I really liked this one - it was a great concept.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the author for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

I struggled quite a bit with reading this due to the style of the narration. It felt like I’d flip a page and then completely forget what I just read, despite reading it multiple times. But the parts that I did manage to retain in my memory were very enjoyable. I think I’ll give this another shot with a physical copy soon.

Super original, never read anything like it! I had never even heard of the myth/legend of the rolling catfish so I also learned something new :)
Would recommend!

I was sent a copy of Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai to read and review by NetGalley. This is a very interesting and enjoyable novel with some fresh and quite innovative theories regarding time. I thought all the characters were well rounded and I really enjoyed the fact that it was written first person as I always think that this gives more of an insight into the protagonist. Even though the story is imbued with myth, mysticism and a bit of sci fi, I found every aspect of this story totally believable and am more than happy to recommend it!

This is a wonderful novel about grief and time. Set in Japan, Sora is finishing High school and watching her only friend, Koki go to university in Tokyo while she remains in her little hometown without any idea what she's to do with her life. When Sora was a child, the Shake had changed everything, changing the manner in which time runs in different 'zones' about Japan. The massive quake resulted in the disappearance of her Mother and her Father, a researcher, is lost studying the time zones and trying to understand what happened.

I truly enjoyed this novel, a fusion of YA, sci-fi and fantasy all blended with Japanese folklore with wonderful ease. Sora herself, is a great MC. She's not instantly likeable, but you have to admire her strength as she journeys from child to adulthood, with a floundering sense of who she is and her purpose in life.

I really enjoyed this novel.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.

It’s not easy to pen a novel swimming in magical realism and dream-logic that is also highly influenced by science and philosophy- but that’s exactly what Clara Kumagai has done. Catfish Rolling takes many contradictory stories and ideas and seamlessly weaves them into a single tale.
Pitch-perfect narration takes us through main character Sora’s efforts to come to terms with the loss of her mother in an earthquake so strong it cracks time itself. Sora journeys through the broken time zones (some of which time moves faster in, some slower) in search of answers and her lost parent.
Her story cares about research and measurement and nature but most of all about time. It cares about the question of time and how we as people move within it. About how we perceive time and how time affects us. It manages to take familiar touchstones and make them all new.
Catfish Rolling heralds a blistering new talent to the YA scene and I for one at grateful she is here.

The beautiful cover drew me in, and the beautiful story kept me entranced!! This really was an emotional and touching read, balanced nicely with the magical realism as it looks at a daughter and father trying to deal with a world where an earthquake has taken someone very special away from them.

The idea of a giant catfish living under Japan is something new to me, but it really evokes the folklore and legend of when it moves an earthquake happens on land, and they're always living under that threat. When the quake does hit we are shaken by the story as it explores the despair and grief felt by those left behind, especially when no body is found, so there's still that slim hope that she still be out there somewhere.

I loved watching how Sora, the daughter, faced up to the reality of her mother not being around. The bond with her father was strong and they shared a common love of science and just wanted the world they now lived in to make sense so would go to extreme lengths to prove that reality. The loss hangs really heavily on the family and the author approaches the pain so perfectly.

Time is a major part of this story and to see it woven in to every aspect was what kept the story grounded and made it feel so haunting for me. It's a story of a distraught family trying to carry on, while clinging on to the hope that the world could just go back to when they were all happy and making more of that time, rather than the slowing of time now that they are so bereft. A stunningly beautiful debut!

I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to the fantasy and mythology genre, but, I am widening my perspectives and so far loving it. The author has done this brilliantly. The story is beautifully written, the characters come alive on the page, the settings pop and all characters have believable voices. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

What I was looking for: The cover is gorgeous and I was interested in a Japanese-mythology inspired story.

What I liked: I enjoyed the calm writing style and the philosophical questions that are addressed as well as science and trying to scientifically describe an indescribable phenomenon. Sora and her father felt real in their grieve and the story shows adequately how people deal differently with loss, potentially growing apart or losing themselves.

What I did not like: I was really unhappy with the blurb, which mentions her father disappearing – something that only happens in chapter 20 of 29. I was always waiting for this event to occur, always expecting the story to take a turn in that direction – and her father (physically) disappearing is not even the main conflict of the book.

Conclusion: A very melancholy book about loss, but with an uplifting ending.

Unfortunately, I found it quite disappointing.
The initial idea was brilliant, but all my excitement died quickly.

THIS. BOOK. Oh my god. What an amazing debut!!! It was so whimsical and so easy to get into. I could not put the book down. I started reading it 10pm, before I knew it, I'd finished the book and it was nearly 4am! I can not wait to see what else Clara Kumagai will write, they're a new auto-buy author for me for sure!

