You can see the passion in this novel, the cultural setting and the struggles of the racist society so well placed in. I love the character of Nami she who wants change, but is naive in her wanting. It's a striking contrast with mira. And the seawitches conniving nature made this novel rife with intrigue.

But the story didn't work for me because even though the events occuring were all individually interesting as a cohesive whole they didn't manage to capture my attention. There were tangential side quests that comprised the entire book and even though I've liked that in others this book didn't manage to tie it all together neatly... The prose also suffered from feeling stilted and so the experience of reading about these revolutions felt flat in many parts.

The world of this novel is amazing, so too are it's characters I just wish the story captured me as much as those other elements did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Book Group for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
At the first 20% (too much telling and worldbuilding), I struggled to read it but managed to get through to the end via audible/ read aloud tools. Only then did I get the gist of the whole story.
Not quite my taste. Not sure who to root for since multiple characters with shallow back stories. Nothing likable about the main character. The antagonist was weak and predictable.

Overall, a little disappointed after all the description was very alluring to read. Yet, it can be improved more on the main character.

having trouble getting into it because I think the world building is too jumbled, despite the fact that the concept is wonderful, so I dnf-ed 20% of the way through.

Was really dissapointed with this book and ended up dnf it around 20% in.
I really wanted to love it but I found it quite boring and just couldn't get into it 😭 I'm so gutted

I ended up really enjoying this but it took me a wee while to get into as I found the first 20% to be a bit boring. I eventually grew to really like the characters and the story. It’s like bone shard daughter meets Zootopia by the way of the little mermaid, you can really see the little mermaid influence in some areas.

Nami was probably my favourite character but I wish she stood up for herself a bit more as she was a little naive. Mira and Kai were so cute but that ending made me sad, poor Kai😩

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:3.5/5
Fathomfolk is a pretty great debut that tackles the very real issues of xenophobia, racism and social injustice. First of all, the cover's phenomenal. I'm a huge fan of the artist and love their work. The worldbuilding is incredible. I loved the setting of a half-submerged city on the brink of revolution. It's fresh, unique and never done before. Fathomfolk are water creatures from mythologies around the world, and while this fact doesn't really affect the book, it kinda feels weird to have creatures from all around the world living together in a fictional world without much explanation about their origins or the fact that why, along with humans, only water creatures exist.

I enjoyed all of the POVs and they came together very well. The beginning was quite confusing and dense, but as I settled into this world, I could appreciate how rich and amazing it was. My favourite pov was that if the scheming, selfish and morally grey Cordelia. I can't wait to read what she cooks up in the next book. I initially enjoyed reading the shifting alliances between the characters, but soon there were way too many betrayals for me to enjoy the story. Firth and Nami's relationship felt toxic, and I hope they don't end up together. Nami was my least favorite character because of her terrible decisions and annoying personality. Some things about the book just didn't make sense(no spoilers here) and I hope they get explored in more depth in book 2. If you're expecting a romance or a book where you feel a deep connection with the characters, this one's not for you. If you like mythology, detailed worldbuilding, a plot driven book, maybe you'll like this one.

This was not a bad book just not my cup of tea and sadly I gave up around the 60% mark!! It's part dystopian, part fantasy with all kinds of sea-based creatures, fathomfolk, who have to live on land with humans due to pollution destroying their underwater homes. The fathomfolk face massive discrimination and the main characters all take a different approach to dealing with this. I really liked the idea behind it, sadly it was just too slow paced and I wasn't excited to keep reading. I slogged along to the 60% mark and still didn't see any clear plot or idea of where the story was going... some people might like that but it wasn't doing it for me.

Initially I was drawn to the cover of this book which is just gorgeous, then the blurb had me even more intrigued.

