Fascinating retelling of Chinese mythology with all characters interconnected over 70-80 years in the story. I loved the political aspects as well as the fantasy elements. This book is filled with characters to love, hate and have mixed feelings about. My one criticism would be the usage of words incorrectly in the text - I know that most people would gloss over this, but I am sadly not one of those as some phrases did not make sense unless you thought of the required word (example: use of extradite instead of extricate in Ch .54).

Of Mountains and Seas decides to do something we don't see often enough in modern literature and that is magical realism. I love connecting fantasy and for example., California and politics. How fun!
Where this book fell short for me was it just seemed to take a long time to get going. We got a good fraction through the book before we learn about shape shifters etc. However I did enjoy the overall story!

This is my first arc book review.

I really enjoyed the book for the mythology aspect of it. I am a really well written story, but some aspects of it are hard to follow initially as the timeline jumps around quite a bit. Once you get used to that aspect of the book, it is a fantastic read.

This book has magic, shape-shifting, and drama, among other things that bring this story to life. One aspect I like about it is the use of geology to harness magic, and I would definitely have loved to see more of that in this book. The other real aspect i loved about the book is the explanation and way the shifting happens within the story it happens in a way I haven't seen or read about which is a really nice change to how it's normally done.

I read it in epub format and had i not had the privilege of reading it early by Emily Renk Hawthorne if I would have seen it in the store I would have definitely picked it up based on the beautiful cover alone.

I definitely need this book to add to my shelf and collection.
I can't wait to see what happens in the second book.

Amazing job with the book Emily Renk Hawthorne. Keep up the amazing work.

While this was an interesting story I was very confused by the timeline. I understood eventually that it was a generational storyline spanning several years (centuries even?) but the amount of time it took me to figure that out was too long. I was torn between liking several of these characters and disliking them as they grew older. I don't think I ever fully connected with anyone except Anna who disappeared from the narrative after she lost her powers. The main girls Iris and Nivi weren't really my cup of tea and I didn't like Amber at all. I didn't appreciate how she would suddenly distrust her friend. I was also confused by the fact that she didn't realize she was good at school? At the end of one of her chapters it sounded like she didn't realize she was getting passing grades, like she'd blocked out the memory or something. I don't understand how or why that would have happened though. Regardless, I don't think I want to read the next book in the series.

Lets start off by saying: Wow! Of Mountains and Seas was a story woven with many threads. We follow 5+ different perspectives in this story told across multiple timelines. Hawthorne masterfully ties all of these little components together in a way that keeps the reader engaged and begging for more. This was a great introduction and set up for a series so I hope that is where this story is headed!

DNF at 31%

I am disappointed to be DNFing this book but we are not pushing through mediocre books in 2025.

I would like to preface this review by emphasising that a) my opinions are based on the first third of the book, things may or may not have improved in the latter thirds, and b) this is a YA fantasy and I am an adult.

Now, my decision to DNF does not mean, by any means, that this is a terrible book. I just didn't personally gel with the storytelling, didn't feel hooked or enamoured by the story, therefore, didn't feel any urge to continue.

Unfortunately, everything about this book felt underdeveloped - from the world building and magic system to the characters. This book follows several timelines, ranging from 1932 to 2000, with several character POVs within those timelines (I have a count of 5 POVs in the first 30%). I found these POVs to be indistinguishable - there was little to no world building or descriptions to distinguish the time settings, whilst the characters felt flat and samey. If it wasn't for the name and date heading every chapter, I would have been lost.

I wish the synopsis had been clearer about the multiple POVs and time settings to better convey what this book was about. I prefer a historical setting in fantasy and wrongly assumed (my bad) that because this is based on mythology that it would have a historical setting (and no, the 1900s do not make the cut).

However, you may enjoy this book if you are looking for a YA fantasy based on Chinese mythology that has multiple POVs and no romantic plot (as far as I know).

Thank you to NetGalley and Hawk Ridge Press for the opportunity to review this book.

An absolutely wonderful book based on Chinese mythology. The worldbuilding in this novel is delightful. In a story that spans over decades, the world is inhabited by Shifters -- those with powers who can transform, and Statics -- those who cannot, or have lost their powers. The villain of the story is acutely aware of this power struggle, and their motivations become apparent as you get further into the book.

The book is not linear; it jumps through periods of time giving us vignettes out of sequence with different sets of characters. I do feel as though the book struggles to connect the reader to the characters due to this, as I found it hard to remember who was who with the constantly changing points of view.

The antagonist characters were very well written, and again the worldbuilding is excellent. The author even delves into a bit of the politics of this fictional version of our world which added more depth to it as well.

A very enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

I unfortunately DNFed this one because I had a hard time with the POV and timeline switches. It was difficult to follow and the writing style seemed like it was intended for young YA.

Thank you to Emily Renk Hawthorne, Hawk Ridge Press, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of Of Mountains And Seas intrigued me and the book cover art is beautiful. Unfortunately, the writing style was too juvenile and underdeveloped. The jumps between POV and eras should have worked more seamlessly too. I had to dnf.

