Don't choose fate. Let fate choose you.

This book is a gem to read. If you enjoyed Spirited Away you will adore reading this beautiful book. I felt transported throughout.

This traditional tale has been given a feminist edge which is cleverly woven throughout - where was this when I was growing up?

The characters are layered and interesting. Mina, our protagonist, is strong, level-headed and selfless. It's truly a delight to follow her story. Shin and the spirits are well rounded and loveable; they fit into the wonderful setting perfectly.

This book had just the right amount of detail that the lyrical writing created a film within your head without sacrificing pace. The themes were heartwarming and thought-provoking too.

I highly recommend reading this lovely retelling of a Korean legend. It is a delight!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the chance to read this.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Genre: YA fantasy, mythology, retellings

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️

This was the first Axie Oh book I’ve ever read and I had high hopes and she did not disappoint!! This book to put it simply is a literal masterpiece.

From the first chapter you are hooked. Axie Oh had such a beautiful way of writing this book, as the descriptions and imagery was all beautiful but not overwhelming. The world building was done effortlessly and I was literally immersed.

I don’t want to spoil anything but the characters were all so unique and beautifully described and developed. Mina, our protagonist, is fierce and passionate. Axie Oh put so much strength and integrity in her character, that you can’t help but like her.

Every plot twist was perfectly executed and the build-up to the climax literally had me ready to break into so many pieces. I can’t emphasise enough how strong the plot is of this book but it was enchanting.

This book was pain but the best kind. There were times where I was laughing, stressed, screaming, swooning - literally every emotion in the book was experienced and it was 100% justified.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone and cannot wait to read more Axie Oh books in the future!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Axie Oh for this eARC! I will definitely be buying this.

like a romantic fairy tale crossed with the lyrical magic of studio ghibili at its very best. i love orphean stories, the descent into an underworld, and this was just marvelous.

This book wasn't what I expected it to be. I had requested on impulse seeing the cover and when I saw what it was about I was intrigued but for me it didn't live up to the hype unfortunately.

After being really intrigued by this read, I found the lyrical and whimsical style quite hard going initially. This slightly lessens as the novel progresses which is needed in order to progress the story.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and how our understanding of the red string of fate evolved with the relationship between Mina and Shin. There was a lot of intrigue with both characters and the way this plays out is probably my favourite thing about The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea.

This is a book I enjoyed more and more the further I got into it but personally there was just something which didn't quite click for me with this book.

I really tried my hardest to enjoy this book, but for some reason I was lost after the first chapter. I honestly don't think it's right, as I've read XOXO by Axie Oh and utterly loved it. Therefore I'm determined to give this book another chance. However, for now unfortunately I have to write it down as wrong place wrong time.

This book was supposed to feel like a fairytale, but I had problems with pace and lack of depth. I struggled to connect with the story. I honestly just skipped over some parts when reading it last night because I was so bored. It felt like nothing was happening and Mina was just jumping around trying to do something, but actually doing nothing. I liked the aspects of the romance, but because I felt so disconnected from the story, I didn't much care about that either.

I enjoyed this a lot! The comparisons to Spirited Away are bang on, so if you like Spirited Away then you’re sure to like this book too.

The spirit world that Oh built up in this book was vibrant, and was woven together really well. The different spirits and gods work off entirely different moral codes to humans, and have very different priorities to humans, and it was interesting to see how that came together to form a society, to see how that society functions, and to see Mina’s reaction to it all.

Mina was a great main character. She cares about humanity and about her village, and is the kind of person who isn’t going to let an opportunity to make things better just pass her by, but that wasn’t her original goal. Her original goal was to save her family. She’s figuring the rest out as she goes, and this does sometimes lead to some missteps, but I never found myself getting frustrated at any of her actions or decisions. She’s doing her best and her best is great!

The side characters shone so much! Mask, Dai and Miki were such a fun trio, and I wasn’t expecting to love Namgi and Kirin as much as I ended up loving them! Also Nari and Cheong were lovely, and I especially liked how close Cheong and Mina grew over the course of the story.

