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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This is a great light and fast read. I give it four stars because I felt like the ending was quite rushed but it's still enjoyable nonetheless.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved the concept of this book, and the world the author created was so incredibly intriguing. However to me, everything else fell short.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea claims to be a feminist retelling of the tale of Shim Cheong. Even so, the titular character (Shim Cheong) is replaced by Mina, a character who felt more like a self insert than a strong protagonist. Mina hardly makes any choices for herself, and the plot is progressed either by luck or by the help of the supporting characters (the plot was character driven, just not by Mina). Along with that, Mina’s personality is constantly stated, but never demonstrated (this is an issue with the overall writing, really).
In making Mina the main character, they strip Shim Cheong of any of the agency she held in the original folktale, replacing her choice to throw herself into the sea because of her love for her father with a duty that was forced upon her. Removing Shim Cheong’s agency and centering her motivation around her relationship with a boy feels more of a disservice to the original folktale (and while there are moments where it implies she could have other motivations, these moments and conversations never actually involve Shim Cheong and are never confirmed within the story).
My issues with the handling of the original myth aside, this book, especially at the beginning, made me feel like the author thought I was an idiot. Everything, especially the theme of fate, was over-explained and shoved straight into your face. Even while over-explaining things which could have been implied the book also fails to show its story and characters properly. It tells everything instead of showing.
Similarly, the beginning went so quickly, only for the middle to drag and the end to once again pick up the pace. The beginning (including the introduction to Mina, her family, and the rest of the setting) needed more time than it was given.
Another issue I had (that also is partially due to the weird pacing) was the amount of characters introduced that I simply did not care about. Most of the characters were introduced quickly, only based on Mina’s history with them (which, again, was only explained, hardly shown). Similarly, most characters lacked demonstrable personality—everything was told to the audience, not shown. While I grew to care for some characters, I felt apathetic towards others (especially Mina’s family).
The world Axie Oh created for this book would have been amazing to explore more in depth (and with some better writing). Every attempt to describe the world within the book came off as an unnatural exposition dump, which is a shame because it had so much intrigue and potential.
Overall, I think The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was a fun read with a lot of potential that it did not fulfill because it suffered from poor writing and general mistreatment of the story that inspired it (I would hardly call stripping Shim Cheong of any agency or distinct personality she had in the original myth in order to replace her with a character who does nothing a feminist retelling of her story. This felt more like a self-insert version of the folktale than anything else).
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea claims to be a feminist retelling of the tale of Shim Cheong. Even so, the titular character (Shim Cheong) is replaced by Mina, a character who felt more like a self insert than a strong protagonist. Mina hardly makes any choices for herself, and the plot is progressed either by luck or by the help of the supporting characters (the plot was character driven, just not by Mina). Along with that, Mina’s personality is constantly stated, but never demonstrated (this is an issue with the overall writing, really).
In making Mina the main character, they strip Shim Cheong of any of the agency she held in the original folktale, replacing her choice to throw herself into the sea because of her love for her father with a duty that was forced upon her. Removing Shim Cheong’s agency and centering her motivation around her relationship with a boy feels more of a disservice to the original folktale (and while there are moments where it implies she could have other motivations, these moments and conversations never actually involve Shim Cheong and are never confirmed within the story).
My issues with the handling of the original myth aside, this book, especially at the beginning, made me feel like the author thought I was an idiot. Everything, especially the theme of fate, was over-explained and shoved straight into your face. Even while over-explaining things which could have been implied the book also fails to show its story and characters properly. It tells everything instead of showing.
Similarly, the beginning went so quickly, only for the middle to drag and the end to once again pick up the pace. The beginning (including the introduction to Mina, her family, and the rest of the setting) needed more time than it was given.
Another issue I had (that also is partially due to the weird pacing) was the amount of characters introduced that I simply did not care about. Most of the characters were introduced quickly, only based on Mina’s history with them (which, again, was only explained, hardly shown). Similarly, most characters lacked demonstrable personality—everything was told to the audience, not shown. While I grew to care for some characters, I felt apathetic towards others (especially Mina’s family).
The world Axie Oh created for this book would have been amazing to explore more in depth (and with some better writing). Every attempt to describe the world within the book came off as an unnatural exposition dump, which is a shame because it had so much intrigue and potential.
Overall, I think The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was a fun read with a lot of potential that it did not fulfill because it suffered from poor writing and general mistreatment of the story that inspired it (I would hardly call stripping Shim Cheong of any agency or distinct personality she had in the original myth in order to replace her with a character who does nothing a feminist retelling of her story. This felt more like a self-insert version of the folktale than anything else).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very strong Studio Ghibli vibes in this novel inspired by Korean mythology. The relationships with the MC’s friends and family are so beautiful and vibrant, but the romance kind of fell flat in comparison. The pacing is strange and dreamy, which lends well to the type of story it is but also struggled to keep my attention. I found my thoughts drifting off just to come back and realize I had not paid attention to anything said in the last several minutes. The YA tropes are pretty blatant, which are the weakest parts of the novel inspired my opinion. Could have gone without the awkward love triangle or the fated love prophecy. Gave me some serious ick. The mythology and themes of belief and hope were beautiful though.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a heartwarming piece of storytelling! The writing style was so comforting and heartfelt! It felt like I was listening to a Hayao Miyazaki film; so peaceful. Such a pretty book!!!
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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:
No
One of my favorite books I’ve read in 2024.