This was one of my most anticipated ARCs to begin the new year. The semi submerged city of Tiankawi is home to both humans and fathomfolk, inhabitants of the water. However the two races are not equal. Humans generally live above the water and run the city while the different races of fathomfolk, sirens, kelpies, seawitches and even dragons live in the polluted waters below.
I loved the world building and the city of Tiankawi really came alive for me with its mixture of luxurious apartments, squalid slums and above all, the ever present water. I really liked all the different races of fathomfolk and how each race had their own characteristics. The political side of the story was handled well too. The fathomfolk are definitely not equal to humans and elements of the folk are calling for a revolution. We see both the hard line side of the folk as well as those who want to change things in a different way.
Despite loving the world and the plot, I still found the book too easy to put down. I think that this was because the characters themselves didn’t really interest me. I usually enjoy multi POV novels but this just felt too disjointed at times. I did get more involved towards the end when Mira’s story really came to a climax.
It was still an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to the second part where I hope that the characters interest me more.

I enopyed Fathomfolk a lot more than I thought I would. It turned out to be really gripping and had characters that are easy to love but not one-dimensional.
And I loved the worldbuilding! The city feels so vibrant and alive, it is really entertaining. And the magic? Especially the Sea Witch? Amazing.
Although I really liked it, it has a few weaknesses. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, the writing js a little...clumsy and that makes it hard to follow where the book is going. And there are some plot-holes that annoyed me, but maybe they will be resolved in the next part.
Overall a great read, 4.25/5

Fathomfolk has such a promising premise. I find the idea of its world, the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, enthralling. Imagining a world where humans and fathomfolk creatures coexist in one place got me all excited. Fortunately, it didn't live up to my expectation.

I find the storytelling quite boring. It took me forever to get the first half of the book done and practically dragged myself towards the rest of it. I'm really saddened by the fact I did not end up loving this. No characters make me root for them. I just wish for one goal: both sides could live in peace. No wars and blood shall be shed. Other than that, I didn't really care what happened with our narrators. Perhaps, the one who I resonate with the most is Nami (except when she is with Firth, I can scarcely tolerate her).

With all that being said, I don't think the book is thoroughly bad. Just a matter of preference is all. If you wish to read East Asian mythology that feels magical, I would say go for it.

My sincerest gratitude goes to NetGalley for providing me with ARC in exchange of honest review.

I've started a tradition of reading a book in a day on January 1st, and this is the one I chose this time. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

The worldbuilding was stunning and I really liked it, it's my favorite thing about the book. The ideas are so good and it felt like a rich world. I also liked that the story has intrigue and tension because the stakes do feel high. Also, there's a variety of characters we get to know fairly well, and that's always great. Some of them are great, some of them aren't. Overall, I enjoyed some of this book.

However, generally speaking, the plot wasn't super engaging to me personally. I just wasn't very interested in it because it kept focusing on the characters I disliked the most, especially Nami, who was so disappointing and frustrating at every turn. Also, the way everything unfolded was kind of "meh" and it wasn't as surprising as I think it was meant to be.

I'm not sure I feel like continuing the series. On the one hand, I like some of the characters and I love the world, but on the other hand, I hate Nami and I don't care about the story that much. So, I don't know, we'll see!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for gifting me this e-arc. All opinions are my own and entirely truthful.

WOW what a book!

This political high fantasy novel was so incredibly detailed, the world that Eliza Chan weaved is full of unique and magical creatures facing very real world issues. This story follows two very strong willed women and their journeys dealing with discrimination, challenges of the heart, and finding themselves. There were so many different, important storylines which were made easier to follow thanks to multiple POVs and tied everything together so nicely.

Mira and Nami’s relationship as somewhat sisters blossomed so beautifully and Kai was just the sweetest character in the world. That ending gut-wrenched me and I’m so hoping for a reversal in the next book somehow 😭

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Fathomfolk" by Eliza Chan is an aquatic fantasy set in the semi submerged city of Tiankawi, where Fathomfolk (water humanoid creatures) and humans coexist. There are three POVs, each of them wishing to change the city in different ways.

This is one of the most imaginative books I have read this year! The vast insertion of mythology in this vividly described world was a pure joy. I loved how it drew all these stories and creatures from all over the world and made them cohabit with each other (as well as humans). This mixture didn't also take away from the book's East and South East Asian identity. Rather, the Asian culture was palpable inside each character's ethos instead of the book's wider aesthetic.

Like its diverse mythological influence, the three main characters reflect the multifaceted idea of change. Mira, a half-human-half-siren, wants to play by the system's rules to prove that she is equally capable as the humans who rule Tiankawi. Nami, a young dragon who just arrived in the city and thinks only open defiance can force the city to change. Finally,  Cordelia, a second-generation sea witch who has lost all hope for equality in the city (if she ever had any hope for it is unclear) and manipulates her connections to ensure her family's survival and power.

