Unfortunately I've decided to dnf at about 40%. I had no issues with the prose. With all of the povs I just didn't see where the story was leading and wasn't invested enough to find out. I did like the worldbuilding and the culture mash though.

When I first started reading Fathomfolk, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. It was quite slow to start with and, because the POVs change with each chapter, I found it hard to immerse myself in the characters straight away. Once I got a bit further and got used to the style and the world lore, I ended up enjoying the story and the constant change in focus.

Fathomfolk has a really well realised underwater world, with some folk living there and others living topside. The social and political elements are interesting and engaging, with the power hierarchies playing a large role in everyday life. I thought the ending was fantastic, and I’m really glad I persevered with the beginning of the book.

I can’t honestly say I’m a massive fan of any of the characters in particular, but my favourites would have to be half-siren Mira and her water dragon boyfriend Kai. Their story was the most interesting for me personally, though I did warm to everyone else and like their involvements too. The array of different sea creatures and Fathomfolk was the best part of the book for me, and I loved learning about all the different magic and powers that populated this world. I hope that’s explored even more in the next book, which I will of course be reading.

Fathomfolk has its flaws for me, but overall I liked it more than I thought I would. I’m now invested in this world and its politics, and I’m very intrigued to find out which direction the characters will take next. It’s a fascinating idea for a fantasy story, I just wish the pacing had been a little faster and the characters a bit more memorable — I think this will be resolved in the second book, and I look forward to returning to the water and the secrets it holds.

3.5/5.

It is now safe to say that modern fantasy has grown well beyond its Eurocentric Tolkien inspired beginnings. And emblematic of that trend are fantasy books like Eliza Chan’s Fathomfolk, a pan-Asian novel that draws on Eastern traditions as a jumping off point for something new. But in doing so also comments on current issues including racism and immigration.
Fathomfolk is set in the half submerged city of Tiankawi. In Tiankawi, following an ancient war, humans are on top and the multi-facetted community of water-dwelling fathomfolk are kept down. The story is built around three fathomfolk women. Mira is a half siren newly appointed a captain in the border guards and partner of Kai, the Fathomfolk ambassador and. Kai’s sister Nami is a firebrand, sent from her home, who quickly falls in with the Drawbacks, political agitators seeking to bring down human control. And finally there is Cordelia is a shape-shifting seawitch who has plans of her own, makes deals and manipulates pretty much everyone around her for her own ends. The story then charts the progress of the Drawback plan to destabilise Tiankawi and bring the regime down.
Fathomfolk is a rich but confusing amalgam of Asian influences. Words, foods and concepts from a range of East Asian and South-East Asian communities are mixed together to create the world of Tiankawi. There is an established pecking order with humans at the top and plenty of racism against the fathomfolk to the point where readers may feel that the Drawbacks have a valid point. And Chan’s narrative is most interesting when it digs into this grey – how far is too far when formenting political unrest? What sacrifices are appropriate. Mixed in with this are themes of environmental stewardship, treatment of immigrants and class inequities.
All of which comes together to make Fathomfolk a fast moving fantasy anchored around three interesting characters in a unique milieu. Chan wraps up the action of the book but makes sure to leave plenty hanging for a sequel which will, hopefully, take readers beyond Tiankawi and give readers a taste of the wider world she has created.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for giving me the chance to read an eARC of this novel.

Fathomfolk is a political fantasy set in a world inhabited by humans and Fathomfolk, creatures with water-related powers. The story is told from 3 POVs: Nami, a young, idealistic sea-dragon; Mira, a half-siren who tries to find her place among humans she grew up alongside; Cordelia, a sea-witch who strikes bargains and schemes at all times. The three women are connected throughout the book and their stories overlap repeatedly, and at times unexpectedly.

Starting from what I enjoyed most... the world-building was pretty incredible. The author presented a detailed reality filled with a variety of species and intricately mythology. It took me a few chapters to understand more about who was who, how the world worked and to keep up with some terminology, but I then really enjoyed learning more about this new reality.

Mira's POV was probably my favourite - her strive for a better world while struggling to be respected as a Fathomfolk captain of the guards among humans, her relationship with people around her and her secrets making her a rather likeable character. I especially loved her relationship with Kai. He was actually probably my favourite character of all! I can't say more, to avoid spoilers, but he is an excellent character.

Nami and Cordelia's POVs felt a bit too one-dimensional, even when we saw their motivations explained and some character development... it never felt quite enough for me. Characters surrounding them also didn't strike me hugely, with things left unexplained (might there be a sequel, perhaps?) and limited own depth.

