The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a feminist retelling of a classic Korean legend called ‘The Tale of Shim Cheong’. Mina is a mortal girl who sacrifices herself to the Sea God to save her brother’s lover and is swept away into a magical spirit realm. This is an enchanting story of gods and mythological beasts. There is a dreamlike quality within the pages and the story is interspersed with some lovely descriptive passages and vivid imagery.

Admittedly I found the first half of the book a struggle and I had difficulty engaging with both the writing style and the uneven pacing. The narrative has an unusual stilted feel, almost as if it had been translated but more likely due to the short choppy sentences. There is a lot to digest in the initial pages and I completely lost track of who was who and what was going and I had to back-tracked to re-read some of the passages. I was much more invested in the second half of the book, when the pacing settled down and the story began to fall into place.

There is a unique and varied cast of characters. More character development would have been welcome and a better background knowledge of the leading characters would have given them more depth. The romance in the storyline is weak one, although I did like the ending. Sadly, the story didn’t have the complexity and energy I enjoy in a fantasy novel but on the whole it was a entertaining and interesting read.

This is a lovely story, it reads - for me - as a fairytale, I devoured it.

It’s a tale of love, family, friendship and has a dragon! What’s not to love about it?

It’s beautifully written and just lovely!

My thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Books like this make me so content and make my heart feel so full.

This is a beautifully written, enchanting story of Mina, who jumps into the sea to sacrifice herself for her brother and his girlfriend, the girl who is to be the Sea God's bride. Mina is fully prepared to take her place because she loves her brother, and this leads to her ending up in the Spirit Realm.

The story is full of legends and mythical creatures, wonderful characters, a well thought through plot and enjoyable action.

I struggled to get into this initially as it felt a bit childish and slow, but it picked up eventually and the last 60% or so had me entirely consumed.

I also found it a little predictable, but there were still some surprises and a wonderful happy ending.

Simply put, this is a delightful tale of sacrifice, adventure and love.

In a land ravaged by extreme weather, hunger and war through the wrath of the Sea God, our story begins rather dramatically with main character Mina sacrificing herself to the ocean in place of her brother’s beloved. Mina and her people believe that appeasing the Sea God with a new bride each year will eventually find his ‘true bride’ and save their lands from total ruin.

16 year old Mina is swept down into a beautifully written spiritual world where she encounters all manor of people and creatures in her efforts to save her family back above water and also protect her own heart. All whilst being connected to the mysterious Sea God himself - literally.

This book was honestly a joy to read. It was very lyrical, fantastical and imaginative. I’ve seen lots of reviews comparing this world to Ghibli and I totally agree. The descriptions are vivid and very fairytale like. Axie Oh brings this mythology to life in a wonderful way that had me engaged throughout.

I’d have liked some more depth to Mina’s relationship to the romantic lead in order for this to be a 5 star review however. I felt a lot of the ~feelings appeared out of nowhere and I’d have liked more interactions between the two to fully connect with them together.

I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of Chinese mythology, lyrical prose and vivid YA fantasy.

Every year a girl is sent to the sea in the hope that she will be the true bride of the Sea god and finally the storms and flood will come at rest. This year it was Shim Cheong’s turn, but seeing the hesitation in her Mina decided to jump instead.

The world building was just absolutely dream-like and heavenly and I absolutely loved it cause it reminded me of Studio Ghibli’s Spirited away (yes this is a sign you should read it. The realm is filled with spirits, gods, mythical creatures and even demons. The book is inspired by Korean legends and folktales like The Tale of Shim Cheong.

Also, it’s a book i finished in less than 12 hours, hence *screams cause amazing book*. The writing was perfect for me, not too hard to understand yet making you go in deep dives of emotional thoughts. The pace was good and the book started right off with engaging scenes so you never felt that the book was slow.

Now the spirit realm is definitely not suited for mortals but our amazingly brave Mina survived and fought to save her village.
Mina was just so incredible, from the start of the book she is headstrong and bold, even if she was in a strange place from her stories she held her ground.
Shin was well, dramatic, charming and mysterious and you just can’t help be intrigued by him and then just *falls in love with him*. Even though at first I didn’t like him much because of his certain actions but it’s okay I forgive him.
Even though the romance at certain times feels very rushed but the chemistry was just so amazing. (cause i literally fell reading a cute scene so believe me).
The book also had some amazing side characters that I can’t wait for everyone to read about.
Especially Namgi and Kirin because they just jsvnjkasjdbvjsa are perfection.

