I love reading fantasy books based on Asian-mythology, so I was thrilled to receive this advance copy of Fathomfolk. However, I really struggled to get into the story. The premise sounded extremely promising and there are some great themes discussed in the book - climate change/pollution, classism, a caste system/hierarchy, oppression, but the writing itself doesn’t quite do them justice. While I do think the characters are all well-developed, the first 30% of the narrative was a haul to get through. I had trouble understanding who each of the characters were, where they fit into the political structure of Tiankawi, and there was just a general lack of moving the plot forward.

This was definitely a slow-burn with more political maneuvering than true action. I kept having to force myself to keep going, which just shows how the story failed to truly engage me, and the conclusion was unsatisfying and simplistic for the complexity of the plot. While I am giving this story three stars due to the general creativity of the characters and world, I’m not invested enough to want to read a sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE ocean based fantasy. I was so excited for this!!! But I feel like it was just "okay" so it's getting a 2.5 rounded up to a 3 star.

There's a lot of introduction here, which is expected in a fantasy - but it was done in a way that I found grating and almost confusing. There's a lot of terminology and description thrown out in the first few pages, and many different species are named and described. As someone who can't picture things, this was challenging to grasp. I'd LOVE to see an illustrated version of this book with species concept art. The descriptions seem cool and it felt like there was a lot of species variation which I did like!

The characters and world are interesting in concept, but execution did not land for me.

The way different characters are introduced and described is frustrating. For example, Nami: she kept mentioning that she's not academically smart, she's soooo rebellious, she fails classes, her brother is so smart compared to her... over and over and over. So many chapters she's in feel the need to mention how she's just not smart. This isn't just the case for Nami - all of the main characters regularly remind you of their personality traits or the struggles they've gone through to the point where it feels unnatural. If you have to state these things, trust that your readers will remember! Don't keep repeating things! It just feels like a way to artificially lengthen the book. This was worst in the first 30% but continued throughout the novel.

If this hadn't been an ARC I probably would have dnf'd because there were a few reveals that just didn't track to me idk. I felt like I was dragging myself through for a good portion of this.

One of my biggest complaints is something I'm actually NOT docking stars for right now because this is an ARC. Some of the phrasing is incredibly awkward. This is the illumicrate pick for March (I think?), so I'll be comparing some of the phrases I highlighted to the final copy. There are sentences that feel incomplete, some that are repetitive, and some things that just need edited out in general. This will (hopefully) change before the final version, and if it doesn't I'll probably round this down to a 2.

What I liked: the general setting and concept! I loved that there are so many different species and I liked the contrast between underwater and above water (but I didn't like some of the underwater mechanics). The Little Mermaid references were fun and I enjoyed them. The worldbuilding was full and rounded and clearly well thought out though clumsily written at times.

I think this is a debut, so I'm interested to see what else this author puts out. I might try the sequel to this, but I probably won't actively seek it out.

although tiankawi is made out to be a safe haven, fathomfolk there are still looked down upon by humans. mira, half-siren, hopes to use her promotion to captain of the border guard to enact systematic change. then, water dragon nami is exiled to the city, setting back what little progress mira had made. nami joins an anti-human extremist group, spurring mira to track her down before she makes everything worse.

i’ve been anticipating this book ever since seeing its beautiful cover, so i’m glad to have had the opportunity to read and review it early! this book deeply explored social issues, with the most prevalent ones being racism and xenophobia. while fathomfolk, of course, do not exist in real life, it was easy to make real-world connections with the racism and xenophobia they faced. it was interesting to see the main characters’ different ways of approaching dismantling this system. i’m excited to see where the story goes in book two!

Unfortunately Fathomfolk is just not the book for me. I wanted so badly to love it. It had so much potential to be amazing! The worldbuilding could have been magnificent. However, I felt like I was crawling through this book.

I think a lot of the issues were due to a lack of editing. Immediately in the first three chapters, there are three different point of views established. I think having a title that indicated which point of view was taking place would have helped. I also think a glossary would have helped. It was difficult for me to keep track of some of the terms. It felt like different elements of the story and world were thrown at me, and I was having a hard time with it.

I also just did not feel connected to the story or the characters. I’ve have had this arc since December and have picked it up multiple times to give it a shot. This story never hit its stride for me. It also felt like trudging through murky waters. This last attempt I went as far as I could, trying to give it the best shot I could. However, I ultimately have to DNF this story.

While Fathomfolk was not the book for me, that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you! If the summary of this book intrigues you- go for it!

Thank you to NetGalley and OrbitBooks for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

First of all I will say the setting of this book was pretty much written for me. Ever since childhood I have just been obsessed with underwater worlds and creatures so having this urban city bursting with south East Asian culture that was tackling the political and social difficulties of undersea creatures and humans mixing was so much fun. If you like political dramas but want something not about an evil empire, here you go. And the reveal at the end have me so excited for the next book I need it stat and book 1 hasn’t even officially released yet so boo for that.