The premise of the book was really interesting and I had really high hopes. However, I was not quite blown away - while Fathomfolk was an enjoyable read, I was not particularly taken with the events of the story and the style with which they were recounted. It felt quite jumpy at times, with abrupt transitions from one situation to the next (or at times between paragraphs).

All in all an enjoyable read, but not one that kept me glued to the pages. I would still recommend reading it, especially for fans of great world-building.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book really early on. I admit, I was already a bit put off by the many mixed reviews/DNFs I've seen for this book, but I still wanted to give it ago, however even the first chapter told me that I was not going to enjoy this book.

Starting this book felt as if I were reading a sequel for a book I had never read. I found characters were introduced with no idea as to their personalities/appearances/ages (even the protagonists), and if I hadn't looked up how old these characters were supposed to be afterwards, I would have assumed they were teenagers. This book did not read like an adult book to me, and I assumed it was a YA book.

In the first chapter, we're introduced to one of the MCs, Mira, being made captain of the border guard, however we are not given any context for how she got this position: I understand that this could be explored later in the book, however no context was given AT ALL to these events. She then goes out to celebrate with her friends/comrades, and later with her partner, however their relationships feel empty/insignificant when no foundation is given to them.

The world building, I felt, was also very confusing. In the first chapter alone, so many different creatures were mentioned, but no explanation was given for what they were. The world's political system was also introduced (or attempted to be introduced) but again no context or explanation was given for this. Not every piece of worldbuilding has to been explained/contextualised in an opening chapter, but if you're going to mention these aspects, then they do need to be explored. I also found the pacing to be a bit jarring and choppy.

Overall, I just don't think this book was for me. I was very confused and perhaps going into the book with already wary expectations impacted my experience. I don't like DNFing books so early on, but unfortunately this book just isn't one I was going to enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

This book was really hard to rate for me, as I really enjoyed the last 30-40% and I loved the concept, the world and the themes, but the execution wasn't great and the first half was quite confusing.
I read a lot of fantasy and usually don't have a lot of issues with complex worldbuilding, but this book was pushing even me to my limits. There was so much going on and the world was quite complicated, but the worldbuilding was a bit all over the place. At the beginning, we had a lot of info-dumping that felt a bit overwhelming, combined with multiple POVs. I really paid close attention, but I felt like a lot still went over my head.

However, the world, albeit being complicated, was very cool and it was the only reason I didn't DNF. The modern, post-apocalyptic city combined with all the water creatures and the discussions of environmentalism and discrimination intrigued me and made me fall in love with the setting very quickly. I also liked the main characters and the differences between them.

Ultimately, I'm really glad I didn't DNF because once I got the hang of everything, I really loved the book. The second half was amazing and the ending had me in tears. I haven't yet read a book that pairs revolution and social injustice with humanity's crimes against our environment, and it made for such a great combination.
It's one of those books that makes you wish there were more like it, but there aren't any because it's such a unique mix of elements.

Overall, I think this book is probably very hit or miss and even though I enjoyed it, I can see why a lot of people DNFed. Personally, I think it was worth finishing and I'm really excited for the sequel.

I really enjoyed the description within this book, I loved how the world came to life. The imagery of the setting was beautiful.

The characters felt very real to me, their aims and intentions were thought out and drawn upon throughout the entire book and I understood exactly where that intention came from for them. They were great characters to read about, recognising their struggle and going against it.

The start of the book was a little slow but I enjoyed the way we got to really understand the world and the characters and the ending made up for any slowness at the beginning.

Fathomfolk is a really intriguing tale of immigration, repression and rebellion, with an interesting backdrop and heapings of mythology. The worldbuilding was rich and full of details, and the setting was so immersive you could really visualise it. It's the kind of place that makes me wish I had any skill at art, because illustrating the world and the characters would be so incredibly fun. The story is interesting, the political machinations complex, and the characters are likeable (though occasionally left me feeling frustrated).

Where this book struggles is the pacing. The first half of the book is SLOW. A lot of time is spent setting up the world, giving you all those kinds of details, introducing you to the characters and getting to know their motivations. Once that's all done, it kind of drags for a bit. If this wasn't an ARC, I would possibly have set this book to the side which is really a shame, because once I hit the action about 60% of the way through, I couldn't put the book down.

The story is really backloaded, a LOT happens very late, and things start making sense and everything starts coming together, but there's a long wait to get to the action and I can really see that putting some people off.

Overall, I really did enjoy the book in the end, and the end of the book made up for a difficult start, but you do have to be prepared for a bit of a wait. I'd have given the first 50% a 2.5 or 3 stars, but the end really makes up for it and ramped my rating up.

