Mina's country is ravaged by storms and her people send a young bride each year in attempts to appease the Sea God. Mina saves her brother by falling into the sea in the place of his love who was chosen to be sacrificed. She finds herself in the Spirit Realm and discovers that the Sea God is in an enchanted sleep. She makes it her mission to break the curse and stop the storms.

Full of soft lyrical power, the narrative feels like a fairy tale colored by myths and creatures of East Asian culture. It starts by putting us right into the action, showing us Mina's sacrifice. The worldbuilding is exceptional, steeped in intrigue and wonder, presenting descriptions that have you 'floating' in the colorful, vibrant dreamland that is the Spirit Realm.

The POV is so personal and in touch with the protagonist's emotions, a protagonist that is relatable, that you will like and admire from introduction. The evolution of the character comes from all she goes through and an unlikely alliance which I accepted with glee and a smirk. An incredible thought-out plot, there is the curse but also the hunger for power, machinations, conspiracy and betrayal. We are also gifted with loyalty, duty, the desire to do what is right.

Except for the main goal of waking the Sea God, there is no way to predict the direction of the story and that makes it even more exciting. The action is described in a heart-pounding, straightforward manner. Full of beautiful, intelligent sentences philosophizing on life and characters you will grow to adore like Shin who is honorable, fierce and brave, and the trio of Mask, Dai & Miki who I think represent her conscience and her reasoning.

It deals with the existence of soulmates and in extension the existence of a soul. Also with faith, hope and the power of love.

This story played a wonderful melody with my heartstrings, was undeniably entertaining, and had revelations that will make you smile with your soul and bring tears to your eyes (I admit I was bawling). I got so immersed in the world I forgot I was reading! Axie Oh is a master storyteller and I thank her so much for this book.

This was such a magical, well-written story. Perfect for anyone wishing to be transported into a fairytale right from the very first page. The author created such a magical world of her own, the pacing is great and very easy to get through. The characters, friendship and family dynamic with a little bit of romance integrated so well with each other, you just can’t help but be magicked away into the story.

Highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a short fun magical retelling.

Great Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the eArc!

<i>"Your people suffer not because of any great will of the gods, but because of their own violent acts. They wage the wars that burn the forests and fields. They spill the blood that pollutes the rivers and streams. To blame the gods is to blame the land itself. Look upon your reflection to find your enemy."</i>

<i>The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea</i> is a wonderfully written story of Mina, a girl willing to risk everything to save her brother from heartbreak. Once a year a bride is sacrificed to the sea, given over to the Sea God, in the hopes of putting an end to the disastrous events that have plagued the land for the past hundred years - floods, wars, storms, and more. When Mina's brother's partner is chosen as this years bride, she throws herself in the water and sacrifices herself instead, with no idea if this will work, as she was not <i>chosen</i>. What concludes is a lovely story of friendship, family, sacrifices and of course, love. Mina has to band together with the beings she meets beneath the sea to to save not only her soul, but also the Sea God and her human world above.

I don't know a lot about Spirited Away so can't speak on the similarities, and I'm not sure how heavy the influence is, but it made no difference to my enjoyment of this. I did find it very easy to figure out the plot twists, and the insta-love was difficult (not just of the love interest, but friendships too). I would have loved to have seen this fleshed out a bit more, a couple hundred extra pages, to really get <i>into</i> the story and learn more about the world under the sea. This was such a quick, easy read which made it difficult to really love the characters as you don't get to know them very well.

Regardless, it definitely achieved the ethereal magic of a retelling, and I enjoyed myself the whole way through. Plus, by far the most gorgeous cover I've ever seen?!?!

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an arc in exchange for an honest review.</i>

In The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea, young-adult author Axie Oh reimagines the Korean tale of Shim Cheong with a change of perspective : we follow Mina, the little sister of Shim Cheong’s boyfriend, who decides to sacrifice herself to the sea god in her stead. As weird as it sounds given that the novel starts with Mina jumping into the sea, The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea is a truly uplifting and hopeful book—so very gentle and sentimental, almost whimsical.

When reviewing books, we can never detach ourselves from our personal preferences—whether we want it or not, our reading experience is always influenced by what we personally enjoy best in a story and I always try to take it into account, especially when it comes to arcs. Did I fell in love with The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea? Sadly, no. Do I think that other readers could, however? Absolutely.

So what can you expect in this story?

