borichu's review against another edition
medium-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
5.0
anniejreads's review
3.0
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.
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.
ayzorah's review
3.0
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! :)
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! :)
nclcaitlin's review against another edition
3.5
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.
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!
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.
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!
elizabethberger's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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