Reviews

Rating - 4 Stars
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This novel had a bit of everything. A bit of whimsy, a bit of humor, a bit of romance, a bit of sorrow, and a bit of culture. It was absolutely a fun read. It depicts stories within stories and a willful female protagonist that doesn't reek of "strong female character that just talks about how strong she is". She is a go-getter. One criticism though I often have for characters like her is that they're super headstrong, which isn't always a bad thing but can come across as annoying when they force their beliefs onto others in a seemingly "righteous" way just because they're entirely overly optimistic. Besides that though, which was a minor peeve, I loved it.

The plot was fantastic, it was exactly what I expect from fairy tale retellings, the stuff of myths and legends. I think it's best to go into it knowing little to nothing but I just so happened to watch the tale of Shim Cheong with my brother on a random youtube video and low and behold I knew exactly what story was being retold. It was just a cool "Ahhh" moment.

As for the romance...
There's something I love about certain enemies-to-lovers relationships. And that's when they don't despise each other for no reason but rather misunderstand each other. And through the book, they come to understandings that come unintentionally yet have a profound impact on their relationship. I'm not sure how to reference this without a spoiler so 'X' will be our guy. Mina and X's relationship was just this, this slow understanding of each other. And it was so sweet, so tender even when they hadn't realized it.

Some quotes I had to take a moment to process..

"At least with you around there's more for my heart to do than mope." Shin goes still. I realize, belatedly, how this might sound.

(I like how it sounds.)

"[...] But strange, Mina, why do I feel like this? I don't need a Red String of Fate to tell me that if you should die, so will I."

(Excuse me..? That was so heartbreaking.)

Side note: I read this because it was on a list for books like Ghibli movies and I must say it was nothing like Castle In The Sky (the movie it was paired with) but very reminiscent of Spirited Away, another film by the studio. Probably because the girl was literally spirited away but also other similarities such as finding the true nature of the "Dragon" or the "Sea God", having something of hers stolen from her, and residing in a town full of spirits. It was kind of spot on with the feelings it gave.

milkteaser's review against another edition

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5.0

i loved this book so much! from the first few pages i knew this would be a new favorite. it reminded me of the whimsical nature of ghibli movies: the world was magical, the characters were lovable and the story was beautifully crafted. the romance and family aspects of the book were bittersweet and touching.