If you are someone who tends to roll their eyes at a naive character making blunders as they try to do what’s right, this one may drive you nuts so just be warned but you should really do yourself a favor and check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The cover is beautiful and I expected the story to translates the same as well.
The plot was inadequately build up. There were several occasions that lead to overly drastic outcomes would occur with practically zero development. Fascinating minor plotlines were deserted with not a great reason. The characters were, in numerous ways, exhausted; where they weren't hackneyed, they thought outside the box by pursuing dumb choices in previously unheard-of ways.
There are mythical creatures that were interesting but wished were present longer; like sirens, merfolk, kelpies, water dragons, et cetera.

I wanted to read Fathomfolk because I have not read much fantasy using sea creatures. Sadly within just a little bit I could see that this book wasn’t for me just by how it was written. In this case it is absolutely a me thing. Had I seen comparisons to Jade City and Bone Shard Daughter sooner, I would have known better.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

I enjoyed this read. I loved the setting and world building, I think it was so fascinating and unique. But I found it hard to learn and distinguish the characters at first. I think it was a very interesting idea and premise and i am looking forward to the sequel.

“𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤” 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

This book was a unique experience for me. I absolutely love the premise and the world building was so well done, I loved it! The semi-submerged East Asian inspired city full of mythical creatures was just so cool, I truly loved that aspect. I did struggle with the pacing as well the characters. It did drag on a bit in places, and I found the characters somewhat unlikable. Overall it was a fun Asian mythology with just a couple minor grievances. Thank you to Orbit books for the eArc!

starting with the thing i liked: the world building

this book has such a rich worldbuilding and the setting is very immersive — i sometimes struggle with imagining settings beyond basic details but i didn’t struggle with this book

the sad thing is i see the potential in this book. it could’ve been amazing but it feels like everything it tried to do just felt flat.. it felt very very emotionless to me in a book about inequalities political intrigue etc etc it is not good that i didn’t feel like i was rooting for anyone

also it didn’t feel like there was ever truly a driving plot things just happened to the characters and they reacted but most of it just felt very random until the very end and sometimes that’s fine i love a good character driven book but it didn’t feel like the characters were driving it either like i said things were just happening to them.. like their actions felt exclusively reactive instead of proactive if that makes sense which i feel like a book should balance these things

i think if you are someone who likes books inspired by asian mythology with rich world building you might enjoy this book (it also has like a queer normative aspect bc people are just with whoever and it’s not even addressed as anything other than normal which is very nice)

Simply put, this was a highly anticipated book of mine for early 2024. The cover alone is stunning. There are some really interesting themes presented in this novel. Unfortunately, the writing and plot just didn’t do it for me. I had a hard time following some parts.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

The thing I loved the most about this book was the setting and the concept. Beyond that, I am left with mixed feelings.

As a lover of mythology, I felt that this book had too many "creatures" from mythology. There's a lot of overlap when it comes to underwater mythology that this felt over-saturated, and a little redundant at times. Every culture that is/was seafaring, has "mermaids" but not every culture calls them mermaids.

There are three POVs, and I had a really hard time staying invested in the characters. None of them were particularly likable. The dialogue also felt, for lack of a better word, young. This book is marketed as Adult Fantasy, but it felt like YA. It felt and read like it was targeted at 14-year-olds. Not a bad thing on its own, but if a book is labeled as Adult, I want to read like it's aimed at Adults.

I was, unfortunately, pretty bored the whole time I was reading this. It felt like a chore to read, and that makes me kind of sad because I mentioned, I love mythology, and the premise is why I wanted to read this. But with an underdeveloped world, and characters I couldn't stay invested in, this book fell flat for me. This book has promise, and I think there is a market for it. It just didn't work for me.

This is one of my favorite books of the year so far. There is a very intricate political weaving and the book tackles the racism between humans v fathomfolk in a fascinating way. You get the POV of 3-4 characters, all in different aspects of the hierarchical/class level. I enjoyed seeing the different perspectives that weave the story together. I wanted one character to see the massive red flags but then was rooting for them. The character development for this book is done extremely well, and the romance isn't the book's focus at all, if romance could be considered. It's a character-driven plot, and I adored it. This book is an amazing representation of south Asian mythology.

Fathomfolk offers captivating world building worthy of it's beautiful cover. The lore and setting were, for me, the highlight of this novel. The plot lost me somewhere near the middle but picked up again towards the end. While the characters have potential, they didn'tfully stand out to me. Despite its flaws, I am intrigued to see how the story unfolds in book 2.

Wow! What a complex, detailed and layered world Chan has built with FATHOMFOLK. This is the kind of book that can have you both luxuriating in the details and on the edge of your seat with the action. I can't wait to see more from Chan.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4! Thank you NetGalley, Orbit Books and Eliza Chan for the ARC!

Fathomfolk follows a few characters who live in the city of Tiankawi, home to humans, fathomfolks and those of mixed descent. But despite the magic of the world building, not all is well in this multi-cultural city, as tension builds between the humans—who live in abundance—and fathomfolk, whose natural magic is literally cuffed. The story explores the societal issues of the city and how the different characters each deal with it.

Spoilers from here on out:

[Overall, I thought this book was a decent debut.

