I had initially requested this book because of the beautiful cover, and because I love anything to do with mermaids and the sea! The blurb intrigued me. I was not disappointed, this was a fantastic book! The setting was really refreshing, a semi-drowned world, with many different types of seafolk. There are sirens, kelpies, water-shifters, mythical titans, and even witches! This is a story of migration struggle, with lots of information on the climate situation and the catastrophe looming in the background too. Honestly, very relatable to today with what humans have done to our poor planet. There is also a class struggle present in the book, with the fathomfolk trying to find their place amongst the humans, who exploit their resources and territory but also fear the fathomfolk due to their magic and otherness. I found the story’s pace to be slow, lots of things are well written out and developed, and I enjoyed the world building and characters, as well as the romance and friendships in this story. Highly recommend!

I throughly enjoyed this story. I love a good fantasy inspired by myth. Asian inspired is even better. (The myths are just better IMO)

It read a bit like a debut fantasy novel which is to be expected. It leans pretty heavy on the political aspects which isn’t my jam but the fantastical elements kept me engaged.

There is rich world building and I think it is well set of for the rest of the books in the series.

I started reading this a month and a half ago. I tried several times. There was no hook to keep me interested, the pacing was so slow. I want to say i just wasn’t in the mind space for it, and I will try again at a later time, but the magic system was confusing. The first five chapters felt like info dumping that didn’t help my understanding of the world at all. I will try again. I am just disappointed so far with how hard I’ve tried and forced myself to try to continue. The premise sounded so great.

I liked the first half - the world was fascinating, the themes of oppression/social justice were strong, and I understood the role each of our three POV characters played in telling the story. Not much was happening yet, though. My enjoyment relied on those three items but that is not going to sustain a 400+ page book and once we were in the second half, it all started to feel a bit stagnant.

There was no character development which made it difficult to feel invested in each of their stories. I, unfortunately, hit a climactic moment in the book when the "rebels" and Nami attacked the power plant which should have been an influential moment for the city, the characters, and especially Nami who had to make difficult choices. Unfortunately, this was the moment where I knew I should care and feel impacted by this moment and realized I was just reading to "check the box" for this review.

Granted, this might have been due to timing as I had to pause this to read for book club and my interest waned when I came back. The areas I did like are still very much there: great themes, an interesting world, and distinctive main characters with well-defined motivations. I think this book will be able to find it audience but it may not work for everyone.

Things I liked about the Fathomfolk:
-Rich world-building
-Sea folk
-Commentary on social inequality
-Commentary on refugees and migration
-Politicking
-Mythology and folklore

Things I did not like:
-Multiple POVs (usually I like this, but I didn't care for it with this book)
-Pacing seemed inconsistent
-Motivations unclear
-Many characters seemed to lack depth
-At times difficult to read or understand

I struggle with where to rate this book, because overall I doubt I will continue the series (Fathomfolk is Book 1). At times, the writing was difficult to read or comprehend what the characters/author were stating. But the semi-submerged world, the Sea Folk and East Asian Mythology incorporated, really caught my attention. I also love anything that is willing to tackle inequality, and specifically refugee/immigrant treatment and inequality, and those are not easy topics to do justice for. As a result, I am rating this three stars - I think it will be for some people, and not for others.

I think for readers really interested in East Asian Mythology, and for those interested in fictional books that tackle inequality (political, social, economic) will enjoy Fathomfolk. I think though there are books that more thoroughly incorporate the mythology in a more fun and engaging way.

Thank you for NetGalley, Orbit, and Eliza Chan for the eARC for an honest review.

The world building in Fathomfolk is fascinating and expansive. I loved it. It's a lot, and I probably should have taken notes while reading to keep track of everything.

There are three POV characters, all of them are fully fleshed out and complex, and all the stories on their own could be complete narratives. They also weave together to give readers very different perspectives, different factions, and different motivations. I liked Mira in particular, thought Nami was annoying, and just felt like Cordelia was chaotic and contradictory.

Again, it's a lot. So this may be user error on my part. But one major plot point towards the end of the book felt like it came out of nowhere. The idea had been floated previously in the book, of course, but a lot of details get presented without impactful payoff. So when this part of the culture comes up front and center, I didn't expect it even remotely. It feels like a sudden event that's almost disconnected from the larger narrative that just interrupts everything else going on. That isn't how the narrative here actually works, but it was a bit disorienting, especially because this bit sets up one of the final conflicts and sequel.

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan immerses readers in a captivating blend of modern myth and political intrigue, set in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi. Through the eyes of characters like Mira, a half-siren border guard, and Nami, an aristocratic water dragon, Chan navigates complex themes of discrimination and social upheaval with finesse. While the novel's ambitious scope occasionally falters in execution, with some characters feeling underdeveloped and the romance subplot veering into predictable territory, Fathomfolk remains a thought-provoking exploration of the human condition. Despite its flaws, the novel captivates with lush descriptions, vibrant mythical beings, and an epic climax, leaving readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the Drowned World duology.

