Fathomfolk was an anticipated read for me. However, reading it felt underwhelming. The tone of the characters and worldbuilding felt juvenile despite the complex nature of the topic of the plot being based on prejudice. This wasn't really explored well and a lot of the worldbuilding is unclear.
The romance wasn't interesting and I found myself bored throughout the story. None of the characters really resonated as they felt inconsistent.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Set in a richly described, semi-submerged city, Fathomfolk tells the story from three main voices, and how they each are attempting to carve out their place within the heavily political and inequal Tiankawi. I walked away from this read with a solid image of the world Chan had crafted, from the factions of rich and poor, the multi-layered citizens existing there, and the delicate balance between subordination and revolution.

Mira, Nami and Cordelia all offered good insight into the corruption of Tiankawi, but I struggled to become truly invested in the characters themselves:

Mira's story is from a righteous point of view as a Fathomfolk born in Tiankawi and yet is still faced with hate for being seen as lesser than the ruling humans. Out of all three characters, I found Mira the most taxing to follow, because her angst didn't stem from having to face the constant setbacks, but rather, from her relationship with water-dragon and high minister Kai. Their relationship is established from the beginning, which is an interesting twist for fantasy and follows the rich boy-poor girl storyline. I grew tired of her struggles with comparing Kai and his lavish lifestyle to the one she grew up in and not being able to find a comfortable spot within her relationship. I often felt they truly lacked any substance until the latter portion of the book and it didn't offer enough to the storyline. By the time their relationship actually mattered, it felt rushed and more telling than showing.

Nami is Kai's sister who is exiled to Tiankawi from the deeper oceans by her mother at the beginning of the book. Upon arrival in the city, she is thrust into the excitement of the underground (underwater, perhaps?) revolution, and proactively takes part in protesting despite it causing issues for Mira and her brother. Whilst I can respect the author's intentional choice to make Nami naive and easily impressionable, I couldn't grasp her personality. It felt too much like she had no idea of who she was and would react according to the scene then any set character traits.

My favourite voice was Cordelia's and her delicate placement within the upper human circles despite her darker identity that belonged under the sea. She's determined and manipulative with every breath she takes, and whilst her seemingly villainous role does meet its consequences in the end, I appreciated her insight the most because she was actively doing something to better her cause. I liked that she used every facet, even just as simple as being evil and resourceful, to her advantage, but one thing that stood out to me was that there was no real end game for her power or greed. I suppose she didn't need one, but it seemed like she was hustling a lot for someone who didn't have an evident reason for why she pushed her husband to the very top. I had my suspicions, of course, but it would have been interesting to see what she planned to do if she did topple the human rule to her specifications.

I would have appreciated having more reason for everything in this book. Aside from showing discrimination of the Fathomfolk, the corruption and systematic oppression from the leading council and humans, and being set in an East-Asian world, the storyline didn't impact me in the way I had hoped. The characters' justification at times wasn't clear, and the explanation for the Fathomfolk's existence was bare bones. I had so many questions and found myself confused a lot of the time, feeling this book was more vibes than concrete at times. I also found it tediously dull and not paced well enough to keep me intrigued. The last portion of this book was decent, however, and whilst rushed to make it all work, I did like the storyline better there and the actions that were taken. It then just dropped away again into being vague, which given this is a start to the series, would work for those who plan to continue reading. I don't think I will be interested in doing so, and I did struggle with how to rate this because I was bored a lot, and yet, I also liked some of the author's crafting of the world.

The worldbuilding is vivid and interesting. It is fascinating and it reminded me, a bit, of Aliette De Bodard's "Dominion of the Fallen" series, especially for the vibes. But all the rest is just dull. I wasn't interested in the least in the plot, and I get that it was just starting, but my interest was nowhere to be seen, and the characters were, again, dull. I wasn't invested in any of them, I didn't really care at all. And I know that things may still change because I stopped reading around 20% but... but if after more than 80 pages the only thing the book made me feel is boredom, well, I don't see the point in going on with it.

Amazing premise; incredible worldbuilding - bust of a novel.

The book felt very juvenile and I didn't like any of these characters. I didn't like following them or their lives. However, the world they inhabit was so interesting. I wish authors loaned out settings to other authors.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This myth-rooted story of magic and revolution, set semi-submerged in Tiankawi sounded right up my street – it’s touted as ‘perfect for fans of Jade City’. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into a chunky 400+ page adult fantasy! Tiankawi is a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest in surrounding waters and land. But, in the semi-submerged sea city, humans are looking down on the fathomfolk – sirens, switches, kelpies and kappas. This is an ambitious political story that layers in social disparity and economic inequality. Sadly, it didn’t really hit the mark for me.

First, it is far too long. I wanted a chunky adult fantasy, but this read as a bloated YA fantasy. You all know I love a little bit of YA, so that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that it required at least another round or two of edits. The second arc and boat race arc was where things started to fall apart for me. Scenes felt drawn out and messy, while the world building in the first part was really quite masterful. I also began to lose sense of the world too, since there’s a lot of crossovers in East and South East Asian names and traditions. Again, it’s fantasy so I can forgive a lot of this, but it also distracted from the social disparity themes. Am I supposed to be rooting for change… or to continue the blended communities…? I also found it strangely difficult at times to draw apart the three main characters: Mira, Nami and Cordelia. Given they’re supposed to be the female leads of three wholly different political parties/communities, this felt like an odd choice.
 
Oh, and the ending. Yikes. I’m not sure I want to see where the second instalment in the series will go.

3 Stars

Fathomfolk has strong themes of modern social issues and presents them within an immersive fantasy context. We are introduced to the half-submerged city of Tiankawi where wealthy humans sit at the top of the hierarchy, quite literally sitting above the poor and fathomfolk in their skyscrapers, while the water is heavily polluted and causing sickness. The story follows multiple perspectives, with all characters being very distinct and well developed. They are complex characters with their own self interest and world views which ultimately influences their actions in this story. The world building was really interesting and original and I loved the concept, however I did find when reading I was sometimes confused when we were on land and when we were in the water which did take me out of the story a few times.

I found one character in particular extremely frustrating with the choices she made, however after reflecting on how I feel about this book as a whole I realise that this is not that she is a badly written character but a fairly accurate portrayal of a character with privilege and naivety involving themselves in a violent political movement and the impact of grooming. There are lot of uncomfortable themes in this book which I think were done okay, but could have been done better to be more impactful.

While this was extremely action-packed, frustrating and heart-breaking, and there were elements I loved, I feel there was bit too much going on to adequately flesh out all the storylines. The first 30% of the book was very slow and I did feel like I had to drag myself through it, and when it did pick up it felt rushed and ultimately the conclusions very simplistic for such a complicated political setting.

I am also confused on whether this is supposed to be a adult fantasy or a young adult fantasy. It reads YA, however the themes and marketing suggest it is more aimed at an adult audience. Overall I am not 100% sure how I feel about this book but I will see how I feel when the sequel comes out before deciding if I want to continue reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This felt like a fresh fantasy amoung so mant chosen one fae books so it deserves credit for just being different tbh. It was also one of the more slow paced books ive read but that works in its favor it takes time to live in the world with systematic racism against the fathomfolk and build on plot points that pay off in the end one of them being the revolutionary group that one of the POV characters Nami gets involved with. I think the book handled that type of group very well especially the inner workings and how someone might get sucked in so easily. This also shows one of my favorite thing in books which is a slow buildup where the plot actually begins fairly early on but its like boiling frogs, you dont notice until its in your face and you realise all the little moments that have been happening.

As for negatives its mostly minor things like the disregard from Mira, another pov character of military hierarchy as she talks very disrespectfully to the wife of an officer who is her superior (not by rank as they are technically the same but by the fact that hes human i think?) such dialoge could have worked better as inner monolouge and she could lament on having to be polite when that is what she actually wants to say etc.

I also do not understand the comp titles for this book, ariel? the only hint i could lind was cordelia who is pretty much ursula but more interesting, when i think of comp titles i think of something that matches the plot or theme of the book not just some random detail. A wrong comp title will attract the wrong kind of readers who will just dislike the book. Id rather say that this is a more political less actiony fishman island arc from one piece.

DNF at 22%.

This book was interesting.. it had so much potential.
I was so drawn at first by the cover and blurb, but I couldn’t get into this book. I wanted to love it so much, but it was getting me in reading slump 😢
The world building was intense and difficult imo.
I couldn’t connect with the characters and the whole politics was not up my alley.
I think that several people would love this book, it was just nothing for me- feeling kinda guilty about it…
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC!

DNF 44%

I unfortunately had to DNF this book as it has a scene where a character is trapped in a crowd crush incident which is one of my personal triggers. There was no trigger list going in for me to check this.

