second book in the A Song Below Water series, and while I'm seeing it billed as a stand-alone I think you really need to read A Song Below Water to get the full effect of this book.
A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
April 29, 2021
Disclaimer: I received A Chorus Rises free of charge from NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge. It was my choice to read and review.
After recently finishing A Song Below Water, I was excited to dive into this one. But, it did not live up to my expectations.
At first, when I started reading and saw it was going to be from Naema's point of view, I thought we might have a "Nesta" moment in this book. Meaning that this character, who readers didn't like from her mean girl attitude in the other book might redeem herself and we might understand her a bit more and dare I say even like her?? Unfortunately, the impact of Naema's journey did not hit me the way I was hoping it would. I did like the way it ended and enjoyed some of the last scenes but was left thinking "meh" instead of "wow" like I was hoping.
I already thought the first book could have had more detailed world-building so this one was a huge disappointment and didn't really add anything in terms of world-building. Also, the scenes from the first one I liked that had magical and mythological creatures and elements were nonexistent in this one so it didn't feel like it belonged in the same series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Stalking
After recently finishing A Song Below Water, I was excited to dive into this one. But, it did not live up to my expectations.
At first, when I started reading and saw it was going to be from Naema's point of view, I thought we might have a "Nesta" moment in this book. Meaning that this character, who readers didn't like from her mean girl attitude in the other book might redeem herself and we might understand her a bit more and dare I say even like her?? Unfortunately, the impact of Naema's journey did not hit me the way I was hoping it would. I did like the way it ended and enjoyed some of the last scenes but was left thinking "meh" instead of "wow" like I was hoping.
I already thought the first book could have had more detailed world-building so this one was a huge disappointment and didn't really add anything in terms of world-building. Also, the scenes from the first one I liked that had magical and mythological creatures and elements were nonexistent in this one so it didn't feel like it belonged in the same series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Stalking
dnf
July 28, 2021DNF @ 44%
Imma be honest. I’m not liking this one as much as I liked A Song Below Water. Naema is a spoiled brat who thinks the world revolves around her, and she doesn’t see that her actions have consequences.
I am very thankful to Tor for the ARC, and a finished copy of this book. Receiving these materials in no way impacted my review.
Imma be honest. I’m not liking this one as much as I liked A Song Below Water. Naema is a spoiled brat who thinks the world revolves around her, and she doesn’t see that her actions have consequences.
I am very thankful to Tor for the ARC, and a finished copy of this book. Receiving these materials in no way impacted my review.
June 9, 2021
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: racism
Reading Naema's POV was an examination of how quickly the world can turn on us. On apologies that go unheard and 'villains' that are created. A Chorus Rises explores the images and identity of Naema. Her role in the magical community, and as a black girl, casts shadows on her life. The ways that misrepresentation and a lack of voice can change our story. We all want to be the hero of our own story, to see our version of reality, and so having our voice ignored, especially after having a voice, changes Naema's world.
A Chorus Rises made me question internet fame and support. How quickly fear can be mobilized. How the perspectives of who is right and who is heard shifts with the wind. All these elements, and pieces of Naema's identity play off each other as she struggles to get a handle on the story and world around her. While I loved watching Naema's story, I felt that the ending was wrapped up a bit too hastily, especially considering the lead up. At around 20% there were all these new layers added that I was looking forward to wrapping up, but I just wished there had been a little more space.
full review; https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
TW: racism
Reading Naema's POV was an examination of how quickly the world can turn on us. On apologies that go unheard and 'villains' that are created. A Chorus Rises explores the images and identity of Naema. Her role in the magical community, and as a black girl, casts shadows on her life. The ways that misrepresentation and a lack of voice can change our story. We all want to be the hero of our own story, to see our version of reality, and so having our voice ignored, especially after having a voice, changes Naema's world.
A Chorus Rises made me question internet fame and support. How quickly fear can be mobilized. How the perspectives of who is right and who is heard shifts with the wind. All these elements, and pieces of Naema's identity play off each other as she struggles to get a handle on the story and world around her. While I loved watching Naema's story, I felt that the ending was wrapped up a bit too hastily, especially considering the lead up. At around 20% there were all these new layers added that I was looking forward to wrapping up, but I just wished there had been a little more space.
full review; https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
July 10, 2021
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I honestly don't know how to rate this nor how to review this.
