Luck over-rides strategy

You can't avoid the comparisons to Carcassonne even though the scoring mechanic is very different. It just looks the same, and the tile placement phase feels close enough to be familiar. However, this familiarity starts to nag at you, only adding to the frustration when tile placement is clumsy and luck-driven unlike Carcassonne. The comparison is not favourable for Fjords.

You can strategise to a degree by trying to block off a potential peninsula (cut off between two mountains for example). This can start a little race to claim this area. e.g. I cut off an area with one of my houses.

Luck is a major factor. As discussed above, sometimes the map seems to build itself and you draw tiles which you HAVE to place even though they are aiding your opponent.

f you cannot place it, it is set aside for use later in the game if an opportunity arises. (Tiles are set aside a lot.)

My wife's first description of playing Fjords was that it felt a bit like playing Othello, in that you had to think too far ahead. I don't see it that way. I think that the luck of the draw & the fact that a tile must be played if it can, means that you can't always plan too far ahead. Often you have to try to work out how to make use of what you've got.