The Floating World is a unique and rich story with a host of interesting characters. The world building is extremely well done and the pacing fits the story. I loved the differences between the locations, and the characters in each place felt so real. The way the backstory is revealed throughout keeps you engaged and the ending had be gasping. Axie Oh’s writing is a marvel.

This was a good read although I found some of the world building and language confusing.

Thank you for allowing me an advanced reader copy of this book.

Reading The Floating World was an absolute delight. I was immediately drawn in by Axie Oh’s lush, imaginative world—it felt like stepping into a dream filled with floating islands, ancient magic, and steampunk flair. The setting was so vivid and original that I didn’t want to leave it.

The characters were another highlight for me. Ren and Sunho felt incredibly real and layered, and I loved watching their relationship grow. Their journey was emotional and full of tension, and I found myself really rooting for them. Even the side characters had depth and added richness to the story.

What stood out most, though, was the writing style. Oh’s prose is lyrical without being overdone, and the pacing kept me hooked from beginning to end. Every scene felt purposeful and emotionally charged.

Overall, The Floating World swept me away. It's one of those books that lingers with you after you finish—beautiful, heartfelt, and completely immersive. I can’t wait to read more from this world.

The Floating World by Axie Oh is a beautifully written story inspired by Korean mythology. It features fun and likeable characters and brilliant world building. I enjoyed the development of the story and sweet relationship between Ren and Sunho. The story was somewhat predictable in places but nonetheless enjoyable and an easy comforting read. It ends on quite the cliff-hanger and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the future to find out more about this world and characters.

This was outstanding. Axie Oh never disappoints and this was another beautifully written story that was engaging from beginning to end.

The Floating World is another magical fantasy book from Axie Oh, the author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. When I heard that she was coming out with another fantasy book inspired by Korean mythology, I was unbelievably excited! The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was one of my favourite books of last year so I was confident that she’d be able to write another banger. Thankfully, I was right.

The Floating World is a retelling of the Korean myth of the Celestial Maidens. Whilst I don’t know much about the source material, I can tell you that it’s a perfect blend of whimsical mythology and well-structured fantasy. There are a lot of spiritual elements to the worldbuilding with a focus on the Under World, like in Oh’s previous book, which I really enjoyed. I also loved learning more about some of the creatures from Korean legend. There are demons, monsters, and more!

I think that character writing is also one of Oh’s strong suits. She manages to write strong female characters without making them annoying or one dimensional. In this case, Ren is an artist and performer who is used to living on the road with her adoptive family. She is independent but fiercely loving so when her uncle is wounded she is prepared to do anything to save him. Unfortunately, she’ll have to contend with Sunho and other mercenaries who are hunting her for her power to wield light. If you were going to compare her to other beloved characters, she could be described as a mix between Alina from Shadow and Bone and Ty Lee from Avatar: The Last Airbender. But really, she is her own person.

This story has action, adventure, great world-building and compelling characters. If you are a fan of K-Dramas, you will love seeing familiar creatures and legends. If you have never read or seen anything about Korea or it’s mythology, I still think that you will love the fantasy elements of this story. The only downside is that the second book in the series isn’t out yet! I will be waiting with bated breath.

Ren is a performer in her family's traveling troupe. She has the power of silver light, something that she must hide. Due to a demon attack, she is forced to use it to save her uncle. But he becomes deathly sick. Sunho, the amnesiac sword-for-hire, who lives in the ever-dark Under World, could gain a chest of coins if he finds the girl with the silver light. He also has a secret of his own. Their paths cross as Ren searches to find a cure, but he doesn't know who she is. As they travel together, they have no idea that they will ultimately alter each other's lives and the worlds they know

The narrative presents poetically infused with beautiful wording, a cool breeze caressing our imagination, not boxing it in, but letting it roam. In addition to being inviting, we feel like we have always been there, at the side of our heroes. We breathe their story. Masterful setting of scenes, even the busy, exhilarating, action-filled ones are uncomplicated to follow, with distinct details.

A fantastical world enhanced by East Asian influence and industrial accents — factories & swords, lanterns & grapple guns — mishmashing into a unique setting. Its well-structured foundation is built with obvious fondness and creativity. The gradual unveiling, part of the ongoing adventure, piques and firmly holds our interest. I genuinely enjoyed the feeling of discovery.

Each POV is of a different but equally strong personality, engrossing, almost cinematic in how 'alive' their depiction is, the interchanges between them amplifying the anticipation. Sunho's sense of displacement due to not remembering his life prior to 2 years ago is portrayed admirably, the loneliness and sorrow following him. Ren, on the other hand is warmth, a song to his quietness. Although determination leads them both. Their situation is entertaining, though dangerous, and inevitably soul-squeezing. A surprising 3rd POV changes the game and adds more texture to the winding storyline for this well-conceived plot.

The antithesis of the Under World and the Floating World is a play on light and dark, as is the essence of our heroes. The impact of privilege and criminality, kindness and greed, the existence of haves and have-nots. Whether we want it to or not, the past can define us and nothing is truer for both protagonists as one has left it behind and the other seeks to uncover it. This tale is about the family we choose, identity and justice. About changing the world, or in this instance the worlds.

Full of wonderfully fleshed out characters you will love or relish hating, an enchanting mythology and a beautiful budding love, it is beyond exciting. It gifts us with enticing intrigue and scheme-acrobatics that will make you want to scream. Embellished with smile-provoking, heart-tugging moments, but I must warn you this is not a leisurely read. With so much craziness happening — make sure to pay close attention — your adrenaline and emotions will spike and you will love every second of it.

