My book reviews for the Drowned World Duology by Eliza Chan: Fathomfolk and Tideborn. Please be aware that the review for the second book contains spoilers.

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
Age Group: Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Action, Adventure, Dragon Fantasy, Sea Fantasy, Activist Characters, Magic Users, Royalty Characters, Asian Authors, Scottish Authors, Asian Characters, Bisexual Characters, Multiracial Characters, OwnVoices Representation, Scottish Characters, Asian Mythology, Chronic Illness, Dragons, Mermaids, Mythological Creatures, Sea Creatures, Sirens, Potions, Water Magic, Underwater Setting
Series: Drowned World Duology #1
My Rating:
Published on: 27th February 2024
Pages: 432
Disability Representation: Arthritis, Chronic illness, Fictional Condition
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Forbidden Planet / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones
Add to Goodreads

Revolution is brewing in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, between humans and the fathomfolk - sirens, sea witches, kelpies, and kappas - who live in its waters. This debut fantasy inspired by East Asian mythology and watery folk tales is perfect for fans of Jade City, The Bone Shard Daughter and House of Earth and Blood.

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 top: 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.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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From the moment Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan came to my attention, I was intrigued by it. From the cover to the synopsis, this book sounded like a fun and interesting read.

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan is equal parts delight and frustration as she invites the reader to venture into a world where humans live in cities on the ocean alongside the Fathomfolk, people who have sea creature forms and magical abilities. The world-building is superb, and combined with Chan’s gorgeous writing, I felt like I had truly stepped beneath the sea. While some humans have adapted to their new neighbours, others are always looking to build walls between humans and Fathomfolk.

I liked the way that Chan chose to show the history of Tiankawi and current events through the eyes of three women from different ages and places in society. Serena, a human mother of two children and wife of the Minister of Defence, provides a view into high human society. In comparison, Nami is a dragon and considered Fathomfolk royalty, however, she has lived a sheltered life in a sea haven. When she is exiled to Tiankawi, she is treated as a lesser being, a far cry from her royal upbringing, and throughout the book, she learns a lot of hard truths.

Mira stands with a foot in both worlds. As a half-human, half-siren, she has struggled to find where and how she fits into either world her whole life. She has just been made Captain of the border guard and is painfully aware that the human council that promoted her is waiting for her to screw up so they can blame it on her Fathomfolk side.

Her perspective is imperative to the novel, and if I had any complaints, it is that I felt that her voice was drowned out a bit by Serena and Nami, despite the synopsis suggesting that she was the main focus. Rather, it felt that Nami was more the focus, which I have no complaint about and understand it was necessary for the storyline, I’m just not a fan of being misled by a synopsis.

I mentioned that Fathomfolk is frustrating, not due to anything wrong with the novel. Chan approaches topics of marginalisation and alienation through a fantasy lens with a familiarity that is heartbreaking. It is clear that she has poured her own experience into this book, and as a disabled queer reader, many scenes were painfully recognisable.

I appreciated that Chan wove every marginalised identity into her universe. Fathomfolk features a queer normative society and as a result of the pollution humans have caused, Fathomfolk are developing a chronic illness called gill rot from spending time in the polluted water. It shortens their life span and is forcing them out of their natural habitat and onto land.

Fathomfolk is an extraordinary debut that draws on “Under the Sea” nostalgia and elements of fairytales, while also being reminiscent of the movie Waterworld. I don’t want to outright compare Fathomfolk to any of these because what Chan has created is unique and deserves to be viewed on its own merits. Fathomfolk reminds us that there is beauty in difference, but being different is a painful existence.

This is most certainly a must-read for 2024, and the way the book ends promises a dramatic sequel.

