The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is a Korean mythology retelling, of sorts. The protagonist is Mina, who lives in a small village where every year, a bride is thrown into the Sea to appease the Sea God and try to prevent the seasonal storms that would occur otherwise. This year, 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 and discovers that there’s more to the story than legend would have them believe. There is an entire city under the sea and so many colorful characters, including a boy named Shin, whom she works with to wake the (hibernating) Sea God and end the storms.

Official Synopsis:

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…

Oh my days. I’m not super familiar (at all) with Korean folklore, but I loved this so much! In the beginning I thought it wouldn’t have much action or adventure but was I wrong?! There was romance, adventure, comedy, side characters that you fall in love with, soul searching (literally), emotion and basically everything you want in a book. The plot twists were a little bit predictable, but I didn’t guess all of them, and there were still quite a few ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe that happened!’ moments. Ughh and the ending. My heart melted.

But, onto the writing, which I a.d.o.r.e.d. The writing is so lyrical and it just pulls you in, making you more invested in the story than ever. So, here’s a couple of my favourite quotes:

‘I am the maker of my own destiny’

‘Is it you that makes the world cry or the world that makes you cry?’

‘Don’t chase fate, Mina. Let fate chase you.’

‘My eldest brother, Sung, says trust is earned, that to give someone your trust is to give them the knife to wound you. But Joon would counter that trust is faith, that to trust someone is to believe in the goodness of people and in the world that shapes them’

‘I wonder if it happens in a day, for your fate to change.Or if it takes longer for your life to be stolen from you’

Great read! I was invested from the very start. I loved the whimsical, mythic feel of the narrative. Mina is a great, level headed character and holds her own in unexpected and frightening circumstances. I wish the romance was just a bit more developed because it kind felt like two characters fell in love just because they needed to. Otherwise I was very engrossed the entire time. I feel like fans of Spirited Away would really love this as well.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an imaginative story of love, loyalty, and family that weaves mythology and an interesting magic system where everything is unexpectedly dangerous yet profoundly beautiful.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Fiewel & Friends for this advanced copy! (I may have screamed with joy a bit when I was approved!)

This was a five star read right from the first page. Axie Oh does a phenomenal job of immediately gripping you with the intense opening scene, and putting you right into the magic of the spirit realm. Her writing made the scenes jump off the page, and I was picturing everything in my mind so vividly from the start. I got so attached to the characters and their relationships with one another, and they each had such distinct personalities. The little plot details intricately placed from the beginning without us realizing it, stunned me once they were revealed. And as someone who studied marine science, I was smiling from ear to ear imagining the fish, whales, and other marine life gracefully swimming/floating past and just how ethereal and perfect the spirit realm sounded. I have never been so sad for a story to be a stand-alone novel, because after finishing I didn't want to leave. This is easily one of my new favorite stories (I now own multiple copies), and I will be rereading in the future multiple times. 100000/10 stars.

A gorgeous, lovely book. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was such an enjoyable novel to read and I was delighted with the world Axie Oh built for the reader to delve into. From the village to the seaside to the magical spirit world, your mind's eye gets to fully imagine and savor the mini movie painted by the novel. The characters we are introduced to are all likable and the relationships depicted are just beautiful to see. The strength of family we see reflected in Mina's life and the love for her brother that drives her to sacrifice herself was an immediate draw. I thoroughly enjoyed watching a strong female character continue to mature and find more about herself through this fated adventure. While she's full of backbone and determination, Mina isn't afraid to lean on others when it really comes to it and also isn't afraid to be vulnerable and help others. We love a well-rounded character! And the surrounding case (Mask, Dai, Namgi, etc.) were all so sweet and unique too. Even though I wouldn't call them the most nuanced character (this is a YA focused novel so while it has depth of character, in my opinion there were limitations), you can't help but feel drawn to the spirits, gods, and humans. The romantic aspects of the book were also quite nice. It's important to the tale but doesn't become the only point of the book or overly cheese it. Overall, the plot and pacing of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea hit a sweet spot for me, making this book hard to put down. Even with some telegraphed and semi-obvious revelations in the late chapters, it doesn't take away from the magic. Through and through an endearing story. The freshness of the story to me was also a big plus. I am so happy to see a Korean folktale come to life. Definitely a book I would tell my friends to read.

