This is a story of Black girl magic in the context of Black Lives Matter, with a mythological twist. 16-year-old Tavia is a Siren in a world where hereditary powers are common. However, for the last 70 years only Black women have been born with Siren powers. As a result, she is struggling to navigate a life where her identity is intersectionally under threat. Her voice is powerful, but must remain hidden. Her adoptive sister, Effie, plays a mermaid at a local Renaissance fair, and feels more comfortable in her skin when she’s underwater. Her journey is complicated by the emotional weight of being “Park Girl,” the only survivor of an incident that left her four friends turned to stone. These two young women are striving through their junior year to become themselves and find their voices. 

Author Bethany C. Morrow says in her acknowledgements that A Song Below Water was born from a text sent to her unofficial twin “Omfg, what if all Sirens were Black girls?” I think that’s a really good summary of the book’s themes. Sisterhood is a hugely important subject in this book, as is the idea of community: where it thrives and where it breaks down. For example, Sirens became a point of internal controversy during the Civil Rights movement, because the fear surrounding their power complicated the movement’s politics of respectability. In the present day, there is a network of people who are dedicated to protecting Sirens, but the girls’ family are painfully aware of the risks that come with protecting Tavia’s secret. That generational tension becomes the real conflict of the story. Can Tavia do more good for her community by staying hidden or by speaking out?

Tavia herself is deeply thoughtful about what it means to be a powerful Black woman in a world that does not respect Black women and fears their power. She’s also a teenager, though, so it takes her a while to figure out what she wants to do with her voice. Effie is a sweetie, and I would do anything for her. She’s going through so much herself, but she’s still 100% there for Tavia. I’m not surprised that Tavia can move mountains when she realizes that Effie needs her. The rest of the cast is equally delightful. Wallace, Effie’s Latino love interest, is as sweet as she is, and I wish there’d been more focus on him. Tavia’s privileged nemesis Naema should have been fun to hate, but she’s just too interesting to dislike. She takes her own star turn in the sequel, A Chorus Rises. It’s about Mongo-Nkundo mythical figures called Eloko rather than Greek myths, but you should definitely read it. - Krishni Burns