DNF @60%

I have read quite a bit chunk of this book so I think I am in a good position to review the book.

The world in itself is quite compelling and some of the themes in the book is quite on par with what is going on in the world right now. But, the story just failed to click with me. I don't know if it's boring or what but I have been trying to read this from the last two months and it just isn't engaging me enough. For a minute, it did pick up at around 50% or so but that fizzled out real quick.

I am at a point in my life that I absolutely cannot waste my time on a book that isn't engaging me so after much consideration, I an DNFing this for good.

I have mixed feelings about this book.
The world building is very rich and the premise interesting.
At the same time, there were a lot of characters and I got a bit confused at the beginning, especially as the book was slow paced and I was struggling to understand what was going on.
As I carried on reading, the pace got better and I enjoyed the plot more, as well as the psychological depiction of characters like Nami, Kai and Mira.
However the resolution left me disappointed.

I want to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book for sending me a copy of this boom in exchange for a fair review.

FATHOMFOLK immerses readers in a rich tapestry of family dynamics, cultural exploration, and the strength of women. The sinking city setting, where the narrative unfolds, completely captivated me, offering a unique and enchanting backdrop despite the turmoil within. There's a certain allure reminiscent of Ghibli movies, heightening the book's atmospheric charm.

The title, Fathomfolk, aptly describes the inhabitants with watery characteristics—sirens, sea dragons, mermaids, and more—adding to the book's allure. Mira, a half-siren, grapples with her identity amidst two worlds, offering a grounded perspective despite occasional slow pacing in her chapters.

Nami, a rebellious teenage seadragon, shines with her compelling storyline, while Cordelia, a second-generation sea witch, adds an intriguing layer of mystery. Despite occasional pacing issues, the depth of the story and its characters make it a worthwhile read.

Overall, FATHOMFOLK offers a captivating journey through a halfway-underwater city, filled with secrets and surprises. Perfect for spring or summer reading, this book promises an unforgettable exploration of a world where nothing is as it seems.

First of all let's admire how beautiful the cover art. 🤩 Take place at cosmopolitan water city of Tiankawi. The worldbuilding is so unique and lush with gorgeous details. There is two type of citizen. One normal humans and held the power. The second one are people of the sea such as mermaids, sirens, kappa and dragon sea. This Folk people capable of taken human form or at least half of it and try to blend into society.

The plot is interesting and show very different conflicts between society. The vibes inspire mostly by diverse of Asian setting and cultures, but also absorbing from different mythology such as Kelpie or Disney's villain Ursula. I am not sure about multiple third POV at here when their voices seem similar for me. The conflicts mostly about social issue and political intrigues. The pace is slower than my favourite. There is soft magic at here make the story feel modern like urban legend or fushion fantasy.

It is promising debut fantasy with so much more to dive from the fantastic world.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Publisher from Little Brown Books UK for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 29 February 2024

First, let's address the elephant in the room. These days I feel like a lot of us check the ratings of books before reading them, and it was the reason I was scared to dive (pun intended..) into this one. And I feel like I can understand the poor ratings in the sense that this book is kind of a mix of YA and adult and it might be hard to satisfy the readers of just one of these age groups.

I feel like the characters were not that original and very YA feeling, and I was often quite frustrated with their decisions. The worldbuilding, however, felt pretty adult to me- it had quite a lot of details and in a sense, it felt like its own character. And that was the reason I've ultimately rated this book 4⭐. I've kind of shifted my focus to the world as my main character and tried to flow (yup, that's another pun) with the story, not really thinking too deep about whether character's actions were compelling to me. Because of my anxiety, I really have a poor memory when it comes to the plot of books, but I remember the vibe quite well, and here I feel like the vibe was really strong and atmospheric.

I think fans of The Drowning Empire by Andrea Stewart might like this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the early access to this book.

I was really excited to read this, as it sounded like something that would be right up my street - but unfortunately I didn't get along with this book.

I don't usually enjoy multiple POV books, so maybe that was part of the issue, but I just couldn't get invested in the world or the characters.

I might give it another go a few years down the line, but for now, it's just not for me.

FATHOMFOLK is an atmospheric read about family, culture and strong women. The sinking city, where the main events took place completely sucked me in as I was reading. It was unique, and despite many horrible things happening I couldn’t help but fall in love with it.
This book gave Ghibli movie vibes at its height.

The title, Fathomfolk references the people who are not human, but rather have some kind of *watery* characteristics (for example sirens, sea-dragons, mermaids, kappas and so on). I really like this name, so what primarily made me want to pick up this book besides the gorgeous cover was the title.