I really admired how these three characters weren't simply three ways of expressing different desires but also an examination of change based on one's societal power. The interlock of class and change was, for me, one of the most poignant elements of this book. What each character considers a necessary sacrifice is based on how much they have already lost.

Nami, whose experience of loss and prejudice is minimal,  urges for the most visible resistance, yearns for the change to be immediate and abrupt. I couldn't help but feel that a level of her desire for change was partly to better reflect and show the hierarchies of the underwater society she came from and, as a Dragon, she stood at the top. That she ought to stand at the top by human standards as well. This might be unfair to a young girl, and I am partly feeling guilt for being so harsh on Nami because immaturity is clearly a personal obstacle she needs to overcome but, it irks me that despite all that happens to her, she fights against maturity. It's a slow and painful road for her and others to achieve it.

In contrast, Mira knows all too well what she can lose. She is, more than any of the other characters appearing in this book, trapped in the in-between space of humans and fathomfolk. The prejudice that controls the city has led her to lose her father, a human who abandoned her and her mother. And, at the same time, she is the most palatable of the fathomfolk because she is a bit human too. What a lonely place to be! But, her story is also one of nurture over nature. Even though she feels a connection to the human side of her genes, her upbringing has been that of a fathomfolk, and her links with that culture are the ones that pull her the tightest. Mira is terrified of what the future would hold for her and all she loves if the delicate balance that keeps Tiankawi afloat.

Finally, Cordelia, my favourite POV! She carries in her story the intergenerational trauma of the city. She has all the false promises etched onto her soul, and her fear of the future is pushing to villainous behaviour. Does that excuse her? Of course not. But it does make her compelling. Cordelia knows that those like Mira who play by the system will have the rug pulled under their feet because the game is rigged against Fathomfolk. Her grandmother's story has taught her that. She also knows that the harsh violence of the revolution will lead to poverty and hardship for most of the population. She is the wisest character, who understands better than any other, how unfair life is. As a sea witch, she gets the worst of both worlds. Both humans and fathomfolk distrust her because she is a shape-shifter. She opts to fight for a personal change in her circumstances. To exploit the system because she is convinced that is the only way to better her societal position and life expectations for her family.

This touch of hierarchical perceptions was one of my favourite sub elements of the book. It is so clever that Chan places Nami's aristocracy against the POVs of a siren and a sea-witch to illuminate that prejudice exists within the fathomfolk world too. I really hope the mirroring of prejudice between the human world, fathomfolk society, and the comparison of those two worlds is explored more in the next book!

Like other books this year that really seeded in my mind, "Fathomfolk" took longer to read. Not because I was not enjoying it but because it required a lot of me mentally. And for that, I know this book will stay with me. I will reflect on all the ideas it presented because it is a really beautiful blend of fantasy, mythology, and a psychological analysis of a versatile city.

I have tried to read this for over 2 weeks now and can't bring myself to carry on, so it will have to be a DNF at 30%.

I was looking forward to a water based world, and while some of the descriptions were evocative and the many different types of fathomfolk were interesting, I found the semi modern setting jarring. It's not clear what level of technology there is - there are trams/trains and electricity, but no computers or guns.

The writing is too simplistic for me to consider this an adult book. One of the viewpoint characters, Nami, is young, naive and reckless and acts like most YA protagonists. She has a romance subplot which is very insta-lovey. In her second meeting with her love interest, they hold hands while he tells her his traumatic backstory.

The other characters are slightly better but still generic, and while not actively annoying like Nami, they are not very interesting either. Scenes felt very disconnected and barely anything had happened by the time I stopped reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC, but I just couldn't get into it.

Fathomfolk is the first book in the Drowned world series. While the world building was great in this book, I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I would still recommend checking this out if the synopsis interests you.

I loved the storyline as well as the characters in this novel. The plot was structured in a great way and the cover art is fantastic too. I would certainly recommend this book to my friends.

Overall, "Fathomfolk" is an absolute gem of a collection. Eliza Chan's masterful storytelling and poetic prowess make this a must-read for any lover of folklore and fantasy. I cannot recommend it enough and eagerly await more of her work in the future. Five stars without a doubt!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fathomfolk piqued my interest when I saw the blurb saying that fans of Jade City and The Bone Shards' Daughter will love this because I really enjoyed those two series (and loved loved loved Jade City so I had high expectations for Fathomfolk as it was being compared to that).

Let me list out the things that I liked. I liked the setting of Fathomfolk as someone who enjoys urban fantasy. I love the integration of the fantasy aspects into the city setting and how I think a lot of the setting is a representative of the current world we're living in. I think if we're comparing it to Jade City, the only similarity between this book and her is the urban fantasy feels of it all but it ends there.