Now the best part of the book, the ending. IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING SO NOW MY HEART HAS COMPLETELY HEALED. Thank you so much Axie for giving them such a beautiful ending.

Thank you netgalley and hodder & stoughton for providing me an arc

This is the kind of book that crawls its way into your heart with no hope of ever leaving - I ADORED IT! From the whimsical setting, engaging plot, whimsical writing to the characters bound to steal your heart and the swoon-worthy and angst-filled romance, I loved every single moment of it. There is a special place in my heart for heroines that are tired and angry at their prospects (or lack thereof) and willing to risk it all, and that's just Mina is. I cannot recommend this enough!

Stunning retelling. It really grabbed me and took me into the mythological world of gods, dragons and spirits. Axie Oh created such a heartwarming, sometimes, shattering tale that reminded me so much of the stories and films I loved as a kid. There’s romance, danger, family throughout. It’s a mesmerising read and I recommend it to all. Thank you to the publisher for the chance to review this magical ARC.

I was instantly drawn to this book because of the absolutely beautiful cover and the story is just as beautiful. This story takes place under the sea in the spirit realm and Mina has to try to end the curse that is not only causing destruction to her home but also in the spirit realm.

This book is magical and enchanting and honestly I was not expecting the story to be like this but I ended up loving it anyways. I love the world we get to see and how the culture and traditions are shown in the story and how those in power may not be the right people for the job and then there are others who would sacrifice everything to help those around them.

I loved all the characters and especially Mina. She is brave and kind and caring and smart. She does not stop doing what is right because it is difficult or because she is scared. She makes the sacrifices again and again to save and help those she loves. She is also reckless at times and often putting herself in danger but is helped by her friends that she makes in the spirit realm. I just really loved her and the relationships she builds with others. Her love for her brother, so that he isn’t separated from the woman he loves, she takes her place instead and that alone is a huge sacrifice and yet she continues to be caring and kind and helping others even putting her life at risk for them. It doesn’t make her bitter and angry and I really loved seeing that.

Shin was a bit more of a mysterious character and it took me a little longer to warm up to him but by the end when we learn more about him I loved him too. I loved his friendships and how he protects everyone. I think my main issue with the book is that the romance felt a little rushed and I wasn’t completely sold on how suddenly they developed these feelings for each other but I was rooting for them by the end.

I loved the discussions around fate and whether we can change the fate that others decide for us and I loved seeing the women who were sent as brides before given more thought. Mina thinks about how they didn’t have a choice and whether they wanted this for themselves. She also has a huge decision to make in this story, whether she will tie her fate to the sea god or follow her heart. And I really loved going on this journey with her.

This book is whimsical and beautifully written and I highly recommend everyone read it!

When I heard Spirited Away was an influence for The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea, I *knew* I needed to read it. I'm also fascinated by folklore, fairytales and fables, so this seemed like the perfect fit for me.

Right from the first pages, you're thrown right into the action and a beautifully imagined world woven with magic and mystery. The descriptions in this book are SO good and make it easy to imagine magical realm of Gods and monsters.

I also really enjoyed the easy interactions between the characters and there weren't any that felt unlikeable or under developed.

I've never read anything by Axie Oh before, but I'm very keen to read more now. Her writing is wonderfully vivid, rich and infused with magic.

So far, so good. So, why does it only get 4 stars? My only issue with this book is the pacing. So much just felt too convenient and easily gained. I also felt like the romance was a little rushed. But that could just be my personal preference for a steamy slow burn. If you're looking for steamy, this isn't the book for you. The romance is sweet and gentle and perfectly pitched towards a younger YA audience.

“Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe.”

This story was lovely! Korean mythology, a brave girl who wants to save her family and the world she knows and loves, spirits, wishes and… a dragon!

I usually dislike whenever a book is written in the present tense and with a first person narrator, but this novel was so incredibly well developed that I enjoyed every single sentence. It took me so little to read and I’d love to read even more about Mina and her story!