This book will definitely be in my Top 10 reads for this year. The prose is intoxicatingly beautiful and the story is full of love and heartbreak. It reminded me of Spirited Away. Axie Oh has become an auto-buy author for me because of how good this story is.

the girl who fell beneath was such a great atmosphere-y aesthtic-y story , i loved it so much and also the romance omggg , 4 stars , full review to come

This was a magical story that is reminiscent of Studio Ghibli and just brought me so much joy. The writing and characters were heartfelt and I loved their interactions. Mina as a character is strong in her beliefs and it was so fascinating to see her take on the Spirit World and use her humanity to her advantage to break the Sea God's curse!

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 13+
Over All: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5

Special thanks to FierceReads and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

If you’re a fan of Spin the Dawn or Six Crimson Cranes—you need to read this book right now. It’s the perfect mix of the two books.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a YA Fantasy standalone—which we always need more of—and it’s a retelling of a Korean folktale.

If that somehow isn’t enough to make you desperate to read it, let me just tell you that it’s incredible.

The plot was sweeping, adventurous, romantic, and so engaging. I was hooked from page one. Mina is an incredible character. She gives up her life for her brother on page one, and never stops fighting for her family. She’s brave and brash, but she’s also so kind and generally relateable. Shin is the perfect YA love interest. Brooding, a bit morally gray, but also a genuinely good person. And I was a sucker for the chemistry between him and Mina. Honestly, I’m in love with every single character who ever appeared on page in this book. They were all unique, and even if they only had a handful of lines, Axie Oh was able to make me care about them.

There were plenty of little plot twists that had me on the edge of my seat, but there were two big ones. One of which I guessed pretty early on, but the other totally caught me by surprise—and I loved both of them.

I highly highly highly recommend this book, and I can’t wait to see what Axie Oh has in store for us.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea reminds me a lot of The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. They're very atmospheric and aren't very plot driven. This wasn't my favorite Axie Oh book, but I own and will continue to read all of them.

This story was a delightful one about love, loss, sacrifice fear and how choosing your own fate can set people free. I guessed at some of the twists but some had a different angle then I thought. It was really cute. I would love a sequel or a movie.

For 100 years the villages in this Korean legend have been ravaged by storms from the angry Sea God seeking his bride and one true love. Each year as the storms rage a beautiful young woman is sacrificed until Mina decides to volunteer as the Sea Bride and everything begins to change.

I was deeply immersed in this magical tale of love, sacrifice, and family. As I read I could really envision the story as it unfolded. I loved the cover art of the book, it was gorgeous! I hope the hard copy will have illustrations. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thanks to @netgalley for the arc!

Do I think this was a great book? No. Do I think my middle school and young high school female readers will enjoy it? Yes. Those who enjoy adventure as well as those who love princesses . Although it’s probably a tad too long to hold the attention for many of them.
Our protagonist is a strong young woman: physically and mentally. She is smart, trained in combat, and can make in-the-moment decisions .
There is just enough rated G romance that it will appease the romantics and not “gross out” my less mature students.
The intrigue, although pretty predictable and unoriginal, is still enough that most of my fairly innocent and naive kids will enjoy it and be swept along. As a more sophisticated reader, the gaps in plot were annoying but forgivable. I can imagine that the big (you knew it was coming!) twist at the end will lead to lots of discussions among the readers - is the love real? Should she trust him? Will they stay together?
I can definitely see this becoming a popular choice for my girls, especially, and I would certainly invest in the series as it’s released.
That said, there’s a LOT of death to people close to the MC and it’s a little upsetting. The final battle scenes are not terribly graphic in description, but incredibly sad. I would definitely put a trigger-warning in the book if I had it on my classroom shelf.