One the one hand, I liked the political message and the plot but on the other hand I didn't really like the characters and thought some things needed more depth. So to say I'm on the fence about A Chorus Rises is not an overstatement.
The book follows Naema who was, in a way, portrayed as the villain in A Chorus Rises' predecessor, A Song Below Water. This book posed as a redemption of some sort for her after getting slandered online for her actions and getting cancelled by many of her fans and her own Eloko community. Things start to spiral after a group of diehard fans of hers start exposing black women and girls as sirens online in her name. It's up to Naema to reconcile with the past in order to help fix the present and to stop the perpetrators before it's too late.
I liked the plot and the whole idea of this book: for there to be redemption for what I have always felt was a very misunderstood character. I wanted glimpses into Naema and yes while there was some justification for why she did the things she has done in book one, I wanted more of it, I wanted to understand it better... I wanter to understand her better but I felt like I still didn't get the layers to her character that I've always wanted. In that sense, the book didn't add anything to her for me and I kept wishing for character depth instead of the shallowness I seemed to get. Even with her character, there were bouts of characterisation, dialogue and behaviour that didn't seem to correlate sometimes. For example, sometimes Naema would be nice and pleasant and others she'd be arrogant and rude with no in between or any explanation for this change in behaviour. I wanted that to be dragged out a bit more, I wanted more of a transition from rude Naema into kind Naema instead of it going from A to B very quickly.
Following on with that point, Naema became one with her Eloko soul after immersing herself with her family and family history. I wanted that to be explored but I felt like I was just told that without it really being shown. I wanted to see those changes in characterisation and I wanted to see how becoming one with herself has changed Naema's outlook on self and identity. I felt like if there was more emphasis on that then it would've improved the book a lot and it would've created a lot of empathy towards Naema which I believe was the author's initial intention.
Pacing wise, I felt like things were either too slow or too fast as in, with the first half of the book, I felt like the pacing was slow, however, when it came to the end of the book, everything seemed to happen at once. It even took me a long time to process it all. The ending felt really rushed and everything was told to the reader regarding the plot. I believe myself to be quite attentive while reading however, when reading through all the things the cast of characters discovered, I was asking myself "wait did that actually happen? Did I read about that?" or "Hang on, oh that makes more sense" which shouldn't've happened considering all the conclusions made towards the end should've been drawn from previously revealed information in the book. There were lots of things I discovered at the end that really should've been revealed earlier. If those conclusions were drawn earlier and not towards the end, it would've made the book feel less rushed towards the end and would've created a steady flow of events.
Apart from that and the few grammatical errors I found (which is to be expected from a early ARC), I did enjoy the socio-political commentary and thought that was done well. I liked how we could also see Naema's thoughts and feelings towards Eloko, sirens and her Black community and thought that was handled by the author extremely well just like her previous novel, A Song Below Water also did.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.1 STARS
I honestly don't know how to rate this nor how to review this.
One the one hand, I liked the political message and the plot but on the other hand I didn't really like the characters and thought some things needed more depth. So to say I'm on the fence about A Chorus Rises is not an overstatement.
The book follows Naema who was, in a way, portrayed as the villain in A Chorus Rises' predecessor, A Song Below Water. This book posed as a redemption of some sort for her after getting slandered online for her actions and getting cancelled by many of her fans and her own Eloko community. Things start to spiral after a group of diehard fans of hers start exposing black women and girls as sirens online in her name. It's up to Naema to reconcile with the past in order to help fix the present and to stop the perpetrators before it's too late.
I liked the plot and the whole idea of this book: for there to be redemption for what I have always felt was a very misunderstood character. I wanted glimpses into Naema and yes while there was some justification for why she did the things she has done in book one, I wanted more of it, I wanted to understand it better... I wanter to understand her better but I felt like I still didn't get the layers to her character that I've always wanted. In that sense, the book didn't add anything to her for me and I kept wishing for character depth instead of the shallowness I seemed to get. Even with her character, there were bouts of characterisation, dialogue and behaviour that didn't seem to correlate sometimes. For example, sometimes Naema would be nice and pleasant and others she'd be arrogant and rude with no in between or any explanation for this change in behaviour. I wanted that to be dragged out a bit more, I wanted more of a transition from rude Naema into kind Naema instead of it going from A to B very quickly.
