The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

A New York Times Bestseller! Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale "The Tale of Shim Cheong," perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering. Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead. Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all. But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking... Praise for The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea: An ABA Indie Bestseller "On every page I found something marvelous and new, and I was eager to keep reading because I wanted to further explore this wondrous new world." —The New York Times "A beautiful, mesmerizing retelling I wish I’d had when I was growing up. ... A heartfelt tale that I will be recommending for years to come." —Elizabeth Lim, New York Times-bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes "A clever, creative, and exquisitely written tale of sacrifice, love, and fate." —Stephanie Garber, New York Times-bestselling author of Caraval

this was promising and i really liked the premise of the book, but some of the execution left much to be desired. really did not like the romance, and at some point fell asleep during the audiobook, and NOT because i was tired (for once)

Looks like I'm having a good time this year reading YA fantasies which are based on Asian mythology/folklore and I'm glad to add this book as well to that list. I've been eagerly waiting to read it since the announcement, and the gorgeous cover only cemented my belief that I would love it. I was ecstatic when I got an advance listening copy and it was truly worth all the wait.

The inside of the book perfectly matches the outside. The writing here is absolutely stunning - the author creates such a lush and vibrant world borne out of myths that even me who has zero imagination could picture the sea god's city in my head. The alleys, the pavilions, the gardens and lakes and food, the various spirits and beasts of myths and the gods and goddesses - it all adds up to a world which feels both real and dreamlike, somewhere I wished I could travel to as well. The pacing is also pretty fast, with the author throwing us in the middle of the action right from the first page and then keeping it up all throughout; but there are also many lovely and soft moments of wonder and love and hope and it all ends up being a perfect balance in storytelling. There are quite a few thrilling action sequences which were both exciting and very tense, and I really enjoyed them. I also loved the author's use of flashbacks as well as stories within stories to evoke various emotions among the reader and I felt magically transported every time I heard a new story. The beautiful story is well complemented by the narrator Rosa Escoda whose enchanting voice kept me hooked and I couldn't stop listening.

Mina is such a wonderful protagonist. Yes, she can feel like a typical YA heroine who has to sacrifice her life to save the world but she truly is special. Because she isn't the chosen one - she chooses to be the one, so that her brother can have his love. Her love for her family is her strength throughout and whenever she feels unsure or lost, she derives hope by reminiscing about them and finds herself renewed in purpose. She is also extremely compassionate, moved by the plight of the sea god and wanting to do her very best to help him break his curse and take away his loneliness and despair.

In her new found purpose, she is ably supported by a whole host of characters and I'm absolutely in love with every single one of them. Mask, Tai and Miki are the first trio she meets in the spirit realm and though she doesn't know them, she finds trusting them easy and all three of them help Mina in multiple dangerous situations. Mask is mysterious, Tai is a delightful but brave boy and Miki is the most adorable baby, and they are instantly lovable. Then we might next trio who become indispensable in her quest to save the sea god as well as her people. Namgi is ever cheerful and talkative, forming a deep friendship with Mina pretty quickly. Kirin is more reserved and grumpy but he is loyal as ever and his steadfastness is commendable. But it is Shin who steals our heart, maybe not right at the beginning but slowly, with his protective nature, his willingness to fiercely defend the sea god and the city, and trusting Mina to solve such an immense curse. His relationship with Mina is so well written and delicious that I could weep.

To conclude, this book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It has all the elements of a great YA fantasy - strong female character, both amazing blood and found families, a wondrous tale of curses and gods and fate and adventure, a vibrant world taken right out of Korean mythology, and ultimately a story of love, family, duty and hope. I'm absolutely delighted that I got to experience this tale and I can't wait to read the author's future works.

Wow! If you are into anime this book gives off major anime vibes. This book is a retelling of Korean mythology. Mythology is not really an area I get super pumped about but, this book was fabulous. This book follows Mina, who sacrifices herself to be the sea god's bride to save her brother, his girlfriend, and her entire village. She travels to the spirit realm, which is filled with all sorts of creatures, gods, and spirits. Instead of finding herself preparing to be the sea god's bride she finds herself tethered to another god. Mina must figure out how to get back to the sea god to save her family. The only problem is she only has 30 days to do it. Mina must also navigate the many dangers for a human in the spirit realm. The story is about love, not just romantic love but love for family, past and present, and love and compassion for all people. The cover is stunning. Axie Oh weaves a magical story with vivid details and descriptions that will have you thinking about them long after you have read it. There were so many amazing and beautiful quotes in the book. I found myself happy while reading it and deeply drawn into the story. I have found nothing that I didn't like about this book therefore I gave it 5 stars. Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

Oooh yes! What a treat. A bit Spirited Away theme, but very enjoyable.

Some cliche YA tropes, but still a fun read in a beautiful setting. I'd love to see more stories set in a similar setting and look forward to more by this author.