4.25 /5. I really enjoyed this book! Although it took me a while to get into it, once I passed the 25% mark, the story flew by.

Pros: beautiful prose! I love how Axie Oh describes people, landscapes, memories—she weaves an intricate, detailed tapestry for every scene. I also loved the main character of this book, Mina. She was fiercely determined, intelligent, and kind without being too perfect. She had vulnerabilities, but her weaknesses molded so well with her strengths to create a well-rounded, vibrant main character. Her love interest, Shin, meanwhile, was more of a broody-YA-love-interest cutout. However, Mina and Shin's relationship was still fulfilling (although it did tip a bit towards "I hated you five seconds ago but now it's time to fall in love"). I enjoyed all the side characters, in the moments we saw them, but because there were so many of them, I thought no member of the supporting cast was afforded as much page time as I'd have liked. I'd especially wanted to see more of Nari, Shiki, and Hyeri. Namgi and Kirin were given a little more attention; however, I still have a lot of unanswered questions about both of them. Also, I was confused as to whether Namgi and Kirin's relationship was romantic or platonic.

Cons: I guessed the big plot twist, but then again, perhaps it wasn't meant to be surprising. Overall, the plot was the least compelling element of this book. Don't go in expecting a thriller. I downloaded this book for the premise and stayed for the characters and the setting.

Thank you, NetGalley!

Loved the premise for this one. It was an enjoyable read overall with some slow moments. Would read more from this author.

<i>"The myths of my people say only a true bride of the Sea God can bring an end to his insatiable wrath. When the otherworldly storms rise from the East Sea, lightning breaking the sky and waters ripping up the shore, a bride is chosen and given to the Sea God.
Or sacrificed, depending on the measure of your faith."</i>

TL;DR: A gorgeous, lush, immersive retelling of the Korean folktale "The Tale of Shim Cheong." I have *zero* familiarity with the source material, but Oh weaves a beautiful story that drew me in (under?) and totally enthralled me. Again, I'm not familiar with the source material, but it seems like Oh perhaps changed the perspective/main character, creating an ethereal yet modern fairy tale, centered around a heroine who is classically "pure of heart" yet endowed with remarkable agency. I absolutely loved this.
<b><i>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

Vibes: Alice in Wonderland + The Little Mermaid (the OG H. C. Andersen story) + Greek myths of Orpheus & Persephone
*All my vibes are Western texts, which isn't fair, I know. But I haven't read many Asian folktales, let alone Korean ones, so my base knowledge is definitely lacking. But, as Oh writes:
<i>"I'm surprised to find that the story she tells shares many similarities to the one I told the Sea God in the hall, which makes me wonder how much of storytelling is embedded in the land and its people, a consciousness that we all believe in and share."</i>

Genre: Retelling of Korean Folktale.
Standalone (I hope).
Classified YA, but given the ethereal vibes and the role of ancestors/gods, could definitely be New Adult as well.

Character MVP: Mina. Our spirited heroine who defines classic fairy-tale tropes of the damsel-in-distress.

Verdict: Definitely a 5-star read. I picked this one up for a Book Club challenge, and I'm so glad I did. This might be an odd comparison, but while I was reading, I couldn't help but think that this book was so much better than [book:Iron Widow|52459864]. It's not an entirely fair comparison, because they're not really the same, but they both tell stories of cultures where girls are sacrificed in order to save their village and appease a higher, powerful being. But whereas Iron Widow was steeped in violence and cringe-worthy writing with overly didactic messages about repressing women, Axie Oh wrote a much more beautiful, nuanced tale. Yes, the sacrifices are not quite the same -- here, one girl each year is "given" to the Sea God in order to appease him and abate the storms, and it seems that she might be able to "live" (in some form) in the Spirit Realm. And Iron Widow there was an overly violent culture of cruel men essentially draining women of their life force. So, yeah. Totally different. But whereas Zhao resorts to violence and just...no character motivation/development (Zetian goes full psychopath by the end, Oh's story evokes all the feels that I wanted out of Iron Widow.

