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yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a promising debut - deeply character-driven, with multiple rotating POVs and an intricately-built pan-Asian/post-apocalyptic/semi-drowned world. I loved how many sea creatures exist among the Fathomfolk - kelpies, sea dragons, sirens, mermaids, and more - and how Chan is blending mythological inspiration and fairy tales (East Asian dragon lore meets The Little Mermaid makes for a great premise).
I'm still grappling with a few of our characters, though, and their roles as the series progresses. Mira, in particular, half-folk and a border agent for the city, attempting to affect change from within, has me unsure of Chan's intention for the story and thoughts on resistance to violent systems. I'm interested to see where the series goes from here, as I really enjoyed the expansion of the world at the end, the potential directions the sequel can take, and the many possibilities that lie ahead for all of our characters. I am grateful to have multiple POVs, and probably enjoyed our sea witch's story the most. These are all flawed characters, grappling with their own insecurities and ambition as they question their loyalties to each other, and fantasy readers who particularly enjoy character work will appreciate this series start.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an advanced reader's copy!
I'm still grappling with a few of our characters, though, and their roles as the series progresses. Mira, in particular, half-folk and a border agent for the city, attempting to affect change from within, has me unsure of Chan's intention for the story and thoughts on resistance to violent systems. I'm interested to see where the series goes from here, as I really enjoyed the expansion of the world at the end, the potential directions the sequel can take, and the many possibilities that lie ahead for all of our characters. I am grateful to have multiple POVs, and probably enjoyed our sea witch's story the most. These are all flawed characters, grappling with their own insecurities and ambition as they question their loyalties to each other, and fantasy readers who particularly enjoy character work will appreciate this series start.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an advanced reader's copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Classism, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Murder, Death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, and Drug use
bookboxbabe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
*thank you netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
(2.75)
folks 👏🏻
this was…something. a good something? not particularly
let’s start with what i enjoyed:
the world. this was asian inspired and the world was very unique, although it wasn’t fleshed out well. the author just kind of throws you into the deep end (pun intended) and you’re just supposed to figure things out with no support
now, onto my gripes.
1) you could make a drinking game out of this book. take a shot everytime the word fathomfolk is used. you’ll be drunk by chapter 3
2) i didn’t care about any of these characters. you’re supposed to feel betrayal and love and all these emotions clearly, but i just could not care any less about anyone in this book. who am i even supposed to be rooting for? i have no idea cause everyone is flat and confusing
3) what in the world was the plot? things just kind of happened for the sake of happening and it felt like nothing really served an overarching purpose besides at the very end. i don’t like that.
4) the pacing. we would be with these characters for hours and then the next paragraph would be a time jump for some unknown reason. you never really understood when or where you were until halfway through the chapter and then it jerks you the other way again. was very jarring and i hated it
if you liked the movie raya and the last dragon & also love the little mermaid an ungodly amount, you might find aspects of this enjoyable
i’ll still read the next book because i’m mildly curious where the hell we’re going from here, but i’m not shaking in my boots for it
(2.75)
folks 👏🏻
this was…something. a good something? not particularly
let’s start with what i enjoyed:
the world. this was asian inspired and the world was very unique, although it wasn’t fleshed out well. the author just kind of throws you into the deep end (pun intended) and you’re just supposed to figure things out with no support
now, onto my gripes.
1) you could make a drinking game out of this book. take a shot everytime the word fathomfolk is used. you’ll be drunk by chapter 3
2) i didn’t care about any of these characters. you’re supposed to feel betrayal and love and all these emotions clearly, but i just could not care any less about anyone in this book. who am i even supposed to be rooting for? i have no idea cause everyone is flat and confusing
3) what in the world was the plot? things just kind of happened for the sake of happening and it felt like nothing really served an overarching purpose besides at the very end. i don’t like that.
4) the pacing. we would be with these characters for hours and then the next paragraph would be a time jump for some unknown reason. you never really understood when or where you were until halfway through the chapter and then it jerks you the other way again. was very jarring and i hated it
if you liked the movie raya and the last dragon & also love the little mermaid an ungodly amount, you might find aspects of this enjoyable
i’ll still read the next book because i’m mildly curious where the hell we’re going from here, but i’m not shaking in my boots for it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Classism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Murder, Blood, and Racism
Minor: Slavery
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
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, death of a parent; mentions fetishization, sexual assault
Finished copy gifted by Orbit in exchange for an honest review.
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, death of a parent; mentions fetishization, sexual assault
Finished copy gifted by Orbit in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Classism, Murder, Death, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Torture, Sexism, and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault
devynreadsnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Murder, Police brutality, Drug use, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Animal death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Death, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Classism, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
macaronoui's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
Book is set in Tiankawi, a half submerged city where fathomfolk and any non humans are treated atrociously. The humans have built sky scrapers and fancy safe buildings, while a lot of the fathomfolk live in shanties.
