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A review by bittennailbooks
Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
An unexpected surprise of a debut. Fathomfolk punches without relent from beginning to end!
The story of Fathomfolk is centered around 3 main characters: half-Siren military leader Mira, recently exiled dragon Nami, and seawitch Cordelia living in the submerged city of Tiankawi. A supposed haven where humans and Fathomfolk are to live side by side, not with humans stepping on the folk. Oppressed, living in polluted squalor, and with their powers restricted - a civil war is brewing as the Fathomfolk continue to be pushed into further desolation.
You really get surprised with this novel, the artwork is obviously beautiful but it deals with heavy topics of immigration, civil war, climate crisis, and racism. Chan delivers on a coherent and heavily bricked story that pulls no punches with the discourse around oppression, intersectionality, and the taxonomy of activism. How far are you willing to go for change? What does successful change look like? How will you know you've made things better?
My criticisms lie primarily within the consistent barage of information and world building without fully forming the characters. I struggled with the narration as I was suddenly lost in who was the focus of each scene. Additionally, the first 50% of the novel still had me scratching my head with what the main plot was. From political drama to ending on a more fantastic note, don't be fooled from the beautiful cover - this book is rich with relevant social commentary.
I'm interested to see where Fathomfolk goes and look forward to (hopefully) seeing more of that fantasy element.
The story of Fathomfolk is centered around 3 main characters: half-Siren military leader Mira, recently exiled dragon Nami, and seawitch Cordelia living in the submerged city of Tiankawi. A supposed haven where humans and Fathomfolk are to live side by side, not with humans stepping on the folk. Oppressed, living in polluted squalor, and with their powers restricted - a civil war is brewing as the Fathomfolk continue to be pushed into further desolation.
You really get surprised with this novel, the artwork is obviously beautiful but it deals with heavy topics of immigration, civil war, climate crisis, and racism. Chan delivers on a coherent and heavily bricked story that pulls no punches with the discourse around oppression, intersectionality, and the taxonomy of activism. How far are you willing to go for change? What does successful change look like? How will you know you've made things better?
My criticisms lie primarily within the consistent barage of information and world building without fully forming the characters. I struggled with the narration as I was suddenly lost in who was the focus of each scene. Additionally, the first 50% of the novel still had me scratching my head with what the main plot was. From political drama to ending on a more fantastic note, don't be fooled from the beautiful cover - this book is rich with relevant social commentary.
I'm interested to see where Fathomfolk goes and look forward to (hopefully) seeing more of that fantasy element.