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persephonefoxx's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness
widowrites's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I struggled to get into this book at first. The world building is glorious, and I did enjoy reading about the characters and getting to know them. But it seemed to take so long for anything to truly happen that brought me into the story. At the halfway mark, though, I was sucked in and finished the book in record time.
I’m hesitant to continue the series. I’m worried the other books will have the same initial slow pace. But mostly, and spoilers ahead, I’m worried about Firth and how he’s portrayed in later books. He’s a manipulative, disgusting person. But there are times when I’m not sure if the author intends for him to seem that way. If he continues to be a main character and his flaws aren’t addressed, and corrected, then he needs to be a villain. I’ll have to think on whether I want to take that chance and continue the series.
I’m hesitant to continue the series. I’m worried the other books will have the same initial slow pace. But mostly, and spoilers ahead, I’m worried about Firth and how he’s portrayed in later books. He’s a manipulative, disgusting person. But there are times when I’m not sure if the author intends for him to seem that way. If he continues to be a main character and his flaws aren’t addressed, and corrected, then he needs to be a villain. I’ll have to think on whether I want to take that chance and continue the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Hate crime
Minor: Kidnapping and Cultural appropriation
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
errie's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, and Trafficking
nickel_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
East Asian mythology + racism + classism + climate crisis + political intrigue all in one marvelous debut. A cast of characters caught between status quo and revolution, Chan creates an exciting world centered in Tiankawi - a semi-flooded city. Fathomfolk forces us to grapple with our role in many social issues most prominent being xenophobia and refugee resettlement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Racism, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Chronic illness, Classism, Racial slurs, Trafficking, Death, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Violence
mjscooke's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
At times this feels just like being jostled about in the sea this book is boom is built upon, for better or worse. It’s definitely not boring and i particularly enjoyed the world building ! With a vast cast of interlocking characters there is a perspective for everyone but at times it gets confusing as to which perspective is prominent at the time. Despite my empathy being a bit stifled by the whiplash of many povs, I highly recommend checking trigger warnings if that is something you are concerned about as underneath the fantastical elements are some hard hitting themes such as Racism, Toxic Relationships, Gaslighting, Borderline Cult Indoctrination etc
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping, Racism, Violence, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Confinement, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
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
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