A Chorus Rises

First of all, the cover for this book is absolutely gorgeous.

While this is the second book in the A Song Below Water series, I found that I was able to piece together the events that had happened in A Song Below Water as they affected Naema Bradshaw, the antagonist of A Song Below Water, fairly easily.

Naema is an Eloko, a person gifted with a magical voice that entrances anyone who hears it. She's beloved in Portland, where she's a bit of a local celebrity on an app for Eloko. That is, until she's revealed to the media as the person who exposed Tavia as a secret siren. This book is about the fallout of what had happened in A Song Below Water, and takes place a year after the events that happened.

I found Naema's character arc to be satisfying (for a book that takes place over the course of about a week) and realistic. While she grated on my nerves a bit in the beginning with the way that she was accusing everyone of betraying her, I found the conclusion that Naema comes to as she grows and learns what it means to be an Eloko, what it means to be an influencer, and what it means to be a black girl were all wonderfully done. I also appreciated that she eventually comes to understand the issues in her actions from A Song Below Water, and how she's able to use her platform for something bigger than herself later on.

I loved the commentary throughout the book about various themes, which I thought were done really well. I loved the worldbuilding in this story, especially as Naema makes her journey, both the magical worldbuilding and cultural worldbuilding, especially as it relates to all of Naema's identities.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for the ARC.