I tried a few times to read this book and, although clearly a lot of hard work and research has been put into it, I felt unable to connect to the story. It feels like this needed another round of editing, particularly the pace. This was unfortunately a DNF for me, though I hope in future to try again.

The premise of this book is really captivating and sounds like it would be a 5 star read. Sadly, it just seemed to fall very flat. The first few chapters were really interesting, you are learning about the characters and the politics but after about 100 pages it just really slowed down. It felt like the stakes were low even though it felt like a high stakes fantasy and I just felt a little disappointed. I would read from this author again but sadly this book wasn't my favourite.

*Fathomfolk* is a politically charged adult fantasy set in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi. The narrative centers on a diverse cast of characters, including Mira, a half-siren and the first female captain of the border guard; Kai, her water dragon partner and ambassador to Tiankawi; Nami, Kai's aristocratic yet impulsive sister; and Cordelia, a cunning second-generation sea-witch. The novel explores the escalating tensions between humans and Fathomfolk, who seek better lives in human cities despite restrictive political agendas.

Mira is tasked with easing these tensions and promoting reform, a challenging feat given her status as a half-siren. Nami, exiled for failing to obtain a dragon pearl, joins an anti-human extremist group, intensifying the conflict. Cordelia, a master manipulator, navigates political intrigue to ensure her survival and influence.

*Fathomfolk* is narrated in third person, with alternating perspectives that span land and sea. While this multi-POV approach offers diverse insights, it sometimes disrupts the narrative flow and complicates character connection. The frequent perspective shifts within chapters can be confusing, making it hard to discern the current focus and setting.

Despite these challenges, the novel's commentary on social issues such as privilege, poverty, political exploitation, and social hierarchy is compelling. These themes are woven into the fabric of the fantasy world, influencing character decisions and driving the plot forward.

Mira, as the central character, stands out with her determination to forge her own path despite societal scrutiny. Her relationship with Kai adds depth to her character, highlighting her struggle to maintain independence. In contrast, Nami's naive extremism and Cordelia's manipulative tactics feel less engaging, though they serve to heighten the story's political tension.

The world-building in *Fathomfolk* is rich and imaginative, drawing from various mythologies to create a vibrant, albeit sometimes overwhelming, fantasy landscape. The inclusion of mythical creatures like sirens, sea-witches, kelpies, and water dragons adds intrigue, but their abilities could benefit from more detailed exploration.

The pacing is uneven, starting slow to establish the complex world before accelerating in a way that feels rushed and underdeveloped. Marketed as adult fantasy, the novel's tone and execution lean more towards YA, with a sprinkle of romance that may leave some readers wanting more.

The novel's conclusion, which some might find dangerous and insensitive, undermines the social commentary and important issues raised throughout the story. This problematic ending, coupled with uneven character development, detracts from the overall impact of the narrative.

*Fathomfolk* by Eliza Chan is a debut fantasy novel that shines in its world-building and thematic exploration but falters in execution. The complex narrative structure and multiple POVs can be disorienting, and the pacing issues may frustrate readers seeking a more cohesive and engaging story. However, for those interested in a fantasy novel that tackles real-world social issues within a unique and immersive setting, *Fathomfolk* offers a thought-provoking read.

Despite its flaws, *Fathomfolk* is a notable contribution to the fantasy genre, reflecting on diaspora communities and xenophobia through a fantastical lens. With further refinement and development, Eliza Chan's future works have the potential to offer even more compelling and impactful storytelling.

The description sounded amazing and I knew I wanted to read this one asap and I'm happy to say that the story itself did not disappoint! The world in particular is so unique and I felt so immersed, the dual settings were so creative. There is some great romance, political intrigue and unique magic in this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling in Fathomfolk and relatable, likable characters,. Loved every single second reading it.

Fathomfolk is definitely a book that divides: difficult to appreciate in its entirety, it is clearly rich in research, sensitivity, current themes and a lot of attention to detail. Too bad that not necessarily the combination of these elements makes a fantasy novel such as to be appreciated by the masses. In this case I am the masses.

The story alternates between three different points of view, which I appreciated and found that they gave a good rhythm to the narration, and all three were more or less equally interesting (which is not a given); the construction of the world inspired by an oriental culture, where civilization is divided between the submerged people and humans, with consequent discrimination, racism and social inequality, and is extremely rich in details: you can not spend a few pages without a new revelation being given regarding the world, in an info dumping and extremely diluted and at times suffocating, to the detriment of a plot that is politically very complex, but whose plot remains banal if compared to the entire construction of the novel. Eliza Chan is clearly a very interesting, capable and talented writer but in this case it wasn’t fully enough to make the novel noteworthy. I’m still curious to read her other works in the future, while I reserve the right to think about it a bit for the sequel to Fathomfolk.

Eliza Chan's Fathomfolk offers a unique blend of fantasy and political intrigue, set in a world where humans and mythical creatures coexist. While the novel's premise is promising, with its Asian-inspired setting and exploration of societal integration, the execution leaves something to be desired.

The story follows Mira, a half-siren navigating the complexities of being the first fathomfolk in the military, as she becomes entangled in a web of political and magical conflict. While the world-building is well-crafted, the romance feels rushed and the plot occasionally falls into predictable territory.

Despite its flaws, Fathomfolk offers a captivating dive into a world of magic and political unrest. The novel's exploration of themes such as class, privilege, and the consequences of political involvement adds depth to the story. However, the pacing can be uneven, with a slow start followed by a rushed conclusion.

Ultimately, Fathomfolk is a mixed bag. While it offers a unique and imaginative setting, it falls short in terms of character development and pacing. Readers who enjoy fantasy with a strong political undercurrent may find it worthwhile, but those seeking a more character-driven story may be left wanting.

