This book is beautiful, sweet and somewhat of a quiet book, even though it has quite a bit of action. It's really like it is described: a Miyazaki film. Some people liken it to a Studio Ghibli film and that is not wrong, but I feel like this has the spirit of Miyazaki specifically interweaved within its pages.

It is like a mix of a fairy tale and Spirited Away, which are two of my favorite things. It did take me a bit to get into it, but that was a me thing and not the book (I was in a funk). It starts off strong and keeps going. When I finished, I wanted to read it again and when I was thinking about it, I felt so overcome with emotion to the point where I wanted to cry with joy. There has been only one other book that has made me cry after the fact, so that is a feat.

I say, just read it, if it sounds like it's up your alley. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review. And for full disclosure, I did preorder the book, so I can't wait.

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

I generously received an ARC of this book from the author/ publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Oh My (Sea) God, this was just... absolutely everything I could've asked for. If you follow my reviews, you know how much I love world mythologies, especially East Asian folklore/mythologies.... and this retelling based on Korean Mythology was just absolute PERFECTION.

I mean, I shamelessly cried my eyes out at the end, which is 100% due to the effect of this AMAZING book! The visual imagery in this novel is otherworldly, literally—it is a sort of portal fantasy (PORTAL FANTASY! Another absolute FAVORITE genre of mine! Woo! I TOLD you this novel was perfection, and I freakin' meant it! Haha), and is so full of the whimsical, the fantastical, & is just so heartwarming, its like a freaking literary hug!
If you like Spirited Away or other Studio Ghibli films, you will LOVE this! Anime fans? TRY THIS ONE!

This novel, at its core, is about the heart in many intricate ways—and it certainly forever spirited a piece of MY heart away♥️. It also is just such a beautiful (well, everything, but I digress) dedication to storytelling. An absolute work of art in every way, shape, & form.

The world building? IMAGINATIVE & EXTRAORDINARY!
Character development? WONDERFUL & COMPLEX!

(Ahhh & there's a Kirin!!! One of my top 3 FAVORITE East Asian mythology creatures! Another being water dragons which I mean duh! *sigh* this novel has my heart, stilllllll)

Axie Oh has done it again folks! Though this is definitely my favorite novel i've read by her so far! *sighs dreamily*

Many thanks to the author, Macmillan, & NetGalley for the ARC.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a retelling of the Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong.” It follows Mina as she volunteers herself as a sacrifice to the Sea God instead of her brother’s love, Shim Cheong. Mina is swept away to the Spirit Realm, a city filled with gods and mystical beasts, only to find out instead of being a bride to the Sea God, she’s going to have to find a way to wake him out of an enchanted sleep to end the killer storms and save her village.
This story was so beautifully written. I was hooked from the very beginning, and went in without knowing anything about the story. The twists and turns had me questioning everything until the end. Without giving too much away, I loved Mina’s character development, and her interactions with the other characters. This is a story I will come back to read again and again. I highly suggest this novel if you are looking for a retelling, a vivid fantasy world, and themes of love, family (those you’re born into and those you’ve found), and a strong female protagonist.

For generations, deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland. Legend says that the Sea God has cursed them, and they must sacrifice a bride each year to appease him. They have thrown beautiful maidens into the sea for years, and this time, it is Shim Cheong’s turn. She’s the most beautiful girl in the village and the love of Mina’s older brother Joon. Mina sacrifices herself instead of Shim Cheong. Instead of dying, Mina wakes up in the Spirit Realm and learns that the Sea God is in an enchanted sleep. With the help of some new friends, Mina sets off on a journey to wake the Sea God and save her people.

Axie Oh does a wonderful job building the story and helping readers experience what’s happening through descriptive language. I loved that it jumps right into the action! All the details of the Spirit Realm helped me feel as if I was there with Mina on her journey. I admit I thought the story dragged some towards the middle, but the ending left me satisfied. I was happy to experience Mina’s growth. She’s a selfless individual, and she truly cares for others. The only thing keeping me from rating this book 5 stars is that I wish there was more to the story. I loved learning about Mina, but I wish we got to learn more about some of the other characters as well, especially those from The Lotus House. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I loved how it retells a Korean folktale.

Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC!

This review will be posted on February 9, 2022 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This was a beautiful and magical feminist take on a Korean folk tale, The Tale of Shim Cheong. Mina chooses to sacrifice herself to the Sea God and descends to the spirit realm beneath the sea. From there, she goes on a heroes journey to break a curse and save her family and village. Mina is a fantastic, brave, determined, and smart heroine for young kids to look up to! Fans of Spirited Away will see similarities between her and Chihiro, but Mina is older and a fully-fleshed out and unique character. The vivid descriptions of the underwater spirit realm conjured ethereal and beautiful images. (Swipe to see the GORGEOUS cover for a taste!) @axieoh created a beautiful world for us to explore through Mina. If the future is female (and it is), this is the perfect novel for it: a fierce tale of women choosing their fates, taking control of their own lives, and saving the world. #TheGirlWhoFellBeneathTheSea Rating: 😊 / really liked it
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This book is scheduled for publication on February 22, 2022. Thank you Feiwel & Friends and @macmillanusa for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really cannot describe how much I love this book! After seeing the beautiful cover and reading the description I was desperate to read it and Im so glad I got the chance to. This book was beautifully written, with twists and turns I didn’t see coming until they were right in front of me. I love that every character ended up happy, and I just wish I could read more about Shin and Mina! I would 100% recommend this book

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was a beautiful, lyrical delight to read. With a writing style similar to Stephanie Garber and Elizabeth Lim, the vivid descriptions of place and action were what really drew me in to the story. I love a book based on folklore and found Oh’s feminist retelling of the Korean folktale of “The Tale of Shim Cheong” to be magical, immersive and extremely readable. The story plunges right into the action and the pacing keeps up throughout, so much so that I read it entirely in one sitting! I loved Mina as a main character and found her bravery, courage and commitment inspiring. As previously mentioned, the descriptions and lush prose really made it for me, and I am very eager to read more of Oh’s work. If I had one criticism, it is that I wish there was more of a focus on characters relationships and thought the novel could do with an extra 50 pages or so of relational development, particularly between Mina & Shin. However, that is no detriment to the story, but more so I am just a reader who prefers character driven stories over plot heavy ones. Overall, I give it 4/5 stars and will definitely be picking up a hard copy come release day!

I am always looking for diverse retellings and fairy tales to add to my classroom library, but this one fell a little short to me. The descriptions were beautiful and the story and characters are engaging enough, but I personally can’t get past the pacing issues. We were really yanked into the story in the first chapter- admittedly, some people like that- and I wish there was more background on Mina’s village before we get to the sea. I had a hard time getting any depth from the characters because the pacing was too fast and furious when they had so much promise.

Overall, this is a great story with poor execution.

I cried at least two times while reading this book. Once in the first chapter, because it starts off with the main character holstering all the bravery she has to commit an act of love that is rivaled by a God’s power. Second, because the theme of family runs so deep in this book and it made me miss my grandparents so much I started bawling.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh is such a lovely book and I’m so glad I got to read it. I can see the Spirited Away and Uprooted inspirations. It’s imagery was beautiful and explicit and I could picture the Spirit World very clearly in my head as Mina moved through it. The story is so lyrical and fairytale-like, I can truly imagine how this might be something a grandmother passed down to her grandchildren. I also have to should put the cover art, because I have never thought a cover tied better with a story.

Mina is a formidable young girl, and though her age shows in her naive hope, it’s also shown in her brave stubbornness, her love and her anger. She can’t fight, she’s not particularly the most clever heroine I’ve read- but she’s far from stupid, and the strength of her heart makes up for all that she lacks elsewhere. Her love for her family and her world drives her story, and makes it one of the most enticing books I’ve read.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it lived up to what I expected of it!! The book comes out on 2/22/22, and with a release date like that how can you not go get yourself a copy? And thank you sm to Feiwel and Friends and NetGalley for an eARC ♥️

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

“I have entered a new world- a world of dragons, of gods with unfathomable powers, of assassins who move unseen through the shadows, where your voice can be transformed into a bird and then stolen, and where no one I love can ever reach me.”

