First, thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC.
To me it was somewhat a mixed bag. However, I'd like to point out that I'm reading lots of romantasy these days and somewhat in a slump, so this is definitely a factor.
The world and the concept I found out to be very unique and the found family in the beginning when we meet Ren was truly great and heartwarming. There were a few nice surprises and twists as well.
I feel I am a bit over YA in general maybe because I felt like there was a general lack of tension and urgency. While the characters were pretty well developed, the connection between them was too swift for my taste and what I usually enjoy. Also, I found the action slowing down and becoming a bit stale and repetitive as time went on.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed going back to more fantasy plot and I feel people that are more into traditional fantasy would appreciate it more.

Oof. Nope.

I had a hard time with this. Actually, I think my problem is that I have a hard time with Axie Oh. I already hated The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, a novel that has met pretty much mostly universal acclaim. So I thought, let's give it another chance, maybe it was a fluke, or maybe I'm the weird one, but ... yeah, this one didn't work out, either.

Plot, right? Books usually have one? I'm sure this one did, too, but it was the barest impression of one. Like a teabag steeped for only ten seconds, it left behind almost no impact. Sure, there is some external motivation by having the protagonist look for a cure for her poisoned uncle, but it felt more like a gentle suggestion for the ultimate goal of ... getting the two main characters to travel together.

Travel novels can be tricky. Very rarely are they engaging, actually, in my unfortunate opinion. To complement that constantly changing background, with no place being stayed in long enough for world building to take place, you need strong characters. And Ren and Sunho are the opposite of strong characters.

Ren, introduced to us as a performer and later revealed to be <spoiler>the princess of the titular Floating World</spoiler>, is marked by having absolutely no personality. We are constantly told she IS something, she IS this super important person, but her soul is as about as pale and lifeless as a character in a novel can get. I can tell you nothing about her. She likes performing, I suppose? She doesn't want to think about her past? She likes her uncles and aunt????? That's what Ren is: absolutely nothing, in a pretty shell. BUT, of course, she is the most specialest and most wonderfullest person ever!!!11!1 She has light powers! And ... (looks at smudged writing on hand) ... has ... wings? But only if she needs them! Also she's mind-numbingly beautiful. It sure numbed my mind when I read about her.

Her male counterpart is Sunho, who has one personality trait: SWORD. That's it. I suppose he wants to find his brother, but even that is weird, because he has no memories of his childhood, and can only remember the last two years! Amazing.
I cannot stress this enough. Sunho is literally a blank space. A completely empty caricature of a character, made solely so you can project your dream book boyfriend onto him.

Of course, once the two meet up and team up in some sort of weird arrangement that clearly makes no real sense but has to happen for nondescript plot reasons, there commences the #instalove. They travel together for like two days before they start imagining their respective counterpart's lips and ... chests? ... in excrutiating detail. They don't know each other! Sunho doesn't even know what Ren looks like, 'cause she's wearing a mask! She even gave him a fake name! They are complete strangers! They are hopelessly and irrevocably in love with each other! AFTER TWO DAYS!

Another thing that irked me immensely is how deep-to-the-bone GOOD these characters are. They drop everything immediately to help someone, all the time. Even the "criminals" we meet have the strongest moral compass one could possibly have. There's honor among thieves, sure, but these thieves have NOTHING BUT honor. There's not a single bit of dicey motivation or even a flaw in their ridiculous personalities in sight! I'm sorry, but that makes for very boring characters.

The world building, too, was basically non-existent. Oh, there's a floating world, and an underworld, and ... the normal world?? No place was fleshed out deep enough to matter, or even ... described. Like, at all. What do the buildings look like? How does the government system work? What is the political situation like after the events of Ren's past? I need answers. Alas, I'm not gonna find them in this book.

Okay. TL-DR:
Hated it. I'm now convinced that I will never touch a book by Axie Oh again.

I absolutely loved this book. When I got sucked into it, I found it impossible to put down. I can't wait to read book 2 and find out what happens to Ren and Sunho! It was a great combination of action, adventure, romantic love, platonic love and familial relationships. Honestly, this book had it all. Highly recommend.