Following on with that point, Naema became one with her Eloko soul after immersing herself with her family and family history. I wanted that to be explored but I felt like I was just told that without it really being shown. I wanted to see those changes in characterisation and I wanted to see how becoming one with herself has changed Naema's outlook on self and identity. I felt like if there was more emphasis on that then it would've improved the book a lot and it would've created a lot of empathy towards Naema which I believe was the author's initial intention.
Pacing wise, I felt like things were either too slow or too fast as in, with the first half of the book, I felt like the pacing was slow, however, when it came to the end of the book, everything seemed to happen at once. It even took me a long time to process it all. The ending felt really rushed and everything was told to the reader regarding the plot. I believe myself to be quite attentive while reading however, when reading through all the things the cast of characters discovered, I was asking myself "wait did that actually happen? Did I read about that?" or "Hang on, oh that makes more sense" which shouldn't've happened considering all the conclusions made towards the end should've been drawn from previously revealed information in the book. There were lots of things I discovered at the end that really should've been revealed earlier. If those conclusions were drawn earlier and not towards the end, it would've made the book feel less rushed towards the end and would've created a steady flow of events.
Apart from that and the few grammatical errors I found (which is to be expected from a early ARC), I did enjoy the socio-political commentary and thought that was done well. I liked how we could also see Naema's thoughts and feelings towards Eloko, sirens and her Black community and thought that was handled by the author extremely well just like her previous novel, A Song Below Water also did.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.1 STARS
July 8, 2021
WARNING: SPOILERS
“Whatever you think I can do or will do, I promise, you don’t.”
While Naema is an antagonist in A Song Below Water, she is surely not a villain because frankly, in my opinion, teen girls cannot be villains—especially girls who are victims, like Naema. Although, as Morrow writes, “Victims can have victims”.
A Chorus Rises picks up a year after the events of the first book and is told from Naema’s point of view. It has sections of online articles and messaging transcripts mixed in, which I thought broadened the world and grounded it. Naema is described as a popular girl in the first book with an online following on Eloko Verified, also known as LOVE, which is explored more here. We’re also privy to Naema’s personal journey of dealing with life after being Stoned and her identity not only as Eloko but as a Black girl. It is all incredibly well done and written with delicacy and care.
"At least the story I’m going to tell will be true. At least they’ll know at last, who the real villain is.”
What Morrow does wonderfully is take real life situations and put them in a fantastical space that I really love. Noting this, I think it’s interesting how most girls’ problems and interests are trivialized, but not these girls. Something that was between two girls, Tavia and Naema, became a movie that spurred a website, an exile of THE Eloko Princess and a whole lot of mess. Tavia and Naema are not only victims to each other, but also to others, though they’re both just magical Black girls who made mistakes.
It’s as if there was only one girl allowed to be loved at a given moment in time—which is completely vile—and in this book, Tavia is basking in newfound popularity while Naema’s life is in constant readjustment after she was awakened. Feeling betrayed, she decides to leave Portland altogether, even if it’s only to visit her family in the southwest for a while.
It was really cool to learn more Eloko lore, which I was really interested in back when I first read ASBW, and it was also cool to pick up with Tavia and see her growth. However, let’s not get it confused, this is Naema’s story. As someone who loves when family dynamics are explored in literature, I love that Naema is not only able to connect to her living relatives she previously had little connection with, but she is also able to tap into a lost Eloko power and connect with her ancestors. Through this power, we see her develop her more empathy than what we already saw in ASBW. While she did harmful things in the first book, she inevitably still remains true to the network and doesn’t expose their secrets, despite the harm they cause her. Naema could’ve been spiteful, and many times over but she isn’t, not really, especially to those who aren’t deserving of it. All she wanted was for Tavia and Effie’s actions to be held accountable in the same way she was.
“What we’re not gonna do is start thanking our attackers for our personal growth.”
