Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I have this thing for thick books - I will either stick with it for a day and finish it before bedtime, or read chapters slowly-paced. This book made me do the second. The story required a lot of time for me to be able to put things together, as there was a lot to unpack and understand. The world-building was amazing, I could see the references made on Asian cultures. The characters were relatable on their thoughts and decisions, and very uniquely described on the physical aspect. I really needed an art depiction of how they looked like to help me move forward with my reading (I'm very visual when imagining scenes). The fight scenes were epic, and the political intrigue was expressed well.

Overall, I would say I liked this book. Not my favourite, but it was a wonderful world to visit.

I FOUND A NEW FAVOURITE!! Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan is a brilliant debut and first book that is a definite 5 stars from me in months. Missed my stop on the train, stayed up late to finish and had so many feelings 🥺

Fathomfolk is set in Tiankawi, a semi submerged city where the humans rule from the top of tall towers and the fathomfolk live in and near the polluted water. Fathomfolk are sea creatures from mythology; sirens, kelpies and sea dragons alongside a whole host of other creatures drawn from around the world. They are both looked down on and feared by the humans. All of the main characters feel the injustice of this but all have very different perspectives on what to do about it.

I loved the world building in this, the tech/fantasy mishmash just worked so well. The city feels so tangible and really captures how it feels to live somewhere that is a melting pot of different cultures. In a panel I went to, Eliza Chan described wanting to capture the modern fantasy vibes of The Legend of Korra and I think she did that so well while also having a world that feels original.

The highlight for me was the characters. I got so attached so quickly. Mira is a half siren and the first ever Fathomfolk to become Captain of the border guard. She tends to play by the rules and is trying to create change from inside the system. She is my favourite, she is wonderful, cares so deeply and I want her to be happy. Nami is a sea dragon, princess of an underworld kingdom and we see her come to the city for the first time. She's a younger perspective, more naive and while I found a lot of her choices frustrating, her compassion won me over in the end. The final perspective is Cordelia, a sea witch who is out to make as much profit as she can. It was so fun having a perspective of someone who is more of an antagonist and I loved seeing all her scheming.

This book's cover and blurb really drew my attention, especially due to its mythological and water based concepts. My main issue with Fathomfolk is that everything is confusing in the beginning, and I had to reread the first few chapters multiple times; even then, I still didn't understand much of what was going on. It does get a little better along the way, but I almost never feel tempted to DNF other books at 5% like I was about to do with this one. The world-building is amazing but the lack of explanations ruins the whole experience, and I feel like readers picking up finished copies will DNF faster than ARC readers. I did enjoy some of it, but I can't rate it higher because the beginning is so rocky and confusing and there are things that we don't get an explanation for all throughout the book.

In Fathomfolk we follow three POVs as they navigate the half human half fathomfolk city of Tiankawi.

Things I loved about this book:

The best thing about the book was the conflict, the nuance Chan was able to weave in, the subterfuge, the plot twists and the internal conflict between characters combined with it being the central plot point was all really well done.

The setting - the mix of water and stark city skylines had me imagining a fantastic sci-fi city. The city was almost a character of its own and played really well into the worldbuilding with different hierachys.

The Characters- all of them had flaws and these were thoroughly explored and examined which was really refreshing. We love growth!

The Romance - we don't see Kai and Mira meet, they are already together at the start of the book but I trusted their connection even when at times their relationship was tested.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the pacing, it felt a little slow to start and a rush to finish but I am really looking foward to book 2.

Definitely one to check trigger warnings for because there are a lot of them.

FATHOMFOLK is a fantasy debut full of water magic that explores the immigration crisis and the exploitation and dehumanisation of immigrants.

This is a lushly built world where climate disasters and war have led to the world being underwater. Humans live in floating cities or atop the last remaining piece of land, polluting the water. Fathomfolk, creatures of the water, are forced to flee to the human cities as the pollution kills their homes, but these sanctuaries are anything but, treating them as second class citizens.

It's a set up that really exposes the injustices in our own immigration systems, the problems we cause and then do nothing to help those it affects. The book has some shocking moments (like the reveal of the Onseon) but the more insidious parts are the every day systematic abuse and suppression that get stoked deliberately by those seeking power - and then lead to further suffering.

I loved being in the city, with some sci-fi elements among the fantasy, like the towering structures rising from the water. It also weaves together so many different water myths, full of wonderful creatures and their powers.

The book centres around three women trying to solve or use the conflict on different ways. There is the captain of the guard trying to solve from within, the outsider drawn into the more extreme forms of change because she can't see a way forward (side note but Firth was a character I never trusted as he threw up so many y red flags - he was so manipulative that I hope she ditches him next book!), and then there was the minister's wife looking to promote her family. They bring a nice rounded view to the situation, showing many angles to the same issue.