Hey Bookwyrms👋🏻🐉

First off I want to say a huge thank you to @netgalley and @hodderbooks / @hodderstoughton for approving my e-arc request, because oh boy I loved this!!😍

I was so excited to hear about this coming out after LOVING The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea!!🙌🏻

I loved the world in this one: it seemed familiar and yet unique, and, while the world felt huge, the plot and characters felt so close and detailed🫶🏻

I really enjoyed the multi-POV and the way both Ren and Sunho navigated learning to trust each other🥺🙌🏻 the plot kept me guessing and gave small ribbons of information that weaved together towards the end which was so satisfying!!🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ but at the same time that cliffhanger was 😭😭😭 (in a good way I promise!!🙏🏻)

I can’t wait to see where @axieoh takes the characters next!!🤩🌟

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"He'd never thought about the future. For so long, he'd been so focused on the past."

I thought this book was good, but not great. In comparison to The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, I feel like this one is quite lacking in terms of chemistry between our two main characters. The thrill of their adventure is great though, I thoroughly enjoy the tragic background story of each of our main character, but I do wish some things are done differently.

This is why I love YA Fantasy, the feeling that as soon as you start reading you are lost in such an immersive and engaging world. Axie Oh's writing is so captivating and easy to understand the creativity is so vivid that it makes everything so easy to visualise.

I loved the setting and how different it felt like anything I've read in a while, the beautiful world building and the creativity in the demons, it was all woven throughout the story perfectly with all the plot twists that we were given as the story progressed. Sunho and Ren were such fun characters and so easy to get attached to and invested in their story. I can't wait for the second book coming later this year.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book before publication, these are my honest thoughts and opinions.

Another sweet, cinematic Studio Ghibli book adjacent contender for Young Adult Fantas

Ren is a is part of a performing troupe with her adoptive family who sets out to find a cure following a demon attack.
Sunho lives in the Under World, an ex-soldier, who has no memories before two years ago except his name and that of his missing brother. He is hired as a sword-for-hire to track down, protect and bring back a girl.

What I like about Axie Oh’s books (apart from the creative world-building, culture, and imagery) is how her protagonists have no wish to get caught up in some grand destiny. They want to go back to boring simple lives.

This is full of heart with a very slow burn, flowery sweet blooming and careful romance.

I liked the comments on capitalism and greed and military coups and power represented by the mining and the idea of conscription and the Floating World.
I wish there was more description and imagery as I couldn’t quite picture the world.

This is definitely on the younger side of YA which meant the plot was fairly simple and predicable, and the characters caricatures.

Ren and Sunho are supposed to be seventeen years, yet read as 12 year olds. This almost made it feel condescending - 17 year olds are not that naive or innocent.

Arc gifted by Hodder and Stoughton.

Overall a fast and fun read.

Reads very much like middle grade book, characters also felt a lot younger to me than even 17. Loved the variation of this myth and where the author took it, I do wish the story leaned more into politics and religion. Romances felt too insta love to me, which I wasn't a fan of.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the arc!

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

My heartfelt thanks to Miss Axie Oh for breaking the vicious cycle of mediocre YA fantasy novels. 'The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea' instantly made me an AO fan because of its gorgeous prose, vivid worldbuilding, fascinating mythology and most importantly, top tier Ghibli vibes! Her second fantasy novel features higher stakes but doesn't let go of all the factors that I just mentioned.

To begin with, Ren and Sunho have my entire heart. I often end up hating romantasy novels because of their over-reliance on tropes and lack of chemistry. It's been ages since I've rooted for a romantic relationship. AO doesn't shove insta-love down her readers' throats only for the protagonists to become bitter enemies by the end of book 1. Ren and Sunho's relationship is heartfelt, authentic, and adorable. It took its sweet time in being developed and the result is stellar. Do I wish it had been an even slower burn? Yes. Did it still win my heart? Definitely. The Floating World has enough romance to satiate the romance fans but also an actual fantasy plot that propels the story forward

The worldbuilding-inspired by the Korean legend of the Woodcutter and the Celestial Maiden-is unlike anything I've seen before. THIS is a perfect example of how authors can show and not tell. Instead of infodumping for pages upon pages, AO lets her readers explore the world for themselves, which in turn lends a lived-in feel to it. It's less Ghibli-esque than TGWFBTS but the vibes are incredible. The secondary characters served an actual purpose. I loved Yurhee and Tag, and Ren's relationship with her adopted family.

