Review by magicalreads - The Floating World

magicalreads 's review for:

The Floating World by Axie Oh

4.25

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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: N/A

read on my blog

rep: Korean inspiration and -coded characters; (Korean-American author)
cw: blood, violence, (view spoiler)

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley (thank you, Fierce Reads and Axie!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

As she stared at the Floating World, she made a promise to herself. That world could pull her into its shadow, but it would never hold her. In the end, she would break free.

I’ve been a huge fan of Axie Oh for years and I’m so excited to read her new fantasy duology! I’m not super familiar with Final Fantasy, but this combined with Korean mythology sounded so interesting and I knew Axie would give us something good. The Floating World was a wonderful read, full of intense worldbuilding and soft romance.

We follow two characters: Sunho, an ex-soldier who woke up one day ago with no memories except that he needs to find his older brother; and Ren, a cheerful girl traveling in an acrobatic troupe with her adoptive family. The troupe is in the last village of their route when they’re attacked by a mysterious demon; Ren manages to fight it with her light powers, exposing her magical abilities, but not before her uncle is deathly poisoned. She decides to set over the mountains to find a cure, putting her in the path of Sunho, who accepts a mercenary job to find the girl with the silver light.

As is typical with this author’s books, The Floating World is full of gorgeous writing and the softest characters. I liked following Sunho, who is haunted by his mysterious new powers and the fact that his only memories are of his older brother who he can’t find, as well as Ren, a girl who’s been on the run for her entire life but still manages to be full of joy and life. When they meet, they can’t help but be drawn to each other. Their scenes together were so soft; I’ve always loved how Axie writes her romances!

The plot was so thrilling, and I can’t believe that ending! The sequel is also releasing this year so thankfully I don’t have to wait long. If you’re a fan of Axie Oh’s other books and/or Shadow and Bone, you should definitely pick up The Floating World!

original review:

oh! gorgeous gorgeous book with axie’s signature atmospheric vibe. can’t wait for the sequel !!

Content Warnings