A beautifully crafted fairy tale of a girl who fell beneath the sea to marry the Sea God and save her tribe from the curse and anger inflicted upon them from centuries.

I absolutely loved this book. Its was such a cute and light hearted read that you just feel like the story flows through. The characters are beautifully crafted and the main character Shin just stole my heart. He is adorable and so loving that you will fall is love with him over and over again😄

Also all the other characters are so sweet and the way how the ending was crafted, it just make me read more from the author. Absolutely loving and warm hearted read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Sometimes you don’t find family in your own blood, but elsewhere.”

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh. Published 22 February from @hodderscape @hodderbooks - thank you for my early copy via @NetGalley.

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Don’t chase fate. Let fate chase you.
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TGWFBTS is a feminist retelling of the Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong”, which I’m unfamiliar with and only found this out after finishing the book.

The story follows Mina, who sacrifices herself to the Sea God in the hopes of saving her homeland which has been ravaged by floods, storms & war for generations. The people of Mina’s land believe Shim Cheong - the most beautiful among them is the true bride of the Sea God who will end the curse on their homeland. As Mina watches her brother Joon about to lose his true love be sacrificed to the Sea God, she takes Shim’s place and is swept away to the Spirit Realm. When she arrives, she finds the Sea God has been in an enchanted sleep and must get help from unlikely Spirits and Gods to wake him - but she doesn’t have long…

From the reviews I’ve seen online, this book has been a hit with early readers, but it just wasn’t for me to be honest. Whilst I found the story intriguing, the setting fantastical with good prose, I just didn’t connect with any of the characters or care on the most part. To me, a lot of the major barriers Mina faced were just coincidentally overcame and it felt too easy.

The story is supposed to take place under water, and I just didn’t really get this throughout the book. I know there’s some kind of magic which allows Mina not to drown, but I felt there needed to be more focus on the setting and the atmosphere.

I felt like the final product has been edited down far too much and could’ve done with probably another 100 pages at least to really expand the story.

It’s not a bad book, and will probably be a huge hit with younger-YA fiction lovers, not to mention the cover is worthy of any bookshelf, but I’d probably not recommend this book to anyone not interested in YA books - it’s just a little too PG for my taste considering this is supposed to be a book for YA. I’d almost say it’s more suitable to MG readers?

⭐️⭐️💫

Blurb:

For generations, deadly storms have ravaged Mina's homeland. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curse them with death and despair. To appease him, each year a maiden is thrown into the sea, in the hopes that one day the 'true bride' will be chosen and end the suffering.

Many believe Shim Cheong - Mina's brother's beloved - to be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is sacrificed, Mina's brother follows her, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong's stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina finds the Sea God, trapped in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man and a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits, Mina sets out to wake him and bring an end to the storms once and for all.

But she doesn't have much time: a human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea< is a pretty neat fairytale, which feels like a nice blend between a young adult medium of writing and an Asian folktale.

I will be honest though, I was ready to be swept off of my feet by the atmosphere and the magic and everything because that cover and the description sound SO good. But I think the book failed to deliver on what I was expecting.

You do get a very nice story about faith and devotion to family and friends. The themes that Axie Oh worked into the narrative are beautiful and were my favourite part of the book. And I actually really liked all the groundwork that she did, I just think we needed to spend more time for everything to feel believable and for the reader to get behind the characters and their motivations.

In a way, one would expect to get something similar to Spirited Away (and trust me, it feels VERY familiar and there are a lot of nods to that movie in here--near the end even the use of the literal words 'spirited away'. I see you, Axie Oh. I see what you did and I don't mind.), but what you get is a Disney princess story. Not that there's anything bad with that. It was very PG, and the stakes didn't FEEL very high (even though they were). And there were a lot of plot conveniences happening. There was also what I'd call insta-love that was spread across a period of 2 weeks. Because it's still insta-love. And subjectively speaking, I wish we got to explore and establish all the character relationships because they were adorable and had so much potential!

All in all, a very quick and easy to read story. The prose is nice and the world-building feels atmospheric until the plot starts and then begins to fray and the atmosphere gets lost. But it's not bad. I think the book just needed a little more depth.

Also, my biggest complain is the lack of feeling that most of the book is actually taking place BENEATH the sea!? How could this not have been made to feel more obvious through the explanation of the world is just beyond me and I was slightly disappointed.

A very beautiful storey, woven with proverbs and poetry and conveying a tale... not only from the past, but also relevant to our time.

A storey of a strong will combined with a fiery heart. Not for your own benefit, but for the benefit of others. Knowing that taking a course to help others will deprive you of your personal joy, but nevertheless doing it anyhow.

And recognising that doing what's right can sometimes be the same as following your heart.

Do not miss this fable-like interpretation on a Korean myth, which is sure to resonate deeply with readers!

THIS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL, magical, wonderful and I loved this so much! Please pick this up immediately ❤️Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC!

FIRST 5 star read of the year!
Just how amazing is this book! When I started this The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, I didn't expect to fall in love with it so irrevocably, for this book to tangle itself into the threads of my soul, and for it to leave me so comfortably loved at the end of it. There are lots of books that own my heart, but very few that rest in my soul and Axie Oh's book is the first one that didn't tear me apart to claim its place but it seeped through my skin, into my bones and into everything that I am.

After that proclamation of my undying love for The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, you must be curious about what it is about. It's about familial love so intense that not sacrificing for them leaves a void in you, about gods whose hearts are broken, boys who want to be more than what they are told to be, family who'll watch over you, prayers that are answered and prayers that are not. Above all, it's about a girl who was willing to risk it all for a chance to save her family.

Axie Oh writes like that was all she was born to do. Her writing is suggestive instead of persuasive, letting your imagination fill in the gaps, and Axie Oh really trusts her readers. The novel had the quality of a dreamy fairytale that became folklore. Imagine falling through the sea with Swift's Invisible String playing in the background, with your brother fading as you disappear beneath the surface. I felt that I was there with our protagonist, Mina, every step of the way. This book is a portal to the spirit realm and I won't hear anyone say otherwise.

The characters were incredible! I would die for Kirin and Namgi right now. And the romance that could be in a K Drama! It's SO WELL DONE. All the yearning, heartbreak, pain, and longing looks that made me sing 'the invisible string, tying you to meeeeeeeeeeeeee'. I normally hate the soulmate trope but I hadn't read this book then.

Please preorder this absolute stunner of a novel if you haven't already!

Thank you Netgalley and Hoddder books for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a Korean fairytale retelling about the young girl Mina, whose village has been plagued by violent storms for generations. To appease the Sea God, every year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea as a sacrifice. When her brother's girlfriend is chosen to be the Sea God's bride, Mina takes her place to save her brother from pain. She travels to the Spirit World to find the Sea God, but it turns out he's been cursed to eternal sleep. With the help of mythical beasts and spirits, Mina must break the Sea God's curse to save her village.

Now, this was quite lovely. It definitely gives you whimsical, Studio Ghibli vibes and the descriptions of the Spirit World beneath the sea were simply beautiful. Mina definitely fell more into the Disney Princess category, but I found that very fitting in this type of story. She is above all, kind and brave and compassionate. Seeing her journey through the Spirit Realm was an exciting adventure which kept me turning the page. We meet lots of strange creatures and gods from Korean myths where it's not clear if they're malevolent towards Mina. Among those are Kirin, Namgi and Shin, who try to help her break the Sea God's curse.

Mina's relationship with the boys could have honestly used some more bonding time, especially the romantic relationship. In the end, I did like the connections she formed quite a bit, especially her friendship with Namgi but it would have been more impactful if given more time. Same goes for her relationship with Mask, Dai and Miki.

The descriptions were beautifully written and the author also offered some touching introspection from Mina. However, some of the dialogue, especially banter and comebacks, was written a bit awkwardly. There was one particular scene where Mina was supposed to make really witty comeback and it just made me cringe. The conversations between characters didn't flow naturally and I felt like the book needed some work there.

What I liked was how the author played with our expectations of the Sea God and kept us guessing about what actually happened throughout the book. However, I had problems with the pacing. After finding out the Sea God is actually asleep, Mina loses some of her agency as she doesn't know how to break the curse. In fact, she only learns what to do in the latter half of the book. Up until that point, the plot meanders quite a bit and we are introduced to character after character instead of furthering the story. It would have been better if that chunk of the book had been used to develop the characters.

The themes of family, love and destiny were prevalent throughout the book and nicely developed. The book is based on the classic Korean novel The Tale of Shim Cheong. I found myself enjoying the mythical aspects of the story, like the Dragon King and Imugi, quite a lot and I loved the little stories Mina tells to the Sea God. All in all, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was a lovely, little fairytale and I gave it 3.5 stars.

First off, I loved the imagery and magical descriptions of the spirit world, as well as the incorporation of mythology and how it ties in the changes Axie Oh made to the narrative at the end. It was also easy to read but it just felt a little too young for me. That's just my reading preference, although the main character is supposed to be 16 and she didn't really read like that to me. The characters and romance didn't feel to developed and it was hard to connect to them. I did really enjoy the ending though and it had a satisfying conclusion.

BOOK REVIEW: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

3 Stars

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a nice, sweet read with fairytale vibes and filled with Korean mythology. I enjoyed reading it but unfortunately it didn't excite me as much as I had hoped.

The story is based around Mina, a 16 year old girl who sacrifices herself in place of her brother's girlfriend by jumping into the sea and being transported to an underwater world where gods and spirits live. She believes she is becoming the Sea God's bride to stop the terrible storms that ravage her homeland, however things are not what they seem. I liked the general story, although I found the plot very simplistic with quite a few issues too. The story often felt very rushed and so there wasn't as much detail as I would have liked. That being said, I liked the underwater city and the details we did get were really interesting and imaginative, I just wish there had been more! Too much that happened was also too coincidental and I felt it was sometimes a little of a cop out as it all came too easy and there wasn't that much struggle.

The characters were an interesting array, however as a character lead reader, I struggled to fully connect with any of them on a deep level. My favourites were Mina who I found to be brave and interesting and the character Namgi who added some much needed personality and humour to the story.
The romance was sadly quite lacking for me. I needed more time to be spent between Mina and her love interest and for them to have more personal dialogue so that the romance would have been believable.

Overall, a decent YA fantasy that has lots of potential. There have been many asian mythological retellings released in the last year and sadly for me, this is one of the weaker ones. Saying that, I am still glad I read it as it was a book I liked, even if I didn't love it and I will definitely pick up the author's next book.

Please note that this book was #gifted in exchange for an honest review.

I am not familiar with the original story of Shim Cheong, but if it is anything like this book, it must be beautiful. I really liked the characters and enjoyed the world building (if that’s what you call it in case of a myth?) very much.

As far as I have understood it, in the original myth Shim Cheong is offered to the Sea God as a bride - but in this retelling, Mina sacrifices herself as her brother Joon is in love with Cheong. In the Spirit Realm, Mina finds the Sea God asleep, and the ribbon that ties their souls together is separated. Being able to live in the Spirit Realm among the gods and spirits for only a short amount of time, Mina and her new-found friends - including one mysterious lord - need to quickly find a way to wake the Sea God and bring peace to both realms. But not everyone is on their side…

I absolutely loved the premise of the story, and I think my favourite part about the book is all the different kinds of love it explores. It starts right off with Mina sacrificing herself for her brother’s happiness, and later putting the fate of her people before her own even as she falls in love with Shin. She worships the gods and is kind to the Sea God despite the suffering he causes in the mortal world. And then there is also the friendship between Shin and his friends, and the love between the seemingly mismatched group of spirits that become Mina’s friends.

Because I enjoyed that aspect of the story so much, I was a bit disappointed by how quick especially the romance was developed. I would have so loved to get to know the characters more.

However, the book is quite fast-paced as Mina is running out of time fighting of those Spirit Realm dwellers that do not want the Sea God to awake. It was a very quick read and I didn’t see some of the plot twists coming.

Another thing that I loved about the book was the descriptive writing style and the imagery. The city in the Spirit Realm came alive on the pages and I felt extremely immersed into the story. It was just so beautiful! I only wish I had got more of that. I felt like sometimes I was missing some background information (mostly on Korean mythology itself, which is my own fault I guess) and I would have liked for the pacing to be a little bit slower so that I could have stayed in the story a little longer. But that’s also kind of a good thing, right?

To sum things up, I really enjoyed this book a lot and would love to read any of the author’s other works in the future.

4.5/5 stars.

A kind thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is the lovely fairytale/folklore-like world I'd love to live in. A feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale "The Tale of Shim Cheong", The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a magical book that took my breath away.

I usually don't like books that read like fairytales, but oh my, how much I adored The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea.

Mina is a girl who loves her family deeply, so much that she puts herself at risk in order to secure her brother's happiness. She's clever and resourceful, and she never loses the essence of who she is even the most dire of situations. Axie Oh's characterization is the epitome of perfection. This was the first book I read from her, and her writing blew me away. The way she conveyed Mina's core and heart, Mina's mind really was masterful. I think that Mina is that ideal main character who does the right thing for the right reasons but is not a mindlessly righteous person, either. I loved that balance in her. And her worldview was like a fresh cooling breeze on a sunny day, especially considering how big of a contrast it was to the world--above and beneath the sea.

The characters were so full of life--and broodiness in some cases. Not to give away any spoilers, but this book is so lovely, so mesmerizing that it's really hard to put into words. The characters were like beacons of light in the world beneath the sea, and they were all inherently good but with their own problems and traumas. Different personalities but connected to each other in a way that makes the phrase "ensemble cast" sound mediocre in comparison.

Lord Shin, oh my, how I'd love to meet you and give you a big hug.
Namgi, you were the soul of the book that pulled all my heartstrings. You also need a hug. In fact, you need many hugs.
Kirin, I love how loyal you are, but please, take it easy a little.

The worldbuilding was magical. It was masterfully told, never confusing, never overwhelming, just immersing us into its magic. It was captivating and enthralling. I felt like I was there, together with those beautiful characters.

The plot twists were nice and well done, and even though I had an inkling about something, I wasn't sure where the author was going to take us, and I found myself wondering and getting even more enthralled by the possibilities.

One thing that surprised me was how beautifully and emotionally the author weaved in the messages she wanted to convey. The power of believing in someone, of loving your family, of fighting for a better world, of being a girl in a world that is not easy to be a girl in, the power of transcending from what people think you are and what they expect of you, the power of finding your own rhythm in life; these themes were all there, and they really resonated with me.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is so beautiful that I don't know how to fully describe and convey that beauty. Enthralling. Captivating. Magical. Lovely. Beautiful. Mind-blowing. Are those words enough? I don't know, but they are definitely accurate.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an unforgettable story of what it means to be a woman fighting for her happiness, for her family, for her world, and of what it is that makes a home your home.

A friend mentioned she wanted to read this book, so I thought why not read it myself. Mina is self-sacrificing continuously throughout the story. Putting her family, her friends and even the people who do her wrong first. This was a lovely Sunday Movie story, filled with myths, love, hope and happy endings. I want to ride with dragons and be friends with the spirts in the Spirt Realm.
A lovely book to escape into.

Beneath the sea, the dragon sleeps
What is he dreaming of?

Beneath the sea, the dragon sleeps
When will he wake?

On a dragons pearl, your wish will leap
On a dragons pearl, your wish will leap


5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A beautiful and captivating story of love and family , and how much we are willing to sacrifice for those we love the most.

"Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it is the only way for your soul to breath"


Have you ever had a book suprise you completely?
Have you gone into a book expecting one thing , only to find something so different than you thought you would get? Well this book was that for me 🤷‍♀️ . The cover caught my eye because it is just beautiful, and the blurb sounded interesting enough to make me want to read it!
But what I didn't expect was to be absolutely mesmerised by this beautiful and exquisite story.

Axie Oh's writing is nothing short of perfection, from the very beginning her words consumed me and her attention to every detail made the story come alive, to say I am blown away is an understatement!
Such an amazing world that you can't help but get lost in and characters that will steal your heart over and over again, I never wanted it to end.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea has just secured its place on my all time favourites list and I highly recommend everyone to read this.

"Wait for me, where the land meets the sea" 💖

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Axie Oh is now the queen of the multi genre!!
I loved xoxo Axie’s debut and just as much as that I loved the girl who fell beneath the sea. With its whimsical and fantastical writing we explore a under the spirit world when our main character Mina scarifies herself to go under the sea to become the sea gods next wife and to end the storm that is ravagingn her home town in the mortal world… but all does not go to plan (it’s a fantasy we should expect this by now 😅)
Some trials and tribulations ensue, adventures and exploration starts and we are joined in the process with a eclectic bunch of characters along the way! Especially a moody guy by the name of Shin 😉

Such a awesome fantasy story filled to brim with all the fantasy you could wish for at the tips of your finger and also transferring into your mind too!

This book was so magical and beautifully written. I fell completely in love with the world and the descriptions really helped it come to life. Loved Shin and of course our main character who was determined that she could always do the right thing, even if she was told otherwise or that it wouldn't work.

