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A review by zombiewilhelm
Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This ended up being a 3.5-star read for me. It's not that I didn't like it, but I felt like I was forcing myself to finish it so I could move on to other things. The blurb sounded so good and the cover is gorgeous. It just wasn't as captivating as I would have hoped. The pacing felt slow and disjointed. I'll concede that it did pick up in the last third of the book, but I don't know if it's enough to make me want to read book 2.
There were several things I enjoyed about this book. The setting of Tiankawi is amazing. Her descriptions of the semi-submerged city were excellent. I think I might need a map because, like Nami, I found myself getting lost when the characters moved locations. It was sometimes difficult to recognize where we were.
I enjoyed the rich diversity of the fathomfolk. I recognized some of the names from various cultures worldwide, so that was cool. I recognized some of them, but I wish there were more descriptions of the folk. I like how realistic the society feels in terms of the racism and xenophobia that the immigrants/refugees encounter. But also in terms of the distrust and hatred within that community, like the prejudice against sirens from other folk.
Some parts didn't quite make sense. In this world, humans created laws to reduce the waterweaving abilities of the fathomfolk, which also leaves them defenseless against human violence. In fighting the injustice that the fathomfolk endure, which is horrific, there are two options presented: work slowly within the system or outright terrorism. There isn't any middle ground.
I didn't find myself particularly attached to any of the main characters. I feel like we changed POVs so frequently that we didn't get to spend a lot of time with any of them. It was painful to watch Nami keep making mistake after mistake. Her love/obsession with Firth was weird and predatory. Cordelia had a lot of potential as a bargain-making sea witch (very much Ursula).
There were several things I enjoyed about this book. The setting of Tiankawi is amazing. Her descriptions of the semi-submerged city were excellent. I think I might need a map because, like Nami, I found myself getting lost when the characters moved locations. It was sometimes difficult to recognize where we were.
I enjoyed the rich diversity of the fathomfolk. I recognized some of the names from various cultures worldwide, so that was cool. I recognized some of them, but I wish there were more descriptions of the folk. I like how realistic the society feels in terms of the racism and xenophobia that the immigrants/refugees encounter. But also in terms of the distrust and hatred within that community, like the prejudice against sirens from other folk.
Some parts didn't quite make sense. In this world, humans created laws to reduce the waterweaving abilities of the fathomfolk, which also leaves them defenseless against human violence. In fighting the injustice that the fathomfolk endure, which is horrific, there are two options presented: work slowly within the system or outright terrorism. There isn't any middle ground.
I didn't find myself particularly attached to any of the main characters. I feel like we changed POVs so frequently that we didn't get to spend a lot of time with any of them. It was painful to watch Nami keep making mistake after mistake. Her love/obsession with Firth was weird and predatory. Cordelia had a lot of potential as a bargain-making sea witch (very much Ursula).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia