Bayou Bytes Blog

A Song Below Water  is an urban fantasy set in Portland, Oregon. Rather than a vastly different fantasy world, Morrow sets us in a parallel reality, identical to ours, aside from the mythological creatures that have seamlessly integrated into human society. The majority of these mythological beings live happily alongside the humans, but the siren is still decidedly other . Perceived as a threat against free will, sirens are feared and ostracized, and must keep their identity secret for their own safety. Tavia is a siren, and only a handful of humans are entrusted with that knowledge. Tavia's closest ally is her best friend, Effie, a human who plays a mermaid at the Ren Faire.  But when a young woman is murdered, the suspect's lawyer speculates that the victim had secretly been a siren. And the world at large becomes more preoccupied with that detail than the murder...  Then, when a notable internet celebrity publicly announces she's a siren, Tavia's world t...

This paranormal fantasy follows Marie Winters, who has just died in an unfortunate chair-related incident. After her death, she is greeted by a peculiar looking alien named Xel. As a social worker at the Department of Spectral Affairs, Xel is tasked with helping ghosts reconcile their pasts and happily pass on. The problem is, Marnie has no particular ties to people or places. With no one to haunt and nowhere to go, Xel pulls some strings at the office and hires Marnie as the Department's new intern. Suddenly Marnie is going on missions, decoding alien languages, and squaring off against terrifying department heads. Riesbeck delivers a sweet and whimsical story, with engaging and beautiful illustrations, but she also delves into heavier topics. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Marine had withdrawn from society because of her depression. And in order to pass on, she'll need to confront it. Though the story stays lighthearted throughout this first volume, Marnie...