Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the advance reader copy.

This was an anticipated read for me and it fell flat.
There’s a lot of characters partially introduced early into the story and yet it feels like not a lot happens for a good portion of the book.

The general writing style didn’t appeal to me and I found this hard to get through and eventually finish.

Loved loved it
It was a tiny bit of confusing at the begging but once you get into the story was amazing
Loved the different pov as well

Fathomfolk
Fantasy
Eliza Chan
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

• ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄꜱ • ᴄᴏɴꜰʟɪᴄᴛꜱ • ᴍʏᴛʜᴏʟᴏɢʏ •

I have mixed feelings about this book. The world building was very detailed and sometimes it felt too complicated. While I really liked the idea of the mythological creatures, I think too many were crammed in.

I usually like multiple POVs but I found them a little confusing in this book because they seemed to switch too quickly and sometimes it would happen in the middle of a chapter.

The pacing was slow to begin with, partly due to so much world building but it did pick up.

Certain things were predictable but I did like the plot, for the most part. Eliza Chan has included some very interesting topics.

I liked the characters, some more than others though.

The ending was ok. I liked some parts of it but I also found it a little disappointing.

*Thank you to @Netgalley, the author, and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

I tried to read this five times and each time bounced off it in disappointment. I don't know what it was, but the opening chapters just totally failed to hook me in. Perhaps it's a mood read and I wasn't in the mood for it, or it might have been that I don't have enough brain space for this. Certainly there are wonderful mythology imagery and social inequality considerations visible from the opening chapters, and I think in a different timescale I would love this, but it's just not right for me right now.

One may think that given that many Asian folklore have similar or the same origins you can mix them up without much context or explanation, throwing names of different mythologies creatures at random and with no balance or any measure of integration. The result is that the reader, especially when they’re unfamiliar with many of said folklores, is confused, lost and perhaps struggling to follow. Add to that uninteresting characters and there you have it, a “did not finished/wasn’t invested enough” book in the making.

I have read books that mixed folklores that had concrete figures and legends in common, and they worked for me because they used that commonality as the base to build the story. But this was not the case, the only thing the creatures from “Fathomfolk” other than their “otherness” is that they were water creatures. But that’s not good enough, all cultures can speak of water creatures in their folklores when water is such an important element for the survival of all living being. The worlbuilding her lacked support and interest. And then starting the book throwing info without much depth only made things worse. I was feeling so confused that I had to look for someone to explain at least the basics to me. I didn’t succeed. I felt like I was thrown into the water without learning to swim first.

I don’t want to put Eliza Chan’s writing skills into question, her writing was very good. The world building was not. I think she lacked advice, someone outside her circle, to tell her to simplify things and to not take things for granted, especially when it comes to the readers’ knowledge of all of the cultures in East Asia. It’s easy to find people familiar with Chinese culture, Japanese culture, Korean culture, Vietnamese culture… and so on. But all of them at once? It seems very unlikely, especially amongst young adult, who seem to be the target for this book. I was very excited to get this book approved on Netgalley, and I don’t think I am allowed to say I’m disappointed, it is my fault for getting my hopes high.

In Tiankawi, the semi-submerged city, humans look down literally from their skyscrapers on the fathomfolk — sirens, seawitches, kelpies, and the whatnot — who live in the polluted waters below. Mira, a half-siren, has been appointed captain of the border guards and wishes to fix things. Then Nami, a water dragon with a connection to Mira gets exiled to the city. Impatient for change, Nami gets involved with an anti-human extremist group. When the annual boat races are sabotaged the fathomfolk are named suspect, lighting a fuse in the powderkeg of human-fathomfolk relations. The fathomfolks' rights are then diminished. Can Tiankawi be saved?

Visiting this world was a delight, absorbing the straight-to-the-point but still friendly narrative like a sponge. Full of rich, descriptive paragraphs, ideal for those who like a lot of detailing in the worldbuilding and the characters' thoughts. Imaginative, gifting us with such wonderful images, the storytelling is imbued with bittersweet pensiveness. There is plotting and different agendas, political intrigue and rebellious inclinations.

The POVs are introspective and of strong, independent female figures, one of them a master manipulator. There is an unexpected one, Serena, who has a secret we do not know yet even though I kind of guessed the truth early on, before the reveal. The character development is grounded, realistic. No person is just one thing.