Naema is no martyr, hero, or symbol for anyone’s cause. She is Eloko and a Black girl and neither cancels out the other, which I love most about her. She is guided by Naema and she never stops loving herself. I think what’s really great about this book is it recontextualizes the events of the first book, that no one lives in a bubble and everyone’s choices have consequences. I think what a lot of people, including myself, misunderstood about Naema is that she is not someone who thinks “I am better than you”. She simply states with every fiber of her being “I am worthy”, and for that I love and respect her character so so much!
This book is fantastic for so many reasons that I want to get into now. Again, the ancestral wisdom that Naema wields is so cool, I think I need another book with her, or maybe we can pick up with her and Effie in a third installment—I’m just not ready to completely leave this world yet. Then, there are the scenes when she is visiting her cousin in prison and I really appreciate prison scenes in YA because a lot of us have had family members, even multiple ones, in prison. And though I don’t want to necessarily normalize prison, I think it’s great how Morrow sheds light on the experience of seeing loved ones in that space and the effort that goes into those visits. I also just appreciate the discussion about the prison industrial complex as a whole because a lot of people, if not most, are locked away unjustly. Then, there’s Courtney. I absolutely love his character and how he interacts with Naema. From the nicknames to the extended family details, I just thought this aspect was awesome. Since we really only saw Naema as a mean girl in the first book, thanks to Tavia and Effie’s narration, it was nice to see her as the same girl, but not just an antagonist. This book shows that there’s more than one side to every story. Instead of trying to redeem Naema, this book allows her to learn from her mistakes and finds the commonality between her and Tavia. Most importantly I love how Naema does not stand for the erasure of her Blackness, it’s truly profound.
Also, something that Morrow does with this book as she did with her first is to examine and indict the systems at play, as she put it in our past interview. As noted, she does this with the prison system as well as with discussions of privilege, race, and how the interplay of these things can impact liability and social status in and out of the social media sphere. Morrow pushes readers to consider how Black girls are pit against each other and how Black and Brown people are made to believe we’re only worthy as ‘tokens’. I adored the first book last year and even reread it for a third time before I read this one but man, I must say, A Chorus Rises is a sequel that knocks its predecessor out of being my #1 Bethany C. Morrow book. It’s really amazing and captures a type of character I think we need more of. Naema Bradshaw is unapologetic, confident, and snarky—which if she were a male character I’m sure there’d be more fanfare— but that’s a discussion for another day. Speaking of fanfare, I really liked how Naema had a whole fanbase and how we see that shift due to the events of the first novel and the uprise of the Knights of Naema site. The way that Morrow calls out the super weird side of stan culture and palatability.
Overall, this book felt really meta, like the first few chapters were really Morrow taking jabs at herself or even reiterating hate comments and reviews and I live for that kind of self-referential playfulness. As a huge fan of Morrow as an author and person, I can’t wait to read her next book, which won’t be long since So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix is out September 7th! Pre-Order it now!
Check out my blog post and others like it on Pine Reads Review!
link: The Exiled Eloko Princess: Naema Tells Her Side | Looking at A Chorus Rises
“Whatever you think I can do or will do, I promise, you don’t.”
While Naema is an antagonist in A Song Below Water, she is surely not a villain because frankly, in my opinion, teen girls cannot be villains—especially girls who are victims, like Naema. Although, as Morrow writes, “Victims can have victims”.
A Chorus Rises picks up a year after the events of the first book and is told from Naema’s point of view. It has sections of online articles and messaging transcripts mixed in, which I thought broadened the world and grounded it. Naema is described as a popular girl in the first book with an online following on Eloko Verified, also known as LOVE, which is explored more here. We’re also privy to Naema’s personal journey of dealing with life after being Stoned and her identity not only as Eloko but as a Black girl. It is all incredibly well done and written with delicacy and care.
"At least the story I’m going to tell will be true. At least they’ll know at last, who the real villain is.”
What Morrow does wonderfully is take real life situations and put them in a fantastical space that I really love. Noting this, I think it’s interesting how most girls’ problems and interests are trivialized, but not these girls. Something that was between two girls, Tavia and Naema, became a movie that spurred a website, an exile of THE Eloko Princess and a whole lot of mess. Tavia and Naema are not only victims to each other, but also to others, though they’re both just magical Black girls who made mistakes.
