With a stunning cover like that, how could the story inside not be just as beautiful? The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a story that will pull you into its magical web and not let go until the very end. It’s set in the spirit world and vaguely reminiscent of Spirited Away, full of stories and mythology, dragons, friendships, and unbreakable bonds. I didn’t want it to end!

It all starts with Mina throwing herself into the sea to ensure her brother’s happiness. This selflessness is just one of the traits that endeared Mina to me. She’s brave, smart, and able to make friends in any situation. When she ends up in the Sea God’s spirit world, she quickly makes friends with a couple of mischievous spirits who are definitely my favorite characters in the story. Mina also has to attempt to make friends with the Sea God’s fierce protectors, a trio of friends who will do anything to keep the god safe. As she grows closer to those in the spirit realm, her future becomes more and more uncertain. The only thing Mina knows for sure is that she must do what it takes to protect the ones she loves.

The use of storytelling in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is one of my favorite elements of the book. The writing was beautiful and whimsical, and oh so easy to get wrapped up in. There is so much going on in this story. The gods are at war, Mina somehow finds herself in the middle of it all, and she must find a way to fix the balance between the spirit world and her own world. There’s plenty of action, a dash of romance, and wonderful friendships formed. Though I really liked the romance, the friendly relationships were by far my favorites. It bothers me when female characters cannot seem to get along with other female characters, and that is not the case with Mina. She pulls so many people into her circle and isn’t afraid to give second chances where they are deserved.

The only reason this wasn’t five star read is because of the ending. I really like how everything wrapped up and thought it was a fitting end to a lovely story; however, there was a bit at the end that seemed a little muddled and I struggled to make it make sense. Mina seems to come to a realization and I couldn’t follow the logic to get to the same conclusion. I feel if it had been fleshed out a little more, or had some more hints dropped throughout the story, it would have made more sense and I would have been more satisfied.

This is a standalone, but I’m looking forward to checking out more of Oh’s work. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was an absolute delight. I flew right through it and couldn’t get enough!

Wow, this was such a beautiful book! It was a bit slow for me, and not knowing any of the myths behind the story, I was confused at times, but it was still told so beautifully, the characters are so easy to like, and the ending was just wow! Left happy tears in my eyes.

LOVE THIS! 10/10 WOULD RECCOMEND. I love fantasy and mythology, and am really glad that we're getting more stories from different cultures that we haven't seen retold. Would definitely reccomend to anyone looking for new fantasy.

Can I just say HOW GLAD I am that Korean folk/culture is becoming more represented in fantasy? Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea takes the traditional Korean folklore I grew up listening to, and spins it into a magical, engaging story. East Asian based YA fantasy is just emerging into the mainstream, and Oh’s compelling iteration is a must read.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea immediately found its way to my tbr when I came to know it’s comped to Spirited Away. Every year a bride is sacrificed to the sea in hopes of appeasing the Sea God and seeking reprive from the wild storms. This year, Mina throws herself overboard to save her brother Joon’s love, Shim Cheong. What follows is Mina’s quest to save the Sea God, unravel mysteries and face gods.

retelling of The Tale of Shim Ch’ŏng
Staying true to the original folktale, The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea set the basic plot around Shim Cheong who is to be sacrificed to the sea god being the most beautiful girl in the village. But in this story, Joon, Mina’s older brother is in love with Shim Cheong and to save him from the agony, Mina sacrifices herself instead. I love how it tells the tale from the POV of a surrounding character, adding original storylines characters and as an alernative perspective to the folktale.

utterly transportive
Once Mina sacrifices herself to the sea, along with her we readers too are transported to the enchanting spirit world underwater with fun markets, festivals and intriguing people. The parallels to Spirited Away are not missed here- adventures in the spirit realm, meeting friends, dragons and creatures, high stake consequences looming overhead. Oh’s writing made it so simple to feel immersed into Mina’s journey, establishing her as a capable character, determined but compassionate. The descriptions are beautiful, easy to visualise and a blend of emotions, action and humour, as if I was exploring the spirit world with Mina.