- The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea reads like a love letter to storytellers : indeed tales and their role in shaping the world are given the central place they deserve and I really appreciated all the Korean folklore and myths Axie Oh incorporated in her story. It was fascinating and truly enchanting.

- The characters are very likeable, starting with Mina, whose need to protect her family and community is really moving. If the importance of family bonds is a central theme, this story also looks at the relationships we build throughout our lives and I loved that both were given the place they’re due.

- The romance is very sweet and so tender. There was a moment when it lost me a little bit towards the end, and it did feel a bit rushed at times, but I still couldn’t help but root for them and I would have adored it as a teen.

- The writing is beautiful and has the dreamlike quality we often find in fairy-tales retellings. I personally prefer darker ones and this kind of uplifting stories often lose my interest because for me, they lack the tension I need to truly immerse myself in a story, and that’s what happened here, sadly. As I said however, this is very much a me thing so if it sounds like a kind of story you would enjoy, I recommend you try it!

- The plot is interesting but meanders a bit too much at times. I also wish a few events didn’t feel quite so convenient : the strings were too obvious sometimes and I can’t deny that it tampered my enjoyment a little. The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea also relies on twists and turns that I believe can truly change your experience. I guessed everything early on, so it didn’t work for me, but I’m also an adult who’s avidly read countless books over the years, and not the target audience.

Overall, The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea is a charming retelling and I would definitely recommend it to teen readers—and please don’t think that I’m making a value judgment here : writing good young-adult novels is hard, and even though this particular kind is ultimately not my favorite, it does not mean that I can’t recognize its qualities. My personal rating hovers around 3.5 stars, but I liked it enough to round it up to 4 stars.

Such a powerful story but I felt I wasn’t connected enough with Mina. 💗 SHIN is a new husband for me.
Still It’s a beautiful story ! Thank you again for the arc and I can’t wait to see other work from the author.

<b> Do you know how much I love you... Even I don't know </b>

This book is almost unbearably perfect. It's beautiful in concept and execution and I feel lucky that I've read it. I will definitely be returning one day.

I appreciate this was a fairly short book, I do think some depth was sacrificed. Some parts dragged, while others felt a little rushed. I loved the magical nature of the story but wish the characters had been fleshed out a little more. The romance in particular fell flat to me. That said there were a few moments, specifically to do with Mina’s ancestors, that were very poignant and emotional.

This was an enjoyable read but it’s only been a few days and is already slipping from my memory. I’d still recommend to anyone looking for a whimsical YA fantasy.

The award for prettiest book cover of 2022 is definitely going to The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. But it's going to be competing for my favourite fantasy book of the year too. I adored this novel and didn't want it to end.

Every year, a girl is sacrificed to the sea to appease the angry god beneath its waves. This year's bride is Shim Cheong, the girl Mina's brother is in love with. Unable to bare her brother's grief - or risk him doing something foolish to save her - Mina offers herself to the waves instead. Can she be the bride to finally end the curse on her kingdom and restore the gods' goodwill to humanity? Or does the red ribbon of fate have other plans for her?

The world building and mythology are superb. I loved the Sea God's kingdom, the court politics, the beasts. Everything about this novel was exquisitely done.

There was also a great cast of characters. Mina was a strong protagonist who was always willing to fight for what she believed to be right and put others above herself. I loved the spirits (who gave me Spirited Away vibes!) Mask, Dai and Miki, and Shin and his friends.

But at the heart of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a romance I was completely swept up in. It's just perfect and ticks all the boxes for what I want from a fantasy romance. There were also plenty of clever plot twists that kept me guessing and turning the page until late at night.

I really enjoyed this feel-good mythological adventure, it’s got a whole lot of heart, several surprises, lots of peril and some romance too. It’s a book about finding yourself, a book about the ties we make to each other, and a book about finding a home. Read this for found family, beautiful imagery, spellbinding mythology and a captivating plot.

This was incredibly sweet.

This is my second Axie Oh’s book and I really enjoy her writing, and how sweet and nice it comes across on the page. Moreover the story was very interesting and I loved the world described! I did predict the reveals, but I still enjoyed their unravelling.

I did find it a little too slow for me at times and I wish we knew more about the gods and goddesses, but this was a really nice book.

Such a beautiful book cover and a gorgeous read! The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was such a fun and enjoyable read, definitely holds up to its Spirited Away pitch!
I loved the characters, and their relationships and the world that Oh has built! Mina was a perfect main character, and I was rooting for her from the beginning! and the ending was *chefs kiss*!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the early copy!

