3.5

For a debut, this was really solid. The world was vivid and whimsical but with a darkness to it. The themes explored were interesting and pertinent. The politicking kept me on my toes. And overall I am excited for the next installment.

However, since this was a debut there were some issues that I hope the author can learn from and incorporate into future installments. The writing in some areas made it hard to follow what was going on. But overall what was lacking for me was character development, particularly with Nami. Nami as an oppressed fathomfolk gets indoctrinated into a radical group. This is SUCH an interesting character arc and theme to explore. But we did not get enough character work to fully understand Nami and honestly, she just came off as dumb for following the Drawbacks and believing Firth. This was such a missed opportunity to explore how oppression leads to people becoming desperate to join radical groups and engage in violent measures of protest. Especially as this is something we see play out in the real world, and is happening today.

I do recommend giving this book a try, and I am excited to see the author continue developing her craft for stronger character work.

I received an e-arc in exchange for my review.

Not my first ever gifted book from Orbit being an absolute dud. I have never been so disappointed by an anticipated release. The fact that this is categorised as adult fantasy is criminal.

The world building in Fathomfolk is immaculate - from the political systems, to the Fathomfolk races, to the hierarchal classes within their military and government, to the machinations in the background, to their history and lore - everything is so detailed and well established that you feel like you've just popped into this fantastically flawed world. It mirrors ours so well in its discourse around politics, immigration, history, and activism. The fact that this was so well built is a testament to Eliza Chan's skills.

This skill bled into her characters, to an extent. I appreciated seeing Mira as a biracial half-siren, half-human struggle between worlds. Not human enough to be respected by humans, not Fathomfolk enough to be respected by Fathomfolk. It vibed well with real feelings that mixed people often have to contend with.

Serena was also a very interesting character, as she has her own plans and machinations in the background as she pulled strings and threads together to fulfill her personal goals.

And then there was Nami. Fricking Nami. She's young and brash and naive, and just happens to be the catalyst to like half the problems in this book. I really wish Nami would just not. As Kai's younger sister, she's always been very head strong, up in her righteous anger, and ready for action, and despite mistake after mistake, she never learns to sit down and think critically about anything before acting and it literally kills people. I was so frustrated with her from the start, and it only got worse over time. I feel like there's a statement somewhere in there about young and impressionable people jumping head first into activism without all the facts, but I'm not even going to look that deep. If that was the lesson I was supposed to take away from this book, then it should've been a YA novel.

The fact that half of this book's plot is people not realizing that their actions have consequences, that knocking down one domino takes out the whole lot, is wild to me. Like that's not plot, that's chaos. The only standout to me is the Kai is an angel amongst hellions. He was too good for everyone else in this book.

I'm not even going to touch the end of this book with a ten-foot pole. Thank you, next.

All in all, an absolute disappointment. The setup was strong, but this was a miss for me.

TW: racism (speci-ism?), classism, torture, death, murder, blood, injury detail, drug abuse, addiction, sexism; mentions fetishization, sexual assault

Finished copy gifted by Orbit in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF'ed about 35% in. I really just did not get invested in the characters and was not vibing with the writing style the whole time. I've been attempting to read this at least once a month since about November and this is the farthest I've got so I'm calling it for now. 😔 I really wanted to like this one so it's a shame, and maybe I'll try again later.

Mira is a half-siren who is trying to improve the lives of her oppressed people in the city of Tiankawi, where fathomfolk (denizens of the now mostly polluted and ruined oceans and lakes) live largely second-class lives and are at the whims of the human population. When the troublesome water dragon (and sister of her current partner) Nami is exiled to Tiankawi for rebellious actions, Mira is given the unenviable task of keeping her out of further trouble. This is made more difficult when extremists launch an attack that throws off the thin veil of normalcy that hung over the city, and tensions ratchet up to the point where open conflict and even total destruction become a frightening possibility.

Fathomfolk mostly takes place in the fantastical city of Tiankawi, a metropolis built to signify cooperation and unity between the humans and the people of the depths, the fathomfolk like sirens, kelpie, and other mythical water-dwelling creatures. This city is an incredible blend of cultures and mythologies, a place where technology and magic exist side by side in a truly entertaining spectacle. That being said, the book also looks directly at the plight of people who are ostracized and disenfranchised and isn't afraid to voice the complaints of those who think that some change is too slow, and those that think only a fresh start could offer a solution to such an entrenched problem. This greatly elevates the world and brings some gravitas to the story that felt genuine and kept me invested in the plot the whole way through, even if I felt that some characters were grating on my nerves or if I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending of the book.

"Fathomfolk" dives into a world where half-siren Mira, her water dragon partner Kai, his aristocratic sister Nami, and the enigmatic sea-witch Cordelia navigate the complexities of a society in turmoil. The story delves into the unrest between the Fathomfolk and the human world, shedding light on themes of privilege, poverty, and political exploitation.One of the book's strengths lies in its commentary on social issues.

The world-building in "Fathomfolk" is thorough, perhaps to its detriment at times. While the richly detailed world immerses readers in its fantastical elements, it can also bog down the pacing of the story.

There were concepts in this book that I enjoyed, but overall, I found the story difficult to connect with. The writing was tedious and times and the story was too slow paced for me to remain engaged.

A debut fantasy that highlights East Asian mythology and ocean folk tales, where we join a cast of characters on the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, on the cusp of a climax in the revolution of the fathomfolk and the humans.

Tiankawi was originally designed to be a safe haven for fathomfolk seeking refuge from civil unrest from their lands, and a place where humans and them can live in harmony. The reality is very different though, the folk are oppressed and seen as less than. They live in polluted water, are poor and live in slum like communities, and forces to wear bracelets that don't let them use their waterweaving powers.

We follow Mira, a half siren captain of the border guard, she has been working towards gaining the respect of humans and getting herself into a position where she can make a difference for the folk of the city. Just as she, and her partner Kai are about to pass legislation to help, Kai's little sister Nani comes to the city and gets herself caught up in a rebel group. Can they actually make change happen following the rules, playing politics, keeping their hands clean, or will it take a more extreme measures and the philosophy of sacrificing the few to save the many?

This was a fantastic debut. The magic system was so cool and unique. And this first book in the series only gave us a glimpse into the potential of the world building and magic that is yet to come. Stories of revolution always have wonderful commentary on colonization, and oppression and this was no different. The book left off on such a cliffhanger and has me so excited, and waiting on bated breath for the next book in this series. The pacing was my only problem, the book had nice pace to it but I feel like things happened very fast in the end. Overall this was a great read, and an author I am excited to keep my eye on in the future.

Firstly, I really love the cover of this book. It's what first caught my attention and drew my interest.

Second, this was a good concept for a book but I don't know that it was executed in a super great way? It felt very YA to me and the more I read, the less I tend to enjoy those types of books, so maybe this just wasn't for me.

I had a hard time keeping focused and interested in the story because of the politics done in a YA kind of way, instead of more serious. The very beginning had a confrontation between the MFC and anothet group of people and it felt very comic-book-esque.

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one was a long time coming and honestly it was worth the wait. I think my main takeaway from this book is that it makes you think. I’ve had books that I’ve loved but forgot about in a day and I still remember and think about this book a week later after reading.

We follow a lot of different characters in this novel that are each trying to make sense and create order in a world that doesn’t appreciate, trust or even like them due to their “species” aka race. This book gives poignant examples that are especially relevant in todays modern landscape that really added depth to the world and made you really feel and empathize with the characters. It leads to the central question, how do you seek to change the world around you? With violence or through work and dedication? And the pitfalls that come from both.

My biggest gripe with the book, is how it ended. I should put this at a 4.5 because this almost ruined the book for me but I didn’t like a character choice but I respect it.

I really liked this book and I look forward to the sequel!

I wanted so badly to enjoy this one but I had such a hard time getting into it and an even harder time getting myself to want to read it. DNF @45%

It’s a bit challenging to get into because of all the world specific terminology, but once you get used to that it is actually quite good.

I would say this is a reimagining of the little mermaid mixed with Chinesen mythology in a suburban setting.

We follow Mira the newly minted border guard captain and halfbreed, Nami the rebelling teen dragon princess, and Cordelia the scheming see witch.

I enjoyed following Mira and Cordelia, but I found Nami’s story painful. She is naive, blind to reality and willful like any teenager. Unfortunately we discover most of the world and story through her eyes.

3.5 ★ // In her debut novel, Chan transports us to Tiankawi, where humans and fathomfolk - mythical creatures of the sea seek to co-exist. However, like any civilization, this co-existence is not without its issues. Told in multiple POVs, the story follows Mira - the half-siren, half-human captain of the border guard; Nami - a young, headstrong water dragon & fathomfolk princess; and Cordelia - a cunning sea witch masquerading as the human wife of one of Tiankawi's wealthiest, most influential figures.

The exposition felt slow and drawn out with a lot of detail that could leave some readers (including myself) a bit overwhelmed and confused. The book is a lot more political, less action with less dialogue than I had anticipated. I start getting lost whenever books focus on politics, so maybe that's why I was struggling to truly resonate with FATHOMFOLK on the uptake. It took me quite some time to get through those initial chapters before I started feeling more invested in both the story and the characters. It isn't really until the 40% mark where the action and crux of the story begins and when it really starts to get interesting.

All that aside, the world-building is absolutely gorgeous! Chan's descriptions are so rich that I really felt as if I were in Tiankawi as I was reading. The social and ecological commentary is quite evident as well, which I can appreciate. Definitely worth a read for this alone!

P.S. I recommend keeping a dictionary handy, as there were a lot of terms and words that I did not know!

Ok so I really really wanted to love this book based on the gorgeous cover and the description.
Overall I just could not fall in love with these characters which is a hard sell for me. They felt pretty one dimensional. The only one I semi liked was the sea witch. Go figure I would love the villain.
The world building is gorgeous though. The author spends a lot of time helping us visualize this world.
I think the setting has a lot of potential and the characters could be fleshed out to make this into an interesting series.

As an avid fan of Asian-inspired fantasy, I eagerly picked up Eliza Chan's debut novel, Fathomfolk, with high expectations, especially given its comparison to Andrea Stewart's beloved "The Drowning Empire" series. While the world and premise were undeniably engrossing, I couldn't help but feel that the novel fell short in some key aspects that drew me to its counterparts.

The allure of an intricate and culturally rich world was evident from the start, capturing my imagination with its unique blend of water-dwelling beings and the world they inhabit both below and above the surface. Chan's descriptive prose painted vivid sea-scapes and a world being consumed by water, and the premise hinted at the potential for a complex and immersive narrative.

However, as the story unfolded, I found the plot meandering along, with sporadic bursts of action failing to sustain a consistent level of engagement. The pacing left much to be desired, and the narrative lacked the tight, compelling structure that characterizes other standout fantasy series. While the potential for an epic tale was present, the execution fell short of delivering the immersive experience I anticipated.

Another one of the novel's drawbacks lay in the lack of connection I had with the main characters. Despite their individual motivations and varied approaches to a shared goal, none emerged as a character I could truly gravitate towards. The absence of a compelling protagonist hindered my investment in their journeys, and by the book's conclusion, the lack of true success for any of them left the narrative feeling unresolved and somewhat unsatisfying.

Fathomfolk is a debut that showcases Eliza Chan's potential as a storyteller in the realm of Asian-inspired fantasy. The world and premise hold promise, but the meandering plot and a lack of standout characters prevent the novel from reaching the heights of its comparisons. With room for growth and refinement, Chan's future works may yet deliver the immersive and captivating experience readers crave in this genre.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an early release e-ARC for review.

DNF at 30%. I could not continue despite my intense excitement for the release of this title and the opportunity to review. And I do not DNF books lightly once I have really started them. My two biggest issues were the many, many POV's, and the writing style. I also had issues with the story.

The many POV's of this debut had me confused constantly. All of the characters read in the same voice, with only subtle differences. There's a noble one, a childish rebellious one, and a scheming one. But within these POV's there is a tendency to randomly shift into another character's thoughts and express what they are seeing and thinking, and it threw me off multiple times. None of the POV's were striking enough for me to really care about the characters.

My second issue is the writing style. I was ready to dive into a lush, vibrant world and experience a magically crafted story. I didn't get that. Maybe that's due to the main setting mostly being intentionally grim, but even when we see the underwater kingdom or the high society places, nothing has descriptions. There are gorgeous dragons and kelpies on the cover and yet I never once felt a sense of awe or joy while reading about them. Nothing feels real as I'm reading. And the thing that really got on my nerves while reading was the amount of sentences that started with a verb, when they really should have been (imo) connected to the previous sentence via comma. Everytime I noticed this it jarred me entirely. It messed with my reading flow so badly that I started anticipating and looking for instances of this. The writing style was just not for me.