Oof. This was a very difficult read. Difficult in that the first 20% of the book barely made sense. I seriously debated DNFing. Had this not been an ARC I don't think I would've continued. Difficult in that Nami is the worst character. I hated her thought process. Her actions. Her "romance" (I refuse to call it an actual romance. It's just stupid.) The story, the world--all had great potential, but overall fell short of its ambition. The book did get better around the 40% mark, but then fell apart again the last 15% or so. I was really looking forward to Fathomfolk, but this ended up being the biggest disappoint.

Barely 2 stars mostly because I some how managed to finish reading the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I really wanted to love this but unfortunately I had to DNF at 22%. I was bored earlier but wanted to push through before realizing that would be a waste of time. The worldbuilding was cool, but I just didn’t care about the characters and most of them annoyed me. There also wasn’t really a plot.

2 stars ☆
⤿ spoilers are marked
dnf at 30%

fathomfolk is described as an immersive, modern story of magic with interweaved romance set in the underwater city of tiankawi. advertised for lovers of jade city and the bone shard daughter (both of which i haven't read yet, blame my unfortunately empty wallet), this political novel's premise sounded so intriguing, however, the book itself was mediocre at best, not thought-out well at all, and the plot execution just felt so... boring. not only was it terribly difficult to get into the novel, it read unbelievably juvenile. i can understand this is ya, but it felt like it wanted to be adult fantasy, but felt just about as complicated as a young adult romcom. one of my friends bravely read the entirety of fathomfolk, and the ending?! all the build-up for that just seems unnecessary.

the worldbuilding was so confusing, and i absolutely loathe the feeling of being utterly lost in something that's supposed to whisk you away to a bizarre but interesting city. fathomfolk wasn't something that i felt was worthy of continuing, but i truly do hope that the readers who enjoyed this get the sequel they deserve!

thank you to the author for sending me a physical copy + netgalley granting me the arc! <3

Fathomfolk

I wanted so badly to love Fathomfolk. It has all of the elements of a book I would love, but really struggled with the first 50% of the story. The split POV is a common tactic, but it relies on forming an early connection to at least one of the characters or their storyline. Unfortunately, it took so long to become invested in any of the characters that by the time they all started to meet and the various plot lines started to twine together, I was already bored and over it. If I hadn’t been reading this as a NetGalley arc I think I would’ve DNFed at around 35%.

That said, I’m glad I pushed through. The last third of the book was fast paced and enjoyable, and I do think I’d pick up the second book with the hopes that it’s grown from the first.

Overall, Fathomfolk is a very heavy handed critique about climate politics, oppression, racism, and pollution. I appreciate it for the political commentary it’s presenting, but I appreciate it less for the physical slap in the face it all is. I think some of the characterization is lost in the whirlwind of grandstanding. Chan needs to trust her readers to pick up on subtext without being fed it on a silver platter. If you want to write a manifesto, write a manifesto. If you want to write a fantasy novel with the subtext of climate politics and racism, write a fantasy novel with an interesting plot that is set in a world where those issues exist and the characters have to navigate those issues alongside the main plot.

As a debut novel, I think there’s a lot that can be improved on in terms of plotting and characterization. I look forward to seeing what Chan does with the sequel, because I do think she’s a very talented writer who got too caught up in serving a message versus writing an engaging story. I loved the world and the setting, and I could see where she was trying to go, but the spirit and engagement were just lacking.

3.75 Stars

I enjoyed the overall premise of this story and was excited to read based on the blurb. The beginning was a little slow for me but once I hit about the 10% mark, I really began to enjoy it. I love mythology, especially sea creatures! However, it felt like there was no system as to what creatures were included and which weren't. Like there were dolphin fathomfolk but yet some fish were just fish. I didn't really know where or if there was a line between what was magical and what wasn't.

The political intrigue is really what kept me reading but so many of the discoveries were tell not show. I think the main characters' struggles with their places in the movement were accurate and portrayed how people have different motivations and limits.

I think this series has a lot of potential but some of the plot lines need to fleshed out.

Fathomfolk is an East Asian-inspired fantasy that speaks to the subjugation of those who are deemed other, the want for belonging, the desire for equality, and the pressures of family loyalty. This story made me feel and think a lot.

Tiankawi is a semi-submerged city where humans and fathomfolk live in uneasy peace, but rebellion is brewing and it threatens to destroy everything.
This story is told by three women: half siren and half human Mira, dragon princess Nami, and sea witch Cordelia, who wears many more faces.

It’s the subjugation of the fathomfolk that underlies the entire story. It’s what drives the characters and the story. It’s sometimes horrifying and sad, but it speaks to the children of immigrants—the often dual life they are forced to live where they belong in neither place, and the racism they have to deal with on two fronts.