Mira is a half-siren, struggling to find her place in the city, stuck between two worlds, one of the fathomfolk and the other of humans. She’s probably the most levelheaded character out of the three main ones, and while I enjoyed her chapters sometimes they were boring.

Nami is probably my favorite out of the three of them. Her chapters were always interesting. She’s a rebellious teenage seadragon who was sent to her brother’s city as punishment — but she has a secret mission to fulfill.

Cordelia, a second generation sea-witch was always shrouded in mystery. For a while you can’t quite figure out where her loyalties lie, but it was great to read about her powers.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story, even if I sometimes found the pacing too slow or weird. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants a spring/summer read about a halfway-underwater city and its tenants, where nothing is as it seems.

Got an e-arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I tried, okay. It’s just not appealing to me whatsoever…

The first 4 chapters felt like they come from a different book. With different character that’s being focused on, different setting etc. That being said, it’s an overwhelming start. The fantasy aspects was cool on marketing—underwater folks! dragons! Sirens! Etc— but on reality they’re just jumbled up together and its just confusing. Sorry I had to DNF at 20%

I have read 15% of the book, but 7 chapters in, it failed to entice me to continue. There are too many different species, and it is difficult to visualise what they should look like. The writing style is the perfect example of "telling but not showing". Most characters are bland for now, and, again, too many characters to divide my attention. The message is not subtle at all - and while I understand and agree, the idea of reading a whole book of in-your-face "racism is bad, look at the racist guys being racist and bad" without any more interesting points to be made about it, is just tiring.
Sorry, not for me.

Fatomfolk is a captivating novel inspired by East Asian mythology and oceanic folk tales. The story starts slowly but is packed with secrets, plot twists and intrigues. I was bewitched by the detailed world-building in this book. Tiankawi is a fascinating, richly imagined, vast city inhabited by humans and various mythological beings. It is beautiful and diverse but struggling with poverty, inequalities and prejudices. Eliza Chan did a great job at including social problems in her work, like immigration, race and class, while keeping the narrative enjoyable. Despite touching on serious topics, the novel seems light and whimsical, creating a contrast that may discourage some readers. For me, the only negative was the lack of foreshadowing of the rebels’ plans, which could bring the storyline together.

To sum up, I enjoyed exploring Tiankawi's complexity and will read the next book in the series.

Fathomfolk is the first book in a new series by Eliza Chan. It’s focused on various mythical creatures and a heavy emphasis on world politics, which is divided to multiple points of view from a few of the characters. I was excited for this book as it sounded unique and intriguing but unfortunately I didn’t gel with it. I ended up confused by the varied points of view, trying to keep up with new characters and understanding the world building that took place quite quickly. I see that reviews for this novel are varied with some people loving it which makes me really happy. I never enjoy writing a more negative review but seeing others who felt the opposite is reassuring and knowing the enjoyment of books is subjective to the reader.

I struggled with the multiple perspectives; the voices didn't feel distinct enough to me and the story was somewhat confusing to follow at times. Regardless, I appreciated the rich worldbuilding and settings, and will look out for more of the author's works in the future.

3.5⭐️
Thank you to Orbit UK and Netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has lots of world building and admittedly I struggled to get into it, it took me a couple of goes before I was drawn in enough to continue reading until the end (although that may have been more a me thing than related to this book specifically).

The multiple POVs were a bit confusing at times. Although Nami’s immaturity is understandable given her relatively sheltered upbringing, I still found her chapters grating much of the time. Mira was probably my favourite character. One part of the ending made me sad, but there were some good twists along the way and I’ll likely pick up the next book when it comes out.

Overall a good read but just a bit confusing at times and the editing probably could have been a bit tighter.

Very slow to get in to.
It felt much more about politics and race rather than fantasy.
Nothing wrong with that but just not what I was expecting from this Fantasy novel.
I didn’t find that I really got invested with any of the characters, I had no one to root for.
One good but boring, one naïve idiot and one evil.
Very disappointing ending.
World building was good, great descriptions.

This was a highly anticipated release for me, that sadly did not hit the mark. This book had such great potential, with such a fascinating concept, but unfortunately it just fell flat. The worldbuilding was really lacking I felt, but not so much as the characters - we have quite a number of POVs in here, with three main characters, and they all just felt like the exact same personality. There was also just SO much going on in such a short space of time that I never felt fully invested in any storyline or character, because we were jumping from one thing to the next. This was truly one of the few books I've considered DNFing in my life, because I just did not care about the story at all. Such a shame given the stunning cover, and the amazing potential that this had.

In the submerged city of Tiankawi, humans and fathomofolk coexist, yet tensions simmer beneath the surface, palpable through the varied roles and interactions of the characters. The narrative hints at a political undercurrent, weaving in themes of racism and inequality, mirroring the complexities of our world.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this arc!