Wish some of the creatures and the inner workings of this world (not so much the politics) were explained more and there was less emphasis on the often longwinded musings of the characters. Sometimes I need simpler. I admit it took me a bit to really get into the story and the second half of the book is much better, fulfilling the promise of the great premise.

final rating: 3.5/5☆

thanks to netgalley and the publisher Little Brown Books for the e-arc!

this has been on the tbr for awhile. first, pretty cover. second, asian fantasy set in a half submerged world?? i would eat this up and i did, and while the world building was vivid and (most of) the characters were lovable, i felt myself greatly let down by the pacing and perhaps the overall style/writing of this one.

(spoilers ahead)

we have a focus on three different characters — Mira, half siren captain of the chinthe border guards; Nami (very apt name for this story which unfortunately felt a bit too much), radical sister of Mira's boyfriend: Serena, a politician's meek wife and seawitch in disguise.

i'll get it out of the way. Nami annoys me. very very much. the way her character is handled felt a little immature, especially with her arc from a total radical to slowly understanding humans in Tiankawi. she was easily influenced by everyone, susceptible to betrayal from everyone and doesn't really seem to learn from experience. a lot of missed opportunities for her growth to be more gradual, but her lessons felt too sudden near the end and unearned.

i liked Mira and Serena, though. Mira is portrayed as an independent fathomfolk half siren who clawed her way from poverty to her position today, and i liked seeing how she is already there, supposedly 'at the end of her journey' but still possesses much character depth in the way she is not one dimensional and has only remains streafast to the folk. she's both, born in freshwater and owns it. love how intraracial prejudices were written into her, with the discrimination against sirens.

i thought her boyfriend was going to fade into the background and eventually break up with her due to differing political beliefs, so i was surprised that he stuck around even after she pushed him away and gave his voice in exchange for her mother. her learning to sign for him??? brilliant. seeing his sacrifice that saved everyone and might have solved some issues of disparity made me nearly cry on public transport.

very excited to see what comes next, what Mira owes Cordelia, what is going to happen with the titan's other half and the world changed.

(cross posted on goodreads)

★ 2.5 stars

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK (Orbit) and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story is told in third person POV, with an alternating focus on different characters situated across the land and sea. I personally prefer first person perspective and found it difficult to connect to the characters with the story being told with an outside lens. The multiple perspectives were confusing at times as the focus shifted frequently (sometimes within a chapter) and made it difficult to discern which character and location the current setting related to.

I did enjoy how the novel commented on social issues such as privilege, poverty, political exploitation and social hierarchy, in a fantasy setting. These external influences ultimately impacted upon some of the decisions made in this book (for better and for worse).

Mira's partner Kai, is ambassador to Tiankaw and I liked that she was conscious of standing on her own footing and not in his shadow, when undertaking her role as captain. This was in the face of social scrutiny due to her status as a half-siren and controversy whether she had used her abilities improperly to gain advantage. She was probably my favourite character between herself, Nami and Cordelia as I just didn't care for them at all.

The story has good bones and rich world building with interesting concepts, however, it felt like there was a bit too much going on and the direction of the book felt lost at points. While the development of the world was strong, there was several mythical creatures introduced but their abilities were never really covered with much detail (sirens, sea-witches, kelpies, kappas, mermaids, water dragons etc).

The pacing was quite slow at the beginning of the book which I generally expect a new fantasy world, however, as things did pick up it felt rushed and not thought out. This is marketed as adult fantasy but it did read more YA for me and felt like it needed another round of edits. For my romance lovers, there is a sprinkle of romance but is very minimal.

It's an incredible achievement to release a debut fantasy and I applaud the author on her originality and the stunning cover. Unfortunately this wasn't for me, but I can see others enjoying this more than me.

I wanted to love this book so much, but then entire time I was reading it I kept going ".. water based Zootopia?" The beginning is quite dense, which is fine for a fantasy book.. I don't mind the work. But it just wasn't flowing well for me. I will likely revisit the book at a different time when I'm more in the mood.

The writing itself is lovely, and intriguing. I think this is more a case of "wrong time".

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to love this book and the world, but I constantly found myself either distracted, struggling or unmotivated to read it. I didn't find myself invested in the characters or storyline until about 50% of the way through, but even then it felt like a task to read.

Based on the blurb for the book, I did expect the story to be told by three separate characters, but some emphasis on whose point of view you were reading, e.g., the character's name as the chapter's header, would've made things clearer. Sometimes I was convinced I was reading from Mira's POV then a phrase from Cordeila would make me think it was her POV.