When a girl sacrifices herself to the Sea God in place of her brother's love, she finds her destiny intertwined with the Spirit Realm of her ancestors. Determined to stop the storms and wars that ravage her village, she sets out to undo the curse that holds her beloved Sea God captive with the help of a mysterious gang of spirits, demons and gods.

This was a really facinating story, full of whimsy and lightheartedness while wrapped up in beautiful imagery and Korean mythology. I've seen comparisons with 'Spirited Away', and the beginning of the story very much has that same tone, with an enchanted market place and eight powerful houses run by demons and spirits with their own agendas under the overall rule of the Sea God It's also just as chaotic too, in the best way, with colourful characters who help guide our protagonist Mina on her quest as she explores the spirit city. I thought the imagery and descriptions in particular were really well done, and I could vividly imagine this world without feeling overwhelmed.

I think where for me personally this let's itself down is in the pacing. It's a bit all over the place, with Mina rushing through her (admittedly limited) time within the spirit realm before the ending is really dragged out unnecessarily. I also thought that we didn't really get to know Mina all that well as a character in her own right. She has all these admirable qualities, patient and virtue and the need to do the right thing, but there was just no depth to her beyond this. Also, her journey always felt a little too easy for me, with answers to problems appearing without too much trouble or explanation (the Goddess of Moon and Memories comes to mind in particular for this - we never really see the reason as to why she's so determined to take down Mina).

That said, I thought this was a really fun read with some facinating secondary character and mythology that shines brightly as a unique introduction into Korean folklore that has me aching to read more. Aside Oh is a talented writer and I'd welcome the chance to read anything else they write in the future.

I took my time reading this charming fantasy novel, and I'm utterly enchanted. It was such a magical read, that really has the same feel to it as Spirited Away, which it's comped to, while also being wholly its own thing, and amazingly so. I do have to say I was less convinced by the romance, and found it all a little rushed. But it was such a beautiful read otherwise.

I have a soft spot for anything that reads like a fairy tale, so I absolutely loved this. And I also cried by eyes out because it is beautifully written.

Every year for the last 100 years, a girl has been sacrificed to the sea in order to appease the Sea God and stop the deadly storms that have been ravaging the land for a century. This year is Shim Cheong's turn to be sacrificed, but Mina takes her place and is swept away to the realm of spirits. There, she finds the Sea God in an enchanted sleep and, in her quest to wake him and save her people, she finds unexpected allies in spirits, beasts of myth and even gods.

This story is about fate and about creating your own; it's about myth and legend; it's about family bonds and making family out of friends. It's just beautiful in every way.

The only thing I missed was seeing more of Mina and the rest of the crew forming those found family bonds. We just sort of skipped to them being close instead of the actual development of relationships. I understand part of the reason is because it's a stand-alone and the space is limited, but I still wanted more of the enemies to lovers, i think i misjudged you and might actually like you now instead of going from 0 to 100 in a few chapters.

A Fast- paced and wonderfully interesting and intriguing plot with a fascinating curse! I really enjoyed this and the whole cast of characters! I really enjoyed how mythology was woven into the plot and filled with lovely writing.

If you love mythology retellings and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, you might want to give this book a try. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a retelling of the Korean Folklore, The Tale of Shim Cheong. The story follows Mina, whose village has been ravaged by deadly storms and wars waged over years. Her people believe that their protector, the Sea God, has cursed them and believe that in order to appease him, they have to sacrifice a beautiful maiden each year in hopes that one of them will be his true bride and end their suffering. The story then follows Mina on her journey in the Spirit Realm after she sacrifices herself to save her brother and his beloved. The twist is that as a human, she is vulnerable and cannot live long in the land of spirits… can she lift the curse before her time is up and can she fight against those who wants to prevent the Sea God from awakening?

This is an enthralling, well-paced read and I loved how folklore stories were being weaved in to enhance the storytelling. Mina is a strong, compassionate protagonist who is protective of her family and the people around her. Shin had a great arc and I thought at how his story was well fleshed out and that it was not what I was expecting at all (must be all the Kdramas I’ve been watching). The side characters were also well developed and they always had me smiling. For those who love the Fated Mates and Found Family trope, this book will definitely warm your heart. If you love Kdramas, it gives me The Legend Of The Blue Sea mixed with The Bride Of Habaek vibes but with a completely different storyline.

This book will be released on 22 February and the covers are extremely gorgeous. I struggled picking between the 2 but I’ve ordered the US version.

A huge thank you to @axieoh , @hodderscape and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.