Mina's land has been cursed with bad weather for generations. To try and appease the Sea God, they sacrifice a beautiful maiden to his lands once every year in the hope one will become his true bride and end the storms plaguing their lands. This year, Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village has been chosen as the sacrifice, but she also happens to be Mina's brothers beloved. In an attempt to save her brothers heart, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong's stead. She finds herself in the spirit land, where the Sea God is under a curse, one she is determined to break. The one thing Mina doesn't have is time, with only a month in the Spirit realm until she becomes one herself, Mina has to rely on her strange group of helpers, the most mysterious of which is Shin, the boy whose job is to protect the Sea God at all costs. But there are those who would see the Sea God stay as he is, and Mina will soon have to choose between her heart and the lives of the people she loves.

I think it's safe to say I absolutely adored this book, and a large reason for that were the stand out characters that Oh creates. Mina is so unbelievably headstrong and determined, she never falters in her belief of the Gods, even when faced with their true selves in the spirit lands. She knows she isn't the prettiest, or the most graceful, but her determination will serve her better than either of those when it comes to her task. She goes on both an emotional and spiritual journey throughout this book and I just couldn't help but relate to her ensuring her grief became my grief, her love became my love. She wants nothing more than to free the Sea God and save the lives of her family and, even when that task puts her at odds with her own happiness, she never wavers in her resolve to see things though.

The side characters in this story are all amazingly developed and I fell in love with every single one. Though Mina spends the majority of the book in the Spirit Realm we learn about her family through stories and memories, making it easy for us to understand why she loves them so much, and why she would risk her life to save her brothers heart. But my favourite characters were those that lived in the Spirit Realm. Some spirits, some mythological creatures and others Gods, they all have a pivotal part to play in Mina's story. I especially loved how the author used certain characters identities as a plot device later in the book, one that had me an emotional wreck. Whether they are friend, or foe they all make an impact of some sort on the story and I loved meeting every single one of them.

I'm sure by now you all know how much I love mythology and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea has it in heaps. Based around Korean mythology and loosely based on the Tale of Shim Ch'ŏng, Oh effortlessly drags us into her spirit world filled with all sorts of mythological beings. I especially loved seeing the politics between all the different Gods and houses that rule in the Spirit Realm. Oh really shows us that 'higher beings' aren't all that different from us mortals with their political machinations and grudges that can last centuries. Thanks to Oh's descriptive and lush writing style the story moves at break neck pace, but as we as the reader never feel rushed, rather we are transported to the spirit realm, slowly watching the story unfold.

Belief plays a large part in this story and some of my favourite scenes were when Mina's belief in the God's was tested. It would have been incredibly easy for her to enter this spirit world, see how the Gods live while her world is dying above them, and become jaded and despondent. But Mina doesn't get sad, she gets angry. Her belief, her determination that the Gods truly do love humans and want them to live happy and long lives is one of the main factors in saving the world above, and I loved seeing her never waver, even in the face of cruel and indifferent God's. She believed, she trusted that the stories her grandmother told her was true, and without that she wouldn't have survived, let alone break the curse.

The romance in this book was quite strange. Not in a bad way, but our two main characters manage to fall in love with minimal interaction and, while with some other authors, this would have instantly put me off, Oh manages to make it seem less like insta love, and more like two people who are fated to be finally finding each other. A lot of authors, when writing a stand alone, tend to make the romance a large part of the plot, but with The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, It's a slow progression. They have very few scenes where we get to see them in any kind of intimate setting, and I'm not talking about sex, but rather the little intimacies of relationships, the glances and touches. It could easily be described as an enemies to lovers romance, because they do not start off on the best of terms, but Oh writes it as if they were fated together, and it's so beautiful getting what little glimpses into their relationship we can and seeing it progress.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is one of the most beautiful and effortless stand-alone's I've read in a long time. Oh manages to weave a trilogy worth of story into one book without it seeming rushed, or like we have missed anything. I loved everything from the setting, the mythology and the characters, and can see Oh becoming a new favourite author of mine.

I’m a fickle girl and I have to confess the cover for The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is what immediately drew me into this sorry, it’s beautiful, exciting and charming - and a perfect reflection for this story.