I wish at the beginning there had been 2 or 3 chapters from Mira's point of view, to help with some of the world-building and to keep the interest when it suddenly swaps to another POV.

Cordelia being a cephalopod and having Mira's siren song imbued into a gemstone gave me heavy Little Mermaid vibes, which I enjoyed!

Samnang revealing that he knew Serena was Cordeila all along 86% of the way through the book (after being repeatedly manipulated by Cordeila throughout with no resistance) made zero sense to me. There should have been a build-up of suspicion or something on Cordeilas side.

My favourite part of the entire book was Mira and Kai's proposal/wedding. It was very emotional and sweet. It was the first time I actually felt attached to the characters.

Also, the Titan plot came out of nowhere! You would think, seeing as it was vital to the end of the story, that there would've been some mention of Titans previously or someone doing research into them. several other plots were forgotten (Lynettes drug addiction was never mentioned again), so it just felt a bit of a jumbled mess.

Towards the end, I did start to get into it, but it definitely took me too long to care about the welfare of the characters.

Overall, I struggled with this book. It could just be a case of right book, wrong time, but I can't see myself picking this up again to give it a second chance.

This was such an intriguing and interesting read that was packed to the brim with politics and social analysis/criticism. Although I did enjoy it it took a while for me to get into at first, but once I did I really liked it

I am dnf-ing this book at 44%
It took me 5 weeks to get that far into the book and I think that this is more than a fair amount of time to give to a book. If I'm not loving it after 5 weeks, am I ever going to?
Overall, I loved the concept of this book and I wanted to love it. However I felt the book ok had a lot of info dumping, yet I had a whole lot of questions about the world (probably these would be answered later in the book). There were a lot of characters with three main characters each of which had their own social circle, I just felt overwhelmed by the characters. None of whom I was interested in

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan is equal parts delight and frustration as she invites the reader to venture into a world where humans live in cities on the ocean alongside the Fathomfolk, people who have sea creature forms and magical abilities. The world-building is superb, and combined with Chan’s gorgeous writing, I felt like I had truly stepped beneath the sea. While some humans have adapted to their new neighbours, others are always looking to build walls between humans and Fathomfolk.

I liked the way that Chan chose to show the history of Tiankawi and current events through the eyes of three women from different ages and places in society. Serena, a human mother of two children and wife of the Minister of Defence, provides a view into high human society. In comparison, Nami is a dragon and considered Fathomfolk royalty, however, she has lived a sheltered life in a sea haven. When she is exiled to Tiankawi she is treated as a lesser being, a far cry from her royal upbringing, and throughout the book she learns a lot of hard truths.

Mira stands with a foot in both worlds. As a half-human, half-siren, she has struggled to find where and how she fits into either world her whole life. She has just been made Captain of the border guard and is painfully aware that the human council that promoted her is waiting for her to screw up so they can blame it on her Fathomfolk side.

Her perspective is imperative to the novel, and if I had any complaints, it is that I felt that her voice was drowned out a bit by Serena and Nami despite the synopsis suggesting that she was the main focus. Rather, it felt that Nami was more the focus, which I have no complaint about and understand it was necessary for the storyline, I’m just not a fan of being misled by a synopsis.

I mentioned that Fathomfolk is frustrating, not due to anything wrong with the novel. Chan approaches topics of marginalisation and alienation through a fantasy lens with a familiarity that is heartbreaking. It is clear that she has poured her own experience into this book, and as a disabled queer reader, many scenes were painfully recognisable.

I appreciated that Chan wove every marginalised identity into her universe. Fathomfolk features a queer normative society and as a result of the pollution humans have caused, Fathomfolk are developing a chronic illness called gill rot from spending time in the polluted water. It shortens their life span and is forcing them out of their natural habitat and onto land.

Fathomfolk is an extraordinary debut that draws on “Under the Sea” nostalgia and elements of fairytales, while also being reminiscent of the movie Waterworld. I don’t want to outright compare Fathomfolk to any of these because what Chan has created is unique and deserves to be viewed on its own merits. Fathomfolk reminds us that there is beauty in difference, but being different is a painful existence.

This is most certainly a must-read for 2024, and the way the book ends promises a dramatic sequel.

I DNF'd as many others have said it wasn't a bad book I just put it down and didn't feel drawn to it again, which is a shame as the premise seemed very interesting.

3.5 stars

Fathomfolk is such a unique and magical story full of social commentary and political intrigue. We get to see the tension between the humans and the fathomfolk which whilst at times uncomfortable it's nice to see themes like this done in fantasy novels.