A few thoughts:

The world Chan built was intriguing and the city of Tiankawi felt unique and magical, though I could've used a bit more detail/description about what the different characters looked like (ex. Dan the Kappa; I still don't feel like I have a good grasp on what a Kappa looks like).

The societal unrest drew parallels to reality, which did contrast with the more whimsical world building in a way that wasn't bad, but a little uncomfortable because of how it didn't feel far from real life. The plot, which tackled some big issues and could've addressed social commentary on a deep level, felt a little meandering and didn't dive as deep as I was hoping into the issues.

I think the book would've benefitted from picking one POV, maybe two. There was so much going on with the political issues and commentary, but the plot, scenes, character arcs and reveals didn't settle enough for me due to the changing POVs. I also didn't feel like the POVs had distinct enough voices to separate from one another and going into new chapters, I didn't always know whose POV the chapter was in. I will say that another thing that was frustrating (in a good way) was that the characters weren't always likeable. Most of them were broken or lost and making decisions for survival. Not a bad thing, but can lead to a bit of frustration while reading when you know a character is making a bad decision.

My two biggest criticisms were: 1. Nami did some terrible things, and while yes, she was coerced into some of the situations, she also made bad decisions and I didn't feel like she felt the proper consequences of those decisions, especially in her relationship with Mira. Them getting along at the end felt very unrealistic. Which leads me to #2: the resolution also felt unrealistic with everyone getting gills and working together. However, as this is only the first book, there's the possibility that both of these will be explored further in the series so I won't discount the first book because of them.

In summary, I enjoyed the world building and exploring the different types of creatures, while learning about the societal issues of a multi-cultural city. However, the plot felt a little meandering at times and some of the resolutions didn't feel unrealistic. (hide spoiler)]

I have conflicting feelings regarding this book. The cover is absolutely beautiful. The worldbuilding in Fatholmfolk and the idea are great. Something just prevented me from being fully immersed while reading this. I felt something was lacking with the characters, where I did not fully connect with them, especially Nami. However, I do really like Mira. The set up at the end for the second book does seem promising, so I will continue with the series.
If I could give half stars, this would rate as a 3.5

This started off slowly for me. I struggled to feel immersed in the world, with so many terms all thrown together at once, different POVs, names, places. But, I stuck with it and I am glad. Around the 30% mark I feel like things really picked up and the pieces started to fall together in a way that made me want to keep reading through the end.

Of the main POVs, Mira is my favorite, but I appreciated the depth that came with some of the other POVs as well. Cordelia’s provided valuable insight, and Nami’s time with the Drawbacks was also key. However, I found the storyline with Nami to be the most repetitive and frustrating. It felt like the same cycle of events over and over with her and the rebel group. I will say that the parallels with the little mermaid felt a little silly—it has to be purposeful, and yet did not match the tone of the rest of the book.

The ending both wrapped up some of the plot lines and also clearly left way for the sequel. I still have a lot of questions about Nami’s father & mother and the underwater havens, and I hope we see more of them in book 2. This was a very rich, vibrant, surprisingly dark world and I feel like we only scratched the surface of it.

*This book will be published February 27, 2024*
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbitbooks for the eARC of this wonderful book!
I will be honest and say this book started a little slow. I didn't know where we were going, but I knew we were world and character building. I was interested enough in the water magic system that I kept going. This world has water-weaving, plus each fathomfolk has their own special powers. There are water dragons, mermaids, sirens, kelpie, sea witches and more water mythical creature variations.
This book is very world politics heavy. The fathomfolk and humans don't fully live in harmony. Content Warnings for Racism, Prejudice and Persecution. Although the themes are heavy in this fantastical setting, I believe that makes it a little easier for a real world discussion.
The book synopsis event doesn't happen until about 40% but it all unravels from there and as a reader I am appreciative of the time to build up the world and its characters. Push through, I promise it is worth it! I felt so connected to the characters that I had never felt as many emotions; tenderhearted, frustration, anger, sadness, or triumph. Mira and Kai's relationship is so sweet. Nami has a good character arc similar to a childhood “coming of age” story. This author has achieved the same feelings I have with Brandon Sanderson's acclaimed “Sanderlanche”.
I'm impressed by this debut and I can't wait to continue this series.

This had been one of my most anticipated reads of the year so I was super excited to receive an Arc of this book. I have just finished and I am unbelievably underwhelmed. I don’t know how to feel about the fact that this is the first book in a series. Nor do I know how to feel about not a single issue being resolved or even close to being resolved. The book deals with racism, and its not subtle and the solution at the end of the book isn’t a solution it’s just going to create more problems making a rather pointless sacrifice of one of the more likeable characters even more pointless.. which I guess is why it’s gonna be a series, overall I feel like they book could have been one or max 2 PoV Mira was likeable enough and I really liked Cordelia, she was an interesting antagonist. Nami however was just dumb and annoying. And while I can justify her anger her actions are not and I don’t think she’s been redeemed enough or at all . Overall it was a meh story with a promising plot but I just couldn’t get into it