Reviews with content warning for Death - The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

I have rarely felt so much love radiating through the pages of a book as I have with this novel. What a beautiful story that has had me laughing and crying and feeling like I too need to choose my own fate.

5/5

Content Warnings

cepbreed's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

“There is no place you can go so far away from forgiveness. Not from someone who loves you.”

For the hype this book got I was slightly disappointed. The setting was lovely and the characters all worthy of adoration but the writing fell flat for me. The Spirited Away comparisons make a lot of sense but the writing fails to reflect half of how atmospheric that movie was. I found Oh’s voice clumsy at times. The young adult genre of course means that the writing isn’t going to be the most intense in the world but it’s no excuse for so much telling. Oh didn’t spend nearly enough time establishing each scene and for a book where so much happens that was detrimental to the pace. That said I really fell in love with Shin and Mina. I’m making an effort this year to read more Asian and Asian American literature and so far am off to a strong start. All the critiques I have obviously don’t mean I didn’t like this book because in reality the contrary is true. I just see so much potential in this plot and the characters that it was sad to see that unrealized.

Song:

Pictures of Us - beabadoobee

Content Warnings

fiercereadsfiction's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

baolade's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Content Warnings

_marycappiello3's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

rileydobereading's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

jayisreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

A feminist retelling of the Korean folktale, “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea has a lot of heart, and it’s clear that Oh poured a lot of love into her characters and the worldbuilding. Being familiar with the original folktale, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t about Shim Cheong specifically (though she appears as a side character), but, rather, a rather headstrong and earnest sixteen-year-old named Mina. Alongside Mina is a cast of relatively memorable characters, perhaps one of the more notable ones being Shin, who ends up being Mina’s love interest. (I should note that this is definitely a slow burn romance, which won’t be for everyone—) I did find Oh’s characters somewhat weak, especially compared to her worldbuilding, but they certainly weren’t one-dimensional either. I think it was just wanting a bit more character development and time to sit with the cast. I also found the novel’s pacing a bit uneven at the start, but it really came together as it continued.

All-in-all, I enjoyed this YA novel more than I thought I would. I think I was especially taken to the emphasis on storytelling, and I really appreciated how Oh seamlessly wove in other Korean folktales into the novel through Mina.

Content Warnings

e_riahh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

More...