Bethany C. Morrow

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...

A Song Below Water novel

A Chorus Rises

Briar's Reviews

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.

Shareca

One of the best stories I have read in 2021 so far. A fabulous and magical story that is written so well with such well-rounded characters. There is something about realism within the fantastical, and I love that about A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow. This is about teenagers trying to figure out who they are as a whole: racism, xenophobia, family, friendship, staying true, all of it. We are constantly reminded that we are bigger than our worst moments, no matter how complicated we are.

tina

2.5 stars

thank you to netgalley and publisher for sending an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Chorus Rises is a companion novel that could be read as a standalone. However, it did not feel like that at all. When I started this book, I had absolutely no idea what was happening-- the terms confused me, I didn't fully understand the powers any of the creatures mentioned had, or the network that they kept referring to. And by the end of the book, I still wouldn't be able to explain fully what the magic was. I understand that my reading experience was completely hindered by the fact that I did not read the first book, so perhaps it will be different for those who have read it. Furthermore, I did not really love the main character. For a good half of the book I felt like she was too self-centered and ignorant of everyone else around her. I also felt that her friends and her boyfriend weren't even really genuinely good to her and I found them to be annoying at times. The only characters that I really liked were the ones from her family, especially her cousin, Courtney, who was such a delight to read. His interactions with Naema were always so entertaining, and I love that fact that they were able to form a tighter bond by the end of the book. That being said, I did like the development that Naema goes through by the end of the novel.

What I appreciate about this book though was how it was able to tackle important topics in such a unique way. I really love the fact that the themes were consistent throughout the book-- the way it talks about how women can not like each other without it becoming an anti-feminist statement and how the prejudices against black people was such a prominent discussion throughout the book were done well.

Personally, I did not really enjoy this book but as I've stated above, it was mainly because I couldn't really grasp the fantasy elements in it. Nonetheless, I didn't really hate it because there were still aspects that I really liked about it. 


  "what we're not gonna do is start thanking our attackers for our personal growth."

Kendra Negron

DNF really early on. I couldn’t get passed the writing. So much telling and info dumping. I wanted to like this so bad.

laura

* I got this book for review from the publisher*

I have always loved the world building in this series. I have also really enjoyed the focus African American characters as well and the rich world the morrow built. I did not love the main character in this read, and think that was sort of the point. I really did love all the side characters. She def had a arc throughout this read. I liked the second half of this read, a lot more then the first half when the "siren" drama from book 1 came back and had to addressed. I loved the side plot of the the lead cousin so much and would love to see more of him in other works in this world. It was fast pace read as we got to the end. I enjoyed it!!

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[outing themes, forced fantastical outing, fantastical discrimination, racial discrimination, panic attack, doxxing, racial profiling (hide spoiler)]

For the majority of this book, I wouldn't say that I enjoyed my reading experience. But I don't want that to deter you from this sequel. Because parts of A Chorus Rises are supposed to feel uncomfortable and make you question how you really feel. 

The second book in A Song Below Water follows the antagonist from the first book, Naema. And for a large portion of the book she still very much feels like the "mean girl". But Morrow creates an incredible arc of growth and learning, both in the main character and the reader themselves. 

This is a book that forces you to consider all sides of a situation, particularly when considering types of discrimination. It depicts the anger and hurt of people who experience daily discrimination with striking clarity. And this is what truly brought the book home for me. 

The way that Morrow uses a fictional story to elicit such feelings and ongoing thoughts is worth a standing ovation. The way in which the fantasy and continuation of the story itself as well deserve the same. 

Please note, I am not a reviewer of colour and I HIGHLY recommend you check out some #ownvoice reviewers for this title.


  Note: Review copy received from NetGalley. This does not impact opinions within this review.


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Happy reading! ❤

Becca Futrell

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for providing me with an e-ARC of A Chorus Rises in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this is one of those books where I don't have much to say. It was fine. I like the magical elements but it felt like they were pushed too much into the background of the story. I did enjoy the last quarter of the book the most, because ~cute~ and ~friendship~.

Wren Hardwick

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.

Catalina Petre

Thank you Netgally for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 
I did not read the first book of Bethany C. Morrow, A song below water, but I decided to go ahead and read this one as it was presented as taking place in the same universe, but not a sequel. I will say that the start of the book was a bit confusing, so I now think that reading the first book might have helped with the required prior knowledge. Having said that, I absolutely loved the book. 
This is the story of Naema Bradshaw, a Portland Eloko who is a famous influencer. The book starts with an event that causes Naema to become a bit of a persona non grata in her city, she calls it ‘Upside Down Portland.’ Nothing is at it was before. She is no longer the most famous, loved, celebrated, and sought after magical being. Her place has been taken by a siren, Tavia, the person who caused Naema the most pain and suffering. How did the victim become the villain? Read the book and find out?
I loved the characters and their interactions. Naema starts by reading like a spoilt princess who gets everything she sets her mind do, who is mean to her friends and not too nice to her boyfriend. She is suffering and feels like everyone has abandoned her and does not believe her side of the story. She is however a strong-willed person who will not allow her story to be told by her enemies. She will take control of the narrative. As the story unfolds, she grows up and develops, as an Eloko and as a black girl. She struggles to set and define herself. Is she Eloko first or black girl first? Her inner turmoil is present, and her growth is obvious. 
I have very much enjoyed this book and I will go back and read the first one as well.

A Chorus Rises A Song Below Water novel

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