However, there's just a lot of things I struggled with while reading this book. Fathomfolk is told in several POV, and the author made it easy of how these characters are all connected to each other by telling it in the beginning. Still, I wasn't attached to any of the characters and also even when I already got up to the 60% mark, I still had little clue of their motivations and how the different aspects of the story will converge together. I was just really confused on what's happening and the fact that I didn't really care for the characters made me struggle to keep reading. I also thought the characters were a bit flat and the romances had almost-to-none chemistry (the last quarter with Kai and Mira was good but that's it. I appreciate the social status differences though), especially Nami and Firth like I'm not sure I'm supposed to be rooting for them? They have no chemistry and I didn't see any development AT ALL besides Firth asking Nami to trust him over and over again and Nami getting weak everytime Firth is around. I also think this book suffers from uneven pacing too, and only the last quarter saved this book for me as I was ready to DNF.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit UK for approving me of an ARC. This review will be posted on Goodreads 2 weeks before release date.

This is a beautiful and unique story set against the backdrop of sea creatures and a semi-submerged city. The narrative deftly addresses familiar themes of racial discrimination and social inequality while emphasizing the importance and beauty of connection, community, and unity.

Around the 60% mark, I found myself deciding between a 3 and a 3.5-star rating. However, the latter 40% of the book proved to be a game-changer, compelling me to elevate my rating to a solid 4 stars.

While I acknowledge some areas that could be refined, particularly in the author's expression, which occasionally felt a tad awkward, and the world building which at times felt hard to follow and imagine, it is noteworthy that these aspects improved significantly as the narrative unfolded. Considering this is a debut novel, the author's commendable work is evident, and her skills show noticeable growth throughout the book.

Connecting with the main characters posed a challenge initially, but as the author's writing gained confidence and clarity, I found myself more engaged. I also think I just grew accustomed to the three POVs in the book, Mira, Cordelia and Nami as I continued to read. The inclusion of indicators for character at the start of chapters, especially in the initial three chapters, might have eased readers into the narrative and added more clarity.

HOWEVER, the final 40% of the novel left a lasting impact on me, as the unfolding events were both rich and impactful. Despite the rapid succession of developments, there was no sense of rushed storytelling. It was during this segment that I realized my unexpected attachment to the characters which pushed my rating to 4 stars.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

I have to dnf this book now at 28%. It just doesn't grab me, and I don't really know what's going on, as it just can't keep my interest.

I did like the writing, and the premise of the book still sounds good, so I might try and pick the book back up later.

What a story! From page 1 I was drawn into this fantastical yet so familiar world and cared for the characters. Everything was so unique yet so familiar when you draw parallels to our world. I absolutely loved it and ignored my family to finish this.

3.5*

This was such a treat! I have to admit that at first I wasn't sure if this book was for me due to fact that the world that Chan created seemed quite complicated, but after reading ~10% of the book, I started to really enjoy it.

There are 3 main characters, who provide their POV during the story: Mira, half-siren, who was recently promoted to captain of the border guard, Nami, water-dragon who wants to be help others and, because of that, has a tendency to get herself in trouble and Cordelia, a sea witch, who makes deals with fathomfolk to ensure that she gets exactly what she wants. All three women have quite distinct perspectives and each of them works in her own way, which makes the story more captivating and intriguing. I'd say that I've enjoyed reading from Cordelia's perspective the least and usually wanted to get through her chapters faster, however I understand why it was necessary, because it revealed a few plot points that otherwise would have probably stayed a mystery. As for other two, I liked them equally, but I prefered Mira's love interest. It seemed that Nami might have two love interests, but the main one... yeah, not my cup of tea. Fingers crossed, that in the second book author will change her trajectory in this particular case.

Probably my favourite part was world building. I think that Chan did a great job with introducing the reader to the city of Tiankawi and all the different fathomfolk that lives there. I didn't feel overwhelmed with information and, at least for me, it was quite easy to imagine how everything would look like. I thought that the world that was portrayed in Fathomfolk, was very rich, colourful and the rules made sense, which, unfortunately, is not always the case when it comes to fantasy books.

As for the plot, I didn't see any major issues. I thought everything was executed quite smoothly and the pacing was good, without dragging too much. One event usually followed another, which ensured that the reader would be captivated enough to continue with the book and would want to find out what happened next. It wasn't perfect, but for me it was fun delving into this universe and because of that any minor issues I might have with this, felt irrelevant.

To summarise, I would say that this a solid debut and a great introduction to this new series. I'm truly excited to pick up the sequel when it comes out.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions! As per publisher's request, my full review will be posted on Goodreads on the 15th of February, 2024.

First of all what a beautiful cover which instantly drew me in.

Great world building And I loved the water folk in all their different shapes and sizes.
Of all the characters I liked MIra the most the other I struggled a bit with connecting to.

Overall great writing from the author, just a bit difficult to enjoy when you only enjoy one POV.

Overall I think if you don't mind a slower paced book with fantastic world building and political aspects to the story you will enjoy this book.

This was a highly anticipated read which left me with mixed feelings. While the book promised an intriguing blend of "Jade City meets The Little Mermaid," it fell short in certain areas, leaving room for improvement in the second book.
One of the book's strengths lies in its worldbuilding. The city of Tiankawi, deeply rooted in Eastern Asian culture, provides a rich backdrop for the unfolding narrative. The incorporation of Asian delicacies added a layer of authenticity and made the setting come alive. However, the frequent mentions of street food hawkers became somewhat tiresome and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
The storyline deals with heavy themes, including the xenophobic tensions between Fathomfolk and regular humans, set against the backdrop of a decade-long civil war. The exploration of these complex societal issues adds depth to the narrative, making it politically charged and thought-provoking.

The narrative is told through the perspectives of three main characters: Mira, Nami, and Serena. Unfortunately, connecting with any of these characters proved to be a challenge. Their behaviors often felt inconsistent, and the lack of detailed history and development left them feeling underwhelming.
Romance plays a minor role in the plot, with two distinct arcs. One romance evolves from an already established relationship, offering a glimpse into the challenges of a mid-relationship struggle with social status. On the other hand, the second romance plot feels rushed and lacks believability, with the characters succumbing to insta-love. The abruptness of this connection, coupled with the disregard for evident red flags, left this romance plot very frustrating to read.
Despite its flaws, Fathomfolk remains a fascinating and politically charged read. The potential for a more immersive experience is evident, particularly in the development of characters. As the first book in a series, there is hope that the issues identified will be addressed and expanded upon in the sequel.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited when I received the ARC but it was not what I expected. I don’t know what bore me exactly. I’m not sure if it’s the world itself or the writing or Kai and Mira making out in chapter one.

I gave up halfway because life is too short to force yourself to consume so-called entertainment that isn't entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this ARC.

Very good fantasy tale - engaging and original.

This story takes place in either a post-apocalyptic earth or a made-up fantasy world in which the population is divided between humans and fathomfolk, fish-related people, some of which are shape-shifters, who are treated as second-class citizens and with disdain on the whole. The man characters are mainly fathomfolk trying to make the best of their situation although some are out to cause a bit of mayhem and improve their lot anyway they can. It's a well-told story with plenty of characterisation and includes some likeable characters. It's only the beginning of a series and I would probably continue with it - certainly to find out where it goes next. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This review is up on Goodreads and will go live at the first link below on 19 February:

Fathomfolk is the first book in what is to be the Drowned World duology. While it certainly leaves the door wide open for the next instalment, I did have a sense of closure at the end, which is very important to me when I’m reading a series. I don’t like major cliffhangers at the end and then having to wait another year to find out what happens next, so I was happy that wasn’t the case with Fathomfolk.

I won’t lie, Fathomfolk had me at the cover, it was cover love at first sight. But as I read the blurb, I became even more eager to get my grubby hands on it: I have been thoroughly enjoying Asian mythology inspired fantasy in recent years, I’m a fan of Elizabeth Lim’s novels, and the series referenced in the blurb are some of my favourite fantasy series ever. Add a water dragon and a sea witch and I’m more than sold!

While Fathomfolk certainly had all the elements to become my new favourite fantasy novel, I never quite got there. It took me a while to get into the story, I’m not really sure why. Maybe because at first, I didn’t get the feeling of escaping reality that I usually get from fantasy? The fathomfolk, the magical beings, are being discriminated against by humans, and it was all very racist and harrowing, and it just felt like it hit too close to home to offer that escape from reality I expect from fantasy. I think it didn’t quite fit my reading mood. Although, it must be said: kudos to Eliza Chan for making me feel so deeply for her characters.

That final quarter or so, though, that was everything I signed up for. A great build-up to a rather epic and dramatic endgame, it was fantastic!

I found Fathomfolk more thought-provoking and a lot grittier than other novels in its genre. The world-building is fantastic and it hosts an amazing array of mythological waterbeings, from sirens to kelpies and kappas, and everything in between, including the most fabulous sea witch, who does seem to have a bit of a heart every once in a while (well, physically, she has three, but emotionally, …), but don’t tell anyone or she’ll break your bones.

It took me a while to fall under its spell, but in the end I fell hard for Fathomfolk, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Fathomfolk is out in digital formats and audio on 27 February and in hardcover on the 29th, with the paperback to follow next year.

Massive thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.