My only (minor) critique is that the pacing could've been worked on a bit. It's a lot slower for majority of the book and accelerates a lot after approximately the 70% mark. The pros heavily outweighed the cons with this one and I can easily overlook the minor flaws.

AO rekindled my love for YA fantasy. I've been waiting for this moment since 2024. I'd highly recommend this to fans of fantasy and mythology. I'm so glad the second book is coming out this year itself in October (hopefully I'll get to read it earlier via NetGalley). I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel and see how Ren and Sunho's tale ends!

Reading this feels akin to watching anime. Tbh, it reminded me of Ghibli, which I enjoyed. The premise is intriguing, and I was excited to get started. However, as time went on, I became increasingly bored and found it dull. There was no surprise, and I expected to finish the reading quickly. I struggled to connect with Ren. Ren's chemistry with Sunho also failed to shine through. Every romantic encounter they shared was cringe-worthy. Sunho obscured Ren's main goal, which was also unknown from the start lol sorry.

Many characters arrive, making me dizzy, and the writing is overly narrative in every shift of pov, making me want to DNF, but I finished the book. I don't think I will read the sequel.

What a banger!!!
It was my first Axie Oh book but I was into the story and this magic world so much that I forgot to go to work!
Can’t wait for the sequel!

This world was totally magical!! I loved Oh's style of writing and how she crafted her unique world-building, this was my first book of hers, but definitely won't be the last.

It took me a littttttle while to get into it, but once I was, I couldn't put it down. I loved the found family aspect and how both Ren and Sunho developed as the book unfolded, this was reflected in the dual pov which was just totally perfect for this story. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Axie Oh's books in the future!

I will never get tired of AXIE OH’S beautiful world building, mesmerizing creatures, swoony romance and perfectly crafted characters! Her fantasy world is brimming with new to me lore, beautifully integrating Korean mythology and culture into it.
Just so absolutely enjoyable, kept me turning page after page! Cannot wait for book 2!

Another fantastic book by Axie Oh!
I loved it so much 😍
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is one of my favourite books, so of course I had to read The Floating World! It did not disappoint in the slightest. It has joined TGWFBTS as one of my favourite books, and I think it may even have inched ahead of it.
I feel like there is so much to love with this book, the writing is beautiful, the interactions between characters is brilliant and the chemistry is superb!
I cannot wait for more people to read and enjoy this one 💜

I read 'The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea' a few months ago and absolutely loved it. Therefore, I was really excited for this new Axie Oh's release!

Overall, I liked the concept of the novel. The world created by the author is original, though at times not entirely clear to me—this was my first time discovering the "floating world," and maybe my lack of knowledge made me struggle to grasp all its nuances. However, I appreciated how well the characters were crafted, each with their own personality and role to play. I was also pleasantly surprised that the story didn't just follow two perspectives.

That being said, I found myself not fully captivated by the plot. I found that this first book contains quite a few narrative conveniences and plot holes, which made me lose interest as I read. Additionally, the world-building and character backstories often felt like info-dumping, with details concerning characters, which I found essential, arriving a bit late in the plot.

On the positive side, I really enjoyed the character interactions. Even though their connection developed quite quickly, I liked the relationship between Ren and Sunho and the found family trope through Ren's story.

Finally, I think this story just wasn't for me, and I don’t plan to read the sequel. However, I will gladly buy the author's future books, as I still appreciate her imagination.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

So, this was fine? I like TFW better than Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea at least. I can see the vision; I do think the concepts of the Floating World where the elites live and the Under World where the lower classes reside in offer something interesting to explore. But ultimately, this novel as a whole just didn't click with me, like something was missing.