While I will admit this one took a little while for me to get into it but I found that it really picked up and I was really invested in these characters and what happened next. I also liked that we got multiple POVs as we got to see the overall picture from different angles.

I'm quite intrigued to see how the story progresses in the next book and I'm also interested in seeing one plot line in particular develop!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what to say about this one. I ended up DNF'ing this around the halfway mark. There was nothing particularly wrong with the book, and I don't know if it was the timing but I could not get through it. When I read it I was kind of enjoying myself, but when I put it down I had no desire to pick it up.

I might give this one a try at a later point, but for now, It's a DNF.

First off, I identified with each and every character in this story. I need this connection; it hooks me into the emotions so that I get to feel what the characters do (and a few more emotions besides). It was there for me right from the beginning. The story felt like a safe environment for me to access my own feelings through the characters about such things as prejudices and empty gestures.

Mira really cares about the fathomfolk community and climbs the ladder in the human world to hopefully make a difference but is still not respected.

Kai, noble and the only water dragon in the city state has a position of authority. Often on the edge of the action waiting to support Mira, he really comes into his own when it’s really needed (I fell a little in love with him myself out on the boat).

Nami (sister to Kai), is banished to Tiankawi and has to figure out the human technology and take it back home to Yonakuni haven. She has the heart of a rebel and away from familial influences, rules and regulations, she’s put through some testing situations. She believes wholeheartedly in what she’s told but then some experiences make her question her belief. I can’t make up my mind about one character. There was no trust there from me in the beginning and I’m still thinking the cause is more important to them with their black and white thinking.

Serena holds power but thinks she’s unbeatable and always has the upper hand … those two things together never go well do they …

The Fathomfolk world is a mirror of our own (class, power, immigration and prejudices) which makes it totally relatable. There’s a device that reminded me of our electronic tag system (but with harsher consequences, used for the wrong reasons and is much more than a preventative measure!). Layers of manipulation and plotting, secrets (that may not be as hidden as someone thinks) and of course factions provide intrigue and suspense. There is so much action. At times this story was hard to put down and I found myself reading into the early hours.

I loved the fantasy, the myths and the legends. The way this author weaves it all together is perfect. The shape changing was awesome.

This is a timely story in the Year of the Dragon! I’m so excited for what comes next. Bring it on!

Fathomfolk was one of my anticipated releases, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I loved the rich world building - the semi-flooded city of Tiankawi was described in such vivid detail that I could picture it rising up from the pages of my book. Chan build a multi-layered society and in contrast with the privileges of humans, the rootlessness of citizens from a mixed background and the struggles of fathomfolk at the bottom of the societal pyramid felt authentic and raw.

The various characters all brought plenty to the story, even if at the start navigating the different POVs took a bit of getting used to. I loved Mira, Kai and Nami, and found Cordelia intriguing. The novel doesn't shy away from difficult topics - the discrimination against fathomfolk and the imbalance of power in what's meant to be a haven city for all species feel very real, and the lengths to which the revolutionaries are prepared to go are also realistic and how extreme they are. The finale of the novel is explosive and emotional (yes, I shed a few tears) and there are multiple interesting strands I look forward to reconnecting with in the second installment of this duology.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review*

Okay, I will be brutally honest. So, I started this book and then life happened and I dropped it at 35% of the book. And after a week or so, I started reading again and I couldn't remember it. So I started it from the beginning. Then I started another book buddy reading it with my sister so Fathomfolk was yet again dropped. When I finish the buddy reading with my sister, I remembered I had Fathomfolk so I started it yet again. Then my friend Maria told me to buddy read another book with her and I did. See where I'm going with this?
It's not a bad book per se, it's just a not memorable one.
It made me forget it and not want to prioritize. So, you know what I did right? I dnf'd it at 35%. I thought that the premise was really good but the execution was poorly done. The world building was okay, but not great and I couldn't connect to any of the characters.

Part of the attraction of Fantasy is all the creative races that we meet. It is hard to imagine the genre without elves or dwarves and yet creating new races raises issues in worldbuilding that need consideration. It is all too easy to see some authors have simply taken one stereotype of human history and perhaps added pointy ears. It is also very easy to assume one monoculture across an entire race when if you consider humanity we are a vast and varied species. In Eliza Chan’s fascinatingly complex debut fantasy novel Fathomfolk we get a story exploring one city where two worlds are clashing and it has some sobering reflections on our own world to consider.