Overall, I really did appreciate the vivid depictions of the city and its intricacies. I do not think this author was trying to, as some reviews say, put a hodge podge of cultures together in a mash. I think it was more intended to be a heavily multi-cultural newer city, so this isn't London, Tokyo, Hong Kong with its long historical foundation but more like New York or Toronto. The issues discussed are very real.

However, as I have been reading up on story outlining recently I could really see the slowness in the story. The inciting incident basically happens at 40% and it feels like you are stuck in exposition/introduction waiting forever. Additionally, there were some very weird jumps between chapters. I had to check quite frequently if I had skipped pages because it felt like the scene cut off mid-thought. If this hadn't been an ARC I would have put this down earlier sadly because I was excited for this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

DNF

I was so excited when I was granted an e-arc of this book last year. It sounded so intriguing and the cover, it goes without saying, was stunning, but oof I found this hard work.

The concept was so cool, the execution wasn’t there for me. I found it… a bit boring? I realised I had to call it at DNF when a friend asked me how I was getting on with the book. I’d posted on my IG that I’d started and was struggling way back when I got it. I get slowly dipping in and then I realised 6 weeks had gone by and I’d forgotten about it. I think it’s all a bit heavy handed. I love politics and social issues in fantasy novels but this was chewy.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC copy and opportunity to review the book.

I’ve found this review really difficult to write. Predominantly because I didn’t massively enjoy this book, but can definitely see that others might.

That sounds really negative. Let me start by saying that I was really excited for this book; I love a fantasy that is steeped in other culture’s folklore and myth. It’s really fun and interesting to learn about other cultures, especially in a fantasy setting. And this book certainly it steeped in East Asian folklore and myth. The world-building is absolutely excellent; it is very imaginative and descriptive. An entire city has been mapped out in this book, and it has been done so well. You can see the lay of the land in your mind; you can smell the spices and salt in the air from the water. It’s very beautifully written.

For me, the biggest issue is that I found it to be quite a complicated and difficult to navigate story. It is very politically heavy, which is something that I don’t love in books, especially fantasy books. For me, I like my fantasy so be fun and fast-paced, and this just felt a bit too heavy. As it’s such a heavy book, I found it extremely difficult to properly get into the book. The story felt very slow in the first half of the book. I just couldn’t find the sweet spot where I was sucked into the story. It just didn’t ever materialise for me.

I have to admit, that I even contemplated not finishing it at all. I was struggling that much with it. Having said that, I am glad that I continued, as the second half is so much better than the first. The second half is far more fast-paced and action-packed. A LOT happens in the second half, that my brain had to work hard to keep up with the goings on.

I liked Mira a lot; I think she was a very commendable character that really wanted to do the best for her city and the fathomfolk. I think I would have connected with her more had I learned more about her past and family; I found it a little confusing. I also liked Kai, although he felt a bit like a one-dimensional person in the first half - I’m glad that he took more of the centre stage in the second half. Nami, I didn’t really care for. At all. I found her to be a completely frustrating character.

Possibly the best was Cordelia/Serena. She was a very complex and interesting character. I mean, I hated her with all of my being, but at the same time almost admired her. It’s strange.

Overall, I did enjoy this book (or, the second half of the book at least) and would probably recommend if you’re willing to be patient with it.

This book was just different enough to garner my attention. Based in Asian mythology it was interesting to read, the world building was a delight and held me imagining the settings. I was less interested in the people for some reason but still read to the end of the book. It was the sort of book I would like to take on holiday and read on a beach. Different but not too challenging.

Sadly I eventually decided to DNF this at 40%. I started to feel the urge to put this down around 30% but wanted to push through a little more to give it a good shot at picking up but unfortunately. I have started reading this twice since receiving this ARC in late September and on both occasions I've found myself really having to push myself to keep reading, despite the premise and prose both being good.

I was absolutely elated to start reading this, drawn in by the notion of class wars, fantastical / mythological renditions of ongoing oppression and prejudice and influence from East Asian folklore - but I found the huge amount of names, places, historical background and info dumping a lot to take in and it made me feel lost before we'd even had a chance to get to know any of the characters or their backstories. It's never my favourite but I can usually move past it if it happens in the first couple of chapters and then is clearly elaborated, but there were still new terms and references that I didn't understand being introduced up until the point that I DNF'd and there didn't feel like there was enough clear explanation or differentiation between characters for me to be able to clearly remember them or distinguish them moving forwards which really slowed me down.

By the time I'd gotten to the 40% mark there was really very little plot to speak of either - the pacing was so slow and I felt confused, not invested in any of the characters and not compelled to pick this up and keep reading, which is such a shame. I absolutely loved the premise for this, I think the concept of the fathomfol is so beautifully unique and the political themes that this was ready to highlight were a wonderful idea and incredible as a cultural commentary - I really REALLY wanted to love the book and revel in the fight for social justice, but unfortunately it just didn't come together for me.

I would still be really interested in trying this author again in the future as I think the concept was absolutely fantastic, the setting and the Asian folkore influence sounds wonderful and the writing could have been beautiful (hence the 3 star rating still) but the overall execution just didn't match up for me.

3.5 rounded to 4 Stars

Fathomfolk is a story of politics and magic set in the semi-submerged city of Tiankaw.
This book was pretty slow to start with but that was down to the world building and setting us up to understand this new world.

The world building is rich and descriptive but some parts I found lacking or wanting more. The plot was slow to start but if definitely picked up around the middle but I did feel it then tried to put as much as possible into the last half.

The book is told from three different POVs which is something I do enjoy. I liked how all their stories intertwined together. It also gives us the reader more insight into them as a character.

I look forward to reading more from this unique world and can’t wait for more.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately I've decided to dnf at about 40%. I had no issues with the prose. With all of the povs I just didn't see where the story was leading and wasn't invested enough to find out. I did like the worldbuilding and the culture mash though.

When I first started reading Fathomfolk, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. It was quite slow to start with and, because the POVs change with each chapter, I found it hard to immerse myself in the characters straight away. Once I got a bit further and got used to the style and the world lore, I ended up enjoying the story and the constant change in focus.

Fathomfolk has a really well realised underwater world, with some folk living there and others living topside. The social and political elements are interesting and engaging, with the power hierarchies playing a large role in everyday life. I thought the ending was fantastic, and I’m really glad I persevered with the beginning of the book.

I can’t honestly say I’m a massive fan of any of the characters in particular, but my favourites would have to be half-siren Mira and her water dragon boyfriend Kai. Their story was the most interesting for me personally, though I did warm to everyone else and like their involvements too. The array of different sea creatures and Fathomfolk was the best part of the book for me, and I loved learning about all the different magic and powers that populated this world. I hope that’s explored even more in the next book, which I will of course be reading.

Fathomfolk has its flaws for me, but overall I liked it more than I thought I would. I’m now invested in this world and its politics, and I’m very intrigued to find out which direction the characters will take next. It’s a fascinating idea for a fantasy story, I just wish the pacing had been a little faster and the characters a bit more memorable — I think this will be resolved in the second book, and I look forward to returning to the water and the secrets it holds.

3.5/5.

It is now safe to say that modern fantasy has grown well beyond its Eurocentric Tolkien inspired beginnings. And emblematic of that trend are fantasy books like Eliza Chan’s Fathomfolk, a pan-Asian novel that draws on Eastern traditions as a jumping off point for something new. But in doing so also comments on current issues including racism and immigration.
Fathomfolk is set in the half submerged city of Tiankawi. In Tiankawi, following an ancient war, humans are on top and the multi-facetted community of water-dwelling fathomfolk are kept down. The story is built around three fathomfolk women. Mira is a half siren newly appointed a captain in the border guards and partner of Kai, the Fathomfolk ambassador and. Kai’s sister Nami is a firebrand, sent from her home, who quickly falls in with the Drawbacks, political agitators seeking to bring down human control. And finally there is Cordelia is a shape-shifting seawitch who has plans of her own, makes deals and manipulates pretty much everyone around her for her own ends. The story then charts the progress of the Drawback plan to destabilise Tiankawi and bring the regime down.
Fathomfolk is a rich but confusing amalgam of Asian influences. Words, foods and concepts from a range of East Asian and South-East Asian communities are mixed together to create the world of Tiankawi. There is an established pecking order with humans at the top and plenty of racism against the fathomfolk to the point where readers may feel that the Drawbacks have a valid point. And Chan’s narrative is most interesting when it digs into this grey – how far is too far when formenting political unrest? What sacrifices are appropriate. Mixed in with this are themes of environmental stewardship, treatment of immigrants and class inequities.
All of which comes together to make Fathomfolk a fast moving fantasy anchored around three interesting characters in a unique milieu. Chan wraps up the action of the book but makes sure to leave plenty hanging for a sequel which will, hopefully, take readers beyond Tiankawi and give readers a taste of the wider world she has created.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for giving me the chance to read an eARC of this novel.