fun, loving characters
Every character managed to snag my attention! First of course is Mina, brave and sympathetic, who drives the novel and would do anything for the ones she loves but also strives to choose her own fate. The side characters and their developing relationship with Mina was a delight, each with interesting backstories and charming personalities. Particularly Mask, Dai and Miki but also the fun to follow dynamic of the trio, Shin, Kirrin and Namgi. Lowkey ship Kirrin and Namgi, my sunshine x grumpy characters.

themes of love, fate and family
Romantic, platonic, familial; Oh created plently of relationship dynamics. While I would’ve loved to see more of Mina and Shin, their romance is heartfelt. With the Red String of Fate connecting them, things were bound to get interesting. Ultimately The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is about Mina finding herself following a fate she didn’t ask for and forging her own path despite the odds.

Found family being my favourite trope, it was a delight to read about Mina finding her people even in the unfamiliar world, and one twist to this that made me very emotional. Mina’s love for her own family is shown through her sacrifice and her constant remembrance of her grandmother’s stories.

escapist fantasy vibes
I adore The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea for immediately whisking me away into an enchanting fantasy world, vivid and emotionally deep with an interesting take on the myth. Ocassionally, I found the pacing to be off but overall Axie Oh wove a luscious tale of love and courage, incredibly lively and warm.

Wow! I would like to start off by saying that Spirited Away is one of my favorite movies and this book gave me major Spirited Away vibes, which I loved instantly.

This is a tale of love, sacrifice, family, and fate. Mina’s people have been sacrificing brides to the Sea God for a century, hoping that one day the Sea God’s “true bride” will bring an end to the storms that have ravaged Mina’s village.

This year’s bride is Shim Cheong, who is also Mina’s beloved brother Joon’s sweetheart. Joon follows Shim Cheong out onto the boat on the night she is to be sacrificed, even though doing so is asking for trouble. Mina, not wanting to see harm come to her brother, follows him to the boat as well and then throws herself into the sea in place of Shim Cheong.

The rest of the story follows Mina in her journey through the spirit world, where she meets many spirits along the way. The beautiful imagery that Oh uses in this book is phenomenal, while reading you feel like you can clearly see the misty fog, the gorgeous lotus flowers, and the beautiful world of the spirits. The mythology and lore was so intriguing and vibrant. I probably could have read 500 more pages of just that.

My favorite characters were Mask, Dai, and Miki, they were close to my heart the whole journey.

Overall, this book was absolutely fantastic and I would highly recommend it!

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Do you love Studio Ghibli??? Then you should RUN to your nearest bookstore to pick up The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. This was absolutely magical and I'm so grateful Netgalley gave me a chance to read this. A beautiful standalone that really reminded me of one of my all time favorite movies "Spirited Away". I can definitly see myself rereading this or at least starting a movie marathon

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
By Axie Oh
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just finished my eARC of this book at 4am last night. I had tears streaming down my cheeks! My heart and mind is still in this world.

Mina’s homeland suffers from great storms. Her people believe that they have been cursed by the Sea God who used to protect them. To appease his anger and try to end their suffering they sacrifice a bride once a year in hopes of finding his “true bride.” This year Shim Cheong is the bride who is to be sacrificed, however her and Mina’s brother Joon are in love so Mina throws herself into the sea in Shem Cheong’s place and is swept into the spirit realm. This book is described as having strong Spirited Away vibes.

So, there is so much that happens in this book. Within the first few pages I was hooked and invested in Mina’s story. I’ve been familiar with this myth for a long time and have always loved it. Let me say, this book did the myth so much justice! It really gets into your heart and doesn’t let go. I loved Mina! She felt so real and so wonderful. She’s such a good balance. I loved seeing her grow and seeing her work through her struggles. The romance is perfection! Absolutely perfection! I might just cry thinking about it. All of the side characters have so much depth and the way they relate is really moving and ads so many layers to this story. I just can’t get over how fast paced, how deep and moving, and how romantic this book was. It’s my new all time favorite book!

