Reviews

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

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eponineeurydice's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars. Aww this was so good! It brought me so much joy, one of those books that just fills you to the brim. I loved the plot and storyline, the fairytale atmosphere. It was very easy to read and love. I liked Mina and the other characters, and the descriptions were lyrical and vivid. It truly felt like a beautiful fairytale that you could get swept into. But for some reason, I just wasn't fully immersed. I didn't like some of the characters, and I just couldn't find myself focusing on it as much as I wanted to. The romance was good but not something I was really engaged with. Still, it was such a good story, so powerful, like a mystical tale by a cozy fire. I had a great time, but I wish I could've been more invested.

alivaster's review against another edition

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5.0

I received the audiobook for “The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea” by Axie Oh from the publisher as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions in this post are my own.

Note: This book was written in present tense.

The cover of this book is stunning, and was the main reason I was drawn to it. It is probably one of the most beautiful covers that I’ve seen, and I loved the Asian aesthetic. I didn’t jump to grab the book because I tend not to read present tense as it takes me longer to get through – I have no idea why, but present tense in an audiobook? Perfect. The synopsis sealed the deal and I requested the audiobook immediately.

I have no regrets.

“The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea” is a retelling of the Korean legend “Take of Shim Cheong” and is filled with unique and fun character, a beautifully well-developed world, and it even had strong relationships and unforgettable characters. It follows Mina, a sixteen-year-old, who sacrifices herself to the Sea God in order to stop the onslaught of severely damaging storms threatening to destroy her home. But, nothing is as it seems and things don’t go to plan. Finding herself in the Spirit Realm, she must solve the mystery of who has put the Sea God under a spell, and more importantly, how to awaken him before her time runs out. If she can’t awaken him, she will be trapped in the Spirit Realm, and worse, her home and lives of her family will be extinguished. But even if she wakes him, what then?

This is perfect for the fans of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away because it honestly felt pretty darn similar for the first half of the book (even a friend thought I was listening to a book version of Miyazaki’s movie!), but this has the right amount of romance weaved throughout the book and great imagery. And twists. The second half made it even better! Overall, it’s engaging from page one all the way to the end, and – as this was the audiobook… can I just say that the narrator is AMAZING? It made the story that much better and more magical.

There were two problems with the book that I found while listening. Some of it felt a little too repetitive in nature which was kind of annoying, but it was pretty minor. The other was that I kind of wanted MORE from certain story/plotlines. The plot twists? Beautifully set up. However, knowing this was a standalone, a few of the smaller story lines could’ve been amped up to really tie things together in a more fantastical way.

Would I recommend? YES. I highly recommend this book. It isn’t too long of a book/listen, it’s fun, and it’s just a beautiful story that is like getting back into the world of Spirited Away without it being Spirited Away. If you really disliked the movie Spirited Away then I'd skip this book.

Side Note: I’ve also pre-ordered a physical copy of the book! Partly because I still love and think about the cover, and the other reason is because I really did love the story from the audiobook.