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

Reviews tagging 'War'

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

75 reviews

bree_h_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

2.25

I was really looking forward to this book and what story it could tell. And it had a pretty strong start to backup this hope. Unfortunately it fell a bit short by the halfway point.

As mentioned the start was pretty strong. I felt like it established action and motivation really well. Not to mention a strong setting of scene and tone. I thought Mina losing her voice was really interesting and I liked how it changed her communication and how others understood her. I also thought the introduction to the main cast was interesting and got me interested in them.

But once Mina got her voice back I just felt like the book took a dip in quality. The feeling of inconsistency in Mina’s character seemed highlighted and relationships with other characters felt rushed. It felt like it was trying to mimic ACOTAR, but wasn’t executed very well. Not to mention the grossness around a romance between a 16-year-old minor and an ancient immortal. It’s not realistic, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth in regards to the love interest. By the end it really just felt like the book was a checklist of tropes.

Overall it wasn’t super great, but I think people that like ACOTAR might enjoy it more than me.

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vif's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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kaitrates's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

I mostly enjoyed this gorgeous novel. As a retelling—based on what I read about the original story—it reminds me of what Rosalind is to Romeo and Juliet. It takes the known story and adds an entirely new layer to the story, one that’s plausible enough but changes a core of the tekr—in this case, that the hero of the story isn’t actually Sim Cheong.

The writing is ethereal and lyrical as we join our main character Mina on her journey through the Spirit Realm. There are plot twists and battles, romance and secret identities, evil gods and shapeshifting creatures, and much more.

I loved both the family and the found family, the gorgeous writing, and the new-to-me setting and lore.

Unfortunately, the romance felt rushed and underdeveloped to me as did some other parts of the plot, including the ending to a degree.

Overall, this was a great fantasy to start my year off with and I’d definitely read from this author again.

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bellebookcorner's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

“Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe.”

I had quite a high expectation towards it since I never read a retelling of a Korean folk story before so I was very excited.

There are some things that I love here but there are some that I wished for more.

First of all, I really like the whimsical and magical world building of the Spirit Realm that comes with magical creatures such as Imugi and dragons.

I also enjoy getting to know the loveable characters such as the brave and selfless FMC – Mina, mischievous characters like Dai and Namgi as well as mysterious characters such as Mask and the Sea God himself.

There’s very little romance in this one so the romantic relationship between the main characters appears instant which is something I’m not a huge fan of.

It took me quite a while to get hooked into the story with the uneven pacing, fortunately things started become more interesting in the second half part of the book. There are some unexpected twists along the way piqued my interest once more and I feel quite satisfied with the ending.

Overall, it’s a pretty good read even though it started out slow at the beginning but the twists near the ending bump up the stars I’m giving this book.

I do enjoy reading this book and will look forward to read more books from this author in the future.

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green_amaryllis's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

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emmieanna's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? No

4.5

I run a YA bookclub and this was a book that they chose almost unanimously to read next. What a beautifully written, folktale infused story with so much heart.

I have wanted to read this book for a long time and it has sat on my shelf for almost a year. The descriptions are so lyrical and vivid and Axie really made me believe in Mina’s story. The only thing stopping me from giving the full 5 stars is the fact I wish it were a duology. I want to know more about this world and Mina’s aspirations, as well as perhaps Shin’s POV and more internal struggle from both of the characters. A lot of the time they changed their minds rather quickly and the plot is so fast paced that we don’t have time to dwell on details.

Overall, I could not recommend this book enough. It is a gorgeous folklore fantasy that has strong Ghibli and fairytale threads.

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