In this dystopian story, there are a lot of parallels with colonialism and imperialism. The story does get very bleak with many parallels to historical events.
It is interesting to see the difference in approaches to trying mend their situations (following rules / force).
That said, the worldbuilding is really good. It’s easy to imagine what the different parts of the city look like. The attention to detail is much appreciated.
Even though we have this magical world with sirens and dragons, it still seems structured like a very patriarchal and heteronormative society which is a bit of a bummer.
It would have been very helpful to have either detailed descriptions and or illustrations of all the different fathomfolk (kelpie, kappa, sirens, rusalka, merrow-maid etc).
Between Cordelia, Nami, Kai, Mira, Trish and the drawbacks, there are simply too many characters and points of view. A bunch of repeated between the different characters and the pacing is really slow at times. I think the book would have been better with less characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Kidnapping, Torture, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Death, Murder, Classism, Ableism, Blood, and Trafficking
sumrose11's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wow! Eliza Chan’s debut novel gripped me from the first page. An intelligent, honest look at immigrations, class, race, and what connects and separates us from each other and from our humanity, in the form of enchanting and mythological story telling.
Fathomfolk tells the story of a community living if the half-submerged city of Tiankawi, where humans and fathomfolk (read: various mythological creatures) live and work. The humans are in power while fathomfolk navigate surviving among the polluted waters and various restrictions enacted ontheir kind- including wearing specially crafted bracelets which harm them if they so much as THINK about harming a human. Through multiple perspectives, readers are carried through the fight for equality, for the right to exist in safety, and are reminded that there is more than one way to fight a war.
+ From the start, this story flowed for me. Some books are that way- I just vibe with the authors style from the beginning.
+ Chan and her characters made me FEEL. I was irritated when characters made careless decisions, enraged by betrayal, frustrated when characters could not see through what I felt were dubious charms. Similarly, I smiled at tender moments and even teared up once or twice. A story that makes me feel is a story I want to read.
+ The characters were very believable. Nami, having been previously quite privileges and sheltered, is young and naive so while her choices are infuriating at times, they befit her character. Similarly, Mira, Kai, Serena, and Cordelia (iykyk!) make choices equally based on their own believable backgrounds, motivations, and experiences.
+ There was a well developed political system and beautiful work building.
+ There are romances and relationships, but they are not central to the plot.
+ beautiful set up for the sequels that I can’t wait to read!
I will say this may not be your quick&easy beginner fantasy read if shorter, simpler, generally happy-feel-good novels are usually your speed. This has all the earmarks of a first fantasy novel on a duology or series- ie, it moves slower in the beginning and readers take in a lot of information as an intricate world and magic system is being crafted. Additionally, we are privy to much of the political system and it is important to the plot, so those who don’t enjoy being part of the worlds politics may grow bored or wary while the action is set up. Frequent readers of adult fantasy likely won’t struggle with this, imo.
Overall very well done and highly recommended by this reader. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Or it for the opportunity!
Fathomfolk tells the story of a community living if the half-submerged city of Tiankawi, where humans and fathomfolk (read: various mythological creatures) live and work. The humans are in power while fathomfolk navigate surviving among the polluted waters and various restrictions enacted ontheir kind- including wearing specially crafted bracelets which harm them if they so much as THINK about harming a human. Through multiple perspectives, readers are carried through the fight for equality, for the right to exist in safety, and are reminded that there is more than one way to fight a war.
+ From the start, this story flowed for me. Some books are that way- I just vibe with the authors style from the beginning.
+ Chan and her characters made me FEEL. I was irritated when characters made careless decisions, enraged by betrayal, frustrated when characters could not see through what I felt were dubious charms. Similarly, I smiled at tender moments and even teared up once or twice. A story that makes me feel is a story I want to read.
+ The characters were very believable. Nami, having been previously quite privileges and sheltered, is young and naive so while her choices are infuriating at times, they befit her character. Similarly, Mira, Kai, Serena, and Cordelia (iykyk!) make choices equally based on their own believable backgrounds, motivations, and experiences.
+ There was a well developed political system and beautiful work building.
+ There are romances and relationships, but they are not central to the plot.
+ beautiful set up for the sequels that I can’t wait to read!
I will say this may not be your quick&easy beginner fantasy read if shorter, simpler, generally happy-feel-good novels are usually your speed. This has all the earmarks of a first fantasy novel on a duology or series- ie, it moves slower in the beginning and readers take in a lot of information as an intricate world and magic system is being crafted. Additionally, we are privy to much of the political system and it is important to the plot, so those who don’t enjoy being part of the worlds politics may grow bored or wary while the action is set up. Frequent readers of adult fantasy likely won’t struggle with this, imo.
Overall very well done and highly recommended by this reader. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Or it for the opportunity!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Racism, Murder, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
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