Quando un libro non ha un incipit che riesce ad affascinarti, allora sarà sicuramente un libro noioso.
E Fathomfolk lo è di sicuro. E' un libro con una bellissima copertina, ma con contenuti estremamente noiosi e logorroici.
E' la prima cosa che un bravo autore dovrebbe imparare. Scrivi un incipit che affascini il lettore, altrimenti se prenderà in mano il tuo libro in libreria e leggerà le prime righe, lo abbandonerà sicuramente sullo scaffale, e non uscirà mai dalla libreria.

Sin dalle prime righe siamo buttati in mezzo ad una scena, senza aver ricevuto nessuna informazione sul background in cui ci troviamo (certo le informazioni arrivano ogni tanto, qui e là, di capitolo in capitolo, mentre si va avanti con la lettura...), nè sui personaggi che ci vengono mostrati.
Ogni capitolo poi è narrato da un punto di vista diverso, rendendo subito la lettura confusionaria e pesante da seguire.
I personaggi non riescono in alcun modo a conquistarmi, sono noiosi e le scene sono inutilmente descrittive e lunghe.
Sin da subito ho sentito la voglia di continuare a leggere questo libro scemare drasticamente, desiderando leggere tutt'altro.
La storia poi manca del tutto di affascinare il lettore, l'ambientazione è confusionaria e incomprensibile, e l'utilizzo di termini non inglesi senza la presenza di un glossario peggiorano del tutto la situazione.
Probabilmente mi aspettavo tutt'altro e per qualcun'altro può essere la lettura ideale, ma non fa assolutamente per me.

Questa volta mi sono lasciata decisamente affascinare troppo dalla copertina, perchè per me il libro è un grandissimo NO.

Ringrazio comunque Netgalley per avermi dato la possibilità di leggerlo in anteprima.

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When a book doesn't have an incipit that manages to fascinate you, then it will definitely be a boring book.
And Fathomfolk sure is. It is a book with a beautiful cover, but with extremely boring and verbose contents.
It's the first thing a good author should learn. Write an incipit that fascinates the reader, otherwise if the reader picks up your book in the bookshop and reads the first lines, he will certainly abandon it on the shelf, and it will never leave the bookshop.

From the first lines we are thrown into the middle of a scene, without having received any information on the background in which we find ourselves (of course the information arrives every now and then, here and there, from chapter to chapter, as we continue reading... ), nor on the characters that are shown to us.
Each chapter is then narrated from a different point of view, immediately making the reading confusing and difficult to follow.
The characters fail to win me over in any way, they are boring and the scenes are needlessly descriptive and long.
Right from the start I felt the desire to continue reading this book diminish drastically, wanting to read something completely different.
The story completely fails to fascinate the reader, the setting is confusing and incomprehensible, and the use of non-English terms without the presence of a glossary makes the situation completely worse.
I probably expected something completely different and for someone else it may be the ideal read, but it's absolutely not for me.

This time I was definitely fascinated too much by the cover, because for me the book is a huge NO.

However, I thank Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to preview it.

I’ve been digesting this one, trying to untangle my thoughts and feelings. I definitely enjoyed it, and there were some hard-hitting moments, though all of them I expected. But there was a plot twist I didn’t see coming, which is always a lot of fun! I’ll be rereading Fathomfolk before book 2 and reevaluating my thoughts then. This is definitely a book that invites a second read, and it might help clear up some things for me then. But, for now:

Pacing – possibly the weakest element here. There were several scenes (especially early on) that don’t seem to have served a purpose or served a single, very small purpose that could have been paired with another. It gets better in the last 25%, and I wasn’t too bothered because the characters did intrigue me.

Worldbuilding – super interesting concept, nuanced issues arising from rigid hierarchies and different manifestations of prejudice and privilege.

Conflict – complex, nuanced, and even subtle at times. All things I appreciate. This goes for the plot and the smaller conflicts happening between the characters.

Characters – the different perspectives all brought something new to the story, and I really appreciate the work that went into each. Out of the three, Nami was the least convincing. Unfortunately, her immaturity really shone through for me. I needed something to balance it out in order to root for her. She does show some growth, so I’m keen on meeting her again in book 2. Firth can catch these hands, though.

Romance – Kai and Mira are couple goals. The beats reminded me a bit of Crazy Rich Asians, in the best way possible. While usually I prefer getting to see how a couple became a couple, these two convinced me. So, Chan has her work cut out for her, because book 2 better heal my wounds.

Resolution – respectfully, how dare you. I did see it coming, but ouch.

Themes – very well handled overall.