Because, yes, Mina is the classically Good Protagonist of folk/fairy tales, and is in the vein of "the ordinary surprise," (she's not the prettiest or the smartest, she just has the biggest heart). But Oh retells the story with (I'm assuming) a feminist edge that doesn't shove itself down your throat. Mina is steady and true, and impatient and a bit reckless, but she drives the story.

✓ -- I especially loved the grandmother/grand-daughter relationship at the heart of this story. Pulls at my heartstrings every time.

✓ -- But I also loved the emphasis on family and ancestors and how Mina's driving motivation was love for her brother and her desire to protect her family. And she didn't have to sacrifice that at the end -- she didn't have to choose between romantic love and her family. She got to have both.

✓ -- I also appreciated that Oh didn't pit women against each other to drive the conflict (a common, but not universal) fairy-tale trope. There were a couple times I almost expected the story to go that way, and maybe Oh was playing on those expectations, but it was misdirection. The relationship between Mina and Cheong was a nice touch. (I do wish we could have seen more of Hyeri though.)

✓ -- There was a love triangle, but definitely a new twist. It wasn't the standard Special Girl with Two Equally Hot Boys fighting over her (and one of the reasons I think this could go either True YA or New Adult).

✓ -- Not quite sure this was an Enemies-to-Lovers stories, because Oh never quite went into Shin-and-Mina-Are-Enemies territory. There was some conflict/tension for sure at the beginning, and they may not have entirely liked each other, but *shrug*. If anything, their love happened a *little* quickly and shallowly, but I found myself absolutely not caring because it read like a fairy tale to me and Insta-Love just kinda happens in fairy tales. I suppose the Red String of Fate could have helped with that aspect as well, because it lent a destined quality to the romance, making it a deeper love story, if that makes sense. But, again: Mina never "gave in" to Fate, she always pushed back just enough to enforce her agency.

In short, I love, love, loved this. So much that I already bought a physical copy for my bookshelf.

This is one of those books where you don’t want to say too much and spoil it for future readers. I loved everything about it- descriptions, setting, the lovable characters, the plot twists. I was delighted by surprises at the end. The end of this story has left me wanting more inspiration from this world: images, recipes, clothes. I can’t help but feel that an illustrated edition or comic adaptation would be an exciting addition. I love this story of Mina and the Sea God.

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Though I bought a copy myself on release day because I loved it so much)

Where do I even begin with this book? Even those this book is rather short, it is truly beautiful. I’m such a short amount of time, the other creates such a whimsical story that flows perfectly. At first when I started it, the pace bothered me. It was moving too quickly and I didn’t realize why it did. But after I got the hang of it, I appreciated the pace and loves every second of it. The characters were so fun I wish this were a longer book so we could have more time with them. This is a book of lyrical storytelling and I loved how every story Mina told was important and made sense for the plot of the book. What I love most about this book is the theme of familial bonds and the love we find along the way by living our lives. It was just so whimsical I was smiling most the time. I would love to read another fantasy book by this author, maybe even from this world.

Fans of strong heroines, spirit worlds and beautiful storytelling will love The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea! Written in first-person, the story quickly pulls in the reader with the grit and determination of Mina, a would-be Sea God's Bride. Fantastical, adventurous, and romantic, this beautifully written tale leaves readers breathless.

What an incredible retelling and reimagining of Korean folklore. Beautifully written but not in a way that it overwhelms the storytelling: the story comes first in this one. The characters are “people” you can root for and the description of the Sea God’s realm makes me want to visit. It reminded me so much of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away while I was reading it, it was hard not to imagine Mask as No Face and hearing Yubaba in the Foc Demons voice!