First of all I need to state that I read this in probably a more condensed time frame than I would’ve liked because I forgot I had an ARC so there are definitely aspects that I may have enjoyed if i read this at my own pace.

The diaspora problems and the individual viewpoints of Nami,Mira, Kai and Cordelia are fascinating and I think Eliza has written the struggles that each of them face as well as their respective lives that have led them to act the way they have. Honestly it is one of the most well-written pieces I have read in a while on this subject as I find that it easily reflects real life and the struggles many of us children face living in a country that is the not the same as our culture and being shunned for adapting whilst being ostracised for being different.

The world itself is also beautiful as I was able to picture the setting very easily. However in that regard, maybe because I found it easy to picture and also because I am educated on Eastern Mythology, I found the beginning 40% so extremely slow especially since the writing style isn’t the easiest for me and I had to fight to get through. I did find it easier as we got close to the Boat Races but I definitely felt the pacing to be off.

All in all a good first book, but since I found it slow I felt like I was reading it just to read a book and not for enjoyment. I think the premise is great and I will definitely consider reading on after I give this book a second go in a few months time.

Fathomfolk weaves an excellent tale of repression and uprising against a beautiful backdrop of a flooded city. Featuring an all-female line-up of protagonists and a hearty dose of water-based mythology from around the world, there’s a lot to love about this debut novel!

The story is set in the partially submerged city of Tiankawi, where a rather one-sided alliance of humans and aquatic races (collectively known as the Fathomfolk) has formed. It is a world of dwindling resources, where dry land is at a premium, and not attainable for most of the populous. This is a story that analyses the divide between two societies within the same city, and the prejudices both sides have against each other. The widespread discrimination towards the Fathomfolk throughout the book is poignant and excellently crafted to be believable. The scene setting and worldbuilding was dazzling and incredibly well written, and really is one of the shining stars of Fathomfolk; Chan has created a fantastic, vibrant city both above and below the water line.

The story is told through the eyes of three women, all with a different relation to ‘power’ in the city. Mira feels like an outcast in her home city; a rare case of one of the Fathomfolk promoted to a position of power, in this case captain of the guard. She is driven by her moral compass to do right by her people, and the frequent dilemmas she’s landed in as a result were very well crafted. Nami meanwhile is a member of a powerful and rich family, but is exiled to Tiankawi as a punishment for certain misdeeds. I Didn’t like Nami at first at all, finding her character quite flat and one-dimensional, but I did enjoy her character progression, in which you start to see her similarities to some of the other main characters, with a little more youth and a little less experience. The duplicitous Cordelia however is probably my favourite character in the book - multifaceted and scheming throughout, the book lets you see her many sides and develops a fantastic and deep character. I won’t call her a villain outright, but she’s not exactly the hero of the tale either! A small detail I really appreciated from the book is just how often these POV characters appeared in each other’s chapters, which really helped to tie the different storylines together.

I think my only minor quibble with the book was the moments in the middle where I found the pace to drop a little bit; there were several moments where the main plots seem to pause, and it wasn’t easy to see where the plot was heading, given all the little plotlines weaving in and out off each other. That aside, the story had a very clever little resolution that, while I didn’t see it coming, was very fitting given the nature of the book. I can’t escape the feeling that Fathomfolk would make a fantastic film, and I would love to see it adapted for the big screen! The imagery throughout is beautiful and evocative, and the action/fight scenes included seem really well thought out. Maybe one day I’ll get my wish!

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I unfortunately disliked far too many elements in this. The world building was strong and rich, the concept is so interesting:
And I just didn’t care about 99% of these characters. In fact, the only character I did care about doesn’t survive the book. There were three whole POV characters and I couldn’t connect with a single one of them.
(And specifically, secondary character Firth irritated me so much I nearly decided to DNF twice just because of him alone.)

The plot just didn’t grab me until maybe 60% in and that’s far too long for a book to get going.

This might work very well for someone who isn’t me. The writing style was fine, and the magic and different types of fathomfolk/sea creatures was interesting. I could see the whole city in my mind, it was described really well.

Give it a chance, if you like something slower moving, a plot that mirrors our current society incredibly well, or you just want to read about water dragons, sirens, and sea witches.

Fathomfolk has a lot of promise, but I think it could have been much, much better than it ended up being. While the book promised an intriguing blend of "Jade City meets The Little Mermaid," it fell short in certain areas, leaving room for improvement in the second book.