I went back and forth on how I felt about this book but ultimately I wanted more.

I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and some of the characters were juvenile, naive and messy (I'm looking at you Mira and Navi). I was very interested in learning about the two different worlds, the depths below with the seafolk and the humans above but I feel like we got so little exploration of the world itself.

Ultimately I wish the characters had been developed just a bit more.

Was so surprised and delighted to get to read this via NetGalley. A friend was raving about it and it didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t just an Asian myth retelling / fantasy book, but also an exploration of racial tensions and asylum seekers. Brilliant!

I've tried to come back to this a few times but I've found myself stuck by the pacing while being interested in the world and characters. Sadly, this didn't work on the whole for me.

I really tried but couldn't get into this - it sat on my kindle for months and sadly was a DNF for me

This was a disappointing read. I don’t really have many nice things to say about the book. The only thing that made me get through the book were the super short chapters if I am being honest.

There were three POVs and honestly, I did not enjoy any of them. I guess Nami was supposed to be the main character (?) and I really really hated her. She was such a stupid brat. At one point in the story her friend called her a „pampered toddler“ and that honestly fits quite well. Cordelia was such a snob and Mira was fine I guess. The chapters did not indicate whose POV we are going to follow next and it always took me a moment (honestly until the name was mentioned) to realize whose POV it is. I did not care about any of the characters.

One of the characters is a DRAGON and it was still lame. The setup for the whole „fathomfolk“ being water-beings was really cool but executed in a terrible way. Nobody was interesting and I do not feel like it added anything to the story.
Nothing really for described in a good way and I was not really able to picture anything or anyone. Therefore, the world building also was not really there.

What also was not there? A plot.
Really. The whole book had no goal we were working towards. I kept waiting for the setup for the actual story but it did not come. Just some random scenes that were cut in awkward ways. This also made conversations super weird. Also there were those random time jumps. A character does something and in the next sentence it says that „in the next 2 weeks blablabla happened“ - and this happened SO MANY TIMES!

I will not continue the series.

Haven't felt this neutral about a book in a while. The worldbuilding is neither groundbreaking nor terrible, the dialogue feels a bit forced but I've seen worse in debuts. All in all someone else might enjoy this a lot.

A fun foray into an intricate fantasy world! Fathomfolk was interesting in the way it set up the main characters through the different points of views and the political framework that surrounded them. I would’ve liked to see more of Tiankwani; there’s a great foundation for the world but I think I wanted more focus on the world itself rather than the inclusion of so many types of characters. It made reading confusing at times and really diluted Tiankwani because all of a sudden we’d be seeing this creature next to that one and it was intense without being in depth. Very well researched though, which I loved! I did wonder if it was a tad too ambitious though because a lot of mythology was blended together from different cultures.

The characters were interesting enough — I quite liked Mira but I’m looking forward to where the other two’s POVs take them in subsequent books.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an EARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

It took me so effort to get into the book and it took me a while to finish it as well 🙈

The cover is very beautiful tho! It’s what had drawn me in at first

It was a very colourful and full young adult fantasy, however to my liking, there was just too much of everything. I also wish the author would have added explanations. For example, what is the difference between siren and rusalka?

I also had to force myself to finish this book, as not much was happening and I lost interest after a third of the book. I also did not believe the characters and their aims/goals.

I did like some bits of the world description, but often it was rather difficult to distinguish what was happening underwater and what's above.

I was definitely drawn in by the gorgeous cover and description, but unfortunately t fell a bit flat.

I had to push myself so hard to finish it. Especially the first half of the book. The main problem was the writing (all of it). It was very hard to find anything positive about this book.

The characters were all very naive, stereotypical and boring. The relationships were a mess. Mira (?) and Kai. Honestly i believed when people thought they were together for any reason besides love. They had no chemistry. Neither had they much time togeter, so we could see anything. Nami and F (that was such a weird toxic relationship). How could she be so naïve, but also if F has not used any magical enhancement, that would surprise the duck out of me. Also Nami and her friend Dan?. I still think they were not actual friends. The interactions they had did not show me anything.

The world. Great idea, but when in most scenes you dont tell me if it takes place is underwater or top side, wtf. But also, there were so little descriptions of the actual world. Beside naming (literally) shit ton of food names.

Also same with fantasy creatures. Just listing several with no actual explanation or description.

I think i will DNF this series. It will be better for my health.


Edit: the plot was ok. But the ending sucked majorly.
Also, several times we had something happen and then nothing for several chapters and then we just got results. But like what actually happened.... Give it to me.

I was really keen to read Fathomfolk as Fantasy with political intrigue and multiple POVs really appeals to me in general. However, this one didn't quite live up to the hype for me.

I thought the world created was certainly fascinating, with plenty of interesting creatures. However, I felt the history of the world was somewhat lacking and even by the end I didn't quite feel like I had a clear idea of it. I also didn't really feel like I 'got' what exactly some of the characters were intending, at times it felt like things were happening just to fit an overall ending but with no clear reasoning for them.

Whilst Fathomfolk did address some really important topics, I personally would've preferred this to have been done in a less heavy handed way where the reader can see and interpret things for themselves rather than getting a lot of information and being told "this is bad" essentially. There was also one particular instance where what could have been an exciting reveal was made really obvious early on.

Overall I do think this imaginative world will appeal to a lot of readers, and I am still curious about what will happen next. I just felt that in some ways I wanted more from it, and in others I'd have preferred more subtlety.

I had high hopes for this one but I just found myself disengaged from it. The world building was beautiful but the story fell flat for me.

I got to the end but it was a struggle