Ren, the main heroine, started on a Quest to find an antidote to cure her poisoned Little Uncle, but her journey felt like she was winging it (pun intended, iykyk) most of the time. Her only plan was to head in the general direction of where the demon that attacked her family came from, and if she was lucky, MAYBE she'd find something useful.

Given that this was inspired by Final Fantasy, Sunho the other protagonist is essentially Cloud Strife - he's an amnesiac former soldier who can only remember an older male figure close to him (his brother Junho in this case) and oh, he also carries a sword. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, if not for the fact that Cloud really isn't the most interesting character to me. And it carries over with Sunho's character. That said, his growing friendship (and ultimately romance) was pretty sweet. And ... I guess that's it. I felt like there could be MORE heartwarming moments that could win me over this romance instead of just close proximity of two people travelling together. Like it was fine, but fine isn't what you want a romance to be.

The Robin Hood-esque thieves Yurhee & Tag were probably my favourite characters in here, and the little we see of them don't disapppoint. Jaeil, the son of the tyrannical general who wants to break free of his father's control, definitely wins the award of Character With The Most Potential To Be Interesting But Falls Flat. He had all the set up to deliver good angst and didn't really do enough.

The novel's final 10% introduces Ren & Sunho's next challenge and all sorts of political upheavals for the former to handle. But I don't think I care enough about these characters to see how it goes. I can see TFW to be a potential hot new YA fave though, even if it didn't work as well for me.

I loved The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, and I was eager to dive back into Axie Oh's writing. However, I must admit that I was rather disappointed by this novel. The world-building was too incomplete, it lacked a lot of information to grasp the universe and immerse myself in it fully. The idea of ​​a floating world is original and promising, but the execution left something to be desired, and I had a lot of trouble understanding how everything worked. I was missing key elements to understand the world or even the plot itself. That said, I liked the characters and their romance. There was real honesty and sweetness between them, even if the love story moved too quickly for my taste. On the other hand, I found myself disappointed that Ren, the main character, never seemed to have a plan for what she was trying to do. She goes in search of a cure to save her uncle, but she never has a clear idea of how to do it. She just fumbles around a bit, hoping to stumble upon the solution by chance, and that's sort of what happens. I was quite intrigued by Jaeil's character from the moment he appeared, but his development left me wanting more. Axie Oh wanted to make him an ambiguous character, but in the end, he becomes inconsistent, always changing his opinions and behavior. He lacked depth.
Other than that, I liked the troupe formed by Ren's family and her performing abilities, but the rest of the story left me wanting more. I find it a shame that her powers were not further exploited throughout the story.

I am incredibly grateful to both NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review The Floating World. Being selected to explore this captivating story before its official release has been such a treat, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it with all of you. A huge thank you to the teams at NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for their generosity and for making this advanced reading experience possible.

I just need to touch on what an honour it has been to read this book. Axie Oh is one of my favourite authors and getting to read a copy of her new book ahead of it being published is just such a dream come through.

The Floating World was such a dream to read. It was fast paced but slowed down at just the right moments and just had things going on left, right and centre.

It was impossible not to fall in love with almost every single character. Ren was just so strong and I found it touching what she was filling to go to for the ones she loves. And as for Sunho, he went through so much personal development and came out all the better for it.

The Floating World is nothing short of being a page turner, I couldn't put it down. Axie Oh really does have a way with words. For context, I am not super into fantasy. Some books I like, some I like a little less but this was perfection. I came across this author through their contemporary young adult novels and just fell in love immediately. I will forever pick up a book if Axie Oh's name is on it.

This book is extremely well written and just keeps you engaged from the very first page. I found the dual point of view really great for this story and you were just waiting for those points of view to start crossing over. Overall, I loved this book so so much!

I do believe that there is a sequel to follow and I cannot wait!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE AXIE AND ALL HER BOOKS !!
the setting was so fun, the pacing incredible and both the main characters had my heart right from the beginning. can't wait for the second book

I was excited to pick up this book, especially after enjoying another book by this author. However, this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The plot had an interesting concept, but it felt a bit lacking in stakes, so everything felt very neat. I wish the story and characters were a bit more fleshed out as they didn’t feel as developed as I would have liked.

Unsure if I’m gonna pick up the sequel.