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.

I’ve now read 4 Axie Oh novels and THIS one might be my new favourite👀.

It felt like reading a Studio Ghibli film but in book form! I think the steampunk atmosphere was done well. I could vividly picture some scenes in this book that reminded me of Studio Ghibli films, especially Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away.

The character interactions always had me smiling from ear to ear from the wholesomeness🥹. I constantly had a hand over my heart like I was being shot with a Cupid’s arrow multiple times throughout the book😩😩 because Ren and Sunho are SO adorable‼️They literally give me cuteness aggression every time they interact😞🫶🏻. I felt like I was witnessing young, innocent love blooming between Ren and Sunho and it was so refreshing to see in a YA fantasy novel.

I liked that the 3 pov chapters helped to give deeper insight into the world building. The plot was fast-paced with each chapter including action-packed scenes. It’s not often that I feel a pit in my stomach😰 whenever I feel dread or anticipation in a book BUT this book made me feel that SOOO many times which meant I was that invested in the characters🙂‍↕️.

Overall, I’m excited for the sequel because I really liked how this one ended!!🤗

When Axie announced that this book would be a mixture between Final Fantasy x Castle In The Sky, as a fan of both of these, i just knew i had to read it! And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I was flying through those pages. Especially, the second half. There's something about Axie's books that just give the best vibes and like i'm being transported to somewhere really magical. It's not something i can explain but i feel it within. If you know, you know.

I was captivated by the plot, the characters, the action, the world and so on. It felt fresh and i'm so glad not everything was predictable. I have a few theories about book two but i'll have to wait until it comes out or if i'm blessed with an arc of it to see if i'm correct. I'm so glad Axie had a few pov's in there so we could get better insight into the characters. She decided to not only do Ren's pov but Sunho's aswell and this just really tied the story together. It helped us understand the characters choices and emotions more. There was one more pov in there but i won't say who as i don't want to give anything away.

Our fmc was a ray of sunshine. It was nice to see her still be herself even after the trauma she has been through. Sunho is our shy boy who would not hesitate to protect those he loves. I love that about him and together the two were so cute. There was never a dull moment between them.

The book was filled with twists that sometimes i failed to predict. I love it when a book directs me one way but at the last second takes a different turn. Like i said earlier, i have my theories about book two. I just know the stakes are going to be high and that there'll be more heartbreak. I can't wait to see what happens next. You did it again, Axie. I'm completely hooked to your story.

Thank you to netgalley and hodder & stoughton for allowing me to read an e-arc for an honest review.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me an arc of The Floating World by Axie Oh.

Whilst I struggled a bit with the pacing at the start due to the switching POVs I came to thoroughly enjoy this book and was on the edge of my seat for most of it!
I especially like the world building as it did not feel too heavy or intricate but provided just enough to bring the magic to life. As a fellow kpop/kdrama lover I also loved seeing the Korean influences throughout the book.
The balance between fantasy, fighting and romance was just right too- rooting for Sunho and Ren in a second book like my life depends on it because they did not go through all that for nothing!!
Excited to see where the story goes with any sequels and forever thankful that whilst it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, Axie didn't leave me with something that would keep me up at night until the next book!

First of all, many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for granting me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I have conflicting feelings about this one. In my opinion we got off on a quite a rocky start. Felt like I got straight up dumped in the middle of the story without any warning and had to find my way through it, almost completely on my own.

It did really pick up for me when the two main characters met each other, I liked their dynamic, the fast paced storylines and the unexpected ways some of the characters were intertwined were a huge factor in my enjoyment of the story.

Sadly however, I still was unable to rate this any higher than the 3 stars I ended giving it. Although the author really tried, the worldbuilding felt almost incomplete to me. It honestly felt like I was already supposed to know half of the things, and it didn’t help that both of the main characters seemed to suffer from some kind of repressed memory.

The ending felt very sudden to me aswell, like there wasn’t any kind of built up for it, just came out of no where to me.

I am excited to see where the author will take this story next though!!

3/5

many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

i added this book so fast to the tbr when it was announced. i've read every other book by Axie Oh, and while XOXO and ASAP are always at the forefront of my mind when i think of her works, sometimes i forget she also penned The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Rebel Seoul, stories set in a different world that ultimately dug out my heart in the best way possible.

when i started The Floating World, my first impression was that this reminds me a little of Arcane, such that the Floating World = Piltover, the Under World = Zaun and mithril = shimmer. the class disparity is well crafted in this book, and you can see how different it is not just in the way you can experience real weather and sunshine in the Floating World, but the poverty and crime that runs rampant in the Under World speaks for itself. i like how this is dealt with in a nuanced way, it's not the story but a part of it that has been accepted.

i really liked Sunho and Ren's story. yes it is a love story in the end but it isn't just that. i liked that (spoilers ahead!!) Ren is possibly the only one who sees Sunho's demon as a soothing presence rather than one to be feared, and Sunho eventually helps her get over her fear of heights from the day she lost her mother. they are so much more than just a love interest for each other and it shows. i normally dislike the amnesia trope, but i enjoyed slowly unravelling Sunho's past.

and Ren's troupe.... i know the found family is with Tag and Yurhee, but her with Hwi, Auntie, Big Uncle and Little Uncle... god the whole start of the story shattered my heart into PIECES i tell you.

okay i also have to admit Oh's lyrical writing did A Lot to bring their romance to life as well.

" since donning her mask, this was the closest she'd ever come to taking it off, if only to feel the steady beating of his heart. "

" 'if you had wings,' he said with all the sincerity he possessed, 'i'd want to see you fly.' "

" she sheltered him with his wings. and before then with her paper umbrella. under her shelter, he had never felt so safe. "

personally i don't really know how to feel about Jaeil as a character. there are three povs in this story, and there is always one that bores you and makes you want to skip. unfortunately it was Jaeil's for me. i didn't much care for his politicking with his father and Commander Su and Sana. but his intentions were always to save Ren, his childhood friend, even after ten years had passed and they both changed.

" but when he looked up at the sky, he thought only of the meadow— and the girl he'd met there— as he stood alone in the square, drenched in blood and starlight. "

that ending though. grrrrr. they finally kissed and the moment he felt her magic, of course he would get back the one memory that would shatter on— that he was the one who killed the brother he had been looking for. god he has gone full demon and i need to know what happens next!!