It is believed that the wrath of the Sea God has reached the land in natural and manmade destruction. The only way to appease the God is to sacrifice a beautiful young woman to become his bride in hope that one will be the “true bride” to end his pain. The love of Mina’s brother, Shim Cheong, is selected to be sacrificed to the Sea God. Mina, of strong will and mind, leaps into the raging waters to protect her family and attempt to end the curse. Her eyes are opened to a new realm, new possibilities and new adventures. Will Mina be able to calm the wrath of the Sea God in one month’s time?

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea has been an anticipated release of mine since I heard it’s premise and it’s marketing as a Studio Ghibli film. As a fan of the anime A Lull in the Sea, I was absolutely excited to hear this tale honed into the story of the Sea God and his brides. The book for me read as a 3 out of 5 stars with parts that could have been improved to make the overall story more compelling and emotionally gripping. Overall, the book itself was a sweet, fun and enjoyable read.

The story immediately jumps straight into the premise of Mina sacrificing herself to become the Sea God’s bride. This was a bit of an abrupt start to the novel for me as there wasn’t really much time at all spent with Mina and her family before this event. The author chose to tell the historical narrative through detailed flashbacks instead to fill in the reader’s gap of knowledge. For me this approach was jarring from the setting and atmosphere of the spirit realm we had just entered. I think that this could have been improved by taking the flashbacks and making those the introduction of the story leading up to the event of Mina jumping off the boat into the sea. The act of Mina jumping into the ocean to spare her brother’s love held no emotional impact whatsoever and I felt that it should have. Unfortunately, that was a missed opportunity for me to see this event as something brave and admirable of the main character. Instead, I was just indifferent.

The characters overall were absolutely interesting! They were the reason I kept reading until the end. The side characters were developed equally and each held an importance to the story. They are likeable and loveable. The antagonists within the story could have been developed better. I can’t really divulge much on this point due to spoilers but this was just too convenient a resolution.

As for Mina, she is described as a stubborn and strong willed character. She is headstrong and on a mission to find a way to solve the mystery of the Sea God. I enjoyed her as a main character even though at times her teenage mind caused me a little frustration. I loved her family history of women, her storytelling and resolve. I think she is a main character my daughter would absolutely fall in love with.

The storyline itself is interesting and compelling. I was invested as a reader to find out how the story was going to pan out. For me, this story honestly reads more middle grade which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for me since I enjoy those kind of stories. The writing is simple and straight forward lending itself to be a fast read. The stakes in this book are pretty low. Every adversity is met with a plot convenient wrap up similar to those of middle grade stories. This lends the ending to be fairly predictable to older readers.

I felt the setting and the atmosphere was the absolute strength of this story. It is such a BEAUTIFUL setting and reminded me a lot of the anime A Lull in the Sea. The mentions of Mina traveling through the world and looking up to see dolphins, dragons and whales in the “sky” of this world is so neat. Children running and releasing fish from boxes and them swimming off into the air was just magical. This book is marketed as a Studio Ghibli film in book form. In this respect I can agree that it is as atmospheric, magical and whimsical as anime can be in general.

I thought this was a good novel to read between larger adult fantasy stories. I strongly feel this pulls more middle grade in my opinion. I think that readers who enjoy stories like The House with Chicken Legs, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Frostheart.

Oh, wow. This is AO's best book to date.

The sheer beauty of it all - the gorgeous mythology, vibrant spirit world, and tender connections create one powerful story.

I think if you have seen ‘Spirited Away,’ this story will be very familiar to you. It helped me predict some things, but that didn't make me love this any less. It just transported me into a world I already know and love and helped me become acquainted with a different version of it.

AO has successfully created an imaginative story of her own - one full of spirit, loyalty, a little bit of mischief, bravery, and love. This is a book I can see myself rereading time and time again.

Mina is a fiercly loyal sister who sacrifices herself to be the bride of the sea god to save her brothers heart. To say she is heroic is an understatement. When she arrives in the sea gods kingdom she co tinues to do the unexpected and never gives up on saving the human world. To find out the mysteries one cannot put the book down until the very last page.