This book is for you if you enjoy:
- aquatic creatures
- nuanced discussion of (institutional) racism
- a mature, grounded romance
- reading from POVs of different ages and perspectives
- bargaining, backstabbing & blackmailing.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Eliza Chan and Orbit for the chance to read and review this book.

Fathomfolk is a uniquely imagined fantasy novel, full of political intrigue and social commentary. The story happens in Tiankwani, a drowning city where humans and fanthomfolk live in a post-war environment. To aggravate the already existent tension between species, Humans have polluted the oceans (does this sound familiar? 🙄), forcing Fathomfolk to abandon their havens and move to the cities above, causing an increasing concerning refugee crisis, culminating in the tradicional problems of integration, discussions of culture and values, what to do with non productive refugees, and the ultimate bad decision - enclosures.

These are very important themes, and although quite heavy, I appreciate seeing them reflected in fantasy. This is particular relevant when most releases in the genre feel very similar and unoriginal.

My complain with this book is that I feel it could have been better executed. The story is told in short chapters through different POVs, and although I believe this usually brings dynamism to the story, in Fathamfolk had the opposite effect, and made me feel disconnected from the characters.

Stronger and more developed characters could have made a huge difference. I also disliked the ending as it partially anules all important issues and social commentary raised.

<i>I would like to thank Little Brown Group, Orbit and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review</i>

What drew me to this book initially was the beautiful cover and the interesting sounding story. I am very interested in Asian Fantasy, unfortunately that book was not for me. The writing style was good and enjoyable, but the story itself just didn't catch me. The story is told from three different perspectives, but none of them made me feel for the characters. After about 8 percent of the book I realised I didn't care about any of them and the constant chances in perspective (every chapter is told from a different person) made it unable for me to really get submersed in the story. I hoped it would change throughout the story, but it didn't. The story itself stayed rather shallow as well. I would give the auther another chance because of the interesting premise and the enjoyable writing style, but the plot needs to be better developed.
Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK (Orbit) and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Eliza Chan's "Fathomfolk" offers a dip into a world where humans and mythical creatures share the same space, but not always the same understanding. In the glittering city of Tiankawi, where skyscrapers overlook the semi-submerged world below, we follow Mira, a half-siren navigating the complexities of being the first fathomfolk in the military. Alongside her are Kai, striving for a better future, and Nami, his fiery sister exiled to Tiankawi, sparking tensions that threaten to unravel the delicate balance between the two worlds.

Chan's narrative brims with promise, blending political intrigue with magical elements and a touch of fairy tale charm. The Asian-infused settings and themes of societal integration add depth to the story, echoing contemporary issues. However, while the world-building shines, the romance feels rushed and the plot occasionally falls into predictable territory. Still, amidst the waves of familiarity, "Fathomfolk" manages to keep things fresh with its inventive take on age-old tropes.

Overall, "Fathomfolk" offers a captivating dive into a world of magic and political unrest, but it's a journey with its share of bumps along the way. With its mix of familiar elements and inventive twists, it's a tale that may leave readers eager for more, even as they navigate its occasional shortcomings.

This book really drew my attention due to it's mythological and water based concepts. Although there were times where the multiple POVs were confusing, I really enjoyed this and would definitely read more from this author

Fathomfolk has to have one of the most beautiful covers to be released this year, it drew me in and made me want to immediately pick up the book.

In this debut novel, the author ambitiously reflects on the modern world’s oppressive systems and political manoeuvrings in a fantasy that blends Asian cultures and mythologies while also celebrating a love of water and water-based creatures.

Set in the partially sunken city of Tiankawi we meet the recently exiled, Nami, a rare water dragon princess who has been sent to live with her brother Kai who works as the political ambassador for Fathomfolk and his half-human, half-siren girlfriend Mira. Despite facing discrimination from humans who enforce segregation and domination over fathomfolk who are required to wear a device that suppresses their magic. Mira and Nami have their own ways of fighting prejudice with mixed and often dangerous results. Meanwhile, the shape-shifting sea-witch Cordelia has plans of her own, creating chaos for all.

Despite a slow and uncertain first half, the second half of the story brought all the plotlines and characters together with an ending that leaves everyone reeling.

A good debut novel, that has potential and was very clever in how it blended politics into the fantasy world, it reminded me of the different protest methods and activisms that happen during revolutions. However, I would have loved to get more grace from the characters who at times seemed to be unnecessarily violent and toxic, which was sad when experienced it mainly from the fathomfolk.

One thing is for certain after that ending, it’s going to be interesting to see just how the next book develops.

