Review: A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow

A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved A Song Below Water, and was ecstatic to find out there was going to be a sequel. While this book focuses on Naema in the aftermath of what happened in book 1 and her own self discovery journey I would highly recommend reading A Song Below Water first. You could probably read this as a standalone, but you will likely be confused about the events that are mentioned and who the characters are as they are already established going into this book. Much like the first book this is full of social commentary, had great character development, a magical fantasy element, and so much more. I will say that this is more contemporary than the first book. While it does have a fantasy/magic element, it is not the main focus nor as prominent as it was in the first book. I felt Naema's character development and the social justice element were at the forefront, with the fantasy element being a nice compliment.

Naema was a bit of a villain in book 1. As an Eloko, she is beloved because of her magical abilities and put on a pedestal by her parents and the people of Portland where she lives. Naturally she's a bit of a spoiled brat. It took me quite a while to warm up to her in this. Stick with her though, she is on a journey. When she is cast in a poor light after exposing Tavia as a siren last year at prom, she has to deal with the blow back on her social media platform. She has to deal with the trauma she experienced that night, and how the story is being told without her input. Determined to set the record straight, Naema wants to tell people what really happened that night at prom. There are 2 sides to every story and Naema's side is either twisted or left out. In the mean time, a social media group dedicated to Naema is forming and wants to protect her, especially from sirens. This loyal group, turns out to be a radical group targeting African American girls and women they suspect of being sirens in Naema's name. Clearly she is not OK with that when she realizes their intentions, and has to put aside her differences with Tavia to use her power, privilege and influence for good and to protect the innocent.

Naema leaves Portland to connect with family and discovers that there is more to being Eloko than her melody and social media following. She realizes that there is more to Naema than being an Eloko, she is more than one thing she has to figure out who she is. Race is at the forefront of her mind as she spends time with her non-magical family, especially when she experiences racial profiling first hand. Her status as an Eloko has protected her from the prejudice her family experiences regularly. I thought her cousin Courtney was a great side character who called her out for some of her self-centered actions and was a good sounding board for her. He was a huge part of her development. I really enjoyed her development as a character.

I thought that the narration of the audiobook was really well done. The narrator was able to give the different characters unique voices so I was able to distinguish who was speaking. I also thought the mixed media aspect of the book was interesting as there were several chapters told in chat room format, interviews, etc. and that wasn't lost in the audio format. It also wasn't awkward to listen to nor did I find it confusing.

I was provided an audio ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

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