And finally: the story is boring for me. It's heavy-handed, stale, and dry. I don't see this as gloriously imaginative. I see this as recycled dystopian. I feel like it should have been marketed as dystopian.

Tldr; Too many characters, not enough uniqueness. Jarring and dull writing style. Overbearing and overdone.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this as much as I thought that I would. I enjoyed the world building and from the beginning as very intrigued by the half submerged city and the other folk that were present in the story. However, I think it would have benefited from additional editing because the concept is incredible. The abrupt chapter endings felt weird to me. And I was getting kind of confused on plot points.

Fathomfolk is a spellbinding and creative tale. Mira is a half-siren and the first fathomfolk to be promoted in the city guard. In the city of Tiankawi, fathomfolk (selkies, kappas, sea witches, sirens etc) have a fraught relationship with the humans of the city. Mira is determined to do good with her position and use her power to help fight the inequity that the fathomfolk face. When a water dragon named Nami comes to the city, Mira must help keep track of her and battle against the sea witch Cordelia’s manipulations. Can Mira truly make a change in the city or are they all doomed to drown?

I really loved the rich world-building and many creatures that make up the fathomfolk. Obviously, I love selkies! Mira is an engaging character who is determined to use her power for good. As a half-siren, she is regarded with suspicion at times because she possesses the power to influence people. Mira has had to make many difficult choices and sacrifices for her family along the way. While crafting rich fantasy worldbuilding, Chan draws parallels to real-life inequality and racism in our world.

The story shifts between Mira, Nami, and Cordelia. Nami has really never been out in the world before and makes some naive mistakes as she attempts to get revenge for the fathomfolk. Her relationship with Firth was filled with tension and not necessarily the good kind! There’s a slowly dawning sense of dread as we learn more about him. Cordelia is an intriguing character who is very multifaceted and the keeper of many secrets. Power always comes with a price and Cordelia scrabbles to hang onto it to protect herself and her family- regardless of who is in her way.

The conclusion was action-packed and set up some very interesting possibilities for a sequel. Readers who enjoyed The Bone Shard Daughter, Jade City, and The Mask of Mirrors will love this book. I’m looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you to Eliza Chan, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, Storygraph, Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

Fathomfolk was an interesting read and while the premise really appealed to me, it overall fell a bit flat.

First the good! The world building is beautiful - Tiankawi, a city partially built on water, was richly detailed and I wanted to dive right in. I loved the idea of a story around sirens and working towards bettering a broken system. However, I feel like the politics in this needed a bit more love. It felt very apologetic towards cop/border patrol figures in general and, while I love difficult and complicated characters, I just couldn't get into our MC. It felt like the ending landed on political moderation, which for me I just don't agree with. I understand my own beliefs shouldn't affect how I read a fun, fantasy book, but for this one I couldn't disassociate my own disdain and views from the book; sometimes more radical acts are needed.

I think there's potential in Chan's writing, but Fathomfolk just wasn't it for me.

Thanks for ARC!

I really enjoyed this beautifully written story. Chan does a wonderful job describing the setting and allowing the reader to feel immersed in the story.

Thank you for this Arc Netgalley, I will say i did like this book, and I think it has a lot of promise. Any Asian mythology is a perfect for me. And Fathomfolk was good. I will say I felt like there could have been a little more to it… but overall a solid 3.75 for me..

“No matter the uniform she wore, the exams she passed, the ideas she brought to the discussion; they always saw her as fathomfolk first.”

This book follows three different fathomfolk and their journey to find a place in a human world. Touching upon social issues that we see even in the real world today. I was surprised by some of the more serious topics she covered in the book (check TWs before reading).

I loved the concept of this book, though the execution felt a bit lacking at times. The beginning of the book was a bit slow, mostly due to all the world-building. Though I will say that world-building was remarkable with very interesting concepts. Chan created a vibrant world full of interesting characters. Towards the middle of the book is when I felt the pace started to pick up making it easier to read. Though the plot felt somewhat predicable, the ending was fairly satisfying. Overall an enjoyable read.

A huge thank you to this book’s publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.