3.5🌟

The gorgeous cover of this book and the intriguing blurb piqued my interest enough to request a copy, leading me to delve into the pages of Fathomfolk. I’m very grateful to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me the opportunity to review this ARC.

3 ⭐

A captivating blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure, Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan tackles important issues such as racism and immigration. The story takes place in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, which is home to both humans and the fathomfolk, a myriad of magical creatures who can live both underwater and on land.

This menagerie of water-based beings draws on Asian (water dragons, kappas, jangjamaris, baijis…) and European (sirens, sea-witches, kelpies, selkies, …) mythology. As such, their mythological counterparts come from different cultures and live in different ecosystems (saltwater and freshwater), but unfortunately the author leaves the question of how they can coexist unanswered.

While the world building in Fathomfolk intrigued me, I found it somewhat underdeveloped. Drawing inspiration from diverse East and Southeast Asian cultures, it presents a rich world full of different sea-dwelling creatures, it does so at the risk of perpetuating the stereotype that these cultures are monolithic.

May of these creatures have refuge in Tiankawi due to trying to escape civil war or collapsing ecosystems (the underwater havens being polluted), and so must adapt to life among humans and wear a device that suppresses their magic. They not only undertake undesirable tasks but also endure significant discrimination. Alas, the only explanation regarding how this power dynamic came to be is the outcome of the Great War, but it ultimately fails to address why these magical gifted beings were subjugated by non-magical humans (surely, magic abilities would grant fathomfolk the upper hand?).

Despite facing discrimination and prejudice from humans, there’s also evident division among fathomfolk themselves, with dragons enjoying higher status while those without shapeshifting abilities occupy the lowest rungs of the social hierarchy. This internal strife further complicates the narrative’s exploration of prejudice and inequality.

The story predominantly unfolds through the eyes of Mira, a half-siren serving as the captain of the border guard (known as chinthe). Through her perspective, we witness the facade of tolerance in Tiankawi and the underlying prejudices she grapples with. I had a lot of sympathy for her, but I also found her lack of political skills frustrating. As tensions escalate within the city, aggravated by the activities of the extremist group known as the Drawbacks, Mira finds herself in a complex web of political and social turmoil.

While apparently both share the same goal, each party takes a different approach. The Drawbacks are a resistance faction fighting for the rights of fathomfolk, yet everything they do makes things worse. They inadvertently exacerbate the situation with their actions, causing further harm rather than effecting positive change. The lack of development for characters like Lynette, the leader, make it seem like they’re violent just for the sake of it. Her decision at the end made no sense, and I wished we could’ve got to know her and her motivations better.

Then there is Nami, a young and headstrong water dragon, who wants to create a wave of change much faster than Mira. Her impatience leads her to throw herself in with the dangerous rebel group, demonstrating her willingness to take extreme risks in pursuit of her goals. She was very immature, though perhaps that is exactly how the character was intended. She acts on impulse and never thinks things through (which was entertaining to read, to be honest), thus getting led astray by a charming revolutionary. The dragon blindly trusts Firth, and their relationship certainly seems toxic. I’m curious to see how it develops and whether or no someone intervenes and tell her how unhealthy it is (I truly hope they don’t end up together!!). In any case, while such dynamics could have been more plausible given a longer narrative arc, Nami’s obliviousness undermines her character’s depth and agency.

Playing both sides is the shape-shifting seawitch Cordelia, who causes chaos on both fronts. She was interesting, but I disliked how we were told her goals and motives as she manipulated people, rather than getting to watch her play puppet-master and gradually see her plans come to fruition. She’s unapologetically scheming, selfish and morally grey, and I adored her for it. I can’t wait to read what she does in the next book.

Overall, I enjoyed all the POVs, and they came together very well. And while the beginning was quite confusing, slow, and dense, I ultimately settled into the world crafted by the author. I also enjoyed the underlying message of the story, which echoes real-world parallels where oppression often leads to violent resistance.

Despite its flaws, Fathomfolk remains a captivating and politically charged read (I loved the politics!). The potential for a more immersive experience, especially in character development, is evident. But being the in a series, I hope that these issues will be explored further and expanded upon in the sequel.

I was so excited about this book but unfortunately have decided to DNF this at 16%.
I feel that there is so much potential with this, the world building is great (maybe a little much at times but manageable) and I like the political aspect however my main issue was that I couldn’t actually tell you what the plot is. There are multiple POVs but I don’t feel connected to any of the characters and there doesn’t seem to be a storyline to pull me in just yet. Maybe if I keep reading I might be drawn in but if I feel this way almost 20% in I don’t think it’s worth continuing in this case. Maybe I will give it another try down the line but I am just not connecting with it at the moment.
I am rating this 3 stars as I do not feel that it is a bad book but just not engaging me.

