This book felt like stepping into a dream—moody, magical, and just a little mysterious in all the best ways. Emily Renk Hawthorne has a gorgeous writing style that really brings the world to life, full of folklore vibes and poetic imagery. It’s the kind of story that doesn’t rush but lets you sink into it, with characters that feel deeply human even in a world brushed with myth and magic. If you’re into slow-burn, emotionally rich fantasy with a touch of the surreal, this one’s definitely worth checking out.

I really enjoyed this story especially with it revolving around Chinese Mythical creatures. It was a unique concept having it take place in modern times but with the shifters fully in hiding (and most wanting it to stay that way). The time hopping did get confusing at times and having a family tree(s) would have helped as I kept forgetting who was who and who was related to who, especially in the beginning of the book. I honestly thought this was going to end up being a standalone but since it wont be, Ill be excited to read the next one!

This book won’t be for everyone. It does take a bit to get into, and you have to have the patience to let it develop, as well as the patience to follow multiple plot lines under the assumption that they’ll begin to connect (which almost all do). But for those who enjoy the fantasy genre, there’s a lot of familiar territory here and new things to capture attention.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

One word to summarize my reading experience is: tantalizing. Not just because of the high stakes, but because of the cliffhangers and mysteries throughout out each POV chapter. These days, it's uncommon for a book to have a variety of individual characters with a chapter tailored to each in their POV. It's normally a singular character: the sole protagonist. I found the change to be refreshing.

Although I admire and appreciate the interlocking POVs, I yearned for more in-depth worldbuilding. There's little to no understanding of shapeshifters and how they exist in this alternate Earth. I hoped at the start of every chapter that there would be a crumb of lore, but that was reserved for the magic stones and their properties. Every chapter halted before I could gain answers, which pressured me to continue.

“Of Mountains and Seas” by Emily Renk Hawthorne is a captivating fantasy that delves into themes of identity, power, and the lengths one might go to change their fate. The story centers on Davis, born without magic in a prestigious shapeshifter family, making him feel like an outcast. Desperate for his father’s approval, he crosses paths with Iris, a girl whose ambitions are hindered by a mysterious illness. Their journey leads them to Yuras, a seemingly unremarkable Californian town, where they discover a cave containing magic-transferring stones—offering a chance to alter their destinies. However, they’re not alone in this pursuit, and the quest for power reveals dark truths and complex moral dilemmas.  

Hawthorne’s narrative is enriched by multiple timelines and perspectives, weaving together the lives of Shifters and Statics, and exploring deep-seated societal tensions. The characters are well-developed, with Davis’s internal struggles and Iris’s resilience resonating deeply. The novel’s pacing keeps readers engaged, seamlessly blending action with introspective moments. If you’re drawn to stories that challenge notions of power and acceptance within a richly built world, “Of Mountains and Seas” is a journey worth embarking on.

Lyrical and deeply immersive, Of Mountains and Seas weaves a tale as vast and untamed as the landscapes it explores. Emily Renk Hawthorne’s prose is rich and atmospheric, pulling readers into a world shaped by mythology, fate, and the forces of nature. The characters’ journeys are filled with tension, self-discovery, and a quiet sort of magic that lingers long after the final page. While the pacing slows in places, the beautifully crafted world and emotional depth make this a rewarding and transportive read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this early review copy.

Unfortunately this was not personally for me. I loved the premise of the book however the execution was ever so slightly lacking. The prose were beautifully written and the characters were engaging, but the nonlinear storytelling style prevented my full engagement and enjoyment. I would have also liked some more world building as I feel it would have made the time jumps significantly less jarring.. I believe this author is extremely talented, and this book demonstrates her potential.
I did however love the representation of Chinese mythology and the stories dispersed into the characters.

This story was fun and heartwarming! I'm curious to see how the characters develop in the next book.

Absolutely stunning for a debut novel!

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.

This was an utter whirlwind. There is no other way to describe this fantasy novel. So many elements worked into the pages, a unique take on the magic system of shifters, bringing a political tang to it that feels a little reminiscent of the world currently.
Easy to read, characters that get in your head and your heart. I think this one is going to be popular.

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.

thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for a review!

i had really high hopes for this, and while it succeeded in some areas it fell kind of flat in others for me, which was a bummer. this spans lots of time with many different characters, and it is incredibly well written. this author (and i believe this is a debut novel?) is incredibly talented and i am excited to see what they write next, but this story didn't grab me the way i hoped it would. i think it was a combo of the nonlinear storytelling and i wish there had been a bit more worldbuilding to draw me in.

Thank you to Emily Renk Hawthorne and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

In "Of Mountains and Seas" there are two different types of people; statics and shifters.

Statics are those born without magic, or they lose their magic.

Shifters are those born with magic - they can also be static-turned-shifter via stealing magic.

This book follows multiple different timelines and character points of views. There is around seven different points of views, I was keeping notes throughout. I would recommend doing the same.

I loved the development for all the characters! We got the villains point of view as well, it was interesting to see the development from their childhood up to the very end.

I did get confused occasionally due to the multiple timelines, but it wasn't too much of an issue - I figured things out.

I'm really interested in reading the next book after that ending, it wasn't what I was expecting. I had fun reading this and I would recommend it.

Side note: the cover is stunning, right? I love it!

I picked up Of Mountains and Seas because the premise really intrigued me—magic, shapeshifters, and a society where power can be stolen? Sign me up! As a longtime fantasy reader (and a fan of characters like Rogue from X-Men), I was excited to see how this concept would play out.

There’s a lot to love here:
- A unique take on magical politics and family dynamics
- Shape-shifting and hidden identities
- A multigenerational mystery spanning from 1932-2000
- A cool mix of mythology and intrigue

That said, the execution didn’t fully work for me. There are a lot of POVs, and while I usually love multiple perspectives, I found myself struggling to keep track of who was who—especially with the hidden identities and shifting timelines. I even had to make a list just to follow along, which took away some of the enjoyment. I also wish we got to spend more time in each character’s head to really connect with them.

The concept of Statix vs. Shifters had so much potential, but it felt a little shaky since the lines between them weren’t as rigid as I expected. That made the central conflict feel less impactful.

Overall, Of Mountains and Seas has an intriguing premise and some great ideas, but the storytelling structure made it a bit difficult to fully immerse myself in the world. If you love complex fantasy with deep lore and don’t mind a bit of a challenge, this might be worth checking out!

⭐3

"For some, the only way to possess magic is to steal it from others." This phrase is what intrigued me to begin with, because I'm a Rogue girl at heart (X-Men reference) and I really wanted to see how this scenario plays out. While it was a great concept, there were parts, such as POV management (i.e. perhaps we could've stayed in POVs longer to get a more solid idea of the characters spending a bit more time in their heads); and time lapses.

🔸Cover ✔️✔️✔️
🔸Multiple main characters & POVs
🔸characters need more development
🔸magical shape shifting
🔸fantasy YA

I think I'll keep an eye on this author for future books, though this one took a little too long to lift off the ground for me.

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.

There were ups and downs in this book.
The timeline caught me out for a bit. It really moves around, and character POV as well, so it took me a while to pick things up.
I loved the characters and the story when it picked up. When I did click onto things, it was soon satisfying how it all fell into place! I was yelling when I figured stuff out.
The whole arc was great. The characters were compelling and complex and I adored their relationships, and how they come together towards the end.
The prose was a bit choppy at times, and the pace was sometimes slow.
All in all, I'd recommend this book.

2,75 / 5 stars
Sadly, this 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 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.