It’s as if there was only one girl allowed to be loved at a given moment in time—which is completely vile—and in this book, Tavia is basking in newfound popularity while Naema’s life is in constant readjustment after she was awakened. Feeling betrayed, she decides to leave Portland altogether, even if it’s only to visit her family in the southwest for a while.
It was really cool to learn more Eloko lore, which I was really interested in back when I first read ASBW, and it was also cool to pick up with Tavia and see her growth. However, let’s not get it confused, this is Naema’s story. As someone who loves when family dynamics are explored in literature, I love that Naema is not only able to connect to her living relatives she previously had little connection with, but she is also able to tap into a lost Eloko power and connect with her ancestors. Through this power, we see her develop her more empathy than what we already saw in ASBW. While she did harmful things in the first book, she inevitably still remains true to the network and doesn’t expose their secrets, despite the harm they cause her. Naema could’ve been spiteful, and many times over but she isn’t, not really, especially to those who aren’t deserving of it. All she wanted was for Tavia and Effie’s actions to be held accountable in the same way she was.
“What we’re not gonna do is start thanking our attackers for our personal growth.”
Naema is no martyr, hero, or symbol for anyone’s cause. She is Eloko and a Black girl and neither cancels out the other, which I love most about her. She is guided by Naema and she never stops loving herself. I think what’s really great about this book is it recontextualizes the events of the first book, that no one lives in a bubble and everyone’s choices have consequences. I think what a lot of people, including myself, misunderstood about Naema is that she is not someone who thinks “I am better than you”. She simply states with every fiber of her being “I am worthy”, and for that I love and respect her character so so much!
This book is fantastic for so many reasons that I want to get into now. Again, the ancestral wisdom that Naema wields is so cool, I think I need another book with her, or maybe we can pick up with her and Effie in a third installment—I’m just not ready to completely leave this world yet. Then, there are the scenes when she is visiting her cousin in prison and I really appreciate prison scenes in YA because a lot of us have had family members, even multiple ones, in prison. And though I don’t want to necessarily normalize prison, I think it’s great how Morrow sheds light on the experience of seeing loved ones in that space and the effort that goes into those visits. I also just appreciate the discussion about the prison industrial complex as a whole because a lot of people, if not most, are locked away unjustly. Then, there’s Courtney. I absolutely love his character and how he interacts with Naema. From the nicknames to the extended family details, I just thought this aspect was awesome. Since we really only saw Naema as a mean girl in the first book, thanks to Tavia and Effie’s narration, it was nice to see her as the same girl, but not just an antagonist. This book shows that there’s more than one side to every story. Instead of trying to redeem Naema, this book allows her to learn from her mistakes and finds the commonality between her and Tavia. Most importantly I love how Naema does not stand for the erasure of her Blackness, it’s truly profound.
Also, something that Morrow does with this book as she did with her first is to examine and indict the systems at play, as she put it in our past interview. As noted, she does this with the prison system as well as with discussions of privilege, race, and how the interplay of these things can impact liability and social status in and out of the social media sphere. Morrow pushes readers to consider how Black girls are pit against each other and how Black and Brown people are made to believe we’re only worthy as ‘tokens’. I adored the first book last year and even reread it for a third time before I read this one but man, I must say, A Chorus Rises is a sequel that knocks its predecessor out of being my #1 Bethany C. Morrow book. It’s really amazing and captures a type of character I think we need more of. Naema Bradshaw is unapologetic, confident, and snarky—which if she were a male character I’m sure there’d be more fanfare— but that’s a discussion for another day. Speaking of fanfare, I really liked how Naema had a whole fanbase and how we see that shift due to the events of the first novel and the uprise of the Knights of Naema site. The way that Morrow calls out the super weird side of stan culture and palatability.
Overall, this book felt really meta, like the first few chapters were really Morrow taking jabs at herself or even reiterating hate comments and reviews and I live for that kind of self-referential playfulness. As a huge fan of Morrow as an author and person, I can’t wait to read her next book, which won’t be long since So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix is out September 7th! Pre-Order it now!
Check out my blog post and others like it on Pine Reads Review!
link: The Exiled Eloko Princess: Naema Tells Her Side | Looking at A Chorus Rises
January 2, 2022
Every mean girl is the proagonist of her own story and it is time for Naema Bradshaw to tell hers. In book one, Naema is made out to be a villain in the life of Tavia Phillips and now that Tavia's adventures have been made into a movie, Naema's life in Portland has been turned upside down. The community has become enamored with sirens like Tavia, who were once hated and feared and forced into hiding. And although Naema is just as magical, since she is an eloko, her once adoring fans are now beginning to question her worthiness.