I adored the themes of love, especially the love between family and friends. The characters all care about each other deeply and it shows, and it made for a really nice and comforting read. The romance between Mina and Shin was heartfelt and I mostly enjoyed reading it. Unfortunately, I thought that their opinion of each other changed from initially disliking each other to loving each other a bit too quickly and without a convincing reason for it to have changed. Once I was in the mindset of ‘oh they like each other now’ it was fine, but it was a bit confusing at first. A few more pages to flesh out their relationship more would’ve made this book perfect.

Overall, this was a beautifully written book with a story and characters that made me very happy while reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone interested, and especially to people who like stories where someone winds up in a world unlike their own as this is a strong entry into the genre.

This is one of my highly anticipated reads for 2022 and I was so happy I got approved for this on Netgalley! I have been reading quite heavy books lately and this came at the right time for me and I really, really enjoyed reading this. Needless to say, I was also drawn to the gorgeous cover!

This story is a retelling of the Sea God’s bride, Shim Cheong. A girl is chosen each year to be the Sea God’s bride to appease his wrath and protect the villages. It is Shim Cheong’s turn this year but she is loved by Mina’s brother. In order to keep the couple together, Mina took her place and throw herself into the sea and that is the beginning of her journey. Tied to the red string of fate, Mina found her way into the Spirit Realm. Mina needs to figure out how to protect her family and keep the Sea God appeased but things are not as easy as it seems. Can Mina come back alive? Who can she trust?

I loved being transported into a different world through the vivid descriptions. I can feel the Studio Ghibli vibes in the story and that really helped me picture the Spirit Realm in my head. There is definitely potential for more world building, like the extension for all the different houses, different gods and mythical creatures in the Spirit Realm. I loved all the characters in the story and how family and loyalty plays an important role for them. I just wished that some of the side characters are developed more. I would have loved to learn more about their backstories.

I grew up with stories of the red strings, the spirit realm and even the stories that Mina shared are quite similar to Chinese folklores as well. I felt nostalgic and it was such a delight to read about them in books. I thought Mina’s journey was quite straightforward at first but there were quite a lot of surprises in the second half of the book which makes the story very exciting. I do wish that Mina’s obstacles were more challenging as it seems that everything is easily resolved.

Overall I still loved the story and recommend you to pick this up! Thank you Netgalley and Hodder&Stoughton for the arc.

This was a refreshing and quick read for me, with the story unravelling at a good pace yet lingering on the details enough to create an interesting setting and characters. I was initially thrown slightly by the way Mina’s story opens as she follows her brother out to sea and decides to dive in to save his beloved. I was expecting a little more backstory, and so I was concerned that I wouldn’t connect with Mina and her quest. I needn’t have worried; there was plenty of mystery (and a dragon!) to keep me engaged as Mina descends into the Spirit Realm and once there her mind unpicked both her current predicaments as well as the past that led her to that point.

Mina is a resolute and strong main character, but she is also full of compassion and hope despite the hard times she has seen during her short life. She prays to the Sea God even after the storms that ravage her village and take a maiden each year, and she still believes in the power of stories when others dismiss them. I really liked that stubborn element because it was never taken to the level of being annoying, but made her the perfect catalyst for the Spirit Realm which has become stagnant in the 100 years since the Sea God fell into his enchanted sleep.

When Mina arrives and follows the Red Ribbon of Fate to the Sea God’s palace, she finds herself intercepted by Shin, a powerful and mysterious young man (we love a brooding young man) who ensures that no chosen Bride remains connected to the Sea God, because it would keep him temporarily mortal and open to threats from rival houses that seek control of the Spirit Realm. Instead of simply accepting things as they are, Mina decides to unravel the mystery and, with the help of a few mischievous spirits and a few mythic creatures, she begins to piece together the past.

The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea was full of whimsy and held the perfect balance between slow, myth-like storytelling and fast-paced action and plot twist. The romance was thrilling, the supporting cast was entertaining, and the world building was full of wonder. And Mina, our heroine, was a delight to spend time with. All in all, this was marvellously escapist.

Sweet YA fantasy based on Korean mythology and folklore. This is YA in terms of the age of the characters but also the content and the way it is written. I think it is written for a much younger audience than I am.

I have mixed feelings about the book overall. It is a good introduction into Korean mythology - the story idea was quite unique and interesting, and I like that it is Own-Voices. However, the world building wasn’t as in-depth as I would have liked and felt disjointed. We meet a lot of characters - spirits and gods. Some of them are well developed like Shin and Namgi (to an extent), as well as Mask and Dai, but the other characters seem very 2-dimensional and flat. I don’t know how true to the original myths she stayed, but the plot meanders a lot as does the pacing of the story.

Whilst interesting, the book just felt a little flat without any real depth. I think it’s because we are told what the characters are thinking and feeling without being shown in any real way. Makes it hard to feel connected to them. It was a nice read but not for me. I think it would really appeal to 12-14 year olds.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

A fairytale-esque reimagining of the Korean classic - The Tale of Shim Cheong, that is just as magical as the books cover.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea tells the story of Mina, who out of love for her brother throws herself into the sea in place of his beloved, Shim Cheong – the girl chosen to be the next sacrificed bride to the Sea God as a means to stop the storms that lay waste to their homeland.

Mina awakens in the Spirit World to find that the Sea God, whom she is now soul-bound to through the Red String of Fate, is actually trapped in an enchanted sleep.
Determined to get to bottom of the curse on her people and to free them from it, Mina with the help of some ancestral spirits, demons and lesser gods sets out to awaken him. However, human souls can only survive in the Spirit World for a limited period so she has time running against her, as well as those who do not want the Sea God to awaken.

Axie Oh's atmospheric writing sinks you straight in to this beautiful story about fate, love and sacrifice.
The fast pacing did make some parts of the story feel a little rushed and I did catch on to some of the twists however, none of that tampered my enjoyment. I was more bothered by the fact that the book wasn’t longer because it’s the type of story that you don’t want to end.

The worldbuilding is an absolute dream - the underwater Spirit World has major Studio Ghibli vibes but the addition of the pantheon of Korean deities and mythology – which is all beautifully woven in to the overarching storyline - makes it all its own!

Mina's selflessness and determination make her an inspiring protagonist that you can’t help but root for and I really loved her compassion for her family and those close to her.

There are great moments of action and adventure, a wonderful group of supporting characters that you won't want to say goodbye to by the end and the central romance is the perfect balance of sweet and angst-ridden it'll have you tied up in its strings too!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars

I had a great time reading "The girl who fell beneath the sea". I loved the mythology/story and I find myself wanting to learn more about Korean folklore! The world building was very good, the characters interesting, even though I would like more growth and the writing was good enough. The pacing was good and I finished the book in two days.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Guys! You need to read this book. One of the best uptil now.

This was a page turner, one sitting and staying up late to read kind of book for me. I enjoyed every bit of reading this brilliantly creative story plus what a beautiful cover.

"Don't chase fate, Mina. Let fate chase you."

I knew I liked Shin from the very first moment. They trio of Shin, Kirin and Namgi stole my heart and they will yours. You just want to know them. Mina is your fierce female protagonist that you can't help but root for.

There are so many characters you can't help but love them for how they turn out to be, their story and the way they are portrayed. This book shares wisdom, family relationships and how we can choose what we want. A different culture to explore with various twists, this story was a natural.

This was my first by Axie Oh and definitely won't be last. What a well woven and intriguing plot, this made it engaging and interesting. The author has beautifully detailed everything so it is easy to understand. I LOVE everything about this book and still thinking about it.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

In a Nutshell: Minority opinion alert! This wasn’t my cup of tea. Sorry. But it just didn’t click with me.

Story:
Mina’s village is ravaged by severe storms since decades. To appease the Sea God, a pretty young girl is thrown in to the sea to serve as his “bride” so that someday, he will choose the right bride and be appeased, thereby ending the calamities. This year, it’s the turn of Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village to be the Sea God’s bride. However, Cheong is in love with Joon, Mina’s beloved older brother. To keep the two lovers united, Mina makes a last minute sacrifice and throws herself into the sea.
Swept away to the Spirit realm by an underwater dragon, Mina is stunned to see that the Sea God is in an enchanted sleep. All she has for company is three strange young men – Shin, Namgi and Kirin – and a few spirits. But whom can she trust and who is out to get her? Will she able to serve her purpose and save her village?
The story is written in the first person perspective of Mina.

Where the book worked for me:
👌 The cover is outstanding. One of the main reasons I requested this book, other than the high praise it has been getting.
👌 The author is a Korean-American, so it is an #OwnVoices story in a way. She does justice to the traditional aspects of the myth.
👌 There is a fair bit of debate on Gods versus humans and the duties and responsibilities of each. I enjoyed this aspect of the plot.
👌 There are some really interesting secondary characters in the book.


Where the book could have worked better for me:
👎Lots of things seemed rushed, and paradoxically, lots of other things seemed dragged out. The pacing is so uneven that I didn’t get into a clear reading rhythm almost till the final quarter.
👎There is a lot of back and forth in the timeline at the start. After a while, I was irritated with the constant mulling over past events while in between a scene in the present. Thankfully, this is mainly in the initial 10% or so.
👎There’s hardly any character development. You get to see what the characters do but you don’t get to KNOW most of the characters. It felt very tough to connect with any of them because there’s just a surface-level exploration of their thoughts and actions.
👎I found the world building quite average. While some parts of the spirit world were outstanding – especially the river of souls, most of it left me feeling like I was gazing at a regular human world with spirits & other creatures instead of people.
👎The story becomes more and more convoluted as it progresses. Hardly anything makes sense and the plot development goes more in the “fit in the jigsaw pieces as and when you see them” approach. Too many coincidences, too many conveniences, hardly any complications or conflicts, some unexplained plot points.
👎There is the mandatory romantic arc but it is quite underdeveloped and rushed.
👎This is supposed to be a feminist retelling of a Korean myth. But the original myth also has a woman taking matters in her own hands, and this book too has the same, though admittedly, at a greater scale. Simply having a one strong lead woman doesn’t make a story feminist when most of her actions are still within the dictates of patriarchy. Mina is a good character but the plot isn’t a one-man show…oops, sorry…one-woman show; there are many strong male characters who have a major role to play in the proceedings. And most of the other female characters are stereotypical. Nope, this is not feminist enough to be called “feminist”.

Basically, the overall writing seemed very amateurish to me. I would have let this go if it were a debut author, but that’s not the case here. The only excuse could be that this is written for the YA age group. Could it be that if I missed out on something because I am not in the target age range for this book (though I did enjoy another YA fantasy just a few weeks back… Huh!) or was it simply a case of bad book timing? Not sure. All I know is, I found this overhyped. But as I said, this is a minority opinion. Quite a few readers have enjoyed this story. So do read other reviews before you make up your mind.


My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Firstly I wanted to thank Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for an e-arc of this book.

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. I think it was in part due to its hype which set my expectations quite high and partly because of the story.

While my knowledge of Korean mythology is very limited it was nice to be able to read about a culture and mythology I wasn't familiar with. And while I understand that it is not the role of the book or the author to educate me on these elements - I did feel quite lost in this new world. You had Gods and Goddesses, mythical creatures and lore that happened with very little explanation of who they were and how they came to be. It made the story feel quite disconnected for me.

While the book is filled with lots of vibrant characters - I did feel their characterisation to be quite surface level. I didn't feel we got enough from our characters either in backstory or motivation. They all seemed to be in the story and the right places quite conveniently.

Lastly, I did also, unfortunately, guess both of the story's biggest twists quite earlier on. I enjoyed what the author was trying to achieve in both scenarios - but she gave enough hints along the way that it felt quite obvious once they appeared.

Overall, I felt the book was a good introduction to early Korean folklore and mythology, and contained lots of accessible and enjoyable tropes and characters. But unfortunately from a story perspective, it simply did not grip me enough to love it. I would, however, recommend it to anyone interested in any of the topics or is looking for a light easy read.

Let me start off by saying that this was such an enjoyable read!

This is a simple, straightforward story about the curse of the Sea God, told in a very captivating manner. All the characters have a specific role in this story and they don't really deviate much from that. The world building is done in a very beautiful way. The whole story reads like a fairytale or a myth.
All of this together makes up for a really enjoyable book.

DO NOT go into this expecting an intricate plot or complex characters. That's not the intent of this story.

If you like - Mythological retellings, Fated Love trope, Chosen Hero trope, Gods and Goddesses, Curses, Dragons and other mythical creatures - then this is the perfect book for you.

This is a book which you can easily binge on over the weekend and you will end up having a good time reading it.

So yeah, definitely pick ut up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Oh's previous book (XOXO) was one of my favourite reads of last year so I was very excited to delve into this book, since I am a huge fantasy fan. The author does an amazing job with this gorgeous Korean mythology inspired world and the culture. This was a beautiful story and also gave me major Studio Ghibli vibes (which I love). I definitely recommend this book as it is truly one that will stick with you.

The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea is a beautifully imagined world with clever creative reimagined storylines.
Many Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overview:
The storms have ravaged the human lands for a while, with Mina’s people believing the Sea god is their protector but has cursed them. To appease him they send a maiden into the sea in the hopes one will please him as his true bride.
When her brother’s secret girlfriend is sent to be the next bride, Mina instead flings herself overboard to save them both, and discovers the land of spirits with the sea god himself trapped in an enchanted sleep.
She cannot live for long in the land of spirits- but can she wake him and bring an end to the storms?

Review:
Plot and World building- It had such an intriguing premise which is one of the main reasons I requested this. Based on Korean folklore and touted as for fans of Spirited Away? Sign me up.
The overall plot was enthralling and engaging, with a never ending gaggle of folklore references and explanations so anyone not familiar with the story can keep up. There is a whole host of characters and mystery to follow and the plot was extremely fast paced in order to run through such a detailed story in quite a short timeframe.
I will be honest there were some places I had to reread to make sure I understood what was happening, and some of the descriptions and language seemed quite basic and not expanded on-but honestly it’s YA, a lot of YA fantasy does this now so I was expecting it. Please bear in mind I had just come from reading a high adult fantasy which is probably why I felt that way. It made me take a while longer than I normally would to read it to be honest, but that’s probably just a specific to me issue.
Now I loved the similarities to the “spirited away” aspect- the land of spirits is beautifully intricate and explained and I loved every second, but the first few chapters in the lead up took me a while to get my head around. Push through- I promise it gets there.

Characters
Mina is a beautifully executed protagonist in her mission and I loved every second of her selfless development. There’s a whole host of side characters in the spirit realm who all compliment her journey and development so well it was a genuine delight to see a larger character cast get such good development alongside the protagonist. .

Final Thoughts,
Beautifully imagined, expertly developed and overall well executed retelling, genuinely recommend for any fellow Spirited Away Fans.

This book gave me such a massive book hangover, one I’ve not had in months. That is a sign of a wonderfully written book for me.

Just like the waves swept our heroine beneath the waves, this is how Mina’s story swept me away as well. Immersed in myth and folklore, we follow Mina, who sacrifices herself for her beloved brother, and she enters the realm of the spirit. I won’t lie, throughout this gave me “Spirited Away” by Miyazaki vibes and it felt I was transported into this dreamy and magical realm. It was truly mesmerising. Oh has the ability to make you fly away with her stories within the story, whilst at the same time convey powerful life lessons about family, love and perseverance.

This has already conquered my heart in the YA fantasy and the effects of this wonderful story will linger for quite some time.

Thank you so very much to @readeatretreat and @hodderscape for gifting me with a la early review copy.