I really wanted to love this book but I had no desire to pick it up and felt it slightly confusing to follow the 3rd person narration as some characters weren’t explained as well as others.

I couldn’t finish this book all the way through as every time I picked it up I felt as though it was making me not want to read and I had little interest in it.

DNF at 16%

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book

Honestly, I just couldn't get into this. It took me three reads to get to 16% and I had no desire to continue. I'm sure it's probably a great book once you get into it but it just wasn't for me. The premise sounds interesting and the writing was fine, it just lacked a level of enchantment that I'd hope for with and story filled sirens, water dragons and kelpies. Not one for me.

Fathomfolk introduces interesting characters in a very interesting world. The world’s waters are rising, the water is polluted and its habitats dying. Fathomfolk (those who live in the water) need to flee their homes and take refuge wherever they can. Around the world are different human cities in which folk can live as well. One of these cities is Tiankawi which is built in different floors. There’s the ocean, vast and deep but also with shallower regions, then there are the poorer humans and richer folk. The higher the buildings get, the richer and more influential are their inhabitants.

The world building was one of the things I liked most about Fathomfolk. It’s detailed and interesting, giving the reader a glimpse of an apocalyptic yet fascinating world that plays a bit with climate change and rising waters. There are the different Havens all around the oceans which are all endangered. Then there are the human cities that still remain. It’s a very interesting mix of magic, mythology, technology and politics.

The societies are made up of humans and folk from all over the world; selkies, kelpies, sirens, sea witches, water dragons, kappas,… basically any water being you could think of. This constellations makes for many conflicts which I thought were well thought through. I especially enjoyed how the social conflicts were written:
1. Racial conflicts. Most of the fathomfolk in Tiankawi are poor and belong to lower classes. They live in the polluted waters at the very bottom of the city or in floating houses or boats on the surface. While there are lower class humans as well, they still have better living conditions than most of the folk. There is constant tension between humans and folk for that reason.
2. Refugees. Many of the folk have been living in Tiankawi for quite a while but due to havens in the sea dying, more and more refugees try to enter the city – legally or illegally doesn’t matter anymore. But space in Tiankawi has its limits, especially when those who have space don’t want to give any away.

I really liked how those two conflicts were written and underlying the whole story. Each of the protagonists was involved somehow so there were many POVs to the conflicts, highlighting personal but also common interests, wishes, and problems.

My favourite protagonist was Mira, a half human half siren who works in the border guard and is the only fathomfolk captain there. She gets called quota folk. She has carved a place for herself in this harsh city and now she needs to stay there. But she struggles a lot with it and with the pressure from both the folk and the humans. She tries very hard to do the right things but she gets constantly stopped. I could understand her very well, both her anger and her resignation, as well as her love for her city and how she keeps going despite all the obstacles in her way. I also enjoyed that she is also in an established relationship already, one where she can find safety and support. Her boyfriend is the ambassador for one of the Havens, a water dragon named Kai and let me tell you. I loved him. He was by far my favourite character in the book. He’s an absolute sweetheart, thoughtful and yet determined to help in any way he can. He still needs to learn a lot and I liked how he was easily able to learn and adapt.

Kai’s sister, Nami, is new to Tiankawi. She arrives there after undergoing some hardships which don’t present the city and its inhabitants in a good light. It was easy to follow her thoughts. She’s still very young and hasn’t seen much of the world and is thus naive, but also full of will and energy and determination. Through her, we get to see how people get convinced to join an extremist group, how their dynamics work and what they use to gain more followers. I struggled a bit with Nami’s chapters and wanted to shake some sense into her from time to time but I could also understand well why she did what she did.

The fourth POV is from Cornelia, the sea witch’s. I didn’t really like her as a character but I loved how she was written! She’s a very interesting character, always scheming and moving for opportunities for a better standing in society as well as some kind of safety.

I really enjoyed all characters and how each gives soemthing new to the story that made understanding easier but that also made me nod in agreement. I liked how each character was interwoven with both external and internal conflicts.

I absolutely loved this book right up until the ending. I don’t want to spoil it but I really hope the next installment is going to broach the social issues from Fathomfolk. The ending seemed to solve most of the struggles the previous story built up way too easily. It didn’t fit what I read previously and was highly anticlimatic. I truly adored Fathomfolk, but after the ending it still left unsatisfied and left a sour taste in my mouth. After what the story up to that point built up was basically made null and void with the ending. I really do hope this gets resolved!

But all in all, I liked Fathomfolk a lot!

Found this hard to get into - only got invested maybe 40% in? There were a lot of povs, that were useful, buuut couldve been eased in. Idk. It was good, just had to push through!