Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I was in desperate need of a book with such a gorgeously built, unique world, and this book did not disappoint! Every single description submerges you into this water-filled world and drowns you in its splendor and wonder.

It was hard for me to follow along at first, with the changing of POV and the intricacies, but in the end, I appreciated how intricate it was and the way that everything was so wonderfully woven together. The characters are all so complex as well, and it was so fun to watch them all grow in their own ways as their stories crossed.

This book is definitely one that will make you uncomfortable, and the foundation of that is one that is priceless. The heart wrenching descriptions of racism are ones that you will want to look away from, and the importance of that cannot be understated.

This is a book that is hard to describe in its weight and beauty, so you'll just have to discover it all for yourself!

I loved this! This was so so good, definitely something I knew I would like. I am so happy I read this and would love to read more from this author.

This book interested me a lot, especially as someone who’s never really read mermaid/mer-creature blend fantasy before. I found both the setting and the relationships that were set up to be compelling; the world was full of rich details with fascinating similarities to real-life cities found underwater, but I felt like it almost became too much at some point (such as the amount of mythical creatures mentioned) with not enough focus given to the most important bits of world-building. Personally, I would have preferred two POVs rather than three (or perhaps simply a longer book), with more focus, and the tone overall felt more YA than adult in my opinion. Mira was definitely my favorite character, though; focus things down, perhaps inject a bit more gravity into the tone of the book, and spend more time cultivating each person’s characterization, and I think it would have been a bit more enjoyable. In general, though, even if I found the characters frustrating at times, the story overall was well done. I would rate this book a 3.5.

I really wanted to like this book. When I read the description and saw the cover, I genuinely believed that I was going to love this.

And there are parts of it that I like. I think the world feels unique, and the concepts and ideas are great, but this feel flat for me. I felt like the characters and world were more shallow than I wanted.

I think my largest issue with this is that it’s YA, and because it is YA, the pacing and depth of character get lost. I think a lot of people would enjoy this, and I wouldn’t be against rereading with better expectations.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and mine alone.

I was so excited about the premise of this book, but unfortunately the writing style just did not hit the mark for me. I ended up putting this one down at about the halfway mark and couldn't motivate myself to get back to it. I really loved the cover art though, and I love the idea of it. Might return sometime but not for now.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for this ARC!

"Fathomfolk" by Eliza Chan is a political adult fantasy set in the semi-submerged city of Tiankaw. The story follows Mira, a half-siren, along with her partner Kai, a water dragon, his aristocratic sister Nami, and Cordelia, a second-generation sea-witch. As tensions rise between the human population and the Fathomfolk—magical beings seeking better lives in the city—the story explores themes of freedom and political struggle, highlighting the complexities of identity and belonging in a divided society.

The parts that I enjoyed were towards the end of the book. For me it felt like the plot took too long to develop and I found myself uninterested and bored for about 50% of the book. Once the conflict started to pick up I was more invested. I enjoyed getting Mira's and Nami's POVs but at the beginning the different POV's were very confusing and hard to distinguish.

Character wise, Mira and Nami were more likable towards the end and the ending was sadder than I expected. But the choices the characters were making were so dumb at moments. And any romance that happened in the book felt unnecessary. Cordelia's POV also felt unnecessary because by the end I feel like she contributed nothing to the story, other than getting a more "villain" POV. This is a duology so this might be bigger in the next book but I'm unsure if I'll even read the next book.

This was a really well written and very detailed book although it was hard to imagine at times. But the action at the end was fun and kept my engaged. Overall I had a good time reading but it definitely dragged on at points and I almost DNFed at the beginning. I think some people will love this but unfortunately this book isn't for me.

2,5 ⭐ I really want to love this book but I can't. I really love the idea of the world building, Fathomfolk, half submerged and surface level communities. However, it could be much better written. The creature's description, how they looked like etc. I've heard of Kelpies but probably what I have in mind is difference than what this book intended me to imagine (?)
It's very hard for me to get hooked with the story. The first half felt very dragging, and it's diff cult to focus and care with the characters. It felt flat. It's more telling than showing.

It talked a lot about social gaps, racism, and the struggle of fitting in. The extent of extremism action that we need to do. However, I don't actually get what the author wanted to convey. It doesn't really portrayed the resistance to be of value (?) (eventhough I know Nami is very naive), juggling to hold the place of power between being realistic and protect our kind (Mira) with that ending???? Idk 😶

If you're into high fantasy laced with betrayal and political turmoil, magical creatures, and slight romance, give it a go.

Thankyou for the arc in exchange of honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the advance reader copy.

This book was marvelous! The world building was well done and lacing in politics was beautiful. There is romance and action it has it all. This book takes the very real life of racism and segregation and weaves a beautiful story while still showcasing the harsh reality of them. The way the story shows two side of a revolution that both want a similar goal, but highlights how they differ in methods is woven together so well. I am excited to see more of this story!

