Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

30 reviews

bethsreading's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

This is a book I’ve had on my TBR for such a long time. Not only was the cover stunning but the story of an underwater fantasy world based on Korean folktales and the red string of fate? Absolutely yes. However, this one ended up as a disappointment for me. I think it was more of a let down because it had so much potential. There were so many incredible ideas to work with and nearly all of them fell flat or where completely under developed. 

This book needed to be double the length so it actually had space to develop the world and the characters. The progression of the story is so jumpy; there is never any downtime, it just hops from plot point to plot point, and most of the time it is actually quite jarring. I wanted the story to stop and take moments to breathe and let the characters and world actually come to life — it needed the meaningful ‘filler’ moments that flesh out a story.  

The world building was one of the most disappointing parts. At times you had gorgeous glimpses of a Spirited Away style, enchanting underwater spirit world, but those moments got swept away in unanswered questions about the workings of the world and many elements that really didn’t make sense at all. 

My biggest issue has to be the characters. They are all so one-dimensional. The main character doesn’t feel like a real person, just a collection of tropes that are told to you, not even really shown or given proper backstory. And the side characters feel like they only exist to aid the main character and fill in plot points. A lot of the dialogue felt awkward or elicited eye rolls and the relationships between the characters and their feelings are not meaningfully developed but just told to you, so I really felt nothing for them at all. 

I think I am slightly harsh on this one because it had so much potential. Some of the writing is really beautiful, the story is very compelling and unique, and the characters could have been very meaningful. But overall it ended up being underdeveloped, one dimensional, and a big disappointment.  


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sapphicfog's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective slow-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

4.5


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astrid_islaglewis's review

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medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.75


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staceyinthesticks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional relaxing 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

5.0


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clariu25's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The beginning of the book was too slow for me, and parts of the plot were a bit too predictable. Nevertheles , I found it intriguing enough to continue reading.
I'm glad I did.
The story follows Mina, a girl who sacrifices herself to help her village. Then she founds that the Spirit Realm and the Sea God are quite different from what the legends say.
I found the story very cute. Mina is a bit stubborn but she learns quickly that people are there to help her, not control her. She is of course going through the grieve of loosing her family while adapting to a new and completely unknown place and trying to fulfill her mission. I liked her character a lot, brave but kind, not a superhero but not a damsel in distress. Her relationships with each of the characters are lovely, each one of them is different. 
The book touches themes of faith, family, friendship, love, death... It's a cozy read that warms your heart.

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puertojenny's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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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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lauraloveslemons's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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mattyb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆/☆☆☆☆☆

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annorabrady's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

I appreciate that, despite the high stakes of the premise, this book is treated more like a cozy fantasy. It gives room to enjoy the world, the characters, and the conflict equally. <Spoiler>I also love that the characters allow themselves to have space away from each other before deciding their future together, so that they could better understand themselves and how the events had changed them. It's a refreshing change from "I was in a harrowing situation and you made me feel safe so now we will be married" sentiments seen in other stories.

There are elements of this story that remind me of both Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid (not just in the voice plot but also in the limited time to win the sea god's heart before she lost her life) but with more agency, resourcefulness, and purpose on the part of the main character. 

I also like the idea that the chosen one must choose herself instead of being the victim of the choices of others. 

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