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cepbreed's review
- 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
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Blood
fiercereadsfiction's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence and Child death
Minor: War
baolade's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Child death, Death, and Blood
_marycappiello3's review
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, and Death
rileydobereading's review
- 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
Moderate: War, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and Violence
jayisreading's review against another edition
4.0
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.
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Grief
Minor: War
e_riahh's review
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and War
lawbooks600's review against another edition
- 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
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this one for a while but never got around till now. I glanced the blurb, which made The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea look intriguing and enjoyable. I headed in with high expectations considering the equally high ratings. When I closed the final page of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, it was a delightful reading experience.
It starts with the first character I see, Mina, living her life when someone had to sacrifice themselves for the Sea God. According to the myth, the Sea God has cursed the land with storms and floods--a human sacrifice to become the Sea God's bride is the only solution. This time it's Mina's brother who had to sacrifice himself but Mina joins and intervenes, risking her life. I thought Mina would not survive the opening pages, but surprisingly, she enters a realm previously unknown to her, a world filled with spirits, and most prominently, the Sea God. He's younger than Mina thought, since he's only a teenager. The former half of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is tedious to read, but the pace quickly picks up during the latter half. There was more action there, but the conclusion is only okay. At least there's a high note in the end.
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Grief
Full trigger warnings: Near-death experience, floods and mass death in the past mentioned, death of children and others, blood, grief and loss depictionainadei's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death
takahapa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child death and Injury/Injury detail