3.5/5

For fans of: The Little Mermaid, Zootopia, Crescent City, revolutions, political intrigue, civil unrest, multiple POVs

The Big Questions:

• What genre is this in? Fantasy

• Are there any swoon-worthy characters? Kai, the eternal sunshine dragon lord ambassador

• Is it spicy? No

• Is it violent or gory? Some violence, riots

• Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? Borrow it!

Synopsis: 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 skyscrapers 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 reform. At last, she has the ear of the city council and a chance to lift the repressive laws that restrict fathomfolk at every turn. 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 a water dragon is exiled to the city.
 
New arrival Nami is an aristocratic water dragon with an opinion on everything. Frustrated by the lack of progress from Mira's softly-softly approach in gaining equality, Nami throws her lot in with an anti-human extremist group, leaving Mira to find the headstrong youth before she makes everything worse.
 
And pulling strings behind everything is Cordelia, a second-generation sea-witch determined to do what she must to survive and see her family flourish, even if it means climbing over the bodies of her competitors. Her political game-playing and underground connections could disrupt everything Nami and Mira are fighting for.
 
When the extremists sabotage the annual boat race, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Even Nami realises her new friends are not what they seem. Both she and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth it, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.

Review: While a promising debut, this book needs some editing and a touch more magic.

What I liked: The world building was fantastic with strong influences of cities like Hong Kong and Beijing. I thought the mixing of all sorts of water-based magical folk throughout the world added so much dimension and the history of folk and humans leading up to the current time was well done. I also enjoyed the complexity of the major and minor characters. No one is purely good or evil. Everyone in this city has baggage and trauma. Some people just want to survive, some want to thrive, and some want to burn it all to the ground. Everyone is justified in their reasons making it all the more messy and real.

What I didn’t like: First, this did not feel like an adult fantasy. When I read over the details of the book, I was surprised to see it labeled as adult. I assumed by its style that it was YA. Second, this book was too long; I found myself skipping quite a lot of exposition. It took far too long to get to the first action piece that sets the story in motion. Third, that sort-of-cliff-ending was frustrating. I do not care for it at all and I hope the fallout of it will be well addressed in the second book.

What I loved: The social commentary was spot on. Seeing the city and the issues through the eyes of different levels of power really lent to the intensity of the action once it started. From Nami’s youthful rage and ignorance being used by people with ulterior motives to Mira’s rise in the police ranks as a well-known political token and its impact on her relationship with Kia, even Cordelia’s dual role below and above the waterline, each POV lent itself to show a city in the brink of unrest.

I will most likely pick up the sequel of this debut because I really am intrigued by the hints of what may happen next. As far as a debut, this is a fine start for Eliza Chan and I can see a lot of potential in her growth as a storyteller.

Thank you to Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.