Catfish Rolling was a book with a fasincating plot and it felt very unique. I enjoyed the mythical Japanese side. I enjoyed the main characters Sora, but the other characters weren't so easy to like and understand as they felt unfiinished.

Catfish Rolling is a beautifully written and absorbing book that utilises Japanese folklore, science fiction and fantasy to great effect. The concept is unique: several years before the main story of the book, an earthquake hits Japan with many people disappearing, including main character Sora's mother. Post-earthquake time has fractured and now parts of Japan have slower and faster time. Due to the emotional connection with the earthquake, Sora and her father are both trying to find answers in their own way.

The story slowly builds and relies on some wonderful writing and captivating storytelling. The themes of loss, relationships and time itself resonated with me and Clara Kumagai's storytelling helped them take centre stage. The novel goes to places I did not expect, which I ultimately came to appreciate. This is certainly not a predictable novel.

I highly recommend this novel - a fascinating concept with lots of depth.

I loved the Japanese setting and the world building, found this story poignant but I didn't feel involved. For me it was like watching a wonderful picture but not being able to feel any emotions.
It's not my cup of tea but there's plenty of potential and lots of people will love it.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A beautiful read, very different to my normal genre. I adored the writing and depiction of Japanese culture and the mythology of a catfish rolling under the island. The themes of grief and loneliness were dealt with sensitively but with strong emotion, balanced by a touch of humour. I wasn't sure I liked Sora at first but I did by the end.
Science is not my strong subject so I did find the time shifts confusing. Nonetheless, this was such a unique book that I was remember it for a long time to come. Possibly a bit complex but beautiful.

Catfish Rolling is quite different to the books I have been reading lately. It blends elements of magical realism with fantasy and Japanese mythology. Before reading this book I was largely unaware of the myth of Namazu (or Onamazu) – the giant catfish which lives under Japan and is responsible for it’s earthquakes. Even today some Japanese earthquake systems use a catfish as their logo. All of this is important to the story, as it all begins with a massive earthquake that not only shatters the life of our protagonist, Sora, but also time itself.

After the earthquake we find that time has changed in Japan, and that some areas have time that runs faster, or slower, than “normal”. Sora’s father is deeply involved in researching these zones, and Sora herself is exploring them herself, without his knowledge. Her mother disappeared during the earthquake, and it has shaped her decisions ever since.

The story is largely focused on Sora, and her life, and how it has been affected by the loss of her mother. The timeline jumps back and forth through different periods of her life so the reader is putting the pieces together as they do.

This is a story about love, loss, and ultimately the unstoppable nature of time. It is an incredibly well written story, which I gather was at least partly inspired by the Tōhoku earthquake in 2011. There are obviously a lot of references to Japanese culture and lifestyle throughout but it is all well put across and explained for those, like me, who don’t know much about it.

Overall, I thought it was a great read. I’m off to find out more about this Namazu character.

I was left a little confused by this story and find it hard to review. It started off well. Sora and her family are visiting Japan when an earthquake hits, creating different time zones. Sora's mother dies leaving Sora and her father behind.
Years later, both are still struggling with their grief and explore the zones in search of their lost ones.
I wanted to know more about the zones and the effects as well as the mythology of the catfish. I felt there was much more that could be explored and the end felt rather rushed.

Where do I start with this? I adored it. There's such a tangible sense of emotion, and the ordinary mixed with a magic that changes and warps time and our perception of it. At the heart of the tale is a story of deep-seated grief, and love, and the ways that we can use myths and legends to allay some of that grief.

A lyrical sense flows over the entire book, words as beautiful as the cover itself. Stunning.

This book was beautiful. It was the perfect blend of a sort of science fiction style premise and magical realism. It also delved deep into scientific and philosophical questions about what time is and how we related to it.

I loved the way the myths and religion of Japan were interwoven into this premise. It showed how important little things like shrines and protection spirits are to the daily life of many Japanese people. It really gave insight into how the Japanese people deal with the tragedies of earthquakes and other disasters.

It was also a tiny bit gay! Nothing I read anywhere said it was LGBTQ+ but from reading it, I believe the character is bisexual! It was a nice little surprise for me.

I don't think this review really does it justice, but all I can really say is read this book, it's so good!!

I was expecting this book to be more of a fantasy/folklore based novel than it was, and I was hoping for more about the Japanese mythology surrounding the catfish. In fact, it is much more sci-fi based, and I must admit that I found it hard to follow the science. I would have liked to know more about the zones and their affect on things - it felt like a lot was left unsaid and as such I had gaps in what I understood to be happening.

Sora's grief at the loss of her mother is present on every page, and is handled beautifully, making this a deeply emotional read. I think events in my own life affected my experience of reading this book, and made it an extremely challenging read at times.