The book had a good storyline, but sometimes I had some trouble following all the different character POVs and timeline. I found myself having to try to remember who each person was and what they were doing before every chapter for about the first half of the book. Other than that, it's definitely a fun read.

"Of Mountains and Seas" is a captivating and richly imagined novel. The premise of magic theft immediately grabs the reader's attention, and the story unfolds with a compelling blend of adventure, mystery, and political intrigue. The multiple perspectives and interwoven timelines create a complex and satisfying narrative, while the characters of Davis, Iris, and Nivi are well-developed and relatable, despite their fantastical circumstances. The author masterfully crafts a world full of both wonder and danger, leaving the reader eagerly turning pages to uncover the dark truths hidden within. A truly exceptional read.

3. 5 stars rounded up.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The non-linear narrative was well-done and engaging. The plot was interesting (if a little predictable)-- I read most of it in one sitting. The world building and magic system were super cool to read about and I loved the incorporation of Chinese mythology.

The only thing that missed the mark for me was the writing. It fell short in terms of description and didn't flow in the way I would have liked for an otherwise beautiful book. The dialogue also felt a little stilted and cliche at times. Nonetheless, the novel is pretty easy to read and highly enjoyable. I will definitely be reading the second book when it comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Of Mountains and Seas is a story of complicated family relationships and politics with a dash of Chinese mythology. I would've liked to see more in the way of world building and expanding upon the gods referenced. The chapters jump around between timelines and points of view, to the point where I needed to pause or flip back to align the characters. Although it was a very slow paced book until the last 15%, it set up a lot of plot for a sequel. Hopefully future books will fill out what felt missing in this one.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ & Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
2.5 ☆
For some, the only way to possess magic is to steal it from others. Born without magic, Davis is an outcast in his own shapeshifter family. Yearning for his father's approval, he sets down a path that intertwines with Iris, a girl whose own ambitions are hindered by a mysterious illness.

This cover art is gorgeous! The storyline was intriguing, but it was extremely slow-paced and confusing to me with the dual timeline and multiple characters the story switched between. I think if it were a dual timeline with maybe just two characters, I would have loved this story, but I DNF'd at 40%.

The audiobook is good; the narrator did a good job telling the story. It was easy to listen to and understand. I listened at 2x speed.

Thank you, Netgellay, Hawk Ridge for the audiobook and the ebook for my honest review.

I love it when a new to me author just blows me away, and that's exactly what happened here! Intriguing, captivating and absolute ride of a book - loved it!

Born Magicless in a family of magical shifters, Davis is desperate to be recognized by his father and to be accepted into the shifter's community. And what's the best way of doing that?

Stealing other people's power, exactly!

This story is divided into three time periods; 1935, 1955 and 2000 (the most current timeline) So we are following three character's stories in these three timelines. Since shifters do not age like humans, we read as all these timelines start to connect and each character is meeting with one another in someway. And the way all these timelines were connecting had my mind blown. It was honestly so interesting to read how well everything was thought out.

The magic system in this world was pretty fascinating and the plot as a whole was incredible. It might seem a little complex to follow the plot at first but keeping your mind open, it's not really hard to get into it. The writing is comparitively easier to understand.

I wish Davis had more depth to him as a character. I wanted to be able to feel sorry for him in a way which i couldn't but now im wondering if i was supposed to feel that way at all. Iris, on the other hand, just pissed me off but that makes alot of sense too since she was being manipulated ever since young. I actually found that aspect of her character pretty interesting as well.

Im so glad I got this arc from Netgalley and Hawk Ridge Press!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you, Emily, for pulling me out of my reading slump! If you don't want to pick up this book from the cover alone then I don't know how else to convince you!

Of Mountains and Seas is a beautifully written shifter fantasy novel that blends Chinese mythology, a nonlinear timeline, and a cast of complex characters into an engaging and easy-to-read story.

The infusion of Chinese mythology was mesmerising and is seamlessly woven into the plot, creating a story that felt refreshingly unique.

What surprised me the most was the old-school murder mystery vibe running through the novel. It added an unexpected twist to the story, making it feel like a blend of genres in the best possible way.

Missed out on 5 stars as I do wish there had been a bit more world-building at the start; it took me a moment to fully immerse myself in the setting.

Excited to see what she writes next!

Thank you to author and publisher for the arc!

When I saw the cover of this book I was immediately intrigued and reading the synopsis only pulled me in more. I was over the moon to see I was accepted for the arc and started reading almost immediately.

I was met with an amazingly written story of friendship and complex relationships. This world was amazingly built and Hawthorne is very strong with her words.

I found myself fully immersed almost immediately and could not put this book down, I finished it in two days which is extremely fast for me!

I can’t recommend this enough and can’t wait until release so I can buy a copy for myself as a little trophy.

Story was intriguing and immersive and I was enjoying it but then for some significant reasons had to dnf it

I caved and did end up reading a part of it, and actually really enjoy it so far. Still pretty upset about the AI in the cover, but the book itself is really good.