This book may not be objectively five stars, but it SLAPS. The description of the spirit realm and the fighting scenes were gorgeous pure vibes. I am obsessed with the romance of rivals-to reluctantly ally-to connected by fate to-lovers trope. The slow burn is not crazy but, it is still giggling under the cover over hand-holding type thing. Axie Oh is proven to be a skillful writer when Mina's friendships and family relations felt seen rather than tainted in its arc, unlike being overshadowed or underdeveloped seen many times before. I was never bored and needed to stay up to 1 AM reading just for the plot twists. I have a bone to pick with the sharp turn of problems that leads to continuous aha moments, which mess with the flow. Overall though, this book was phenomenal.

Thank you Netgalley and Mcmillan's Publishing for an advance copy of this book!

4.5/5 stars
Mina’s small village has been plagued by devastating storms and war for years. The villagers believe that the Sea God, who once protected them and allowed them to flourish, has now cursed and abandoned them. To appease him, each year the villagers offer up a beautiful young girl who is thrown into the sea to become the Sea God’s bride in hopes that one day the Sea God’s true bride will be chosen bringing an end to their suffering. This year Shim Cheong has been selected to serve as the Sea God’s bride and many believe she may be the true bride they have been waiting for. However, as she is brought by boat to be thrown into the sea, Mina’s brother Joon steps in to stop it as he is in love with her. Mina, who stowed away on the boat to protect her brother, offers up herself instead. Mina is then swept away to the spirit world where she discovers the Sea God is bound to a deep slumber. As chaos ensues in the spirit world and world above, it is up to Mina and a vast array of characters to restore balance to both worlds.

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This was a beautifully written Fantasy/YA novel, and I enjoyed every second! The detail was incredible as the author brought to the spirit world to live with so many different creatures and spirits. I absolutely adored all the characters in this one and loved reading of Mina’s bravery and determination as she sets out to do the impossible to save her people. I would recommend this one for any fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away”. Reading this book, I felt transported to a different era, a different world altogether and it was a magical experience. There was danger, adventure and romance and it was beautifully crafted from beginning to end. There were some twists I did not see coming and in the end the story came full circle perfectly. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This title will be released on February 22, 2022.

Mina is living in a world where storms have destroyed resources needed for survival. When the resources become scarce, war wages over the minimal food and crops left from the farm lands. To appease the Sea God, every year a young girl is thrown into the sea to become the Sea God's bride. Every year, the Sea God's bride has not been his true love, so new girls continue getting sacrificed. When Mina's brother Joon's true love, Shim Cheong is sailing out to sea to become the new bride of the Sea God, Mina takes her place.

This story is filled with so much magic and fantastical folklore that it will truly reel you in. Mina's caring and selfless attitude is one that we all can aspire to follow and makes for an amazing protagonist. There are so many details and plot twists that you might not expect. I loved Mina's story and am so glad to have experienced this beautiful tale with her. The love interest is also such a heart-swooning character that keeps you hooked on each page. In this novel you will experience the found family trope, but also the love of the family you were born into. Sometimes, sacrifices need to be made to save others and eventually, your happily ever after will follow.

This classical Korean retelling of a fantastical world where the bravery of one girl is seen within the first few pages dives right in to the action straight away. I love the themes of this story: surrender, fate, bravery and destiny are all themes that appeal to a broad audience which is so great! My problem lies therein at the descriptiveness of the characters and city, there could have been so much more heart brought into the story but instead I felt as though I was getting a hands off approach-as if there was a boundary around the characters that didn't let me get in adn be fully immersed in the inner world of the characters-- even though there was GREAT imagery, the characters seemed flat still and it is very puzzling to me. A story for me should bring me in and help me to empathize with the characters. This story had everything I could have ever wanted in an an epic folklore tale, except it left me feeling like I was missing something that I could just not put my finger on. I realize this story is geared toward YA audiences and isnt made for adults so in that respect I could see maybe not getting too deep into that area ? I just felt there were spaces in the emotional delineation of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publishers for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First off, thank you so much to NetGalley, Macmillian, and Axie Oh for my early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Axie Oh's "The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea" is a retelling of the Korean folktale "The Tale of Shim Cheong" in which Mina's village has dealt with intense storms for years. On top of that, the world around her burns with blood and fire. It is believed that this is caused by an angry Sea God an so, every year to appease him, a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea in the hopes that she is able to calm him. While Shim Cheong is chosen to be given to the Sea God, Mina instead throws herself into the sea and what begins is an exciting and heartwrenching adventure.

