The premise of this paranormal, urban fantasy romance sounds super cute, even if, admittedly, I wasn’t going to read this book. You see, I wanted to mainly read book 2 in this little series of “semi” stand alone romances, but then I found out how big of a role the main couple in book 2 play in “A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon”, and here we are. Mariel is a very powerful nature witch. This fact is never, ever hidden. Yet some how nature witches aren’t considered powerful? Or just not flashy enough to be deemed that impressive so Mariel struggles to gain her families approval. She struggles so much that she accidentally summons a demon when she means to summon flour, and now he can’t leave until he makes a deal for her soul. Queue the romcom hijinks with all the forced proximity, sunshine and grumpy love interests, and sort of enemies to lovers. Honestly there are so many tropes in this romance that it felt like the author was going through a check list at times, but that wouldn’t have bothered me if the FMC hadn’t done something to make me knock a whole star off this rating.

This book was delightfully cute! This YA space “thriller” reads almost like a sitcom, where the aliens look like the Pac-Man ghosts, the jocks are overly brawny, the nerds overly brainy, and the key to saving the galaxy as we know it is the love and innocence of an eight-year-old girl. Which can, at times, put this book on the younger side of the YA side of things, but more on that in a bit. We are told the story of young Max, his two friends, and little sister being abducted in a humorous 1st person POV after the fact. As in, the book starts at an inciting incident, Max says, “ok, but let’s back up and see how we got here”, and hijinks ensue. It all starts following a trip to Muir National Forest gone very wrong—including a pair of the most over the top “Granola Twins” in existence. The book is charming in it’s silly, over the top humor and scenarios—including many a bathroom joke. Although, I will say that having read all the books and seen the media this book claims as comps, it’s not a very accurate picture.

I am very late to the party on this series, I have accepted I will be late to most of these kinds of series. In my defense, post-apocalyptic and dystopian YA novels aren’t my go-to genre much anymore. But I have friends who love these books, and, well, it was time. Plus, Mafi is such a beautiful writer, her stories so full of delicious prose, and “Shatter Me” was no exception. Though this first book felt very much like a “series” book with very little getting resolved come the end.

First and foremost, I would say that “A Song Below Water” fits more comfortably in the magical realism realm of fantasy, rather than urban fantasy, and here’s why. In this version of America (and Portland where the story takes place) mythical creatures like sirens, elokos, sprites, and mermaids are real and their existence is not questioned. Tavia is a siren, and her best friend/sister is not, but is sent to live with Tavia for her own protection. They have a gargoyle that sits on their roof and people don’t really care outside of the creature being rare and therefore a bit of a novelty, even though Tavia’s dad really wishes it wouldn’t come around. Because Tavia’s father is terrified of his daughter and doesn’t want the added attention to their home. He’s not scared for her, not anymore, but of her. But the story doesn’t focus a ton on that aspect of the relationship outside of Tavia’s extreme pain and isolation centered around her feeling like her family hates her and wishes she was anything other than a siren. There’s a lot of trauma this book addresses, both familial and racial, but the racial aspects take front and center, as they should, but it leaves the family aspect a bit unresolved. For “A Song Below Water” is not about Black sirens, but about being Black while being a siren.

“Between Starfalls” is an epic fantasy with a robust world and a large cast of characters. Our main characters are part of a culture that reveres nature and sacred rituals (think elves) but is kind of anti-magic, even though several of their members have psionic abilities. They are a society often plagued by attacks by an enemy they know nothing about. When, Kameada, one of the main characters, is attacked before their Starfall celebration, she decides to take her adopted son up the mountain path alone, where a series of very convenient unfortunate events leads to legends becoming life, and repercussions that they never see coming. This book takes a while to get going, but once it does, you’re in for a treat.