The story starts with Mina hiding on a boat as the latest girl is sent to be sacrificed to the Sea God. Floods and war ravaged Mina’s homeland and the only way to appease the Sea God is to give him a bride - the most beautiful girl - who must jump into the sea and be taken down as an offering. This year however the bride is Shim Cheong, the great love of Mina’s brother and she can’t bear to see them parted - instead Mina sacrifices herself and enters the Spirit Realm, a magical city of gods and creatures to try stop this cycle repeating.

The real heart of this book is the world building, it’s stunning and coloured so vividly in your head and is woven so seamlessly with myths and culture and fairytales. You’re taken somewhere special with this one, the perfect book for an escape. There is such a diverse range of characters, each with their own story. I’ll admit Mina took a little while to grow on me, she’s brave and defiant but initially comes across quite reckless, but then everything just clicked and I loved her :) Shin though I loved from the start and I adored going on his journey with him.
The writing is also really easy to follow and dive into (no pun), you really can just cuddle up and get lost in these pages. This has love and adventure but also covers the themes of family, sacrifice, honour and ancestry, all in this beautiful fairytale.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review, I adored this.

This book was one of my most anticipated of 2022, and it completely delivered. I love it! I'm pretty new to the fantasy genre (guilty of being a #contemporary lit fiction gal) but I'm so glad I jumped in. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was a beautifully written tale of family, love, and loss. I did tear up at some parts! Truly wonderful. I wish we got to see more of Joon & Mina as their relationship was so powerful, but I loved this book regardless.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a fantasy story that retells the story of the Korean folktale The Tale of Shim Cheong. Mina lives in a town where a girl is sacrificed every year as a bride to the sea god in hopes of breaking the curse and stopping the storms that plague the land.

Ever since I discovered Korean music, krama’s and folklore I have loved stories inspired by them and when I discovered this gem, it immediately rose on my anticipated releases list for 2022! Getting approved for an eARC ahead of its release made me that much more excited to start reading this book. Also knowing another anticipated release was coming this week I wanted to finish reading Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea before haha.

Starting the story, you immediately dive into the world and I really enjoy this sort of start in stories. It doesn’t start of slow or that you need time to connect to the story. I found myself immediately connecting to Mina, since we both seemed to be in the same situation where we were thrown (literally) into the deep.

The story is written very easily with an easy-to-follow plotline and a writing style which seems to flow around the pages. The world-building as well was written in a way that was really understandable and I could picture the world Axie Oh was trying to build. I did miss a bit of details here and there. If a bit more attention to detail was given to the world, clothing and surroundings, I think the story would’ve stood out to me a bit more and the world would seem more beautiful than it already came across as. I feel like the world could’ve been much bigger than it was now. The same with the different spirits, houses and gods which could’ve been mentioned.

Mina is a rather young girl, but she came across as quite mature, which I liked. As I am getting older myself, I find myself enjoying “older” characters a bit more, but in a fantasy setting being “younger” often isn’t really noticeable. As Mina is sixteen, those traits teenagers have could be added, but the level of maturity she shows in the events that happen really show what a strong and confident character she is, one I was rooting for from the very first page.

I also really liked the stories Mina told in this book, the little folklore she tells and the message behind them really were a nicely added touch to the plot and story. The plot itself was a bit predictable, but still I really liked how the story played out. Some parts still took me by surprise, but some things I thought would happen did.

I also believe some parts of the story could’ve been paced a little bit better. right from the get go, you are thrown into the deep and the pacing is quite fast, but I think it would’ve suited the story better if some parts were slowed down a bit. Some parts I had to reread to really grasp and understand what was happening, which may be due to the pacing being so fast.

One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was how much of the aftermath was shown. Most of the times an epilogue is written of a few pages and the most burning questions get answered. I liked how that wasn’t the case in this story, how that part was shown more of.

Overall, I really liked this retelling. The story really flows and is very easy to follow, with a magical world build and an amazing main character.

This was such a beautiful and mesmerizing book! I couldn't put it down and it really made me feel like I was there with Mina, in the Sea God's realm, trying to save her family and her people. The writing style was really beautiful, the word flowing effortlessly.