I wasn’t expecting to love this book, as based on the blurb, it wasn’t really my thing. Boy was I wrong!

The characters were so amazing and charismatic, they pulled you in from the start. You will be rooting for them to all get their happy ending.

The way this book was structured was perfect - not too slow, not too rushed, you got all the relevant information at the right time.

The way the author took an old legend and twisted it in a way that makes you believe this may have been what happened originally, but the wrong person received the credit for it, is truly magical. This is what talented writing looks like.

I didn’t see some of the twists coming, which was a nice change and I was truly surprised at times. I loved every minute of reading this book.

I cannot wait to have a wonderful special edition of this book - as long as Fairyloot doesn’t make it a hideous shade of purple.

this book is a wonderfully written fantasy with beautiful characters and excellent world building. the story is fast paced and gets moving right away, and it set in a world that feels so real and accessible even though you’re not familiar with it without feeling like an information overload. i loved Mina’s character and the way her character arc kept you guessing, even if the big twists were a little bit predictable. i also loved the mix of themes of found family, platonic love and romance. all of this book worked together so well, and creates such a magical and heartfelt story.

This is such a fantastic read – I found it to have quite a folky/old school/mythy feel to it, at first it may feel like any generic YA fantasy romance but as the story unfolds it’s apparent , I loved the fact the author kind of fooled me to start with abc then says oh no, this is something a lot more special. The characters are very well-developed and continue to as the story progresses and more is revealed the more you learn about their backstories. I loved the fact it focuses on family as equally as the romance and it is such
a lovely and emotional read. Highly recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book was so magical, beautiful, and amazing! I didn't want to finish it as I didn't want it to be over! It has some brilliant descriptions and great characters. I am so glad I read this book, can't wait for all the fan art now!

I absolutely LOVED this. It was so beautiful, every scene and setting felt like a movie that I could picture so clearly. The plot was relatively simple but so rich and full of heart. It was like being under a spell but willingly!

2.5 stars!

This is a YA fantasy inspired from Korean mythology. In this world every year a girl is sacrificed to the sea god as his bride so that he may stop his wrathful storms that ravage the human lands. Except this year, our MC, Mina jumps into the sea as the bride instead of the intended bride, who is Mina's brother fiancée. The story moves from there as Mina navigates the spirit realm and tries to find a way to break the sea gods curse and also to stop the storms for once and all.

This started out good, I liked the set up of the story and the first half of the book was quite enjoyable as we explore the spirit world with Mina and get to learn the various politics and problems of that world. However, as we move towards the 2nd half, the story started to feel all over the place. There was so much happening in a short amount of time that was neither explained properly nor executed well. A lot of the stuff felt rushed and rather convenient. I never truly felt that there was anything to worry about, despite our characters being in danger time and again.

Mina is a quintessential ya heroine. There was absolutely nothing about her that stood out to me. I liked the theme of familial love in the story but again nothing that was extraordinary. The other characters were okay, they had potential but weren't fleshed out enough. Although, I liked some of the friendships that Mina was able to form, I didn't care for the romance or the faux love triangle. The romance was simply not convincing and it escalated at a speed that just didn't feel believable. There's a villian but once again their motivation isn't explained well or even felt convincing to begin with.

I think this just wasn't the book for me. The cover is very pretty though!

This book was magical, from the first few sentences I was swept away with the mystery and magic. I adored Mina and completely understood all her choices, which we know in the fantasy world is not always a given. Minas' main focus is to help her family and her world, and the respect she gained from me throughout the book was phenomenal. She had some hard choices to make, and with her new friends, she heads in the right direction.

This book was so beautiful and I felt like it was happening on a screen in front of me. It is a take on the little mermaid, but this was so much better (yes I went there). I am so excited to grab a beautifully finished edition when I can.

DNF at 61%

Sadly it wasn't for me. The book lacks characterisation, a plot and complexity. A book cannot survive on vibes alone. Very forgettable.

In The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea we follow Mina, who throws herself into the sea to stop her brothers beloved from sacrificing herself to become the Sea God's bride. The story goes from melancholy and moving to truly uplifting and joyous. It is a beautiful story, the writing is lyrical and whimsical and the author paints such a wonderful picture of the day to day life beneath the sea. I loved this story and it deserves all the praise and hype!

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the chance to read The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea.