Published: 2020
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary, Magical Realism
Audience: Young Adult
Trigger Warnings: racism, sexism, murder
Summary: Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Nevermind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.
But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.
Review: I’m not a big fan of fantasy, but this book has enough of an underlying, beautiful story that I got through it. I think it is cool to have Black, female voices as main characters. Voices both as literal and figurative characters in the story. I like how the two main characters work together to overcome the obstacles that society is placing in front of them and on them. So, while fantasy is woven into the story, the realistic authenticity of today’s society is still there. A society that is placed in the light and held accountable for its bad behavior. I think this book would make a nice book to read in the classroom or use excerpts from to supplement a unit on Black history or a sociology unit. And, if the cover’s beautiful artwork doesn’t draw you in for at least a sneak peek read, I don’t know what else will!!