This book took me two weeks to read, I usually finish a book this size within a couple of hours - 2 days max. It was really hard to get into and I really struggled with the first 20-30% but once I got past that I actually really enjoyed the storyline and couldn’t wait to get back to it when I put it down. It was so refreshing after reading lots of romance books to end on only a semi HEA and also a little bit of a cliffhanger for what I assume to be a next book.
I love the ease at which Axie Oh’s world building and character development unfolds and you quickly become attached to the characters and the world that they belong!
I now can’t wait for the next book . . . I absolutely need to know if they find each other again.
🌟🌟🌟🌟

A well-written young adult fantasy with a unique setting and likable characters, but a predictable plot.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review*

I knew I was a fan of Axie Oh's for some reason and oh boy did she deliver. Yes, she did!

I was deeply immersed into the story of Sunho and Ren's and it was everything I was hoping for, and more. The world building was, as ever, to die for, and Oh managed to weave into her story demons, and magic. I really loved it and I can't wait for book #2.

That's all she ever wanted. To find happiness in small, shared moments with the people she loved most.

Another light romance woven with Korean myth and family orientation by Axie Oh!

Demons with feathers and celestial maidens with wings — but no, it's not as strange and odd at all... from 3 different POVs

Ren, a young acrobat traveling with her aunt, little uncle, Little Uncle, and Big Uncle

Sunho, a soldier who lost his memory two years ago, is looking to find his almost forgotten brother

Jaeil, the son of… well, spoilers, but let's just say his family tree comes with thorns

Hardly can say anything because it's very easy to spoil everything.... If you’re in the mood for a soft and myth-touched fantasy with characters who need a hug, The Floating World is a lovely escape.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for DRC. I have given my honest review.

Axie Oh knows how to write cute and heartwarming fantasies, with sweet and brave characters, capable of believing they can, and they should, change the world. The Floating World isn’t an exception and, one more time, in a world of wonders and dangers, a girl is ready to accept her destiny.

A bit cliché and predictable, but still cute and entertaining, this book is easy to enjoy but not remarkable enough to love. I felt that everything, in general, could have been better. Even the worldbuilding, my favorite thing about it, was behind my expectations. The plot took a while to develop but, when it did it, was interesting enough to kept me hooked. The characters were also very sweet and naive and the romance was fluffy. I just missed more complexity in their personalities and relationships.

Overall, I liked it but not enough to be anxiously waiting for the sequel. But if you like more cute romantic fantasies, this will be definitely for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for giving me an eARC in exchange of an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodderscape and author Axie Oh for this eARC

What an absolutely great book from Axie Oh!

I was immediately sucked into the rich world Ms. Oh created in her re-imagining of the Korean folklore of the celestial maiden.
She also doesn’t waste time and drops us right into the action for both our main characters from the very beginning.
Everything about this book was well thought out, planned and executed and it sets up the next book perfectly.
The only thing that kept me from a 5 star rating was the fact that our FMC Ren was too naive and felt much younger despite her back-story, which is a pet peeve of mine. Otherwise, absolute perfection and I can not wait to see what awaits our heroes in the next book!

A mesmerising read that drew me in from page 1. Beautiful author craft, a captivating story and some really great characters.

I swear Axie Oh writes some of the best YA fantasies and I'm glad that she keeps writing in this genre.

There's just something about the way she crafts the worlds in her fantasies that enthralls me. The Floating World is definitely more darker than The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, but at the same time, there's still that dash of whimsical and magic that I also got from her previous book. I also loved the characters and the romance!!! Somehow this reminded me of Tangled even though the plot are completely different but Sunho and Ren reminded me so much of it.

I'm definitely at a phase where I feel like I'm no longer enjoying YA fantasy, but there are several authors that I still look forward to reading and one of them is definitely Axie. I will definitely be reading the sequel to this!

I really enjoyed this story. I love the way the plot developed because we see our main characters grow through their hardships and the challenges and the traumas they face and they become braver and braver but they remain true to their core.
But my favorite thing about this book was the dynamic between SunHo and Ren. I just love their scenes together. Their scenes together are tender and beautiful and full of Hope and promise and everything that's beautiful. There's a third chaeacter POV in the book and I feel like that character needs to have such a big redemption Arc if I am to fear any strong emotion towards that character.

If I'm being totally honest, I was not always fully able to visualize the world building, especially the geography of it, but that didn't really take anything away in terms of me enjoying the story and the storytelling.

I am really looking forward to book two and continuing their journey and hopefully I'll be blessed enough to get an arc for that one as well.

Thank you to the publisher for my eArc.

Thank to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic book from Axie Oh, her previous work The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is a treasured edition on my bookshelf and this one will be too.

With great world building so you feel like you've climbed inside the book and three different perspectives it kept me page turning and I was sad when it ended.

Beautiful YA fantasy I think most would enjoy.

Objectively, this wasn’t a bad book. At all. It’s a reimagining of Korean legend “Celestial Maidens”, about a girl with secret identity hiding in plain sight, and a boy with unexplainable dark power that has no memory of his past. It’s fresh and interesting enough to keep me from DNF-ing it. I can’t really put my fingers on anything but it’s missing something for me… I was not captivated enough, I wasn’t attached to the characters at all even though—again—nothing’s wrong with them! I only started to care a bit after 50% mark but still I didn’t feel much overall. It was just okay.

Definitely one of the “It’s not the book, it’s me” cases. Will probably read the sequel tho if have the right mood.

I didn't get a chance to finish the book in time, however, this is another fantastic and excellently written YA fantasy with a fun magic system and great characters.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is such an incredible opener to this duology, and had me hooked from the first page to the last!

It was great having three POVs and watching the story unfold into a mesmerising tale, one that I know other readers, like myself will fall in love with.

I cannot wait to read the next book and see what direction Axie Oh will take it in!