Humans and the inhabitants of the seas widely known as fathomfolk once went to war with each other. Rising sea levels, pollution and a growing lack of space, power and food led to peace and an uneasy group of settlements - one of the largest is Tiankawi. There Mira an up and coming officer in the border guard tried to gain influence even though her half-siren nature also makes viewed by suspicion by both sides. Mira’s partner is the power Dragon Ambassador Kai and they’re working their work through the legislature to improve rights for Fathomfolk. But Kai’s rebellious sister is sent to join them and that sets in motion events that could end the truce and bring danger for all.

I really enjoyed this story because it’s very much avoiding a standard fantasy plot. At the heart is how Chan works hard to make us understand Tiankawi and in particular Fathomfolk. We so often in fantasy just hear one group named and all are badged the same. Instead we have a population that itself has many races in it and there is a vast catalogue of different mythical beasts to find here. On top of that are its own cultures and most importantly for this story classes of social status. It’s one of the most interesting worlds to get to know that itself finds itself confined in a human city that thanks to rising waters is partially submerged. That means all Fathomfolk are confined and thanks to devices known as Pakalot find their magical abilities contained and cannot harm humans. We are here exploring immigration and integration of cultures which a lot of fantasy has tended to avoid. Channels very hard in the first quarter of the novel setting all this up and it’s so unusual a fantasy setting that it does take time for us to take our bearings but I loved getting to know a place from the very powerful to the temporary settlements squeezed into the more polluted and dangerous areas of the city. It all starts to come together as the story progresses.

In terms of characters in this journey the two core leads are Mari and Nami. Nami is perhaps the more familiar rebel we see in fantasy who rails against injustice but not yet sure how best to do so. We meet her making a political heist and when she gets informally banished she is soon taken up with a rebellious Fathomfolk faction known as Drawbacks who are unceasingly militant and wish to use force to improve rights. There is a an intriguing angle of Nami getting taken with a charismatic leader named Firth and that her role as a dragon (one of the most powerful of the Fathomfolk races) may be more attractive. A key plotline is how far Nami is prepared to go in this direction and if she understands the consequences these actions create.

At the other end is Mari and she’s a slightly older, more cynical and repressed character. But I think of the two she’s my favourite and Chan works hard to make us understand her. Bordet guards are not usually fantasy heroes and yet Mari’s passion for justice shines through despite the many sneers and rejections those in power put in her way sometimes from her own department. There is a fascinating exploration of class and dynamics of migrant cultures. While Nami is effectively wealthy and equivalent to a princess with Mari we have a woman who comes from a poor immigrant background and is also bi-racial being half human and we are that Fathomfolk can be equally unwelcoming. For Mari the storyline is how far can Mari succeed before inevitable powerful people say enough is enough. Mari has tried hard to be the best of her two worlds but will society ever play fair? I also liked that Mari has a refreshingly adult relationship with Kai - they complement each other he is the calm poised diplomat but needs Mari’s determination to not give up.

Alongside these two characters are the rather stunning bookends of Cordelia a Fathomfolk switch who does deals for power and has a vast array of favours to give and also pay. She explored the magical bargains of the folk and also plays all sides against each other. Mirroring her in the human world is the ultra ambitious Serena working hard to get her husband into powerful positions and now working for her children. They both contrast with Nami and Mira who are focused on Woolworths whereas the other two appear far too focused on themselves. It’s an interesting dynamic as these four shift around each other with plenty of surprises in store.

It takes some time for the core storyline to evolve here. That is a consequence that while the Drawback plotline is the key catalyst for what is to follow Chan is very focused on making us understand the history and wider pressures of the city. We get to see the pain of migration guards with too much power; those who die in smuggling and there is an even bigger costs in racism balanced with a strange love of the culture. One scene is how Fathomfolk food is highly praised by the rich but only humans can afford to eat there. We also see where cultures do blend in places where housing is mixed and even certain cultural events like Boat Races where the groups can live and laugh together. Ultimately for me the storyline is less what one group will do but the wider question where are Tiankawi and its people heading towards and what becomes clear is it can either way to more integration or destruction. As the story ends on a very decisive cliffhanger with sacrifice and pain for the main characters across the board Chan neatly sets up an intriguing question of the what happens next and I’m very interested to explore the new world on offer.

Fathomfolk is a refreshingly complex fantasy story with a multilayered approach to culture, migration and how these could translate to a fantasy world. I’m very impressed and keen to see what Chan has in store for us next.