Naema decides to leave Portland for the first time in her life to visit extended family. Once there, she learns more about what it means to be an eloko, and more importantly, what it means to be a Black girl, even one whose eloko privelage has largely protected her from what many other Black women experience. When a group of online fans begin targetting Black women and girls as suspected sirens using protecting Naema as an excuse, it's time for Naema to set things right.
Naema decides to leave Portland for the first time in her life to visit extended family. Once there, she learns more about what it means to be an eloko, and more importantly, what it means to be a Black girl, even one whose eloko privelage has largely protected her from what many other Black women experience. When a group of online fans begin targetting Black women and girls as suspected sirens using protecting Naema as an excuse, it's time for Naema to set things right.
April 12, 2023
3.5⭐️ A Chorus Rises is a spin-off to A Song Above Water, but the story is told from Naema's perspective. Naema was a villain in the first book, and I was curious to see how things impacted her. Overall, the book was okay, it took longer than I expected to get to the root of the story. The narrators for the book did a great job bringing the characters to life. I did like the ending of the story.
June 24, 2021
3.5 stars
A Chorus Rises is the sequel to A Song Below Water, 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 A Song Below Water, 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!
June 18, 2021
Thank you Tor Books for an advanced reader of this book! This review is my own.
I enjoyed this book more than the first one. I am not sure if it is because the character development was stronger or what it was, but I did actually enjoy Naema's perspective a lot. If you remember, she was the mean girl in the first book and was painted as such in the up-coming film about Tavia's (POV from first book) life. So as one does, she leaves to go live with estranged-family.
Being an Eloko, Naema has lived off of her status and her powers, but her estranged-family doesn't care about any of that. They will love her for who she is and not her labels, and that is something she has to soul-search for. When soul-searching, she may also see where her ancestors are from.
This book was different in the fact it included a lot of mix-media! I actually really enjoyed that addition. As with the last book, there is a lot of talk about privilege, race, and how Black women are portrayed. What I really did love is that she took someone who was the antagonist in one book, and built on that and created a very great character arc.
I honestly feel like these books would make a great movie franchise.
I enjoyed this book more than the first one. I am not sure if it is because the character development was stronger or what it was, but I did actually enjoy Naema's perspective a lot. If you remember, she was the mean girl in the first book and was painted as such in the up-coming film about Tavia's (POV from first book) life. So as one does, she leaves to go live with estranged-family.
Being an Eloko, Naema has lived off of her status and her powers, but her estranged-family doesn't care about any of that. They will love her for who she is and not her labels, and that is something she has to soul-search for. When soul-searching, she may also see where her ancestors are from.
This book was different in the fact it included a lot of mix-media! I actually really enjoyed that addition. As with the last book, there is a lot of talk about privilege, race, and how Black women are portrayed. What I really did love is that she took someone who was the antagonist in one book, and built on that and created a very great character arc.
I honestly feel like these books would make a great movie franchise.
July 3, 2021
I am incredibly biased and we have to admit that upfront. I still remember seeing this cover get released and I was obsessed; in all honesty it's what finally made me pick up the first book in this duology. I also have to say that this book is nothing like I would have expected it to be. Naema Bradshaw is the archetypal character that I am instantly drawn too. Here I think that Morrow is able to pull of the rehabilitated "It Girl" in a way that I haven't seen before. It's not a long book but we get to see growth and layers in characters that I find lacking. I hesitate to call anything that happens in the book allegory as the fantastical elements are literal in the world the book takes place in, but it has that same quality in explaining the layers of growth and character evolution. I already had a good time my first time with these characters and getting to see Naema and her family was just that much better. I'm officially a Bethany C. Morrow stan, I truly feel sorry for the people that aren't enjoying because it simply could never be me.
