I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job! I enjoyed the intertwining of the different stories, the author did a really good job bringing it all together. Highly recommend this one!

This was such a great read! I was quickly swept away by this story, of these different characters in different times as their stories came together, learning more about this world-and finding out just what the heck was going on!

I knew ahead of time, that the beginning of this book was chock full of time jumping around, but even knowing that, I was a bit confused at the beginning, but that's more of a me problem then a book problem, because while most of my thing about hearing someone speak who isn't in the room has gone away as I've increasingly gotten used to audiobooks, for some reason, I have a hard time remembering numbers, and the years were a big part of the story, in nailing down the timeline, which was a big reason why I was confused.

But oh, once I had things straightened out in my head, all these different characters and how their stories were coming together, it was so fantastic! There were 3 main threads, and it was pretty surprising how they all connected, and I loved seeing how they all intersected in the end!

It doesn't have a series listed yet, so I'm putting it as a standalone, but the end of this book had a mention of a sequel, so I'm fairly certain one is coming. While the way things ended could have, and currently technically is, a stand alone, the little teaser about how not everyone is happy with the changes, is causing waves, and I'd love to read htat!

Loved reading this book, and I do hope we really get the sequel that was mentioned!

Unfortunately this one simply wasn’t for me
I did not at any point care for any of these characters and their backstories. I usually like having different pov’s, I find that it can really add so much to a book to see the story progressing through the eyes of different character’s, in this case the many different pov‘s made it kinda hard to follow. And the characters really quickly started to be indistinguishable.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and loved the narration by Natalie Naudus. I liked the premise of modern fantasy novel mixing magic and Chinese mythology. There is a LOT going on and the book jumps backwards and forwards in timelines with different point of views and it was difficult to keep track of the different characters and storylines. The book cleverly knits these all together although the ending felt a bit sudden, convenient and quick for me, a clear setup for the next instalment. Intrigued to see where this series will go. Overall 3/5

This book was interesting....
Don't get me wrong I liked it, but I am unsure how I feel about the flow. Since we were jumping back and forth in the timeline, it was more annoying than interesting in the beginning. I felt as if they explained the difference between shifters an statics way too many times. Every time someone came of age it was explained all over again.
I know that if we didn't have the weird timeline this book would have been significantly less interesting. I am glad that we finally got somewhere by the end but I am not sure I am happy with the ending. I know there is still another book coming out but I am unsure I am invested enough to read it.
All in all, It was a fun ride and a great debut novel for Emily!

I adore mythology of any kind, although I’m not super familiar with Chinese mythology I really enjoyed this novel.

It took me a little while to get into it, but I think that’s because I was listening to it while driving and didn’t realize it was flipping back and forth to different time periods. I think Emily did an incredible job of setting up this incredible series and interconnecting the characters throughout.

I love a book that keeps me on my toes and most of the plot twists I did not see coming. I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next for these characters.

(Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook ARC)

a solid 3.5

I loved the idea of a fantasy with Chinese mythology fantasy but this book really didn't deliver on the promise :(

In short there was just too much nonsense politics that we really even didn't get into , just a repetition of the same old problem, also not enough fantasy I would have loved to read more about how it was to live or grow up in shifter community and how they integrated with in the "normal world'.

I really didn't understand the need for 'multi generation story'. We jump back and forth between multiple years majority of the book, though without a surprise everything is connected, in the end it just confusing makes the story hard to follow and doesn't really add any value in the end (as with in the chapters you really can't understand if there has been a 50 year gap or not every this is 'the same old stuff just different chatper'.)

There were just too many characters add that to jumping between year and its just disorienting and doesn't give room to understand and connect with the characters or even see growth in them.

The 'final boss battle' for me was underwhelming and a bit too convenient, ( i understand this was meant for teens, but still it ) and not satisfying my reaction for it was ' That's it?'

Entertaining, this multi time spanning story follows a small town and their community which is filled with shifters and statics, albeit the shifters are less visible as time moves on.