Fathomfolk is a political fantasy set in a world inhabited by humans and Fathomfolk, creatures with water-related powers. The story is told from 3 POVs: Nami, a young, idealistic sea-dragon; Mira, a half-siren who tries to find her place among humans she grew up alongside; Cordelia, a sea-witch who strikes bargains and schemes at all times. The three women are connected throughout the book and their stories overlap repeatedly, and at times unexpectedly.

Starting from what I enjoyed most... the world-building was pretty incredible. The author presented a detailed reality filled with a variety of species and intricately mythology. It took me a few chapters to understand more about who was who, how the world worked and to keep up with some terminology, but I then really enjoyed learning more about this new reality.

Mira's POV was probably my favourite - her strive for a better world while struggling to be respected as a Fathomfolk captain of the guards among humans, her relationship with people around her and her secrets making her a rather likeable character. I especially loved her relationship with Kai. He was actually probably my favourite character of all! I can't say more, to avoid spoilers, but he is an excellent character.

Nami and Cordelia's POVs felt a bit too one-dimensional, even when we saw their motivations explained and some character development... it never felt quite enough for me. Characters surrounding them also didn't strike me hugely, with things left unexplained (might there be a sequel, perhaps?) and limited own depth.

The premise of the book was really interesting and I had really high hopes. However, I was not quite blown away - while Fathomfolk was an enjoyable read, I was not particularly taken with the events of the story and the style with which they were recounted. It felt quite jumpy at times, with abrupt transitions from one situation to the next (or at times between paragraphs).

All in all an enjoyable read, but not one that kept me glued to the pages. I would still recommend reading it, especially for fans of great world-building.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book really early on. I admit, I was already a bit put off by the many mixed reviews/DNFs I've seen for this book, but I still wanted to give it ago, however even the first chapter told me that I was not going to enjoy this book.

Starting this book felt as if I were reading a sequel for a book I had never read. I found characters were introduced with no idea as to their personalities/appearances/ages (even the protagonists), and if I hadn't looked up how old these characters were supposed to be afterwards, I would have assumed they were teenagers. This book did not read like an adult book to me, and I assumed it was a YA book.

In the first chapter, we're introduced to one of the MCs, Mira, being made captain of the border guard, however we are not given any context for how she got this position: I understand that this could be explored later in the book, however no context was given AT ALL to these events. She then goes out to celebrate with her friends/comrades, and later with her partner, however their relationships feel empty/insignificant when no foundation is given to them.

The world building, I felt, was also very confusing. In the first chapter alone, so many different creatures were mentioned, but no explanation was given for what they were. The world's political system was also introduced (or attempted to be introduced) but again no context or explanation was given for this. Not every piece of worldbuilding has to been explained/contextualised in an opening chapter, but if you're going to mention these aspects, then they do need to be explored. I also found the pacing to be a bit jarring and choppy.

Overall, I just don't think this book was for me. I was very confused and perhaps going into the book with already wary expectations impacted my experience. I don't like DNFing books so early on, but unfortunately this book just isn't one I was going to enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

This book was really hard to rate for me, as I really enjoyed the last 30-40% and I loved the concept, the world and the themes, but the execution wasn't great and the first half was quite confusing.
I read a lot of fantasy and usually don't have a lot of issues with complex worldbuilding, but this book was pushing even me to my limits. There was so much going on and the world was quite complicated, but the worldbuilding was a bit all over the place. At the beginning, we had a lot of info-dumping that felt a bit overwhelming, combined with multiple POVs. I really paid close attention, but I felt like a lot still went over my head.

However, the world, albeit being complicated, was very cool and it was the only reason I didn't DNF. The modern, post-apocalyptic city combined with all the water creatures and the discussions of environmentalism and discrimination intrigued me and made me fall in love with the setting very quickly. I also liked the main characters and the differences between them.

Ultimately, I'm really glad I didn't DNF because once I got the hang of everything, I really loved the book. The second half was amazing and the ending had me in tears. I haven't yet read a book that pairs revolution and social injustice with humanity's crimes against our environment, and it made for such a great combination.
It's one of those books that makes you wish there were more like it, but there aren't any because it's such a unique mix of elements.

Overall, I think this book is probably very hit or miss and even though I enjoyed it, I can see why a lot of people DNFed. Personally, I think it was worth finishing and I'm really excited for the sequel.