Tideborn by Eliza Chan
Age Group: Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Action, Adventure, Dragon Fantasy, Political Fantasy, Sea Fantasy, Activist Characters, Diverse Representation, Magic Users, Royalty Characters, Villain Characters, Asexual Characters, Asian Characters, Bisexual Characters, Multiracial Characters, OwnVoices Representation, Queer Characters, Asian Authors, Scottish Authors, Asian Mythology, Chronic Illness, Mobility Aids, Dragons, Mermaids, Mythological Creatures, Sea Creatures, Sirens, Family Drama, Found Family, Potions, Water Magic, Underwater Setting
Series: Drowning World Duology #2
My Rating:
Published on: 25th March 2025
Pages: 384
Disability Representation: Chronic pain, fatigue, ulcers, mobility aid, fictional illness.
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Forbidden Planet / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones
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A dragon queen, a vengeful sea witch, and a mythical titan converge on the underwater city of Tiankawi in the sequel to the international bestselling epic fantasy Fathomfolk.
  
A tsunami and a dragon's wish have wrought changes upon the city of Tiankawi that have never been seen before. But shared experiences have not healed the rift between the city’s fathomfolk and human citizens, and scars from years of oppression still remain.
 
Mira, a half-siren and activist, fights politicians and her own people to rebuild her city, and to uncover a deadly conspiracy. And Nami, the dragon princess, undertakes a daring ocean voyage alongside friend and foe, in order to convince a mythical Titan not to destroy Tiankawi for its crimes...

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

In the sequel to Eliza Chan’s Fathomfolk, the story picks up from the tragic events of the first book. Tideborn sees Mira and Nami grieving the loss of a loved one as they prepare for the arrival of Nami’s mother, the dragon queen Jiang-Li. The last thing Mira needs is to meet her deceased fiancé’s mother, as the people of Tiankawi come to terms with the physiological changes that Kai’s pearl wrought. The pearl’s magic interpreted Mira’s wish to save everyone from the tsunami by giving humans gills, enabling them to breathe when the water hit.

Some people accepted the changes forced upon them, delighting in new possibilities and a newfound shared connection. But of course, no community is a monolith, and dissenters on both sides are voicing their opinions aggressively. While contending with the intimidating dragon monarch, Mira is trying to help humans embrace their new life as she manages her grief. Meanwhile, she sends Nami on a desperate mission to prevent another catastrophe. Both women have their work cut out for them as tensions rise and loyalties are tested.

After the end of Fathomfolk, I had no idea how Eliza Chan was going to continue the story. Killing off a main character is a bold move to make in a debut novel, and in Tideborn, Chan shows that she has the writing chops to pull it off. One of my criticisms of the first book was that others drowned out Mira’s voice, and it was great to see Mira’s narrative stand out more in this sequel. That is not at a detriment to Nami and Cordelia, who have their own interesting subplots.

I liked how Chan split the three women’s stories, showing how the end of Fathomfolk affected them in different and yet similar ways. Each of them is forced to stand on their own, isolated in their grief. While Cordelia mourns the loss of her family rather than Kai, she also has to pick her life back up and make new alliances. Their individual subplots provided Chan with an opportunity to shine the spotlight on her secondary characters, and it was great getting to know some of them better.

In Tideborn, Chan highlights the extremes that bigots will go to for their cause. As difficult as these scenes were to read, they are important, and I appreciated that Chan did not dance around the hate and bile being spewed. There are also a couple of coercive and emotionally abusive relationships, and Chan challenges the actions and gaslighting of the abusers fantastically.

Like it’s predecessor, Tideborn is queer normative with a sapphic relationship at its core. One subplot is about the search for a cure for the fictional illness of gill rot. It was a relief to see an author treat the subject of cures with dignity and thought, without skipping straight to magic just because they’re writing fantasy.

Overall, I liked Tideborn much better than Fathomfolk, and while I am sad to depart from Chan’s incredible sea fantasy universe, I was content with how it ended. I hope that this is not the last we see of Tiankawi, and I eagerly await the adventure Chan takes us on next! 

About Eliza Chan

Eliza Chan is a Scottish-born speculative fiction author who writes about East Asian mythology, British folklore and reclaiming the dragon lady. Her short fiction has been published in The Dark, Podcastle, Fantasy Magazine and The Best of British Fantasy. Her debut novel FATHOMFOLK — inspired by mythology, ESEAN cities and diaspora feels — will be published by Orbit in Spring 2024.
She has been a medical school drop-out, a kilt shop assistant, an English teacher and a speech and language therapist, but currently she spends her time tabletop gaming, cosplaying, crafting and toddler wrangling.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Blue Sky

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