I would like to thank the publisher for approving my request to read this book!
DNF @ 29%
Initially, I loved the sound of this book and was so excited to read it. The world-building is extremely heavy, and I do like in depth world-building, but there just wasn’t any plot alongside it. I found it very boring and was unable to persevere.

There were also just too many characters introduced too quickly, I really struggled to understand who was who, if they were folk or human and whose POV was being referred to.

Unfortunately, this book was just too slow for me, if the plot got going earlier, then I may have continued reading, but I got to chapter 17, and nothing had really happened at all.

First of all I would like to thank netgalley & the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

TW: violence, drug use, injuries, death, violent protests & sabotage

The world and magic system felt really unique, but undeveloped. The first 200 pages felt boring, it took a while for the story to pick up. It had a wide range of magical, ethereal sea creatures though, which I really liked. (I'm a sucker for such) On the other hand, what I did not like were some of the characters. The main character seemed flat, boring, and did not really poses any "unique" characteristics that would drawn me to them. As for action, it was okay. I was not feeling it that much. But it might have been, perhaps, because I did not care about the characters.

In the end, it ended up being the perfect pretty cover with a not so great content. It just didn't work for me. But it might be just what YOU are looking for!

This review will be published on Goodreads on 15th January.

REVIEW -

What was I expecting from this story? A well-built world of merpeople and a modern fantasy setting, an enjoyable and interesting read. What did I get? A complex and political tale of prejudice, revolution and classism that often times made me sit back and take a breath before continuing.

The world of Fathomfolk was cleverly and engagingly build, one that I enjoyed seeing on the page because it felt immersive. As our main narrator, Nami was intriguing and complex, a hot-headed female main character who has rightly been compared to Korra from the Avatar series. I found that other main narrative, Mira, was such a great perspective flip compared to Nami’s hot-headedness. It grounded the story on two sides of a political battle, one slipping further into revolution and violence, one trying desperately to wage ideological and passive war against a rhetoric of hate and prejudice. This was very much a story that made you sit back and realise that the villains are maybe right, which I LOVE.

Characters
Nami was a great main character, taking us through an introduction to the world of Fathomfolk as she arrives there herself, banished by her mother for an act of rebellion which lands herself and her friends in hot water. We are introduced to a world where Fathomfolk are oppressed, relentlessly so, because of their nature. Nami’s outrage and naivety keeps you engaged, even if you’re just yelling at her to make smarter decisions, to avoid certain people, and to stay off the path that eventually leads her to commit large-scale horrid acts of violence - even if she doesn’t have a choice. She’s bold and young and predisposed to rash action, and hers is an angry, outraged narrative of confusion, a younger sibling fighting to find her own path and I enjoyed her even if I didn’t agree her the whole time - that’s what makes a good character. We witness injustice and the riotous feeling that helplessness can instill through Nami and that’s a great lens for this story.

Alternatively, Mira was another great lens, one who was so brilliantly written. Through her, we see the complex challenges that comes with “escaping” from one class system to another, and the intense system of oppression that governs Tiankawi, being “othered”, and the rage that comes with injustice. But she tries to play to the system, keep to the rules, stick to the guidelines she’s given even if they’re unjust, and her narrative is one of deep inner conflict. I loved Mira, I would personally have loved a bigger weight given to her chapters, to see more of how she navigates this world - but I loved her, and my heart broke for her many times.

My only complaint character-wise is that a romance between Nami and another character felt too insta-love for me. My intuition tells me this is partly down to influence on one side, which will come into play or to light in the second book, but I found that I didn’t believe the chemistry between the two characters. I’m hoping this is deliberate, as the other character dynamics were wonderful!

Serena was also a brilliant character and I adored her desperation and savagery, the complex webs she weaves as the story progresses, and her skill at manipulation. There is a barely restrained snarl to her tone, one which you can feel through the narrative itself, at how she loves and loathes her position in the society and her double life makes hers a really interesting and exciting narrative.

I can’t talk about Kai. I can’t. I love him too much to be unbiased about him and I’m not over his character storyline. This water dragon made me
SOB.

Pacing/Plot

I loved that each character, even if they were a side character or main perspective was cleverly interwoven into the complex plot that’s laid out in Fathomfolk.

I’ll admit that it felt a little sluggish at the start, but with a complex world to introduce the reader to there’s often going to be periods of adjusting to something relatively high fantasy. But the urban setting really grounded the world, and made it fresh and exciting to read - bonus that the food descriptions sounded SO good each time.

One of my only complaints is that there felt to be a LOT of weight added to the fate of an overarching entity that we were only really introduced to as a reality a few minutes (as the reader… reads) before their fate seals catastrophe for Tiankawi. Considering that there is an act of INJUSTICE against my favourite character as a result of this, and it weaves bigger plot points for book 2, I felt that I was supposed to be torn up about this entity’s date and the consequences of violence against them even though I’d only just discovered they existed very recently. Giving this angle more time to build significance would have made me more invested in the way that this plot point required me to be, for the consequences it has for the city, and for the characters we’ve been following this entire time.

It’s hard to critique this without spoiling, but it felt a little like we’d been thrust into the discovery of something major only for it to die three seconds after this and have life-altering consequences for main characters.

However, aside from that this was a lush and quick read! I throughly enjoyed each moment, and can’t wait for book two!!

What's not to love? Sea witches, water dragons and kelpies in the underwater city of Tiankawi. Devoured this in one sitting.

What a FANTASTIC debut filled with everything I love about the sea world!

Absolutely in love with the world of Fathomfolk! It is a magical half underwater world, with extremely well created elements. It has a lot to do with environmental issues as well!
Fathomfolks (any magical creature living underwater, imagine mermaids, sirens, sea witches, kelpies etc) do bargains and merge with humans: so it is FULL of political schemes, betrayals, new found alliances.

What I really loved beside the rich and imaginary world building and Asian lore was that most of the relationships were already established and we got to know these bonds as the novel progressed.

Ahhhh love loveed it!! I think it is best to read knowing the bare minimum so all the twists are going to hit you hard!

Thank you so much Orbitbooks UK, the author and Netgalley for the free earc! All opinion is my own.

I loved this book.

First the world and magic system. It feels really unique to have such a wide range of magical creatures.

Then the characters are all so interesting and dynamic. They have very believable motivations and stories.

The ending was perfect. Just the right amount of resolving things but also setting up for the series.
I'm excited to read more of this author

This was a surprising novel that incorporates intense themes of racism, segregation and classism amongst a vividly painted backdrop of a semi-submerged city and love against all adding just that amount of joy. Mira is a half-siren who has been promoted to the captain of the border guard and is dating Kai, the dragon ambassador to Tiankawi, a match most find difficult to understand. Nami, his sister is exiled from their home for her attempt to disrupt the status quo and joins Kai. She is drawn to a group that wants to change everything about Tiankawi but soon learns that all is not as it seems.

I enjoyed Mira and Nami's journeys of self-discovery and loved how Kai would support them to be what they needed to be. Cordelia was fascinating character, using her abilities to such a great extent that you are never quite sure what her true feelings are - the perfect villain, or is she?

Eliza weaves a heartbreaking tale of what people doing what they have to, to save the people they love while challenging a way of life that most are willing to accept without question. I absolutely loved the Southeast Asian references that made me smile when I read about paratha and puri. I did struggle slightly with the pacing of the book but this picked up as you become more invested in the story.

And look at that cover! It's stunning! That should be enough to have you read this :)

The didn't quite hit the mark for me. The writing style was okay, but I found it a bit tough to get into the story. Despite having high expectations because of its cool theme and East Asian mythology vibes, the book couldn't quite hook me.

The characters, especially Mira, were cool, and her journey from a half-siren to the captaincy of the border guard had its moments. The interactions between the fathomfolk and humans seemed promising, but the story didn't always live up to those expectations.

The plot had its ups and downs, occasionally feeling a bit drawn out. The anticipated conflicts between the fathomfolk and humans, along with the extremists' influence, didn't keep me on the edge of my seat as much as I hoped. I often found myself wondering where the story was heading.

While the book did have some interesting parts, it didn't quite live up to my high hopes. Overall, "Fathomfolk" is a decent read with its positives, but there's definitely room for improvement.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me the eARC!

"Fathomfolk" by Eliza Chan is an enchanting dive into a world of wonder and aquatic magic. Chan's storytelling is as fluid and mesmerizing as the undersea realms she describes. Her characters, richly drawn and compelling, navigate a vividly imagined world where the line between myth and reality blurs. The narrative flows with lyrical prose, making each page a delight. This book is a must-read for fantasy lovers, offering a fresh, imaginative perspective on folklore and legend. Chan's work is a captivating, beautifully written journey beneath the waves.

3.5 stars! Firstly, I loved the cover of Fathomfolk and was immediately excited for it thinking that it was going to be a magical, whimsical, fairytale-like story with beautiful and ethereal sea creatures…nope! This was engaging and action packed and made me feel frustrated and sad for a lot of the characters. Tiankawi is a semi-submerged city where the affluent and rich live a life of excess and luxury but underneath all that glamour, is a world of oppression and social injustice predominantly towards Fathomfolk. With multiple POVs, I got a better understanding on the circumstances of most characters but the main focus is on Nami’s (naïve and juvenile) POV as she starts to explore Tiankawi and learn about its past history and secrets. Overall, beautifully written and thought provoking with a gorgeous cover. Excited to see what happens next.

Fathomfolk is Eliza Chan's first book and also the first book in the Drowned World series.

The book is set in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi where humans and fathomfolks coexist with a certain difficulty, that is, sirens, kelpies, kappas, sea witches, in short, all the creatures of mythology.

Following the POVs of Mra, Nami and Cordelia we find ourselves involved in the brutal change that will upset the city's society.