This is my second book from Axie Oh and again here, her prose is exquisite, with a very gentle vibe all-around. I really like "The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea" because of that and its Korean-inspired folklore and its fairytale like plot. Its comparison to Spirited Away is very well-deserved. Like XOXO though, the main character, despite all of her great qualities, lacks a little bit of depth and the resolution of each of her problems does a bit of a disservice to the plot at times. I personally could have done without the romantic undertones here, which I found to be the biggest weakness of the story. However, it's a very lovely book, perfect for escapism. Honourable mention to that stunning book cover.

This was a lovely, fairytale like story, though I thought it moved a little fast- I would have liked to have more time with Mina and seen more of her relationship with the Sea God, though- some of the choices she makes at the climax would have landed better, I think, if we'd seen them together more.

On the whole, though, I really enjoyed reading this and was especially entranced by the way the book deals themes like family and non-romantic love (one particular revelation made me more than a little misty!)-and that is where the book's real strength lies. I reccomend it!

I am drawn to books that are myth retelling, so I was interested in reading this book which is based on the Korean folktale, The Tale of Shim Cheong, although the beautiful cover initially led me to read the blurb.

The author has a beautiful, lyrical writing style, which fits perfectly with a myth-inspired theme. The book is a story of love, family, destiny, forgiveness, sacrifice and grief. It takes a little while to get going, but it is worth persevering with, because it is a fantastic book.

The characters are so well crafted, I became completely wrapped up in their lives and they remained in my heart and mind when the book ended. Mina is a true hero and I loved her. The Gods, dragons and spirits were fabulous, I mean this book just has everything a character driven reader could want, as well as everything a plot driven reader could want, because there is myth, adventure and romance.

The settings are beautiful and I was quite literally swept away.

Have just pre-ordered the hardback with the stunningly beautiful cover.

Than k you to the author, Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for an ARC in return for a honest review.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a breath of fresh air. It had everything that I love in a fantasy book: family, love, myth, gods and so much more. What I loved most about this book were the characters. Mina, the protagonist, had so much love in her heart and she just wanted to what was best for everyone. She was brave and kind, truly everything you'd want in a protagonist. Alongside Mina was an amazing cast of side characters, each who had interesting and wonderful relationships with Mina and one another. Shin, Kirin and Namgi were the best trio of friends, they had a great connection and humour with one another yet were also serious about their duties and loyal. We also got to see three spirits too: Mask, Dai and Miki who were equally fun and kind as they helped Mina reach her end goal, and their storyline was wrapped up in a sweet reveal towards the end. I would read this book ten times over just for the characters.

The world Oh created was just beautiful. I loved the mythology and gods, especially how they were used to challenge people's beliefs which then allowed them to grow as people and reveal that much more about their character. It was a delight. The Korean mythology was incredibly interesting and I will certainly read more on it as I want to know more--I hope Oh writes more myth-inspired books! I also loved the inclusion of Mina using storytelling as a means of furthering the plot and other sub-plots as it led to some great pay-offs. My only quip with the world was the lack of description as it would've made the world more lush and rich.

The pacing of this book was perfect too, nothing was glossed over too quickly and nothing was too long. Selfishly, I wish this book was longer as I did not want to part with the characters. As for the writing, I loved it. I highlighted so many passages and added many notes as there were so many beautiful and emotional lines that I will constantly re-read. The writing flowed super nicely and was easy to read which aided the nice pacing of the book.

I highly recommend pre-ordering this book as it is the perfect book when you are looking for an escape that has great characters, a fun plot and a sweet romantic sub-plot! A new favourite for sure.

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.

The story has an easy to follow plot. The atmosphere was perfect for the setting. I enjoyed the direction the plot took. There is a bit of a mystery surrounding the Sea God and his world. This was the main interest for me and I found the ending great. The world building is another huge positive: the Gods, the spirits, the mythological creatures, the stories - everything was fascinating.

The characters are not mind-blowing, but I enjoyed following them around and discovering new things. Mina as a main character is great. I love her determination, there was not a single moment when she was giving up - you follow her line of thought and how she always comes with new ideas or balances different ideas and takes the decision that she thinks is right. It was great to follow her point of view. The romance was not my all time favorite, but I am glad it wasn't just an insta-love.

I highly recommend this book. It was a wonderful experience!