Monday, August 16, 2021

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: A Chorus Rises by Bethany C Morrow

 


A Chorus Rises is the sequel to Bethany C. Morrow's "A Song Below Water" (My review is here), her urban fantasy YA novel from 2020.  A Song Below Water was a really strong novel, featuring a world in which some classical and less classical fantasy creatures live among humans....some of which are mapped onto certain races and face oppressive racism as a result.  It was not a subtle novel, with one of its two protagonists forced to hide who she is as a siren due to such racism and her very core being being illegal and it featured its two black girl protagonists having to not only figure out who they themselves are, but having to fight for the right to express those identities.  But the lack of subtlety didn't prevent it from working really well, both in its message and its story, and so I was very interested in discovering the book (which ends on a satisfying way) would have a sequel. 

A Chorus Rises is honestly better than its already good predecessor, and will be taking up a likely spot on my awards ballot next year.  The story flips the perspective to feature Naema, the antagonistic black teen girl from the prior novel, who exploited her Eloko gifts for massive popularity and antagonized our former protagonist, and only begrudgingly gave them the bare minimum of help when she was in danger due to being a Siren.  The result is a story about privilege and about how that privilege can disappear when one doesn't behave how others would like...and about how black girls (and other minorities) can often be used against each other by white people for their own racist ends.  It's again not subtle, but it works really really well, and is highly recommended. 

Minor Spoilers for A Song Below Water below, but they won't really affect your enjoyment of that book.  That said, you should not read this book before that one, as I doubt it'll really work without the foreknowledge of the main character.   

-------------------------------------Plot Summary-------------------------------------------------
Naema Bradshaw had it all.  She's an Eloko, a type of person with a supernatural chime in their voice, which made her beloved in Portland, the city known for its Eloko population.  Sure she had a bad bitch attitude at school, but she was known for her online influencer personality, and she thrived on being that beloved figure in society.  But as a black girl in Portland, she was part of a network meant to help other black girls, particularly threatened ones like Sirens, in a world that hated them - a responsibility she never really wanted. 

And then Naema was caught on tape seeming to expose Tavia Philips as a siren, right before she was turned to stone by Tavia's friend Effie - right as Tavia became the nation's heroine for using her siren powers to save people.  And suddenly Naema was no longer appreciated anymore - slandered for supposedly exposing Tavia - and is treated as the villain....especially by a new movie dramatizing the whole situation.  Even though it was Tavia who made Effie turn Naema to stone in the first place!  

With Portland seemingly turned upside down, Naema tries to find some breathing room by going on a family retreat with extended relatives in the Southwest all the while cultivating a new online fanbase that seems to want to take her side.  But the community and family she finds in person among her Black non-Eloko relatives is like nothing she ever expected, a rambunctious loving black family despite their troubles  - and that by contrast her new online fanbase isn't interested in Naema the black girl, but only Naema the ideal Eloko, a person who can be used as a reason to target those they don't like......
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In A Song Below Water, Naema is basically a real antagonistic bitch.  She's the cool girl at school, super popular (especially due to being an Eloko) and revels in it, and is too stuck up to care about the plight of black girls who aren't as well off as she is, such as a siren like Tavia.  She doesn't quite out Tavia, but she basically threatens to (and jokingly "outs" Effie), and honestly the reader could hardly be blamed for rooting for her to get turned to stone, as she is temporarily.  And so a reader might expect that in turning the story to her perspective, we'd see Naema realize her errors and become a kinder more humble person as part of a redemption arc.  

But that's not the story Morrow is telling here, and this book is all the better for it.  Naema is still just as haughty as she is at the beginning as she is at the end of this book in many ways, and she'll never not crave attention - it's just who she is.  She's still gonna be a bit bitchy and selfish, especially because she's a teenager who just graduated high school - it's hardly unusual!  But while Naema may still crave attention and be a bit selfish, she still grows tremendously in this novel from her experiences with her extended family in the Southwest and her newfound ability to hear the whispers of her ancestors.  Because what Naema learns is that privilege is hardly limited to white males and that it can easily blind you to the harm you might be doing to others less fortunate - and might allow you to be used against them.  

And that's the story that Morrow is telling here.  As explained in the last book, Eloko show up in all races in this world, whereas Sirens, who are mostly hated - even with Tavia's good example - only show up as black women.  And so when Naema explains herself as Eloko first, and emphasizes that's how she is special, she is choosing another identity over her blackness.  And that's not necessarily a problem....if she remembers she is also a black woman, and subject to the same prejudices as her siren brethren when she doesn't act like the Eloko others want her to be.  And she really sees that with her extended black family, who are characters and rambunctious and happy partying, even as a member of the family is stuck in prison....a prison which treats Naema like any other black girl (worse, like a potential siren) rather than a special Eloko.  

Meanwhile the online community that comes to Naema's defense, or the filmmaker Naema contacts to try and tell her story are only interested in the story as much as it pits Naema against Tavia, black girl against black girl.  These white online (and otherwise) cheerleaders aren't interested in who Naema is, or in trying to hear and alleviate Naema's grievances.....no they just want to use Naema to hate on other black girls - especially now that Tavia is making a case that Sirens should be allowed to live openly, freely and proudly.  And so while Naema may have been a little bit wronged by Tavia - no matter her wrongdoing, she didn't really deserve to be petrified - Naema has to realize that there are more important things to worry about, such as her fellow black girls' safety, than her own personal high school grudges. 

It's all done, despite the fantastical elements in this world, in a very realistic way, especially with the horrifying online organizing that Naema gets caught up in, which readers will recognize very well from our own world.  And the plot arc of the story works really well from start to finish, such that the message, the themes, and the characters all come together into a complete and really strong package.  As I mentioned above the jump, I expect to nominate this for my Lodestar Ballot - it isn't a perfect book, but it's really strong YA and highly recommended, especially if you read the A Song Below Water.  

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