I did find myself feeling disconnected with the characters because of the way they were written. I could see a lot of potential for the character arcs to be better formed and for their motivations to be more thoroughly explored, yet they fell short. Mostly, I think the characters were nor as likable as the author hoped to portray them. Therefore, it was difficult to stay invested in them. I also wish the descriptions of the places in this story were clearer and the mythology that inspired this story was explored further.

I do think this book that will resonate with many people. Overall, it is a fairly well-written debut fantasy full of important messages that may speak deeply to those who have felt like outsiders in their own home countries/cities.

A beautiful story of three women trying to change their city in their own ways. This novel follows the efforts of a half-siren, a dragon princess, and a sea witch, all trying to better the lives of their families and their city that is drowning. Not all of those efforts will work, and not all will be for the better of the citizens, but in the end, they all must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to save the people they love.
I absolutely loved this story and the ending left me in tears, I need the second book ASAP. The book highlights topics of discrimination, racial prejudice, and violence gracefully. I recommend this to any fantasy lover looking for something new!

I liked the world that the author built here, but the story took a bit too long to get going for me, and there was a perspective that I was just NEVER interested in. Would try another book by the author though!

I truly think ChatGPT drew out an outline for the prompt of "write an outline of a political fantasy and sprinkle in some common tropes" and then it did - and the author haphazardly filled in the rest of the information. This book felt very surface level to me and not well planned out.

Thank you for this book. Unfortunately it was not able to finish this one. The pacing was slow and the characters were not interesting. The world has a lot of potential and I wish I loved this one. I would try this author again because there is so much potential here.

Fathomfolk is a story of oppression, revolution, and growth intricately woven into a mythical fantasy. While there are many prominent characters who are vital to the storyline, the novel’s multi-POV focuses on Mira, Nami, and Cordelia who serve as the focal points of the political ongoings in Tiankawi.

Mira, Nami, and Cordelia were multi-faceted, dynamic characters. Chan’s development of the respective storyline’s is truly commendable. Through the narration and skillfully deployed backstory, Chan maintained the individuality of each of the MCs while impressively weaving their storylines together as the plot unfolded.

I was truly impressed with Chan’s ability to make the reader feel empathy for Cordelia who is clearly an antagonist. The small moments and glimpses into Cordelia’s “humanity” made it hard to vilify her, driving home the fact that not everything is black and white.

Fathomfolk’s Asian influence is prominently displayed in the rich Tiankawian culture, from the city’s architecture to the delectable food. Chan does a brilliant job of building the Fathomfolk world both within and beyond the borders of Tiankawi. Glimpses of the world’s history were artfully placed, building to the next installation in the series.

I absolutely adored the myriad of mythical sea creatures present throughout the book. The culmination of sirens, seawitches, dragons, kelpies, and kappas blended a broad range of culturally diverse folklore.

While there were many wonderful elements of Fathomfolk, there were definitely areas for improvement. The multi-POV narration was nice in that it provided a near-omniscient view, however, it felt that it inhibited my connection to the MCs. I never myself enraptured in any of the characters’ storylines as the POV was changing at a rather quick pace.

Overall, the amount of characters in the overarching plot was a bit overwhelming. There were so many supporting characters that were underdeveloped for the purposes they served which lessened the impact of key plot points.

While I appreciated the sea mythology research and representation, I do feel there could have been more time spent on the descriptions. It was clear there was a hierarchy, but the deployment felt shallow.

Fathomfolk has some interesting ideas but the execution was unsuccessful. I was intrigued by the potential of the world and its parallels to real social issues. Though I found the messaging a bit heavy-handed at times, I appreciate the parallels. Though I enjoyed all of the references to different Asian mythologies, I don't think they were always well incorporated into the story. There are still a few elements of the world that just don't make sense to me. The characters were shallow and one-dimensional. I found them all incredibly frustrating and a lot of their motivations and behaviors didn't make sense. This made it impossible for me to feel invested in the story. The writing was simplistic and awkward which further hindered my enjoyment of the story. I really think Fathomfolk needed another round of edits to really polish off the writing and properly flesh out some of the concepts.

This book is a little difficult to review. I thought I would like it more l, but it’s pretty firmly middle of the road fantasy for me. While it’s advertised as an adult fantasy, it reads more YA.

I found the world building to be confusing and lacking. While I generally dislike infodumps, I feel like some explanatory dumping would have helped. There were also points in the book where it felt like a plot point came out of left field without any foreshadowing as well. The beginning of the book is very slow, but it does pick up. I find the writing gets stronger the further into the book as well.

There are three POVs: Mira, Nami, and Cordelia. Cordelia was my favorite POV. She has heavy Ursula vibes and schemes like Cersei Lannister. Unfortunately, her motivations became very muddled as the book went on. I rooted for Mira the whole time. Nami was almost too naive and trusting (to the point of annoyance), and her romance with Firth is just gross.

I received this copy through NetGalley and Orbit Books for an honest review.