Sunho, a mercenary who has no memories beyond the past two years, lives in the Under World, a place shrouded in perpetual darkness has been hired for an assignment that offers a substantial reward - look for a girl who possesses a mysterious power of silver light.

Ren, an acrobat who is travelling with her her adoptive family, and has been concealing her magical abilities due to an attempt to her life when she was a child, is living a rather peaceful life until that fateful night where their village got attacked by a demon leading to Ren using her hidden power to help her loved ones., Despite her efforts, Ren’s uncle is severely injured, and, determined to look for a cure, Ren sets off on a journey over the mountains, back to the very place she had to flee from.

As fate would have it, these two people, who can’t be more different with each other, and is hiding a lot of secrets of their own, crosses path and embarks on a journey together where they uncover secrets of their pasts and realize that they somehow have intertwined destinies that could alter the fate of multiple realms.

The Floating World is my very first book by Axie Oh, and her world-building?! The descriptions are not repetitive and are just shown just right, although there are some parts where I got confused with the world’s setting, and the pacing in the first parts is kind of slow, but it’s not really that bad and doesn’t affect my whole enjoyment of the story. But when the story starts to get rolling, that's where I found myself getting immersed in the story and had a hard time putting it down. I got so busy these past few weeks that I had to pause reading the book, but when I picked it up again, it just sucked me right back in.

Ren and Sunho are two compelling characters, they have different personalities when they started and watching their bond and dynamics develop as they traveled together is such a delight, while one character confused and intrigued me because what is his purpose and what are his goals, is he an ally of the two or what because his actions are just all over the place.

That ending, though? I NEED to know what will happen next 😭

The happiest pub day to one of my most anticipated reads of the year!

First, I am wholly convinced that the only correct way of reading this book is to listen to Final Fantasy's soundtrack (the last 20% lined up so well with the Distant Worlds II album, truly chef's kiss). It’s no wonder FF is one of the comp titles. So do yourselves a favor and do that from the very first page, you can thank me later.

Axie Oh crafts incredibly immersive and expansive worlds. This was no news, after reading The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, but what a delight to learn that she can explore grittier, grounded landscapes too! I can’t stress enough how much The Floating World felt like a video game. The mythology, the “quests”, the magic, and the different locations with specific sets of characters all contributed to this experience.

This is a very fast-paced book. At times, I really wanted us to slow down and dig a bit deeper, but I can also admit it fits the audience, and that’s all what matters in the end. Also, for a fast-paced book, the writing works in its favor. I tend to prefer the style used for TGWFBTS, however. And I’d rather have less telling vs. showing here, even if it is to accelerate the plot. But it’s worth pointing out that I read the entirety of the second half in one day, engaged the whole time.

As for the romance, they’re sweet. Felt a little fast to me, but those two are so precious separately and together that I’m not super mad. I want good things for them both, what can I say? Axie Oh does this very well in all her books. You always want the leads to be happy and together. And I’m getting a duology this time, I am truly blessed.

Another compliment must go to the physicality. It was described so simply, yet I could always picture the characters moving in my mind. Very underrated skill, and I must applaud it.

If you read my reviews, you’re probably tired of me saying this, but here goes—the plot was predictable. But I didn’t mind at all! I was here for it, I enjoyed the shenanigans they got up to and the places we visited. I wanted a bit more intent and direction from Ren and Sunho, but they’re still teens, so I’ll let it go. I also wanted the climax to be a bit longer and bigger. She could be saving it up for the finale, however. (Which I need in my hands ASAP, please and thank you. I did not do that pun on purpose, apologies.)

I’m saying this with the biggest and fuzziest love in my heart, because I care a lot about this project and can see the amount of love that was poured into it—I hope this book gets another round of reviews. I found some things that would have bothered me in a published book, but I’m hoping they get cleaned up for the published version.

Oh, before I forget! Gorgeous covers, both of them. I have a soft spot for the US version for enhancing that video game vibe, but I love both.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Axie Oh, and Hodderscape for the chance to read and review this book. I would love to get the arc for the second book if possible. 👀 Promise I already bought a copy of the first and will pre-order the second.

So I absolutely loved The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and when I saw this book paired with a comparison to Final Fantasy, I was sold completely. The Floating World is the first instalment in a new YA romantasy duology reimagining of Korean legend.

What I will say is that Axie Oh has yet again created the most ethereal world - as a very visual reader I always appreciate someone who delivers luscious and vibrant world-building so that I can just dive right on in to those pages.

I absolutely loved the dynamic between the main characters, who are both undergoing very vulnerable and raw personal journeys, so you can see how they develop as individuals, as well as their connection together progresses through the story.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this book as much as TGWFBTS, it took me a hot minute to get into it and felt quite sluggish for a while, however I am wholly intrigued by the ending and this world was so stunning - I will definitely be reading the second book! Thank you endlessly to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for sending me this ARC.

The Floating World is the first book I have read by Axie Oh, and I really wanted to love it. Unfortunately, I struggled through this book. Some parts reminded me of Castle in the Sky, which I enjoyed, and the storyline was easy to follow, but I just didn't feel enough of a connection to the characters. It took me getting 75% of the way through the book to care if Ren and Sunho lived or died, and even then, it was minor.

I'm not sure if it was the writing style or if it was just not the book for me. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars.

This book appears to be the start of a duology and you can consider me INVESTED. I adored reading this so much. I was completely hooked the entire way throughout. There was so much to be entranced by: Ren's mysterious silver light power, Sunho's memory gap, random demon attacks, greedy Generals, and the ending was explosive.

I think that I was a bit put off by some of the political discourse that did not make sense to me as I couldn't quite keep track of who the General wanted to overpower/invade, but aside from this everything else was impeccable.

The romance itself between Ren and Sunho felt karmic and full of delicious tension thanks to the slow burn that Axie Oh depicts.

This truly is a fantasy to remember and I cannot wait to see how everything concludes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4.25 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
The Floating World is a story about two people who are brought together by chance. Ren, an acrobat traveling from village to village, and Ren, an ex-soldier and sword for hire.

“Remember that, Sunho. Even in darkness, there is always lgiht.”

I have been wanting to read this book for a while and was so glad I got the chance to read it a little early! I was intrigued by the prose and wanted to meet these characters!

I really enjoyed the opening of the book and how it set the tone for the rest that was to come! The writing style was lyrical and easy to follow, making this a quick read for me. I loved the attention to detail and how vividly the places were painted.

The plot is a bit predictable at times, but I still enjoyed reading the progression and seeing where the characters would go next on their journeys. It was also good that the book had three POVs to tell the story.

Ren is an interesting character; driven by the need to save her uncle and the love she has for those she holds dear. She is a fun character and both her and Sunho are easy to get attached to. Especially how they both just want the simplicity of live and spend it with those few loved ones.

I loved the romance and growing of feelings between Ren and Sunho! It felt gradual and natural and also appropriate for their age. The innocence brought a freshness to the book somehow.

The plot read easy and predictable, and I do believe the book falls a bit on the younger side of YA. At times the characters read younger than the 17 they were supposed to be, and I also think the last 15% of the book came across as a bit too rushed. Too much happened in a too short time, but nonetheless I’m expected to see where the sequel will take me!

Overall, The Floating World is a book with a captivating and gorgeous world with fun characters and amazing atmosphere.

3.5 stars, thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!

The Floating World was an enchanting and charming story with beautiful world building, inspired by the Korean folktale of The Heavenly Maiden and the Woodcutter. It had a magical feel to it throughout, just like the Studio Ghibli movies.

Everything about the main characters Ren and Sunho were very sweet. They both had very sincere and down-to-earth personalities. Their love for one another was extremely cute and innocent. The plot was exciting and there were twists and turns, however I found it a little predictable. I kind of hoped that there would be a bit more depth and complexity to the characters and the plot felt a bit simple. As such I felt that this book was aimed at a reader audience slightly younger than YA.

Nonetheless The Floating World was a very charming story. There were many moments which filled my heart with warmth and I enjoyed it overall!

Axie Oh is another author I had been meaning to read for years and with this first dip into her works, I can say she's met and exceeded all expectations. I've seen people compare her works to Ghibli, and I can kind of see that. I wouldn't liken it the studio in broader terms, but this definitely felt like Castle in the Sky paired with the darkness and gore of The Twelve Kingdoms but wrapped in a Korean inspired setting and it just worked to incredibly well.

From the beginning, this tale scores already by featuring my favourite narration of multiple point of view. We largely follow Ren, a travelling performer in search of a cure for her uncle who has fallen ill after a demon-like creature attacks them, and Sunho, a sword for hire with memory loss who is in search of his brother. I loved how both point of views started far from eachother and gradually merged. This gave us the chance to get to know both Ren and Sunho on their own terms and I think it truly added to caring about these characters.

Beyond similarities of the basic plot, the worldbuilding and character relationships is what felt remincent to Castle in the Sky. Both Sunho and Ren form bonds with characters along the way which does give a bit of a found family feeling. The relationship between them is built so nicely over the narrative and has such a strong foundation through their shared adventures and trust. Then the worldbuilding felt a bit like steampunk with its mechanics and especially the aircrafs (nothing screams Ghibli like aircrafts in a fantasy setting). Despite the high stakes and mysteries to unravel, I do think this was a rather light hearted read - largely due to the immensly likeable characters and the positivy they have towards eachother - with picturesque scenery which once gives a feeling of whimsy such as seen in several works of Ghibli.

Nevertheless, there are some darker elements which, while not overly graphic, defintely also lean into a bit of gore. Demon-like creatures appear throughout the plot and we don't even come close to unraveling the mysteries around it by the end of this instalment which leaves room for anticipation for the sequel. I almost want to say I found myself more invested in this plotline than the center one revolving around Ren's heritage and the different powers both she and Sunho possess. The different plotlines seamlessly next to eachother though and make this a really well balanced story.

I adored the cast from the main characters down to ones we only spend a chapter or two with. I admit, I think this book would have greatly benifitted of a map as during the first chapters it was a little hard to picture how exactly the Floating World and the Underworld function and in which location they sit. That aside, it was a really interesting world to read about and I look forward to seeing more of it in the sequel. This was also my first novel inspired by Korean culture which I also really enjoyed. My comparrisons to Ghibli and for the darker parts The Twelve Kingdoms is not to indicate that this isn't a wonderful and unique tale in its own right - I meann the comparrison in the best way possible and if Axie Oh's earlier works are anything like The Floating World, I have no doubt I will love them too.

I read and loved The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh and I found The Floating World to be the same kind of YA fantasy book.
I don't read many YA books anymore, cause most don't work for me . Which, you know, wrong target, it's fine!
But Axie Oh makes YA that works for me.
The characters are fully fleshed and not black and white, the world is harsh and brutal but the relationships the characters develop are super sweet.
You don't get everything dumped on you directly but discover the past of the characters as you go (and as they do too partly) which I really like.

I'm excited for book 2 coming end of this year.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Holder & Stoughton for access to the ebook against an honest review.*

3.75 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodderscape for providing me with an ARC.

I really liked The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea a couple of years back, so I was excited when Axie Oh announced a new duology based on another Korean folklore tale. And the premise of this story sounded right up my street.

Where TGWFBTS was compared to Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, the obvious comparison for The Floating World is Laputa: The Castle in the Sky, and some elements of the story evoke the same imagery but I think the other comp I've seen of Final Fantasy is generally more fitting.

Have you ever played a JRPG? Where everything happens a little too conveniently if you stop to think about it? Where the story and "twists" are more or less entirely predictable? Where the dialogue is a little heavy handed sometimes?
Does that make it less enjoyable? Not necessarily.

All of the above are true in The Floating World, and may put some people off, but for me felt pretty nostalgic.

I enjoyed my time with this first half and will be checking out the sequel when it comes out.

The floating world in a beautifully written Ya fantasy story.
It has a unique magic system and I really enjoyed the world building and politics.
The relationship between Ren and Sunho develops nicely throughout the story as they get to know each other and learn to trust and depend on each other.
All the side characters are well developed and there’s an incredible element of found family.
I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading book two.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this Arc.

Read by my teen granddaughter who was absolutely transfixed by the story and the characters. She is desperate for it to be made into a movie.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest thoughts

I loved The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea, and this cover is giving me Final Fantasy x Studio Ghibli vibes so I am excited to dive in!

This was a really cute and fun adventure book to read. I loved Ren's character, especially when we got to see glimpses of her doing her little performances. Her character brought so much heart and light into the novel and she was just a really well written YA character.

Sunho was also well-written despite his amnesia, and the flashbacks to his past were well-timed. The found family aspect was great and I loved the side characters introduced.

This book really delivered on the atmosphere, but it was a disorientating at times to read. The start came across a little confusing in terms of world building and I just wonder if it could have been simplified. It did all come together at the end, although some plot points were easily predicted from foreshadowing.

A difficult one to rate - I'd say 3.5 stars overall, 4 to round up. I'm not sure if I will read book two or not, BUT this would make an awesome Ghibli movie so can we make that happen please?

Narration: Triple character, third person POV

Spice: Nil

Tropes:
- Amnesia
- Hidden identity
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Bounty hunter
- Found family

Similar Titles:
- The Scorpion and the Night Blossom
- Shadow and Bone

4.25⭐️

👻 book 1/2 ongoing fantasy series
🍑 YA romance
👻 multiple POVs
🍑 strangers to allies to lovers
👻 demons, mercenaries, light magic
🍑 hidden identities
👻 Korean folklore Celestial Maiden retelling
🍑 final fantasy 7 x shadow and bone vibes

Firstly a massive thanks to @hodderscape for this eARC! It was an honour to review this one 🥹

~My Thoughts~
This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year since its announcement and my goodness did it deliver!!! 🤩

Axie always creates the most amazing worlds that you completely lose yourself in and she delivered again with this book. The descriptions are so vivid that the world was so easy to imagine and so easy to fall in love with.

The plot is action packed from the get go, with a sprinkling of calm moments that perfectly slow down the pace and allow relationships to develop.

We get three different POVs: Ren, Sunho and Jaeil (you'll have to find out who he is yourself 👀). All three are so unique and offer different perspectives of the world. I loved them all individually, and was blown away by how they all linked with each other's stories.

The romance is just so wholesome and develops so beautifully and perfectly for the characters. Truly the light amongst all the angst and action.

I could honestly yap about this book forever but I have to save some for you to find out yourself🤭

Overall, this book is fantastic. If you wanted a Korean mythology retelling that's set in a world that's like Final Fantasy 7 filled with action, incredible characters and a beautiful romance, then this is the book for you. And if this doesn't tempt you, then I implore you read it anyway and get lost in this incredible world

I like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for accepting my request for an e-Arc.

“The girl who fell beneath the sea” was my first ever arc on NetGalley and I enjoyed it a lot. I was very happy to see that the author comes out with a new book, and it’s a duology. Of course I had to read it as well, just to see if I would like it as much as the previous book. And I did, but not as much.
While “The floating world” is more fantastical and we see a lot of this world, with floating islands and forests and different cultures and Gods, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed by it. And I don’t think it was a problem with the book, it is a lovely and funny story, but it was too YA for me. Which is ok, I knew when I requested it.

The writing style is very magical and captivating, her characters are so easy to love and follow and I loved the found family trope. I loved the legend behind this story and I loved the world building, with magic, demons, strange metals that may be dangerous, and even experiments. It was a very developed story and world. In the end, I wanted to find out more about it and about the future of these characters.

But I did have some problems with the story. Throughout the story, I was feeling very “meh” about the stakes and fate of the characters. The ending was the best part of this book, because it felt very different that the first part. More engaging, enjoyable and quicker.
The other thing that I don’t like in books, YA or not, is the insta-love. I’m not a fan of it, and “The floating world” has it. Which may be ok for a lot of people, but not for me. I wanted more banter between the characters, more development and characterisation.

But the ending left me with a lot of answers and hungry for more, so I will definitely read book two when is out, in the fall. Very excited about it and I hope I will love it more than I loved “The floating world”.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the advanced copy for review!

Surprisingly I haven’t read one of Axie Oh’s novels before - she’s been on my to read list forever. I saw someone describe The Floating World as a mixture of steam punk and Asian influences and I was sold.

The story is told from 3 perspectives: Ren, Sunho and Jaeil Ren is described as a strong female lead with some powers, a mysterious past, and a longing to keep her found family together. Sunho could almost be described the same way - some powers, but a past he’s desperately trying to remember. Jaeil seems to be the most morally grey to me, but serves as an interesting perspective to hear from.

The world building is great - and I found the universe easy to understand. The plot itself seemed quite straightforward - so it’s the characters and uniqueness of the environment that lend weight to the story.

Overall rate this 4 stars! Looking forward to reading more in the follow up.

I was totally gripped right from the very start, absolutely everything else stopped that day. I loved the characters and I am really hoping that there is more to come

First I wanna thank Axie Oh, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance. I love Axie Oh's books and was so excited to read this one since I read the synopsis. It was such a great journey but I wasn't excepting to cry at the end.
I wanna talk about Ren first, our FMC, she's so damn strong. You meet her on a happy moment with her family and, then, because she releases her Silver light power on a moment she's afraid for someone she loves. But when we get to know more of her story... This girl went through SO much since she was just 7 years old. Imagine having to hide your identity behind a mask for years and not losing who you are in the meantime... And from the moment something bad happen, she doesn't think twice, she packs some things and alone she goes into the unknown to help the people she loves. And what an adventure she has throughout the book!
Enters our MMC Sunho, he's supposed to be a swordsman but he's such a cinnamon roll with a heart of gold and we see that when he discovers the truth and then the decisions he makes after that.
I really like the secondary characters as well: her family members, Yurhee, Tag, Hwi... They all add something to the book, either fun or sweet. And then there's Jaeil... From his first POV chapter I felt there was more to him (it's normally like that with evil general's sons) and I was right. And I even got it right what it was. And he pretends not to care but we know he does, we can see he does in some actions throughout the book but then, because of his father, he tries to hide that part of him. I'm hoping for more of him on the second book.
I really loved this story, the world building was super interesting and a very different concept. Loved the pace of it, there was always something happening or on the verge to happen. And on the last few chapters, I was on the edge of my seat and on the peek of my emotions and the last chapter made me full on cry.
I was going to give it a 4.5 or 4.75 stars but as it made me full on sob, its a full on 5 stars and I can't wait to see how the story will continue.

The Floating World is a YA fantasy that mixes Korean mythology and adventure with celestials, magic and demons. As with the author's previous book, the world-building was really nice and the story was waved into the world in a way that naturally moved the story forward. The different parts of the world as well as the in-book mythology.

The main characters are Ren, an acrobat with a hidden power, and Sunho, an ex-soldier with a sword and a darkness inside. When their paths collide they must both make decisions about what they want their future to be. I enjoyed both of them, both individually and as a duo. The way their relationship grew over the course of the story was really sweet. However, I never became fully emotionally invested in their sad backstories. Something with the way it was written just didn’t hit the right spot. Also many of the side-characters could have been more fleshed out.

With that said, it’s a book with high stakes, political intrigue, great chemistry between the two main characters that suffers a bit from irregular pacing. If you want a unique mythology inspired YA fantasy with Final Fantasy and Studio Ghibli vibes, then this one's for you.

“Losing himself. It's what he feared the most. Losing herself, she shared the same fear.”

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light. Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded. Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn't realize she's the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined...

Sunho is certainly an interesting character. Having no memories of his past, he uses the skills he possesses to make a living as best as he can. I really liked that despite his profession, he was incredibly kind to all those who deserved it. The fact he was willing to risk his life for the innocent was also a bit attraction. He certainly has some brilliant skills with his sword and he puts them to good use!
Ren has many secrets but her dedication to those she calls family is not one. She has such a big and giving heart that the moment something goes wrong, she blames herself. I can certainly relate to that. She goes on quite the journey here and something I really liked was seeing her confidence in herself grow. She easily could have hidden away and avoided any hardships but she refused to do so. Ren certainly has many redeeming qualities!

I’m a big fan of Oh’s previous books I’ve read. So, I will jump at any opportunity to read an early copy of her works because I know it is going to be good. This plot is fantastic. I think what I loved most was just how rich in culture and backstory it is. Oh always does a brilliant job in creating a world that has a lot to offer without overwhelming the reader. I love that despite there being info dumps, I was still engaged in the story and wanting to know what was going to happen next! Similarly, the characters are always clearly thought out and make an impact on the story. I love that we got to see so many different personalities as well! There was a hint of romance here and initially, it was a bit too insta love for me. Our main duo very quickly comes to rely on each other and whilst I like that, it felt just a little bit too sudden for me. But the connection that blossomed between them over the course of the book was so sweet! The ending had my jaw dropped. So many twists and turns culminated into that and I will need the sequel immediately, please and thank you.

Overall, The Floating World is another stunning fantasy from Axie Oh!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day and is available now on Goodreads