Listening to the audiobook, I initially got a little lost about how the stories intertwined but that's possibly due to my listening while doing things more than the story itself. Once I understood everyone's connections...seeing how the stories and characters of the past fitted with those of the present, I became engrossed in the power struggle between the prominent families and those from both sides of the shifter and static communities.

Pitting family and friends against each other, good does win out although the little snippet of the next book in the series appears to suggest that there won't be much time for the community to enjoy the peace before war begins again.

Filled with mythical characters from Chinese legends, this a fantastical story which fits well into the fantasy genre.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC.

Rating: 4.5 stars

I honestly cannot believe this is a debut novel because WOW. This is an urban fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology told in a multigenerational narrative over multiple timelines.
To be honest you’ll need to be really attentive while reading because especially in the beginning it’s easy to loose track of all the different povs and dates but once you get the hang of it, you’ll just love it.

This is a story of magic, immigration, family and greed. The politics in this were mind blowing.
If you want a story that solely focuses on the lore and character building as well as some super smart twists, this is it. No romance is involved and I know how some of my fantasy girlies crave that sometimes.

I don’t think I have ever read such a complex story wrapped up so so well within 360 pages like wow. This woman knows how to write a book and I cannot wait for the sequel to come out!!

I am usually an audiobook lover but for this one I would say pass. It actually made it harder for me to work through this book and I fear took down the overall rating.
Overall for a debut this was pretty good. I enjoyed the story overall but I will admit that the characters were hard to keep track of.
Usually by 25% in I have a decent idea of who is who but with this one I was struggling through out most of the book. Maybe it with the multi-POV's or maybe the time jumping, but something didn't completely click.
I am interested to see where this author goes and how her writing could evolve.

Of Mountains and Seas takes its name from an ancient collection of Chinese Mythology and focuses on the politics of a magical shape shifting population that lives hidden alongside the nonmagical population. I attempted to begin reading this book three times. As an avid fantasy reader, it is unusual for a fantasy novel to have me quite so turned around, but this book has a few issues that detract from what could be an interesting tale of political aspirations and familial loyalty. First, there are too many character POVs, and they all have at least partially, if not entirely purposefully hidden identities that take the reader a lot of time to parse out. Hiding relationships between characters (from the reader but also among characters themselves) only serves to obfuscate reader comprehension, and I resorted to making a list of the main characters and timelines (1932-2000) in order to follow the story. This made it a lot less fun to read. The status of a person as a Static and Shifter, which forms the basis for the political strife, should not be something so easily changed. That detracts from the legitimacy of the strife between the two groups, especially if one barely knows the other exists.
I read the ebook and audiobook versions, and I really loved the narrator, Natalie Naudus, though I think it would have benefited more from having more than one narrator to help distinguish the multiple POVs.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Hawk Ridge Press for this advanced copy to review.

2,75 / 5 stars
audiobook narration: 5/5
I love Natalie Naudus’ narration style and will listen to anything she´s a part of.

Sadly, the story itself didn´t grrab my attention as much as I wished it would.
The cover is STUNNING and the premise is really interesting. But sadly, I didn´t really care for the characters for most of the book.
It might be because we have a lot of time jumps in the beginning, so even though there is a reason for them, you don´t spend enough time with the characters in that timeline to really get invested.
It might also be because there are just so many POVs. You constantly switch POVs which makes it hard to keep track of everyone. And yes, there is also a reason behind that - and the mystery how everything fits together is done well imo, but I´d rather have been more in the head of fewer characters and get to experience their emotions better.
Instead, a lot stays surface level, especially the magic system and magical abbilites. I would have loved to get more in depth with the chinese inspired magic. The villain is given to us right away as well and there is never any deeper reflection on his character.
By the end, I wasn´t invested.

This book was an intricate and detailed shifter urban fantasy based on Chinese mythology. I'd probably recommend a physical or ebook over the audiobook, as the multiple timelines and point of view sometimes made it hard to follow. I only sorted out the timelines about an hour and a half from the end.

This story masterfully weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives, creating a rich and immersive narrative. Inspired by Chinese mythology, it is a beautifully crafted story filled with unique elements that make for a compelling read. I was fortunate to receive approval for both the audiobook and the e-ARC. The beginning was a bit confusing due to the multiple POVs, but being able to read along as I listened really helped. As I got through a few chapters and became more familiar with the characters, following the narrative became much easier. Occasionally, I found myself referring back to the e-ARC for clarity, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook—Natalie Naudus, you were amazing and I love you!!! The blend of Chinese mythology, intricate world-building, and a well-developed magic system was absolutely captivating. This story wasn’t just engaging—it was beautifully written and left a lasting impression. I’m definitely eager to read more from this author in the future.

I really dislike Natalie Naudus as a narrator, so... that was tough for me with this one. I'd probably recommend physical or ebook versions, but not audio.

At first I didn't like the constant jumps in timelines and POVS, but it did actually weave together nicely in the last 20%. Still felt a little unnecessarily over-complicated.

It ended up being a decent enough story line, I like the magic system a lot in theory, but I struggled tremendously to connect to any of the characters.

It was all in all a good story with a lot of layers, I just had a tough time hanging with it in the first half, and likely in big part due to the specific audio narrator.

“Of Mountains and Seas,” by Emily Renk Hawthorne

This was my second read thru of this story but audiobook version this time. I initially rated it 3 stars, but now it's 4 stars. I stand by what I originally said that this book is good for people who love to annotate because it was confusing with time jumps and the amount of POVs. It made way more sense the second time thru and I picked up way more information than the first time. I really liked the story plot, and the mystery mixed in with modern type political intrigue. I love the cultural differences with the Chinese lore. Of Mountains and Seas was plot and character focused and not a lot of romance for readers who want that. Tons of character development, whether good or bad, which I really liked.

The narration was perfect. It helped make more sense to the story and brought the entire book to life in my mind. I preferred listening to the book versus the e-book, it really made it magical for me.

The cover is initially why I wanted to read the book; it is so pretty. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Shifters
-Magic
-Chinese Lore
-Political Intrigue
-Multi POV

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Thank you Netgalley and Hawk Ridge Press for an ARC audiobook copy of Of Mountains and Seas by Emily Renk Hawthorne.

In Of Mountains and Seas we follow Davis who in a family with magical abilities he has none. Wanting to win his parents approval he strives to set himself apart. We also meet Iris who has a mysterious illness and must take her medication at very precise times of day in fear of blacking out. The two cross paths and neither of their lives are quite the same.

I loved the premise of this book and was so excited to see what happened when magic stones entered the picture and it took quite a different turn than I had originally thought! This audio books narration was really well done and easy to follow with clear pronunciation’s and it really made the story pop at the right moments!
Overall I enjoyed this book though did find it a little hard to follow towards the end with so much happening at once. For this reason I gave the book 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4.

I really enjoyed the world building and the Chinese mythology used in the book. The audio narrator was quite good as well. I think the thing that kept it from a five Star read for me was how long it took to get to the actual action of the story! Overall I would definitely recommend to fellow fantasy readers!

A debut novel with incredible world building is a rare sight, but Emily Renk Hawthorne did it. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the universe throughout the book. As someone who had no prior knowledge of Chinese mythology, I never felt confused or like I have to research anything, the author did a great job of explaining the nooks and crannies of the magic system.

The reason this book is three star is because, in my opinion a lot of the book is a lot of so much happening but nothing happening. There seems to be so much action but truthfully a lot of it feels as though it’s there for shock factor and isn’t that interesting if I’m honest. I was also very interested in Amber’s and Nivi’s relationship but it usually got pushed aside for the older characters (which in my opinion were much more boring and I don’t really care for them) . Sometimes the POV jumping was way too sudden and felt a bit like the author hadn’t figured out what comes next, so they end the chapter. This was also a bit confusing in audiobook form because catching onto all the years and characters was difficult for the firsy 30-40%.

I think there is a lot of potential in this storyline and the author and I am awaiting the second book.