Fathomfolk is the first book of the Drowned World series. First of all, the cover is gorgeous and definitely caught my eye immediately. Secondly, I saw this book compared to Jade City and The Bone Sgard Daughter both of which are among my favorite series. I love the worldbuilding in this series. I think worldbuilding is one of the most unique ones that I read. The plot is also intriguing as it deals with real-world issues such as racism and injustice. Overall, this book has great potential and I am looking forward to the next installment. If you enjoy multi-pov Asian mythology-inspired stories, I highly recommend giving this book a chance. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy.

I’m going straight to the point since most of the reviews I’ve seen after having DFN’d Fathomfolk complain about the same thing. I started this very intrigued seeing as it seemed like it had a fascinating world, human AND underwater world collide? Sing me on. But unfortunately, what it was indeed a really cool world had a bad crafted plot and characters that felt waaaay young than they are supposed to be. This is tagged as adult fantasy but it for certain isn’t. I don’t particularly dislike YA that much but when I start a book and it feels this young it always bothers me, just have it tag as NA, you’ll attract readers that will enjoyed it more and you’ll get more money, is a win-win situation.

MY goal for this year is to stop reading something when I don’t enjoy it, and this was the first time I got to applied it. It will appeal to other readers but for me is a no.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well, writing this review will be challenging. Suffice to say, I had hoped I'd like it but I just couldn't connect to any element? Not the characters, not the worldbuilding either.

I was intrigued by the worldbuilding, a city that is semi-submerged and with different kinds of species living there. But I just couldn't get into it for some reason. I tried hard to understand some descriptions and later I got tired of trying, so I gave up and continued reading for the themes and in the hopes I'd find an interesting character to carry the story.

The themes was the best part of the story; the city's immigration policies, integration, discrimination, and poverty. It felt like I was reading about our cruel reality than a fantasy novel, and I don't know if I liked it or not that it was sooo close.

The characters were not for me, either. I found no one that I liked or rooted for, nor did I find a villain of sorts that I "admired". Most of the characters annoyed and frustrated me.

At the end, I can honestly say that it's not badly written, but the combination of choices feels chunky and mismatched, and it's just not for me. Nobody is sadder about this than I am; I was looking forward to this so much. However, if you wish to read East Asian mythology that has a whimsical tone, you should def try this one!

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review an early copy of Fathomfolk!

I was so excited for this one as I heard it was an Illumicrate pick, and I love books with ocean related settings.

I will start with something that I really enjoyed dork this book which was the authors ability to world build. I felt like the Asain inspired city of Tiankawi was fascinating, and a unique setting. I did not expect some of the technology and transport features too like the tram and cable cars but also the genuine city-like tall buildings and general architecture.

I think this was really impressive and well done.

I loved all the different sea creatures from real to mythical that we saw, Iike the sirens and the kelpies, and I loved the politics of these creatures being merged in with humans.

So I loved how Mira was half siren, I thought that was awesome.

I did like Mira and Nami too, I think that their characterisations were well written.

I also felt like the romance was fun, nothing crazy special but I enjoyed it.

My biggest complaint was just really the plot. I felt like it was quite predictable, I did struggle to stay interested at times and I do think maybe some further editing could be done?

This book didn't grab me.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I thought the pacing was too slow and I put it down quite a few times without feeling the need to immediately pick it back up. I did finish this though because the world building was good. I won't continue reading this series due to the story not gripping me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 31%

I wasn’t invested in any of the characters and couldn’t keep track of who was who.

While I can appreciate the complexity of the world building it just wasn’t for me.

I've always been drawn to non-Western-inspired fantasy, so once I saw Fathomfolk on NetGalley, I was hoping to get an ARC. The themes explored in this novel, particularly its focus on class, struck a chord with me.

Unfortunately, I found the execution lacking. The whimsical tone and magical creatures detract from the book's intended message. In other words, I would prefer it with more gravitas and emotional complexity.

Ultimately, I think this book may just not align with my tastes. It might be better suited for readers who enjoy lighter fantasy tales with prominent romantic subplots.

Eliza Chan's debut, "Fathomfolk," submerges readers into the enchanting city of Tiankawi, where towering human structures cast shadows on the fathomfolk dwelling beneath the waters. This fantasy masterpiece skillfully intertwines East Asian mythology and oceanic folk tales, creating a narrative tapestry rich in magic, rebellion, and transformation. As Mira, a half-siren captain of the border guard, navigates a world marked by oppression and political intrigue, she becomes entangled in the clash of two cultures. The story's brisk pace, coupled with its profound social commentary, immerses readers in an unforgettable experience, mirroring the rhythmic ebb and flow of the tide. Chan's storytelling brilliance shines through the intricate relationships, original world-building, and timeless themes that elevate "Fathomfolk" into a triumphant saga of diaspora survival. A compelling must-read for enthusiasts of Southeast Asian-inspired fantasy.