You meet so many interesting characters and the world is so well developed and it’s done so well! I was never bored. The boos shows us the world it doesn’t bog us down with telling or “info dumps.” Its complete magic!
Axie Oh must be a goddess from the realm because this is something magical and special! If you haven’t already preordered, do it now!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This retelling of a Korean folktale is an absolute dream! The author writes beautifully and paints the most descriptive landscape of the various worlds the heroine is thrown into. This book is on so many anticipated reads of 2022 lists, and it is very obvious why! It is sure to be a favorite for any age range as the tale resonates with anyone who wants to live in a fairytale, has lost a loved one, or has fallen in love. I will definitely be purchasing my own copy to read again and again.

i enjoyed this so much! i loved the authors writing and now will 100% be reading XOXO! i can definitely see this becoming a staple in YA

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s village for years and years. The elders believe the only way to calm the seas is by offering a beautiful maiden to the Sea God as a bride. When it is determined that Shim Cheong will be sacrificed, Mina’s brother, Joon, tries to stop it. Mina offers herself instead and throws herself into the sea. She is escorted down to the Spirit Realm by the sea dragon and is delivered to the Sea God in his palace. There she meets Shin, the Sea God’s protector, who removed her soul, transforming it into a bird. But there are other forces trying to keep the Sea God from waking and try to steal Mina’s soul. She doesn’t have much time, only a month, before she will become a spirit herself.
This Young Adult tale calls back to Spirited Away intertwined with the legend of Shim Cheong. It is beautifully written, part adventure, part mystery, part love story. One can really lose themselves in this book and isn’t that something we can truly appreciate right now? I would definitely recommend for grades 7 and up!
#TheGirlWhoFellBeneathTheSea #NetGalley

First impressions: beautiful fantasy spirit world under the sea.

This is a retelling of Korean folklore “the tale of Shim Ch’ông”. In the original story Shim Ch’ông sacrifices herself for her blind father to regain his eyesight. In our story Mina is the younger sister of Joon who is in love with Shim Ch’ông. When it comes time for Shim Ch’ông to sacrifice herself to the Sea God, Joon cannot let her go. In order to save Joon, Shim Ch’ông and her village, Mina sacrifices herself in place of Shim Ch’ông. Oh does a fantastic job in her world building and transporting the reader to the spirit world. I definitely recognized the similarities mentioned with the Miyazaki film Spirited Away.It was interesting to see the relationship between the Gods and humans challenged. Mina believes praying to the Gods gives them their power and in return the Gods protect humans. However she learns that their relationship isn't as reciprocal as she had hoped. This was a beautifully written fantasy about choosing your own path even when your destiny seems to pull you in a different direction. I appreciated that the romance wasn’t the main focus even though it is a story about love they focus on familial love more than romantic love.

This book can be used as an introduction to Korean Folklore and the importance of oral story telling.
As well as an example of a strong female protagonist & Asian representation.

**3.75 stars**

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an immersive fantasy/retelling that brings about questions of faith, love and one’s true duty, in essence.

It follows Mina, our protagonist, who sacrifices herself as a bride to the Sea God — to save her brother and to save her family/village from the storms.

When awaking in this new, mystical world we find ourselves in a world of gods and creatures, inspired by the Korean folklore, which twists into Mina allying herself with Shin to wake the Sea God.

The world was definitely complex and interesting to follow but I wish it could’ve been more elaborate. The romance was sweet overall and despite not connecting to the main character, I did end up admiring her (and liking the love interest)

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh is a YA fantasy book based on a Korean folktale "The Tale Of Shim Cheong'. It tells the story of Mina, who decides to replace her brother's lover to be the sea god's bride and save her homeland from the god's wrath.
The book is beautiful and written amazingly. When I knew that this book is based on Korean folklore, I got excited to read it.
The characters in the book are written brilliantly. None of the characters is completely evil which is one of the best aspects.
The world-building is vivid and descriptive. I would love to read other books by the author since I loved this and it is one of my favourites now.
I wish for the book to be adapted into a K-Drama or K-movie.
The ice on the cake is the cover which is illustrated beautifully.