I loved this so so much. A lot of the promotional material said it was similar to "Spirited Away" and man, it is but it's also so different! Oh's writing is so dramatic and theatrical while also remaining grounded with realistic characters and dialogue. One of my favorite things about this novel were the relationships that we see; Mina and Joon, Namgi and Kirin, Shin and the Sea God, Mask and Dai and Miki. I mean literally every relationship in this story is brilliantly fleshed out despite some of these relationships being secondary and even tertiary to the main grouping of relationships. It really speaks to Oh's abilities as a writer that they were able to depict all of these different characters and relationships without any of them bleeding into one another. Don't even get me started on the brilliance of the different gods and goddesses Mina encounters in the Sea God's kingdom.

One last thing that I think is definitely noteworthy is Mina. Mina is so determined and loves her family so much. As a character I love that she's imperfect but despite that, she tries and perseveres. She reminded me a lot of Usagi/Sailor Moon. Both are women who are determined to protect the ones they love even if it means hurting themselves in the process. There's a self-martydom to Mina that doesn't come across as irritating because Oh shows how much Mina's family means to her, Oh shows us how important it is for Mina to do right by her friends and family. God, I just love her !

All in all, Axie Oh's "The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea" is an exciting story with a twisty narrative and endearing characters that will keep you turning the page until you're done and in want of more. I think this will also probably have people searching out fantasy dramas for the romance and the drama. I definitely recommend this to anybody. Literally it's so so so good.

Motivated by her love for her brother, Mina throws herself into the water as the Sea God's Bride. But it's no easy thing to be the Sea God's Bride. And while she wants to help bring calm to the sea and peace to her community, at every turn complications ensue. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an action packed fantasy that blends spirits and demons into a story that examines the relationship between humans and the gods. Mina must unravel the stories of the girls before her as she's immersed in politics and betrayals beneath the surface.

It's just the beginning in Mina's journey where stories shape lives and give hope. Through her story, Mina questions whether the gods should protect humans in a world littered with wishes which have gone unanswered. I was swept away by this magical world and complicated web of alliances. As readers, initially we see this stark divide between the gods and humans, but as Oh continues Mina's story, we start to see the differences shrink. To realize that stories are an escape, a fragment of hope, for everyone.

I wanted to read this novel based on the cover alone but then when I learned its purpose, I knew I had to read it. If you read and loved the sacrificial spirit of the Hunger Games, or ever dreamed the little Mermaid story went deeper, or if Belle and the Beast were under the sea, YOU might start to get an idea of the complex life that unfolds in front of Mina when she goes to the other realm to become a bride. It is what her people need back in the real world to survive.
The world the author creates is beautiful and fills in all of the cracks in your imagination. This is a story you can picture an old-world grandma telling children and then you learn it isn't just a story, she was part of it. Magical. Fantasy. Epic. Coming of Age. True Love, sacrifice, and faith in what you can not control.

A beautiful standalone fantasy that creatively reimagines a classic tale.

I loved this book for so many reasons. The characters were authentic and compelling, the worldbuilding was absolutely magical, and the plot unfolded at a lovely pace with just the right amount of twists and reveals. All of this was done with gorgeous prose.

Overall, I feel this story stood out because of the author’s ability to at once break away from YA tropes while integrating the heart of YA themes. There was a huge focus on coming of age and agency development for the main character, along with a star-crossed romance, that for perfectly into this genre. And yet, at every turn the author reinforced the foundational themes of this story—the endless and immeasurable love of family and the power of sacrifice.

I personally felt these aspects allowed this book with so much commercial appeal, to also offer classic literary merit.