This is the first in a series but one that feels like 95% of a standalone. The bulk of the main conflict is wrapped up (in a heartbreaking way) but this leads to a situation for the next book to face.

Sad to say, this is another book that I thought I was going to really enjoy due to the blurb but it left me wishing I DNF'd halfway through like I wanted to.

First things first, if you want an adult fantasy with some sort of world-building that isn't painfully simplistic, this isn't it. This is my biggest complaint, what exactly is adult about it? It really feels like the world building was simply things that the author decided sounded cool but didn't think them through. Almost nothing get explained or built on, things "just are". The book doesn't want you to think too hard on it, and that's fine, but it should not be advertised as adult fantasy -- this is simpler than some YAs I've read. We don't even have an answer as to why the sea folk can shapeshift into humans. Can they only shapeshift into humans? Is there no other race out there? Why humans in particular? What gives them the ability to shapeshift? Is that considered magic or it "just is"? There is a sea witch which can shapeshift into other sea folk but we don't really get any explanation on how her powers work either, she is just a witch and that must mean she can do any magic that is convenient at the time. There is also no magic system whatsoever, the sea folk can water bend like 3 times in the book, that's it.

In general, the sea folk felt more like an aesthetic than anything that matters to the plot. The characters do almost everything (including sexual stuff) in their human forms. The entire book takes place in a single human city, the politics revolve mainly around whatever happens in said human city. We don't even know anything about the sea world aside from the fact it has royalty. You might as well just interchange the sea folk with humans, and you'd have gotten the same kind of story, there's nothing unique about them aside from making the book stand out for its aesthetic.

Fathomfolk is mainly a political fantasy which i tend to like, but sadly it didn't make me invested in them at all. It's the most basic politics and revolution plots you can find in a lot of younger books. Was it bad? no, but it also that you haven't seen many times before.

The characters were fine, for the most part. The female leads were all distinct, even if the villain felt like she was a little too inspired by Ursula from The Little Mermaid... Sadly, all the male characters were plot devices and I bet I will forget them in 10 hours.

The ending thinks it does something shocking but it feels cheap and ridiculous. On the bright side though, I think it might pave way to plot at least somewhat more interesting than book 1 but I am not going to be coming back to this series.

All in all, I am very sad that this ended up being such a dreadful read for me, as it was one of my most anticipated releases for this year. Initially I kept giving it a benefit of a doubt because I thought it has potential on which it can build on but it just doesn't.

<i>Thank for Netgalley & Orbit for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Fathomfolk.]

Rating: 3/5

When I read that Fathomfolk is like if the little mermaid was a pissed off immigrant in a semi-flooded-Asian-inspired city, I was immediately interested. I also saw it being compared to The Legend of Korra which had me applying for the ARC right away, but then I saw some early reviews and my excitement diminished a little. Of course I never let that deter me and I can say that the author delivers on everything that I’ve mentioned here, and I even came to appreciate some of the elements that make up this story such as the diaspora discussion and the themes of racism that are sadly similar to what we see in our own world. That being said, the longwinded exposition and slow to start plot made this difficult for me to get through.

Fathomfolk explores real world problems in a modern fantasy setting. We see a magical underclass (fathomfolk) face oppression at every turn in a place where those on higher ground hold the most power. The city of Tiankawi is home to a human civilisation that offers a safe haven to anyone fleeing civil unrest, but safety comes at a cost and life in the perilous city masks some terrible truths. The book follows multiple POVs that show us various perceptions of this flawed setting, and when extremists sabotage a beloved annual event, the resulting clampdown on fathomfolk rights sets off a chain of events that could bring the city to its knees.

I’m glad I stuck with this book because I found that it got better for me the further I got through it, but the first half was a struggle and I felt that the exposition heavy scenes could have done with another round of editing. However, the story deals with some poignant themes and I think it’s important to read books that talk of walks of life that you aren’t familiar with, and so I’m glad to have read this so that I might understand others going through similar experiences better.

We follow multiple POVs in Fathomfolk, each dealing with their own problems. My favourite was half-siren Mira, newly promoted captain of the border guard who is doing everything that she can to bring about change. There’s also Nami, an aristocratic water dragon, and Cordelia, a scheming sea-witch, who drive the plot forward with their various movements. It was hard switching to the other perspectives because I mostly wanted to get back to Mira, but I definitely appreciated how it all came together at the end.

There’s also some romance in the book but if you’re coming into this hoping to focus on that, I’d maybe reconsider. It’s definitely not a primary theme in the book and whenever it did pop up, I found it lacking. I felt it was looked over to such an extent that some of the major plot points further into the book didn’t hit as hard as they should have. (I also despised one of the love interests but I’m interested to see how it plays out in the next book).

Although I didn’t love this book, I’d still absolutely recommend it. This method of storytelling can sometimes be tricky for people like myself who favour heavily plot driven reads, but if you can persevere through the initial slow burn then it’ll absolutely be worth it.

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.