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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
slow-paced
The jumping timelines and povs got a bit confusing, it is as a bit slow, and the prose didn't flow at times. But I loved the characters and the satisfaction of it so coming together. I would recommend, maybe as a physical book so you can go back and forth.
medium-paced
mysterious
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:
Yes
Of Mountains and Seas takes its name from an ancient collection of Chinese Mythology and focuses on the politics of a magical shape shifting population that lives hidden alongside the nonmagical population. I attempted to begin reading this book three times. As an avid fantasy reader, it is unusual for a fantasy novel to have me quite so turned around, but this book has a few issues that detract from what could be an interesting tale of political aspirations and familial loyalty. First, there are too many character POVs, and they all have at least partially, if not entirely purposefully hidden identities that take the reader a lot of time to parse out. Hiding relationships between characters (from the reader but also among characters themselves) only serves to obfuscate reader comprehension, and I resorted to making a list of the main characters and timelines (1932-2000) in order to follow the story. This made it a lot less fun to read. The status of a person as a Static and Shifter, which forms the basis for the political strife, should not be something so easily changed. That detracts from the legitimacy of the strife between the two groups, especially if one barely knows the other exists.
I read the ebook and audiobook versions, and I really loved the narrator, Natalie Naudus, though I think it would have benefited more from having more than one narrator to help distinguish the multiple POVs.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Hawk Ridge Press for this advanced copy to review.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was an intricate and detailed shifter urban fantasy based on Chinese mythology. I'd probably recommend a physical or ebook over the audiobook, as the multiple timelines and point of view sometimes made it hard to follow. I only sorted out the timelines about an hour and a half from the end.
I picked up this book purely because of its gorgeous cover, and I appreciated the nod in the title to The Classic of Mountains and Seas, the famous book of Chinese mythology. Unfortunately, the content didn’t live up to the aesthetics.
One of my biggest struggles with this book was the constant jumping between multiple timelines and perspectives. It was difficult to keep track of who was who, and I found myself needing to take notes just to follow along. For some reason, I kept confusing Iris’ and Nivi’s mother, which didn’t help. The pacing was also odd—while the story moved quickly, it somehow still felt like it dragged, and by the time things finally picked up, the resolution was rushed. In this case, I didn’t mind much because, honestly, I just wanted the book to be over.
Another major issue was the writing style. The internal monologues felt overly simplistic, and the way information was dumped onto the reader without much cohesion made it hard to stay engaged. The book constantly jumped between points of view, throwing fact after fact at you, but without any real connection or emotional depth. Despite being a mystery, there was little actual suspense—I felt like I already knew everything that was going to happen.
And then there were the characters. I didn’t connect with a single one. They all felt flat, and I never really cared what happened to them. For a book that should have been filled with intrigue and depth, it was just… dull.
Overall, this book was mid at best. Not terrible, but not great either.
One of my biggest struggles with this book was the constant jumping between multiple timelines and perspectives. It was difficult to keep track of who was who, and I found myself needing to take notes just to follow along. For some reason, I kept confusing Iris’ and Nivi’s mother, which didn’t help. The pacing was also odd—while the story moved quickly, it somehow still felt like it dragged, and by the time things finally picked up, the resolution was rushed. In this case, I didn’t mind much because, honestly, I just wanted the book to be over.
Another major issue was the writing style. The internal monologues felt overly simplistic, and the way information was dumped onto the reader without much cohesion made it hard to stay engaged. The book constantly jumped between points of view, throwing fact after fact at you, but without any real connection or emotional depth. Despite being a mystery, there was little actual suspense—I felt like I already knew everything that was going to happen.
And then there were the characters. I didn’t connect with a single one. They all felt flat, and I never really cared what happened to them. For a book that should have been filled with intrigue and depth, it was just… dull.
Overall, this book was mid at best. Not terrible, but not great either.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks NetGalley for the audio arc!
Read this one if you love intertwined multi-generational stories about the pursuit of power, acceptance and the harsh consequences of not being loved by the ones you trust much, combined with an utterly original magic system based on creatures of Chinese mythology.
In this one, we follow a cast of characters with very different fates. They share a story, but how this one interconnects is quite hazy at first. Over time every puzzle piece falls in place and creates a clever, intriguing story. Our characters are quite complex and following their stories is a delight. There are certain quite interesting questions of inclusive politics, seeing that the main fractions of the shifter society mostly debate about the Integration of statics in shifter society or if they should stay separated.
This book did not really work out for me. Partly it was the historical aspects which i severely underestimated and, of course, my inability to really connect these stories in the most cohesive way. Listening to the audio book, I became confused quickly by the switching POVs and timelines - something that could have been prevented by using different voices for different characters, even though the narrator did a great job presenting the story overall. To be honest, I also started this book under a false pretense; based on the summary I expected Iris and Davis to be the main focus and thought that they would solve their problems and feelings of not being accepted in their own company. Unfortunately, to me the generational aspect really took away from meaningful interactions and certain plot points that could have really shined in a more concise storytelling, for example Davis' political career and his relationship with his family. Furthermore, I was a little disappointed to learn so little about shifter communities and this college/boarding school. Overall, the concept of the story really was not for me, but that was kinda on me (and the summary). Still, I think the story would have benefited from another editor to streamline the story a bit more.
Also I want to give a shutout to the absolutely stunning prose and narration, especially for a debut novel!
Read this one if you love intertwined multi-generational stories about the pursuit of power, acceptance and the harsh consequences of not being loved by the ones you trust much, combined with an utterly original magic system based on creatures of Chinese mythology.
In this one, we follow a cast of characters with very different fates. They share a story, but how this one interconnects is quite hazy at first. Over time every puzzle piece falls in place and creates a clever, intriguing story. Our characters are quite complex and following their stories is a delight. There are certain quite interesting questions of inclusive politics, seeing that the main fractions of the shifter society mostly debate about the Integration of statics in shifter society or if they should stay separated.
This book did not really work out for me. Partly it was the historical aspects which i severely underestimated and, of course, my inability to really connect these stories in the most cohesive way. Listening to the audio book, I became confused quickly by the switching POVs and timelines - something that could have been prevented by using different voices for different characters, even though the narrator did a great job presenting the story overall. To be honest, I also started this book under a false pretense; based on the summary I expected Iris and Davis to be the main focus and thought that they would solve their problems and feelings of not being accepted in their own company. Unfortunately, to me the generational aspect really took away from meaningful interactions and certain plot points that could have really shined in a more concise storytelling, for example Davis' political career and his relationship with his family. Furthermore, I was a little disappointed to learn so little about shifter communities and this college/boarding school. Overall, the concept of the story really was not for me, but that was kinda on me (and the summary). Still, I think the story would have benefited from another editor to streamline the story a bit more.
Also I want to give a shutout to the absolutely stunning prose and narration, especially for a debut novel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I discovered Mountains and Seas through its audiobook version, and I’m afraid it wasn’t the best way for that. Don’t get me wrong. The audio production is flawless and I loved the narrator who did a great job to bring the characters to life.
But this story is told by using a lot of different POVs and timelines and it makes it sometimes difficult to follow as all the stories are weaving into each other, mixing generations and family secrets, and adding politics that feel sometimes a bit messy. That’s a shame because the core idea was super nice with a magical society which doesn’t know if they have to hide or mix or reign (and is a great metaphor for communities), a different magical system (especially regarding the stones that are at the core of the plot), a lot of magical creatures/shifters coming from Chinese Mythology.
I’ll probably try a reread with a book this time, and will read the second book anyway, as it piqued my interest enough for me wanting to continue this series.
Thank you NetGalley and to the author for the ALC. My opinions are my own.
But this story is told by using a lot of different POVs and timelines and it makes it sometimes difficult to follow as all the stories are weaving into each other, mixing generations and family secrets, and adding politics that feel sometimes a bit messy. That’s a shame because the core idea was super nice with a magical society which doesn’t know if they have to hide or mix or reign (and is a great metaphor for communities), a different magical system (especially regarding the stones that are at the core of the plot), a lot of magical creatures/shifters coming from Chinese Mythology.
I’ll probably try a reread with a book this time, and will read the second book anyway, as it piqued my interest enough for me wanting to continue this series.
Thank you NetGalley and to the author for the ALC. My opinions are my own.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was hooked originally by the cover, which is absolutely gorgeous. I thought the representation of Chinese mythology was really well done and had such great stories interspersed in the characters.
For me, I think the multi-POV along with all of the time jumps was super disorienting for the first part of the novel. I don’t think it gave ample opportunity for enough character building with this many POVs, and a character arc at the end doesn’t make sense because of this.
I did think a lot of the dialogue was very impersonal. There would be parts where someone was like, “well, I should just let them die because they killed so and so”, which just seemed weird at the passiveness of the dialogue.
I think if this is improved on for the sequel, I would definitely rate it higher. I do love the idea for this novel.
For me, I think the multi-POV along with all of the time jumps was super disorienting for the first part of the novel. I don’t think it gave ample opportunity for enough character building with this many POVs, and a character arc at the end doesn’t make sense because of this.
I did think a lot of the dialogue was very impersonal. There would be parts where someone was like, “well, I should just let them die because they killed so and so”, which just seemed weird at the passiveness of the dialogue.
I think if this is improved on for the sequel, I would definitely rate it higher. I do love the idea for this novel.