Here's the thing: this book was fine. It really was. But that's all it was, you know? I just wasn't compelled by the characters or the plot. I was mostly bored, which is surprising since it's such an interesting premise. A shame.

Ok so.. i enjoyed it overall and even liked the social commentary and themes throughout the book, but I could not stop thinking about the little mermaid throughout the entire book. It was not bad, I actually got a paper copy before finishing it, but I also think it had so much potential to be better.

i dnfed because i came in expecting an adult fantasy but this reads like YA tbh. the world and plot was interesting but i absolutely couldnt connect with the main characters, they felt childish and shallow to me.

.Thank you Orbit and NetGalley for this arc. I unfortunately need to DNF this book at the 20% mark. I had high hopes for this story the synopsis sounded so good but the writing was lacking. These characters have no substance and it’s hard to find a reason to care about them. I think this book needed more editing and more character development before it came out. This story could be so good but it wasn’t done well.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Really enjoyed this book and I am seated for the sequel.

The beginning few chapters were quite the hurdle to get past. It actually took a few tries to get into Fathomfolk properly, but after I got past the initial hurdles, this was an incredibly fast read. I feel like Eliza Chan really knew what she was doing. Fathomfolk was incredibly meaningful to me as an Asian diaspora reader. While the seafolk allegory had its limitations and issues (as with most if not all mythical/scifi/etc. stand-ins for marginalized groups in fiction), Chan handled the different perspectives in her story deftly. I was on the edge of my seat for the last 1/3 of the book.

There are a lot of little details in the setting that I really appreciated - the microaggressions (and honestly some of them count as macroaggresssions) toward the fathomfolk felt so real and paralleled what I've experienced in real life. The way Chan presented them never felt too heavy-handed or put in just for the sake of showing discrimination for the sake of it (like "hey, discrimination exists, and it is bad! FYI" or just dropping fictional slurs without any other commentary), which I find a little too often in other books exploring similar issues or experiences. It didn't alienate me as a reader for the sake of showing prejudice in play as a spectacle. I appreciate the care Chan took with all this.

The ending really tugged at me. I thought Kai and Mira were going to get a little more time together before the inevitable scene (if you know, you know). I actually didn't come out with a favorite character because the cast is so well-balanced.

So yeah, to reiterate, I really enjoyed this book. I'd compare it to Jade City in terms of scratching that itch for books that explore different Asian identities and diaspora issues in a fantastical and modern-ish city setting. The cover is stunning, though I think it might mislead some readers into thinking this is story has a whimsical tone to it. I would really encourage people to look past that dissonance because I think Fathomfolk has something special to offer if you are open to it.

Fathomfolk brings to light many social issues found in our own society. I loved the world and the plot of this book; however, I found myself wanting MORE. I realized I was uninvested in the main characters. I think I needed something to make me more invested in the characters earlier in the book. Near the end, more emotional detail and thought processes of the characters was shared, which ultimately drove me to finish the book. I'd love to read the sequel, but I need more character depth and world building! The plot deserves to be given more support! Overall - I enjoyed this read.

I really thought I would like this one. It has all the makings of the type of book that I like, but I found that the pacing in this one was either too slow or all over the place, and I just couldn't get into it. I ended up finishing it, but the experience dragged a bit, However, I am interested in re-reading it another time to see if I just needed to be in a better mood.

Overall an enjoyable story with an interesting world but it lacked a direction that felt stable to keep the plot floating. It also lacked the radicalism of a political adult fantasy and the characters failed to have a certain depth.

Would be interested to see where the story goes sometime, but as it stands it reads a little too safe YA for me.

I have been looking forward to this book for over a year, and I am pleased to report that it did not disappoint. It's definitely a lot more character and maneuvering over action, which for me is a huge plus as a character-over-plot reader. And I loved the characters! I was invested in them and their relationships pretty much from the start, and by the end, I was gasping at certain events, even though I had been anticipating them for days. I also thought the world was really cool, with its mashup of sea creatures from various cultures. I don't know, I had a really good time reading this (or as good a time as one can have, considering the subject matter), and I am very much looking forward to the next one.

Fairly solid YA retelling of The Little Mermaid using the YA scaffolding of city with mixed fantasy/mythological being heritage and a city with tensions and rebellions. Will I remember this in a month? No, probably not, honestly. However the structural work is solid, the characters play together well, and I'd at least look at the next volume in the duology from the library.

I was so excited for this book, but was so disappointed. Fathomfolk is another casualty in the current state of fantasy publishing, where the desire to pump out bestsellers and TikTok sensations comes at the expense of thoughtful editing. This feels like an earlier draft of what could have been a great book - all the necessary components are there, but it fails to come together and feels ultimately clunky and "undercooked."