This is my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I haven't read many stories with sea/water creature and found the setting - semi-drowned world, with underwater and aerial dwellings and creatures of all shapes and sizes, really fresh and exciting.
We get water shifters of sorts (they do retain some of their feature in their human form), we get humans, we get sirens and witches and mythical titans.
It's a complex world, exploring current social issues in a fantasy setting. We get the fathomfolk who are the underdogs, fleeing their dying settlements and trying to find their place in the human world. The world of humans exploits the folk, but also fears their supernatural powers. There story gives us a poignant look on migration and class struggles, all this at the background of climate catastrophe. It's not all dark and depressing though. There is room for joy, for celebration, for love, but most of all for hope for something better for everyone.
I find it hard to formulate precisely what this story is about. It's about acceptance, giving everyone a fair chance, the freedom to be who you are. It is also very much a story finding a way to change the system through revolution as the Drawbacks want, or it seems so on the surface or changing it from within, which is Mira and Kai approach.
The story started somewhat slow for me, too many descriptions, one too many characters and places introduced right from the start, not enough action. Once I got settled into the world though, I began to enjoy it a lot. The action picked up considerably in the second half and didn't let go till the end.
There is a strong romantic element, actually two romance plots, but it's not a fantasy romance. We get a relationship-in-trouble romantic trope with Kai and Mira struggling to keep their relationship under the immense pressure from outside they face (their careers, their different social standing). We also get a slow-burn romance between Nami and Firth which is not at all what it seems to be (there is a secret there that was not revealed here and I have some suspicions and I can't wait for the next book to see if I am right).
There is a whole set of friends and families and villains that bring so much life to the story.
It's a rich, imaginative, gripping story and I highly recommend it.

CW: violence, serious injuries, death, drug use, violent protests, sabotage

I really wanted to love this one, and I honestly really enjoyed the world building. Unfortunately though, the plot was very slow and some of the characters didn't resonate with me. A real shame since the ending wasn't bad, and redeemed the book slightly. I just wish it hadn't been so hard to get that far!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

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

I always try to never judge a book by it’s cover but how can I not when the cover is this incredibly gorgeous? I mean look at it??

So imagine my utter despair when I ended up not vibing with this book at all :(( I can’t exactly lay my finger on the exact reason but I think a big part of it was me not connecting with 2 out of 3 characters that we were given a POV from. The only one I really liked/connected with was Mina and I feel like we got way less chapters/pages from her pov?? Sadly I couldn’t care less about the other two and both of their actions throughout the entire book made me want to grab them by their shoulders and just roughly shake them cause??? Nami was definitely the one I was frustrated with the most, with the way she kept on going back and forth between these ‘’sides’’ AND THE WAY NO ONE EVEN QUESTIONED HER OR TOLD HER EVEN SLIGHTLY OFF??

The pacing definitely felt a lil off aswell to me. It felt like barely anything exciting happened in first part of the novel and towards the end shit just started going down. Could just be me though but I could barely get through the first 50% cause of this, i’m definitely a plot driven gal to my core.

Nevertheless i’m curious to see where the author will go with this duology(?) cause that ending was straight up ?!?!

4.5 stars

Thanks to net galley for this arc in exchange for a honest review.

Wow where to start? The world building was incredible, The city came to life as I was reading, you could almost smell the salt water and hear the aunties haggling over goods in the floating markets. It was amazingly descriptive. Chan skilfully teases out emotions throughout the text, I’m only giving four and a half stars instead of five because the ending devastated me and I’m holding a grudge about it.

I found Mira’s struggles incredibly relatable. Navigating the world when you don’t truly belong to either side of your heritage isn’t always something that’s explored well in books but it was here. Especially in how she was seen as the spokesperson for all fathomfolk regardless of their species. As a mixed race person, it hit very close to home.

Forgive me but goodness I found myself wanting to slap Nami. Her inability to see the nuances of the situation most of the folk found themselves was obviously the point but I would have assumed she would have become a little more savvy than she did towards the end.

Cordelia was fascinating and her pov was always interesting to read. I can’t wait to see more of her schemes in the future.

I hope there’s a sequel soon. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s coming next.

First off, this cover is STUNNING. Secondly, this story is STUNNING. Big fat yes from me. It was intricate, well paced and felt very mature but also easy to read? 4.5 stars.