Fathomfolk was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 with an amazing premise and fantastic story. This adult fantasy novel was intriguing and had amazing world building allowing for me to really imagine the scenes being described and picture myself within this exciting world.

The pull that I felt for this book before reading was due to my fascination with the gorgeous cover art and interesting story captivating me and drawing me in.

This world is set within a half flooded city that is made up of humans and the Fathomfolk; who consist of kelpies, sea witches. Mermaids, naga and so many more creatures. Nami a rare water dragon princess is rebellious and very spirited leaving her mother at a loss and forced to banish her to live on land where her brother, Kai the Fathomfolk ambassador is slowly trying to repair the political divide between the Fathomfolk and humans who have spent years at war with one another due to a struggle of power and dominance.
Mira a half siren half human attempts to bridge the gap between the humans and Fathomfolk and yet despite being half human she is still seen as an outcast and along with her boyfriend Kai is not treated as anything more than a decoration to the humans of Tiankawi. Mira was raised in Tiankawi and when promoted to captain of the border guards she was not respected and faced a lot of backlash from humans.

Nami is depicted as very naive and childlike with so many things holding her back throughout the book and I would love to see her grow and reach her full potential in the second book of the “Drowned World” series.

There is so much room for these characters to develop within the series and I am hoping to see more emotion and growth from them in future endeavours. Their development will help me as a reader to really bond with them more and envision myself within them which I struggled to do in the way I would have liked to in this first book.

Some small romances developed within the book and showed a side to Nami that was lovely to see.
Mira and Kai’s relationship isn’t really seen or detailed as much so I hope to get a better understanding of them in future books.

Drawbacks group together to fight the injustice towards the Fathomfolk enticing Nami in with their ideologies and strong beliefs of a better world.

The world building is inspired by Eastern Asian mythology depicted a beautiful city and world that has been thrown into a depraved, unjust, tense and unfair state due to the treatment of Fathomfolk inhabitants who are inhabiting the city of Tiankawi due to extensive pollution destroying and corroding the underwater habitat.

The book has strong themes of conflicting cultures, racism, immigration, prejudice, pollution, politics and poverty with the main focus on the pollution of the marine ecosystem caused by the humans inability to care and need to prove themselves as being more powerful and supreme over the Fathomfolk.

There was so many plot twists within this story keeping me engaged and desperate to keep reading to find out more.

The detailed and amazing world building really helped to set up this series in books to come and I cannot wait to see what will happen with the humans and Fathomfolk in the next book of this series!

So glad I finally finished this book. I still have no clue what I actually read though.. my god, this had such potential (therefore the 2 stars), but it just wasn’t good 😔

DNF'd at 40%

First of all thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I was really excited for the release of this book, the premise ticked so many boxes for me, but it just didn't really hit the mark.

The thing that frustrated me the most was the pacing. At 40% I would have expected quite a bit to happen, but while some little things happened, it just seemed to be setting up for something with no payout. I don't know how this book was going to go, but I found I didn't really want to know either. I don't think the POV switches helped either. This book has three different POVs and it's often changing between them, but the way it's done meant that I didn't particularly care for any of the characters.

The worldbuilding was beautiful and the differing types of fathomfolk were interesting, but some were just names without any explanation as to what those things would look like, so I couldn't picture those particular folk. Unfortunately just not enough in this book that made me want to keep reading.

Such a uniquely crafted fantasy in a world that feels different to anything i've read about. The book explored so many themes that are important to our world today and handled them in a way that felt authentic and real. Definitely a fantastic debut and start of a new series and I cant wait to see where it goes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 40%🥲 I don't often come to reviews before finishing an arc but I had to see whether I was the problem or whether it was the book - while many have enjoyed this, it's just not worked out for me.

This is a painful DNF for me because this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was so excited to receive the arc. Unfortunately I found myself incredibly frustrated with the pacing, the plot and the characters. There were elements of each that I loved (the world-building has such an interesting premise) but there wasn't enough for me to keep going. The pacing was very slow and the pov switches didn't work for me - pov switches can be wonderfully divisive in driving the plot but I was just left confused and found myself rereading things.

From the synopsis, the plot sounds phenomenal but at 40% not enough had happened to keep me engaged (and it got me thinking that everything else in the synopsis would be incredibly rushed??).

Again, I was interested by the premise of the main characters but there were too many of them and I wasn't inclined to particularly care for them.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Little Brown Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Fathomfolk" immediately had that "let's sink into this" feeling (the one where you let out several "oohs" of fascination and want to burrow into your chair). The setting was the first thing that grabbed me. It's richly imagined and portrayed very well. Next was the writing - it has a beautiful flow that I really appreciated. A couple of the characters brought out my mothering instinct - I wanted to prevent bad things happening to them (maybe they did, maybe they didn't - no spoilers!). Bring on book 2!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book

Overall, I was underwhelmed by this book.

I found it messy to keep track of all the threads.

The three main voices all felt like they could use some more character building to me - it felt like each character only had one defining trait.

I couldn't tell if this was supposed to be adult or not as the writing and pacing at times felt more like young adult.

It also feels like it took a long time for me to get through the first half, but then it feels like the last 30 - 40 % went by so easy.

Some of the positive things I did like about the book:
The world building is very thorough and detailed
The descriptions of the food actually gave me food envy

I do plan on rereading this to see if that clears up any of the confusion I had in the first half. And I am intregued as to where this will go in the sequel.

"In that moment, Nami did not care if it was true. Did not care if she trusted him or not. He was a compass point in the storm. She kissed him. He tasted of salt and iron. She screwed her eyes shut and let herself drown."

I love that paragraph even though I don't ship the couple, it happens!!!

OK so, I had high hopes for this book and it did not meet them. I wouldn't say it's a bad book though, but I wish I liked the characters more. I really only liked Kai and that was marginal. Mira was okay, Nami only in certain scenes, that's about it. At least Mira and Kai were kinda cute together.

There's not a lot of romance by the way, barely any, so don't let that quote I pulled fool you. I don't mind that at all, so it's not a minus.

For the majority of Fathomfolk nothing really happens, which is my main gripe with it. It starts with a very slow pace, and only picks up in the second half.

It also feels very YA, which some readers might find annoying when they picked up an adult book.

For me, as a huge YA fan this isn't a problem (I'm always down for YA vibes in adult fantasy), but the characters acting like teenagers in an adult book is. If you told me the main cast was a bunch of 15 year olds I'd believe you.

On to more positive things, I loved the world building, that was the best part of the book for sure. You can tell the author wanted to make it really grand and she definitely succeed. I do wish we got a bit more descriptions about certain creatures however. Because I could imagine them, but as if through a fog.

The plot, once it finally got going, was interesting enough to get me to finish the book. And maybeeee interesting enough to get me to read the sequel? We'll see.

The writing is another thing I liked. Considering this is a debut, I don't have any complaints. I'm sure Eliza Chan will get even better with experience.

Finally, the ending which is a mixed bag for me. Most of the action happened then, we lost an important character (not telling you who), and it's a little confusing. So hopefully the next book will clear that up.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this book so much. The word building was very interesting and done good. A well written fantasy interlinking the human and fathomfolk. I love the multiple pov very much. It was a bit overwhelming at times but then I could relate to the characters more with the POVs. Hoping more good works from the author.
Thanks for the arc.

Unfortunately this one is a DNF for me. I was so interested in this world and this story but I found it so clunky and complicated to follow.
The world Eliza Chan has created is so unique and was the reason i was interested in this book, it did not disappoint in this aspect. The 2 stars is because I absolutely adored the setting of the drowned world and thought the author did a really good job of bringing the world to life. Unfortunately, i didn't care at all for the plot or the characters. I made it halfway through the book before giving up because I was not invested at all. There are multiple POVs which I usually love in fantasy but the jumping between the POVs often felt jarring and by the time I had become used to following one story we were jumping to another. I feel like a can't even give a good synopsis because I spent so much time confused by what was going on while also being bored because nothing was happening.
I would still recommend this book if you love stunning pan Asian inspired settings and urban fantasy with a lot of political commentary.
Ultimately I just didn't click with this book but I would be interested in reading more from Eliza Chan outside of the Drowned World series.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the eArc of this book.

Thank you to Orbit for the pre publication copy of Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan!
The cover is beautiful and is what enticed me to read the blurb and the rest is history!
The book follows multiple points-of-view that could at times feel a little clunky in transition but overall this was something that I didn't mind. The main points of view were of Mira, Nami and Cordelia who all have different perspectives on city life in Tiankawi. The characters and their intertwining stories straddling all levels of society.
From confrontational incidents to shocking revelations, Chan has the ability to entertain all whilst tackling themes that are topical in real world - giving weight to the lives and struggles to the characters within.
On the whole Fathomfolk is a promising debut and I will be looking forward to Chan's other works.