Fathomfolk
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-10-26 10:20:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Eliza Chan
- ISBN：B0BWRCLF53
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Welcome to Tiankawi - shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest。 Or at least， that's how it first appears。 But in the semi-flooded city， humans are， quite literally， on peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk - sirens， seawitches， kelpies and kappas - who live in the polluted waters below。
For half-siren Mira， promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people。 But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn't hard enough， everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami， a know-it-all water dragon - fathomfolk royalty - is exiled to the city。 When extremists sabotage the annual boat race， violence erupts， as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights。 Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying， or if Tiankawi should be left to drown。
For half-siren Mira， promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people。 But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn't hard enough， everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami， a know-it-all water dragon - fathomfolk royalty - is exiled to the city。 When extremists sabotage the annual boat race， violence erupts， as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights。 Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying， or if Tiankawi should be left to drown。
Reviews
Michaela
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（Arc）I was SO excited for 'Fathomfolk' by Eliza Chan just because the concept felt right up my alley。 I'm gutted because Chan's writing style is glorious but this story just wasn't for me， I felt like it dragged for me in all the wrong places。 I probably will read the next novel but I just wished I loved this book more。 （Arc）I was SO excited for 'Fathomfolk' by Eliza Chan just because the concept felt right up my alley。 I'm gutted because Chan's writing style is glorious but this story just wasn't for me， I felt like it dragged for me in all the wrong places。 I probably will read the next novel but I just wished I loved this book more。 。。。more
bori
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RCT closer to release day but PREORDER THIS NOW PREORDER THIS NOW PREORDER THIS NOW aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaThank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC！
annie
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I recieved the ARC on NetGalley。 Thank you for the opportunity to read this book。Can I just say how beautiful the cover of this book is？！I really liked how great the world building is。At some points I didn't know what was going on as I lost interest。 I found that there were a few plot holes and some parts didn't seem to make sense。There's too many characters for me and I was confused on who's who in the story。I wasn't sure who Cordelia， Samnang and Serena's relationship are。 Especially in chapte I recieved the ARC on NetGalley。 Thank you for the opportunity to read this book。Can I just say how beautiful the cover of this book is？！I really liked how great the world building is。At some points I didn't know what was going on as I lost interest。 I found that there were a few plot holes and some parts didn't seem to make sense。There's too many characters for me and I was confused on who's who in the story。I wasn't sure who Cordelia， Samnang and Serena's relationship are。 Especially in chapter 30。 It sounds like Samnang and Serena are married and then Samnang and Cordelia share a kid？？ idk。 Maybe I'm dumb。Nami is so naive it's actually annoying。It was a slow start but got interesting when it got to 40% when the boat race day happened。 。。。more
Sarah
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"Fathomfolk" is one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a while and I'm already looking forward to reading the next part in the series。 The world building was interesting， I really liked the characters， and the ending left me wanting more。 "Fathomfolk" is one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a while and I'm already looking forward to reading the next part in the series。 The world building was interesting， I really liked the characters， and the ending left me wanting more。 。。。more
Allie
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Thanks to Little Brown Book group and Netgalley for providing me with the ARC to this book in exchange for an honest review。This was a brilliantly clever book that took some very real issues of the real world and applied them to a world build that was fascinating and executed very well。 EC has taken the racism and xenophobia that is disgustingly apparent in our world and used them as tools to weave a narrative between three women who all want the same thing but will chase it in different ways， e Thanks to Little Brown Book group and Netgalley for providing me with the ARC to this book in exchange for an honest review。This was a brilliantly clever book that took some very real issues of the real world and applied them to a world build that was fascinating and executed very well。 EC has taken the racism and xenophobia that is disgustingly apparent in our world and used them as tools to weave a narrative between three women who all want the same thing but will chase it in different ways， each with the idealism and cynicism of experience weaved through their characters。 There is some very real subtext on migration and integration of different cultures throughout this book。 7Nami is young and idealistic， her naivety to the real world leaves her open to manipulation while using any means necessary to achieve her aims。 Leaving the question when have you gone too far？ When you use violence to achieve your goals at the price of the people you are trying to save， are you still the freedom fighter you claim to be？ How will you react when you have to face your own ingrained bias and racism？ Mira has the cynicism of one who has experienced growing up in Tiankawi and the costs it has taken from her mother to get her to the point she is the only fathomfolk Captain in the city guard。 She is very aware of the tokenism of her position but as a half human， half fathomfolk she tries to use conformity to prove to the humans that fathomfolk are not dangerous。 I actually really loved that we came into this book with her and Kai （but to avoid spoilers we are stopping here） Selena is using politics， she wants to protect her position and children through political machinations and deals with all races while hiding who she actually is from all around her。 When her secrets are found out though she will do anything to save herself and her children。 Selena embodies the fight for herself over everyone else。 The ending of this book is both heartwarming and breaking。 I NEED BOOK 2。 。。。more
coveting。books
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𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐧Welcome to Tiankawi， where revolution is brewing in the semi submerged city， between humans and the fathomfolk。 A world where sirens， sea witches， kelpies and kappas， live within the waters。 A debut fantasy novel inspired by East Asian mythology and ocean based folk tales comes a shining pearl of a story。A safe haven of human civilisation and for those creatures who are fleeing civil unrest。 At least， that’s how it first appears。 But in the submerged city， humans are quit 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐧Welcome to Tiankawi， where revolution is brewing in the semi submerged city， between humans and the fathomfolk。 A world where sirens， sea witches， kelpies and kappas， live within the waters。 A debut fantasy novel inspired by East Asian mythology and ocean based folk tales comes a shining pearl of a story。A safe haven of human civilisation and for those creatures who are fleeing civil unrest。 At least， that’s how it first appears。 But in the submerged city， humans are quite literally， on top of the hierarchy。 Peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk who live in the polluted waters below。For half-siren， Mira， a promotion to captain of the border guard， means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people。 But if earning trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn’t difficult enough， everything she has worked hard for is put in jeopardy。 A water dragon， fathomfolk royalty， Nami， is exiled to the city。 When extremists sabotage the annual boat race， violence erupts， as does the suppression of fathomfolk rights。 Both Name and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying the price or if they should， leave this city to drown。From an epic fantasy world comes a modern， myth infused story of revolution and magic set against a glittering yet decaying city。 Enter a world of magic， sea folk and intrigue where nothing is really as it appears。 A world rife with suppression， revolution and the need to fight for what is right。 But what if the cost is far too price to pay。 Do they save what they’ve worked so hard for or do they let everything drown？ I guess you’ll have to read to find out。𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘯 。。。more
Loraine Philliban
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Eliza Chans writing is beautiful and well paced。I have to admit that initially I was a little scared of this book because of the multiple characters and how they all fitted together but I am so glad that I persevered as this is by far one of my favourite fantasy books of the year。 Well written， fantastic world building， characters you will either love or hate and a storyline that I found refreshingly interesting。Highly recommend。
Loraine Philliban
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Eliza Chans writing is beautiful and well paced。I have to admit that initially I was a little scared of this book because of the multiple characters and how they all fitted together but I am so glad that I persevered as this is by far one of my favourite fantasy books of the year。 Well written， fantastic world building， characters you will either love or hate and a storyline that I found refreshingly interesting。Highly recommend。
Kirsty （bookish_kirst）
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3。5⭐️
Puddlyduck
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ‘Fathomfolk’ featured excellent world building and a fantastical， water-based magic system。 It also raised enticing hints at what has happened to Earth as we know it。 The author has obviously done their homework on mythology; borrowing from many tales and creatures of lore， while adding her own unique flair。Marked down to 3。5 from 4 for the pull-the-rug-from-under-you ending that I really didn’t like。 To be fair， it was foreshadowed a number of times， but given events shortly before this， I’d di ‘Fathomfolk’ featured excellent world building and a fantastical， water-based magic system。 It also raised enticing hints at what has happened to Earth as we know it。 The author has obviously done their homework on mythology; borrowing from many tales and creatures of lore， while adding her own unique flair。Marked down to 3。5 from 4 for the pull-the-rug-from-under-you ending that I really didn’t like。 To be fair， it was foreshadowed a number of times， but given events shortly before this， I’d dismissed the warning signs。Disclaimer: thank you to netgalley， Eliza Chan and the Little Brown Book Group for a free arc in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Amy Imogene Reads
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WHAT a cool setup for a fantasy story。 Can’t wait！
Hot Mess Sommelière ~ Caro
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Adult - Asian Fantasy - MermaidsOk sold
Anita
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Net galley Arc for review I love when world building is so intriguing and unlike the norms of other books！ So reading the synopsis of this and the cover had me adding it to my tbr。 Though this book was fun to read。 It was still lacking in some of the most important areas - the romance， an mc you continuously root for。 I love love love a slow burn！ Friends first and then slowly trickling in with the romance。 An Insta love puts me off a story really fast。 Tho I didn’t hate the romance， I just wasn Net galley Arc for review I love when world building is so intriguing and unlike the norms of other books！ So reading the synopsis of this and the cover had me adding it to my tbr。 Though this book was fun to read。 It was still lacking in some of the most important areas - the romance， an mc you continuously root for。 I love love love a slow burn！ Friends first and then slowly trickling in with the romance。 An Insta love puts me off a story really fast。 Tho I didn’t hate the romance， I just wasn't invested as much。 Plus the female ML has moments where I’d wanna pull my hair cos of the decisions she made。 No spoilers but I’d pick up book 2 just with less investment in the romance or ML。 Or maybe it’ll be much better in book 2 。。。more
Carola
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Thank you Little brown book and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 My review is my own and not influenced by others。First of all the cover is really nice looking and the story sounds interesting。 However， I found the writing style chaotic and there were to many characters and the chapters were too short to feel a connection with it。 I just couldn’t see the picture clear and remember who were who in this story to feel encaged。Seeing the other overall good recens Thank you Little brown book and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 My review is my own and not influenced by others。First of all the cover is really nice looking and the story sounds interesting。 However， I found the writing style chaotic and there were to many characters and the chapters were too short to feel a connection with it。 I just couldn’t see the picture clear and remember who were who in this story to feel encaged。Seeing the other overall good recensies， I think this book could work well for others。 Unfortunetly， I wasn't one of them。 。。。more
Booksblabbering || Cait❣️
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Tiankawi is an affluent above water city where fathomfolk and humankind live side by side， supposedly representing affluence， unity， peace， and prosperity。However， Tiankawi may be above the waves， but it's not the flawless paradise they pretend it is。Mira （half-siren） was the first fathomfolk in the military and the first to reach captaincy。 Kai is the dragon prince， the ambassador for fathomfolk trying to work towards a better future for his people。 Nami is Kai’s opinionated and stubborn younge Tiankawi is an affluent above water city where fathomfolk and humankind live side by side， supposedly representing affluence， unity， peace， and prosperity。However， Tiankawi may be above the waves， but it's not the flawless paradise they pretend it is。Mira （half-siren） was the first fathomfolk in the military and the first to reach captaincy。 Kai is the dragon prince， the ambassador for fathomfolk trying to work towards a better future for his people。 Nami is Kai’s opinionated and stubborn younger sister who is exiled to the above-water city by their mother after a failed heist to steal a dragon pearl。 She is determined for drastic change and falls in with an anti-human rebellious extremist group。 Cordelia is the ambitious， selfish wife of one of the most powerful councillors。 However， she manipulates from behind the scenes， striking deals to better her position as she conceals her fathomfolk identity。 She wished she could take a blade and shave away the rot， but the deeper she dug， the more she realised the veins ran right through her。 All she could do was acknowledge them。 Try to change them。This is magical and reminiscent of a fairytale。 The Asian-infused descriptions of cafes and bars giving it a cozy atmosphere of familiarity， community， and roots whilst being shadowed by contempt， pride， and fear。 This book deals with xenophobic-adjacent issues and behaviours and looks at how a society can come together， or fall apart， when forced to integrate， work together， and confront long-held prejudices。 The romance felt quite juvenile and very insta-love like。 In this vein， everything felt fairly predictable however I’m hoping a side character I really enjoyed in this book who randomly kept popping up will have a greater role in further books and add further queer representation to the main cast。 Whilst the plot felt quite predictable， the slant on the sea and fathomfolk and the visuals （vibes？） of the atmosphere kept this fresh。 Very high three stars ⭐️！If you enjoyed this， I would recommend Daughter of the Drowned Empire， and The Girl who Fell beneath the Sea。 Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for a review！Bookstagram 。。。more
Katie
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3。5/5This is basically Zootopia but mermaids。Fathomfolk is a multi-POV centered around the injustice and racism fathomfolk experience in an asian inspired human city。 The author tries to go for a nuanced depiction with fathomfolk characters from different perspective， but the fact that the main character we follow is the "naive college leftist fighting for an injustice she's barely actually experienced" paired with her inability to ever make a decision that drives the plot in a positive manner m 3。5/5This is basically Zootopia but mermaids。Fathomfolk is a multi-POV centered around the injustice and racism fathomfolk experience in an asian inspired human city。 The author tries to go for a nuanced depiction with fathomfolk characters from different perspective， but the fact that the main character we follow is the "naive college leftist fighting for an injustice she's barely actually experienced" paired with her inability to ever make a decision that drives the plot in a positive manner makes this book extremely hard to get through。 As a side consequence， the other POV characters get so little screen time that they didn't seem to have any chemistry together。 。。。more
zsu
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DNF this because I just 。。。 didn't like it。 I'm not going to give it a proper rating because I read the first few chapters and then skimmed for a while but the book just failed to draw me in。Lots of reviews were saying how great the world building is， and I agree - even from the initial few pages it seemed very rich。 But the actual world itself I wasn't a big fan of。 It seemed like a semi-modern， semi-fantasy NYC。 It just gave me comfort-fantasy vibes （if you've read Legends & Lattes I feel like DNF this because I just 。。。 didn't like it。 I'm not going to give it a proper rating because I read the first few chapters and then skimmed for a while but the book just failed to draw me in。Lots of reviews were saying how great the world building is， and I agree - even from the initial few pages it seemed very rich。 But the actual world itself I wasn't a big fan of。 It seemed like a semi-modern， semi-fantasy NYC。 It just gave me comfort-fantasy vibes （if you've read Legends & Lattes I feel like it has that sort of vibe？ I。e。 not my vibe at all）。 In one of my updates I compared it to a cross between Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Ruby Gillman， Teenage Kraken and I still stand by that。 I also couldn't shake the impression that this book felt incredibly YA just because of how cartoon-ish/sitcom-like the whole story was。 Overall， if a book can't get me intrigued enough in the first couple chapters to continue reading， and the plot bores me then I usually stop reading。 This one didn't feel worth carrying on with。I received the ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Annabel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 AHHH I WANT TO CRY （no spoilers why）。Set in an East and SE Asian-influenced fantasy world， Fathomfolk navigates the politics of coexistence and cooperation between water creatures （fathomfolk） and humans。 It is refreshing， satisfying and familiar to recognize the names of SE Asian supernatural creatures scattered throughout the novel！ I think there are going to be people out there that will throw hands at the fact so many supernatural creatures from different regions of Asia are all seen and thr AHHH I WANT TO CRY （no spoilers why）。Set in an East and SE Asian-influenced fantasy world， Fathomfolk navigates the politics of coexistence and cooperation between water creatures （fathomfolk） and humans。 It is refreshing， satisfying and familiar to recognize the names of SE Asian supernatural creatures scattered throughout the novel！ I think there are going to be people out there that will throw hands at the fact so many supernatural creatures from different regions of Asia are all seen and thrown into one city but it reflects the fact that SE Asia is a mosaic of cultures and influences。 Also， migration （in real life and in Tiankawi）！**That's the simplest way to put things。。。With snappy pacing and messy characters with layered motivations， heartwarming chemistry and well-thought backstories， it is easy to fall in love with this story and breeze through it！ And the WORLDBUILDING！ Absolutely wondrous。 Mira's cynicism and wariness and Kai's optimism and charisma balance each other out， and their hard-working nature， benevolence and hope for the future make them a good pairing。 Nami's naivete， stubbornness and shared hope get her into trouble as she tries to understand while falling deeper into the ideology of the Drawbacks。 Cordelia is such a peculiar character with complicated allegiances and an impressive skillset that it is always fun to read her POV and see her scheme。Reminder to self: keep a thumb on the pulse of this series because the worldbuilding and characters are so worth it！ Many thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
mau
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Thanks to Little Brown Book group and Netgalley for providing me with the ARC too this book in exchange to an honest review。Can I just start off by saying how much I absolutely adore this cover？ This may be one of the prettiest cover I have ever seen and as soon as I saw it I knew I needed to read it。 I loved the world building in this。 This is a fantastic， mythical story taking place in a half-submerged city with it's own politics， interpersonal issues which draw you in immediately and keep you Thanks to Little Brown Book group and Netgalley for providing me with the ARC too this book in exchange to an honest review。Can I just start off by saying how much I absolutely adore this cover？ This may be one of the prettiest cover I have ever seen and as soon as I saw it I knew I needed to read it。 I loved the world building in this。 This is a fantastic， mythical story taking place in a half-submerged city with it's own politics， interpersonal issues which draw you in immediately and keep you enthralled all the way through。 There is an abundance of mythical folk all living together which make the story very rich and conflict real， complex and relatable。 While I enjoyed the complexity of the issues presented and the political escapades of the characters I have to admit that sadly the plot kind of got lost to me midway through。 I do enjoy a good intrigue and plot-twist but everyone was double-crossing everyone at some point and it started to feel predictable and repetitive。 I also felt like there was a serious amount of unrealised potential in certain characters where I would have loved to know more/see the story develop a bit further。 Also， Nami as a character is completely unlikeable in my opinion。 She is extremely flawed and not in a 'oh she is so flawed let me protect her' kind of way but in a way that I just cannot stand。 How can someone have such a huge role in a 430 page book and not make one good decision throughout the entire story？I just don't think any character （human or fathomfolk） could possibly be so naive， permanently be taken advantage of， create so many insane issues （I don't want to spoiler anything） and then somehow come out the other end？ The romantic aspect involving her fell completely flat - more like she was being helplessly groomed and it made me feel borderline uncomfortable。Like， just no。 I found myself perpetually rooting against her and hoping that she would just return back to Yonakuni and stop inflicting herself on everyone else。 The pacing felt ok for the most part， although I did feel like this book was slightly on the long side。 Thumbs up for the ending although it very clearly leads into a book two which normally I am not the biggest fan of when done so blatanly obvious。 Hopefully with the introduction of some more likeable characters！ :） 。。。more
Elizabeth Berger
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Fantastic world building and engaging characters。 Spectacular ending！ Arc curtesy of netgalley。
Sara
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I am going to start reading it soon， probably next week， after I am back from a conference。 Thank you， Netgalley UK， for approving my request。 Anyone willing to read it together with me？
Johanna Burton
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It's simple: I see a pretty cover， I add it to my tbr 😉 It's simple: I see a pretty cover， I add it to my tbr 😉 。。。more
Elena L。
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Need！！
Robin Wasley
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Wow。 Okay the worldbuilding in this was stellar。 Beautifully written and compelling from the first page， you're immediately immersed in this fascinating world of a half-submerged city。 The author takes you deep into what life is like for each character （and the people around them）—all mythical water folk with different backgrounds， neighborhoods， and classes—making the world， the characters who inhabit it， and the conflicts between them complex and real。 You can’t help but be emotionally investe Wow。 Okay the worldbuilding in this was stellar。 Beautifully written and compelling from the first page， you're immediately immersed in this fascinating world of a half-submerged city。 The author takes you deep into what life is like for each character （and the people around them）—all mythical water folk with different backgrounds， neighborhoods， and classes—making the world， the characters who inhabit it， and the conflicts between them complex and real。 You can’t help but be emotionally invested， wanting these people to survive， wanting them to succeed。 Every character is complicated with no easy choices， struggling to navigate their oppressive environments in different ways， fighting for both survival and change。 And as you’re absorbed in the characters， their relationships， their stakes， Eliza Chan expertly ramps up the tension to a stunning （and heartbreaking？） conclusion。 HIGHLY RECOMMEND。 。。。more
Christy Healy
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Okay everyone。 My hands are still shaking a little bit from finishing this book as I write this but OMG。 I read the majority of this book while sitting on the beach listening to the ocean crashing a few feet away， and it was -- and I cannot stress this enough -- PERFECT。 The complementary yet well-matched cast of characters， the sharply quiet prose， the unimpeachable world-building， the TWISTS。 I gasped， shrieked and sighed my way through this book， my allegiance to different characters shifting Okay everyone。 My hands are still shaking a little bit from finishing this book as I write this but OMG。 I read the majority of this book while sitting on the beach listening to the ocean crashing a few feet away， and it was -- and I cannot stress this enough -- PERFECT。 The complementary yet well-matched cast of characters， the sharply quiet prose， the unimpeachable world-building， the TWISTS。 I gasped， shrieked and sighed my way through this book， my allegiance to different characters shifting as often as they shifted their shapes （which was a lot）， and that's how I know that it was incredibly well-done。 Each of the main characters -- Mira， Nami， Cordelia， and Kai -- were all so relatable yet just enough flawed to draw the reader into their orbs and care deeply， painfully about their well-being， their ambitions， and their happiness。 It was everything that I look for in a fantasy novel， and I can't wait to see it take the fantasy world by storm in 2024。 I am a Fathomfolk stan for LIFE。 。。。more
Tag
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fathom folk fathomfolk eliza chan
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Fathomfolk
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Fathomfolk&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Fathomfolk&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0