February 24, 2022
actual rating: 3.5 stars
rep: black cast
naema is a compelling character to read about. portrayed as the mean girl, naema finds herself being dragged online when she was previously adored by the masses. the privilege and status that came with being an eloko was brought to light and naema soon finds herself questioning the norm. as she left portland to visit her larger family, naema finds out that they didn’t care whether she’s eloko or not. consistently surrounded by family, it’s easy for naema to stay in the present. however, she’s reminded about portland whenever she checked social media and things got worse when a subforum sprung up.
i liked naema’s perspective. majority of the book is about her growing and learning about herself and the outside world. i loved her interactions with her family, especially courtney. naema doesn’t hesitate to state her opinions and is opening up to other perspectives.
a chorus rises was a great continuation to a song below water. it’s interesting to read from naema’s point-of-view considering the relationship she had with tavia in the first book.
rep: black cast
naema is a compelling character to read about. portrayed as the mean girl, naema finds herself being dragged online when she was previously adored by the masses. the privilege and status that came with being an eloko was brought to light and naema soon finds herself questioning the norm. as she left portland to visit her larger family, naema finds out that they didn’t care whether she’s eloko or not. consistently surrounded by family, it’s easy for naema to stay in the present. however, she’s reminded about portland whenever she checked social media and things got worse when a subforum sprung up.
i liked naema’s perspective. majority of the book is about her growing and learning about herself and the outside world. i loved her interactions with her family, especially courtney. naema doesn’t hesitate to state her opinions and is opening up to other perspectives.
a chorus rises was a great continuation to a song below water. it’s interesting to read from naema’s point-of-view considering the relationship she had with tavia in the first book.
October 3, 2024
A Chorus Rises is the sequel to A Song Below Water and once again immerses you in a world of black girl magic, this time from the POV of Naema. Naema was the stereotypical mean girl character of book 1 and her story was a complicated examination of both her experiences – and how that differed to Tavia’s in book 1 – and the potential complications of a society ill prepared to uplift more than one type of powerful black girl.
I liked this book, or rather I liked enough elements of this book that overall I cannot fault it. Morrow tackled some big issues, specifically around the way the world cannot conceptualise much less accept more than a single type of empowered black woman. But I also intensely disliked Naema and her frustrating inability to self-reflect on what a shitty person she had been. She got there in the end but oh man did this girl drag her heels when it came to reviewing her actions and reflecting on her behaviour. And that really impacted my ability to enjoy this book.
I have decided to rate it on the higher side because I think the conversation Morrow inspires is too important to overshadow but I don’t think this is a story I will re-read purely for my inability to tolerate this almost unrepentant bully.
I liked this book, or rather I liked enough elements of this book that overall I cannot fault it. Morrow tackled some big issues, specifically around the way the world cannot conceptualise much less accept more than a single type of empowered black woman. But I also intensely disliked Naema and her frustrating inability to self-reflect on what a shitty person she had been. She got there in the end but oh man did this girl drag her heels when it came to reviewing her actions and reflecting on her behaviour. And that really impacted my ability to enjoy this book.
I have decided to rate it on the higher side because I think the conversation Morrow inspires is too important to overshadow but I don’t think this is a story I will re-read purely for my inability to tolerate this almost unrepentant bully.
April 27, 2021
wowwww, this was so enjoyable to read! i was super curious about this book because of naema's role in the past book in this universe, and how Bethany C Morrow would handle her character. and i was so pleasantly surprised!
i love how real world issues are handled in this fantasy world. the blend of them is so fantastic and it makes the world feel so real. i will admit that the previous book in this series got a little confusing for me, but in this book i felt super comfortable in the world. the characters were amazing, I love naema and her whole family - plus all the friendships we were introduced too. i also love how Bethany C Morrow writes her dialogue - the characters read so well and speak like actual teenagers, which makes them so feel so realistic.
this book really surprised me and i definitely recommend it, and this series in general.
huge thank you to Tor Teen and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
i love how real world issues are handled in this fantasy world. the blend of them is so fantastic and it makes the world feel so real. i will admit that the previous book in this series got a little confusing for me, but in this book i felt super comfortable in the world. the characters were amazing, I love naema and her whole family - plus all the friendships we were introduced too. i also love how Bethany C Morrow writes her dialogue - the characters read so well and speak like actual teenagers, which makes them so feel so realistic.
this book really surprised me and i definitely recommend it, and this series in general.
huge thank you to Tor Teen and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
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