My favourite quotes from the book are:
- “Sometimes you don’t find family in your blood, but elsewhere.”
- "Trust is faith, that to trust someone is to believe in the goodness of people and in the world that shapes them."
- "Trust is earned, that to give someone your trust is to give them the knife to wound you."
- " Pay attention to stories, for there are often truths hidden within."

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. It was gorgeous, lyrical prose with a sweeping adventure and delightful characters—so many moments brought me to tears, and the importance of family, and finding your own destiny, was so very well done. My favorite Axie Oh book to date—and I’m a huge fan of her work.

Axie Oh has given us sci-fi and contemporary YA novels in the past, and now, with The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea, we have her first fantasy! I’d only read XOXO before picking this one up, though I do want to read the Rebel Seoul duology, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one. But I know I was pretty excited and was lucky enough to be granted an early copy of this book in e-book form through NetGalley.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea follows Mina, who decides to sacrifice herself to the Sea God in place of her brother’s girlfriend. Once in the Sea God’s city, she discovers that the Sea God isn’t just ignoring them as she thought and something else is going down. With the help of gods, mythical creatures and spirits, Mina decides to do all she can to stop the storms and save her people before any other girl has to throw herself into the sea.

I actually didn’t love this book as much as I had hoped. That summary alone excites me, and it makes me want to give this novel a second chance, but it just wasn’t great. It definitely had some good aspects. I enjoyed the characters and the weaving of Korean lore and folktales into the story. Especially when those stories were told within the book itself. It gave the book an almost dream-like atmosphere, and this world sounded beautiful and sad. It was fun seeing some of the stories and thinking about the western counterparts and how different each story is. It’s lovely to see how different cultures tell similar stories, yet each could have a different meaning. I love it.

The romance wasn’t great. I want to say it’s kind of insta-romancey, but it isn’t really. I could have accepted that with the red string of fate, even if it’s a trope I hate generally. Instead, it felt like the romance progressed quickly, yet nothing happened. I didn’t really feel anything about their relationship. You barely got to see Mina interact with Shin, and I just- sigh. Their romance could have been very emotional and made me cry. The possibility was there. But it is hard to care when two characters barely interact, yet we are supposed to believe they are in love. To be honest, there was barely any interactions of any kind that were more than surface level. After seeing the friendships in XOXO, that was a disappointment. There was also a twist with three characters, but I called it pretty early. So when it was revealed, it was kind of meh, and it did not really add anything to their relationship. The confirmation did not really change anything when it should have. Yet everything after was just still very flat.

I didn’t really like how the red string of fate was handled either. Now, I’m white. My knowledge of it mostly comes from manga and game fandoms. So maybe the strings between people can change and disappear so quickly. We are given a reason within the plot at the end and it kind of made sense. But I was still bugged. Again though, I do accept that I could be wrong there.

Overall I wasn’t a big fan of this book. I got through it quickly, at least, and the writing could be stunning in places. Unfortunately, it also felt very shallow and slow to me. I will still be reading Axie Oh in the future, but I won’t be recommending this one.

One of the things that stood out to me the most in this novel was the imagery. Whether it’s schools of fish meandering through the sky, retellings of old fables, or descriptions of the bustling undersea city, you can feel the magic everywhere in this novel. I also thought the prose was absolutely brilliant. I found myself highlighting nearly every other paragraph because of how moving and profound it was. And finally, there are so many different types of love represented throughout this novel. Yes the main romance is utterly heartbreaking and beautiful and will give you butterflies in your stomach. But the friendships Mina forms and the way she feels about her family is just as significant. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I adored this novel and can attest to the fact that it’s one of those books that just sticks with you long after you’ve finished the last line.