Fathomfolk is a story about revolution and social injustice, told in a fantasy world co-inhabited by aquatic mythical creatures and humans. One main character is a half-siren who leads the border guard in human city of Tiankawi, another is a water dragon princess itching to rebel against the oppressive humans, and a wife of a human minister with hidden agendas several layers deep.

Fathomfolk is a fantastic debut. I was really impressed with the gravitas of the story, the way it portrayed inequality got me squirming from discomfort at times. This book gave the main conflict appropriate complexity, told from multiple PoVs of very different people with very different interests. I would recommend this book if you're looking for a politically charged fantasy novel with some action in it.

The worldbuilding is spatially nice (great visual description). However, for a story focusing on conflicts caused by diminishing resources and past natural disasters, the historical and ecological worldbuilding could be explored in more detail. This book did not explain much mechanics of anything. A lot of the character interactions happened by description instead of them actually having dialogues, and they are so focused on the plot/conflict instead of actually interacting with each other, making the characters felt not alive enough for me.

But overall it's an enjoyable read, I'm giving it 3.5 stars, and I will keep an eye out for the sequel.

eARC provided by NetGalley and Orbit Books UK.

This book was fantastic. The writing was beautiful and the book itself was very atmospheric and engaging.
To me this felt very unique and I hope there will be more!

A city that's supposed to be a safe haven, and a wonderful shining beacon, but actually is subject to humans looking down on the "Fathomfolk" who have to live in polluted water below. Do you peacefully fight for equality or John the extremist rebels?
This book deals with xenophobia and racism in a fantasy adjacent way, and how society works, or doesn't work in these scenarios.
While I love the fantasy, magical, almost cosy vibes. And how they contrast with the importance of the unjust scenarios around, I do feel it was tad predictable.
It is very YA, and I'm not sure the romance 100% needed to be there, I don't think it added much and felt quite quick.
But I think it's a clever spin on an all too real event, and excellent to get those of YA audience thinking about these things.

Huge thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. What can I say? Fabulous. Fathomfolk was so much fun, it’s adventurous, atmospheric, high stakes. It’s a perfect utopia of mythology and societal issues. I hope there’s a sequel, because I’d love one.

I enjoyed this but wanted more from it. The writing was beautiful and the characters deep. The story itself felt very same-y and I wished it branched out more with the ideas. The cover itself is fantastic though

First off, the cover is gorgeous! The perfect cover buy but unfortunately the contents just didn't work for me.
The world building is lush but was a lot more metropolitan than I was expecting, I preferred the snippets of the underwater dwellings more.
It felt more YA which might be due to one of the super irritating mc's. I get that she's young but I was soon exasperated by her terrible decisions and forgetfulness of her friends dire predicaments. Her love interest also gave me the ick with his strong grooming vibes. The rest of the characters were OK, I actually quite liked the portrayed villainess. I found the beginning a bit confusing, the middle a slog, and end quite good, the set up for the next book sounds a lot more interesting but I'm just not invested enough in the characters.
I can see why this would be popular but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Fathomfolk and humankind live side by side in Tiankawi, a central hub where their people gather together. Half-siren Mira is the first of the fathomfolk to gain an officer rank in the military. Her partner, Kai, is the ambassador. Kai’s younger sister Nami is exiled to their city, and is the catalyst for change.

Nami is flawed – young, brash, innocent – but also very believable. The novel shows how easy it is to manipulate someone who has the right heart, but doesn’t know how to navigate their complex world. Fathomfolk does an excellent job of showing the tensions with the loss of land – or undersea here – forcing immigration, the underlying racism, classism and cultural issues.

This is a clever, unique novel full of strong worldbuilding, interesting characters, and a nuanced story.

Something for fans of Japanese Mythology. This book is a clever story about immigration and being thrown into a new world in hopes to find peace, just to have new struggles coming your way.
It's well written, still sometimes it seems a bit chaotic in structure, but I think it is still worth it to read that book. As many books this year it wraps important topics in a fantasy world, to make the reader believe this is only fiction, but on second glance it is actually already happening in the world.