Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
A Song Below Water  By  cover art

A Song Below Water

By: Bethany C. Morrow
Narrated by: Andrea Lang, Jennifer Haralson
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.24

Buy for $20.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

2020 Nautilus Book Award - Gold
2020 NPR Best Book of the Year
2021 Locus Awards - Nominee

Bethany C. Morrow's A Song Below Water is the story for today’s listeners - a captivating modern fantasy about black mermaids, friendship, and self-discovery set against the challenges of today's racism and sexism.

In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers. Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school’s junior year.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice at the worst possible moment.

Soon, nothing in Portland, Oregon, seems safe. To save themselves from drowning, it’s only Tavia and Effie’s unbreakable sisterhood that proves to be the strongest magic of all.

An NPR Best Book of the Year - 2020

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Teen

“An enthralling tale of black girl magic and searing social commentary ready to rattle the bones.” (Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times best-selling author of The Belles)

©2020 Bethany C. Morrow (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“I love this book so, so much! Bethany C. Morrow delivers a blistering modern classic with this gorgeous tale of friendship and power. A Song Below Water somehow manages to be intensely happy and sad at the same time and all in the balance of great, riveting storytelling. The best YA novel I've read all year.” (Daniel José Older, New York Times best-selling author of Shadowshaper)

“Morrow masterfully blends the real lives of Black girls in contemporary Portland with a mythic world of sirens, gargoyles, and other supernatural creatures to create a compelling coming-of-age story in which two sisters, bound by love and fate, find their voices and their power.” (Rebecca Roanhorse, Hugo, Nebula and John W. Campbell Award winner, author of Trail of Lightning)

“Empowering and full of surprises, A Song Below Water reminds us how important it is to use our voices, even when we’re afraid. Morrow has created a world that’s both familiar and brimming with fantastical creatures, and the result is timely, necessary, and utterly captivating.” (Akemi Dawn Bowman, award-winning author of Starfish and Summer Bird Blue)

What listeners say about A Song Below Water

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    291
  • 4 Stars
    114
  • 3 Stars
    47
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    285
  • 4 Stars
    98
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    249
  • 4 Stars
    110
  • 3 Stars
    45
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    8

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you.

This book was just what I needed in these heartbreaking times. I’m 53, a former high school English and drama teacher, and a white suburban woman. Bethany’s voice - and the message she is sharing through Tavia and Effie - should be heard by all women and girls. The story made me necessarily and appropriately uncomfortable at times. I have gained perspective and am grateful for that. I love the characters and the creative way of conveying such an important, metaphorically rich- while being realistic - story. Thank you for sharing your voice. I will be exploring more of your writing, and wish you all the best.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not at all what I expected!

Granted, I have a terrible habit of buying/borrowing books because of the cover being appealing and not bothering to read the synopsis - 🤷🏾‍♀️ sue me. But I definitely was not prepared for all of the mythical creatures in a story that also touches on the everyday struggles of a black girl. I LOVED it . . . And I kind of want a gargoyle now 😁🤷🏾‍♀️

4.75 stars

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely wonderful

This book made me feel seen as a Black girl but it handled the subject matter with such grace. It was all that is good about fiction and fantasy but made the story unapologetically Black and diverse. Love Love Love

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This story is so relevant!

I highly suggest listening to this book! it is full of current events affecting black and brown people today! racism, sexism and add on supernatural speciesism. Only downfall is the next book doesn't come out until 6/21. I already pre-ordered it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Black Mermaids? Yes!

The plot gets a little slow/lost in the characters' reflection at times but it is an overall fun, smart, and necessary story. It's amazing as a black reader (and a mer hobbyist myself) to feel like my experiences are an inherent part of a fantasy narrative. Love the sisterhood between the main characters!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Keeps You Hooked

I enjoyed this book. Ren Fair, mythical creatures, mystery,social justice. It's got a litt le bit of something for everyone.
3 stars for performance because the two different voices sounded so similar, so it was difficult to tell who was speaking sometimes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story Bad actor choice

Amazing book, I love Black authors that write fantasy and magic, there's nothing like it. But Black voice actors would have made this MUCH better. The vernacular and certain terms aren't translated well with the chosen voices. Any Black girls that love mermaids like me should DEFINITELY read this book though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Just couldn't get into this one

Mermaids, Sirens, Gargoyles.......just not my cup of tea. I like all kinds of books and genres but this one, I couldn't grasp. #Book24of2020 #bookworm #whatsnext

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great world and characters! Physical may be better

The story itself was just pretty good (there's a major plot point that is weakly written), but the world building and the characters are Awesome! This was beautiful to visualize. I love the message behind the world and the story too. 4 stars

One of the readers leaves something to be desired. She has a strange cadence in her sentences; very often, she pauses and has a declarative tone 3 words shy of the end. of the sentence. It's very jarring. She's an odd choice for a reader. It was hard to understand who was speaking at times too. This book may be great to read physically. 2 stars

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

THE ESSENCE OF BLACK GIRL MAGIC.

I loved this book once I finally got through it. It took me months to get pass the first couple of chapters because I wasn’t ready to face my fears with black trauma. I go to books and films that are filled with fantasy so I don’t have to constantly face reality. Reality can be suffocating, I don’t have to revisit things that are always around me. Whether my life actually matters or if I’ll ever stop holding my breath when I see a cop. However, once I finally got the courage to keep listening I COULDN’T stop!! The magic in this book with the sprinkle of reality made my feel proud to be who I am. I didn’t have to “try” to understand how the characters felt because I’ve been there too, I still am. Being able to connect with this story so well gave me a sense of community and that I should be proud of who I am. That I am walking magic and I don’t need fit in and I will probably always standout because I’m that special. I am Unique.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful