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A review by smolhousewitch
Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
2.5
I had such high hopes for this book and it was right up my alley - I studied folklore and mythology in modern pop culture in my Master's program and will always have a soft spot for people using their native myths in their writing. However, at just over halfway through, I'm going to DNF this book. I'll try to finish it eventually, but unfortunately the issues I have with it are making the thought of reading another 200 pages feel incredibly overwhelming.
Without getting into any spoilers for the book, my biggest issue is that it desperately needs a heavier hand with the editing. The world-building is rich but dense, with a massive cast of mythological creatures for the reader to keep track of. I think the first 200 pages could have been aggressively trimmed down; while I love the complexity of political messages within the narrative, it felt like the author needed to hit every single possible historical event (concentration camps, people being marked by arm bands, ghettos, etc) and while that's realistic when a minority group is oppressed, it's also very dense to read and slows down the narrative. Some of these details could have been touched on more lightly or revealed in subsequent books so that the reader is placed within the narrative of oppression without slowing down the reading process.
I think if this book was shorter, with its message condensed and refined, it would really shine. I loved the characters and thought Mira and Nami's opposing responses to the realities of their world was very realistic, especially given how each of them were raised, and that kind of nuance is not always well-explored in narratives like this one. There are a lot of strengths to this story and I'd love to see it refined in sequels - I'll certainly keep an eye on Chan as a writer to see how she grows!
Without getting into any spoilers for the book, my biggest issue is that it desperately needs a heavier hand with the editing. The world-building is rich but dense, with a massive cast of mythological creatures for the reader to keep track of. I think the first 200 pages could have been aggressively trimmed down; while I love the complexity of political messages within the narrative, it felt like the author needed to hit every single possible historical event (concentration camps, people being marked by arm bands, ghettos, etc) and while that's realistic when a minority group is oppressed, it's also very dense to read and slows down the narrative. Some of these details could have been touched on more lightly or revealed in subsequent books so that the reader is placed within the narrative of oppression without slowing down the reading process.
I think if this book was shorter, with its message condensed and refined, it would really shine. I loved the characters and thought Mira and Nami's opposing responses to the realities of their world was very realistic, especially given how each of them were raised, and that kind of nuance is not always well-explored in narratives like this one. There are a lot of strengths to this story and I'd love to see it refined in sequels - I'll certainly keep an eye on Chan as a writer to see how she grows!