Every once in a while you stumble upon a book that pulls you into its world and captivates you from beginning to end, and you can’t help but become obsessed with it. 'The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea' was one of those books for me.

Mina is a heroine that readers are sure to root for. She’s brave yet isn’t afraid to show her fears, especially when she’s being forced to make decisions to save the people of her village. She never gives up though, and I admired her relentless strength.

Her older brother, Joon, is the one person that Mina loves most in the world. She would do anything to protect him from heartbreak. The day the girl he loves, Shim Cheong, is to be sacrificed to the Sea God, Mina makes the ultimate sacrifice. It may seem like a reckless act to some, but I found Mina to be fearless at that moment. She chose to jump into the sea without knowing whether she’d live or die. Her undying love for her family is something special.

When Mina lands herself in the spirit world the book progresses and becomes a lot of fun! The world-building is brilliant. The introduction to the different Gods and demons, or how the spiritual world operates never felt too complicated. I have always enjoyed Axie Oh’s writing when it comes to setting up her worlds. They always feel familiar yet new.

Every character in this book is enjoyable. There are a few that will surprise you and ones that you thought you were going to despise but end up loving.

My favorite part was how there was a different type of love shared in the spirit world. The sense of found family these characters have is something I think readers will enjoy. They continuously fight to protect one another and it made the stakes feel higher than they already were.

There are a lot of themes in this book and so much magic and adventure, too. It was all fantastic! But for me, the heart of this story was about love and the sacrifices that we all make to ensure the people we care about are happy.

How do I best describe my feelings after finishing this book? I think it’s safe to say that my heart felt whole afterward. I loved reading about Mina’s adventures to save the people of her village and even the ones she fell in love with in the spirit world. She’s a fighter and I think she’s the perfect character for young readers.

'The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea' is for every fantasy reader out there! You will fall in love with the characters and the unique world they live in. Axie Oh’s writing has grown since her debut and I was completely enthralled with this story. There are a lot of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes!

This book completely blindsided me with its brilliance. I was a bit skeptical for about six chapters, even mentioning to my husband that I was not sure if I would finish it. I stuck to my 100-page rule - which was exactly what was needed to completely to suck me into this gem. Even though this is a folklore story that I am familiar with after living as an expat in Asia for many years, having it told from the perspective of the heroine, Mina, was fantastic.

I loved the author's ability to create a world just enough that the reader's imagination can fill in the gaps. I loved the small moments of unexpected emotional hooks. I loved the twists and turns of the tale. I laughed, I teared up, I gasped - it was everything one hopes for when immersing into a book. This is one book I have already recommended multiple times and I plan to re-read often.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea follows main character Mina, whose town has sacrificed a young girl every year for the last 99 years to be the Sea God's Bride. The beautiful Shim Cheong is thought to be the bride who will finally bring a stop to the Sea God's wrathful actions on their town. But Shim Cheong and Mina's brother, Joon, are in love, so when Joon follows Shim Cheong to the sea, Mina throws herself into the water in Shim Cheong's stead. Dragged down into the Spirit Realm, where a Red String of Fate ties her to a cursed Sea God, Mina must figure out how to bring an end to his curse and to save her home.

This book was so full of spirit, and I mean that literally and also figuratively. There was love and reverence for this story on every single page. As a standalone fairy-tale-fantasy, it manages to bring a rich and vibrant world to the page without losing elements to time or otherwise leaning on simplicity. I wasn't just reading about the Spirit Realm, I was there.

The characters, too, felt like coming home. Even though they were new to me, they somehow were given a warmth and familiarity that endeared me to them pretty much immediately (even the ones who started off on the wrong foot). I laughed and cried and worried and cheered with them. It was a wonderful experience.

From start to finish, the was a fantastic journey, and I can't wait to see what Axie Oh has coming up next.