This book has very rich worldbuilding. Dense, vivid and really well edited, and obviously everything focuses on the theme of coexistence between different cultures, between prejudices, violence and hatred. Theme addressed very well and from different angles.

Unfortunately, however, I never felt really involved in the story. The premise is interesting but either due to the predictability of the plot or due to the characters who didn't really win me over I struggled a bit to carry on with the reading.

I found some situations repetitive and I often got bored because events start moving rather slowly anyway.
Unfortunately I don't think I'll continue the series, because beyond the worldbuilding there's nothing else that really excited me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC

It was a very solid and unique first novel in a fantasy series. The main strength of the novel is in its universe, it is widely different from everything I’ve read before and I loved that. The plot is quite political (which I also loved) and though it is not full of action, only a couple of moments, I was not bored. The politics make up for it. Unfortunately, I did not connect with the characters at all. I found out as I was reading that I cared about the plot more than I cared about the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is so magical. What a richly crafted world! I was absolutely captivated by the story and cozy atmosphere. The visuals kept everything so fresh, and it’s a testament to the author’s writing! The plot was a little predictable, but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of this. If you loved The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, you’ll love this!

Thank you to Little Brown Book group and netgalley for the ARC.

Fathomfolk is set in a city where humans and fathom folk (selkies, sea witches, sirens, water dragons and so much more) live. It isn't peace and harmony, there's division between humans and the fathomfolk. We have three narrators who explain it from their perspective, navigating the politics of the place.

the world is rich and wonderful. it isn't perfect and there's aspects i didn't like but that's on me, the writing was brilliant and captivating.

I felt the premise of this book was promising, like others I was attracted to the cover, and the name sold me.

The story didn’t live up to my expectations sadly. The East Asian mythology was a welcome basis for the book, but it was incredibly slow, and the depth of the world building wasn’t seen in the characters themselves who felt flat and one dimensional. I wasn’t particularly invested in any of them, and the romance aspect didn’t improve that. The alternate POVs worked well, but the characters felt ultimately forgettable.

This was an okay read for me, the cover initially made me curious since it's so pretty and I thought the story had potential. The writing was really nice and so was the worldbuilding, it was super unique and interesting and I wish we had seen even more of the world.

What didn't work for me was the really slow pace, nothing happened for around 50% of this and I didn't connect with the characters enough to balance that out for me. Nami was honestly kind of annoying me and the others just weren't that interesting or memorable. The plot picked up in the second half but it still wasn't very gripping and if I hadn't liked the writing style as much as I did I would have really struggled to keep reading. The ending was fine although predictable and it didn't especially made me want to pick up the next one. I did like the villain though.

Overall I think if you're really into interesting worldbuilding and don't mind a slower plot this will be very enjoyable for you, it just wasn't really for me.

"Fathomfolk" by Eliza Chan is a gripping first fantasy that transports readers to Tiankawi, a semi-submerged metropolis on the verge of revolt. Chan uses East Asian mythology and aquatic folk stories to examine the conflict between humans and the city's fathomfolk—sirens, sea witches, kelpies, and kappas.

Mira, a half-siren who becomes border guard captain, offers a fresh and interesting take on the conflicts. From the start, the dramatic contrast between the rich humans in their towering constructions and the marginalised fathomfolk below sets the setting for a narrative about social hierarchies and equality.

Mira struggles to gain the confidence of her human coworkers while dealing with Nami's banishment. Extremists interrupt the annual boat race, a symbol of solidarity, causing violence and a crackdown on fathomfolk rights. This raises the question of whether Tiankawi should be allowed to drown in its inequities or if reform is worth the turmoil.

Chan's world-building of the submerged metropolis and its various residents is remarkable. East Asian mythology enriches the plot, producing a unique fantasy and cultural combination. The author masterfully handles prejudice, power, and the cost of development, making readers consider their own world.

Mira and Nami, particularly, are well-developed and sympathetic, with internal and external struggles that shape their identities. The suspenseful narrative has surprising turns that keep readers hooked until the finish.

In "Fathomfolk," Eliza Chan has written a thought-provoking novel that takes readers to a mythical world and makes them consider real-world challenges. The first fantasy novel's engaging characters, rich world-building, and relevant topics make it promise.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I was attracted to this book like most others due to the cover, it is stunning.
The story itself im not sold on 100%. I love my fantasy to be plot driven; twist and turns, politics, friction, conniving... but the first half of this book is incredibly boring. It was a fight to push through and keep on going. Things do pick up but by then i dont care for many of the characters at all.

It also has my most hated trope.. instant love. A small part of me is interested to see where this goes, but im not rushing for the next book.

Chan delivers a rich character-driven fantasy steeped in East Asian mythology with her debut fantasy Fathomfolk.
Those who love nautical themed fantasy full of sirens, sea witches, kelpies and kappas will find plenty to dive into with this one.
For others, a somewhat plodding pace that makes the early part of the novel a slog and you may be best to look elsewhere.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. I loved the cover! Nut I couldn't get into it. After a few chapters it started to feel more like a chore to read.