"The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea" swept me away with the synopsis alone. After the first chapter, it did not disappoint. Our story follows Mina, who sacrifices herself in place to become the wife of the Sea God, who wrecks havoc on her village every year with storms. Mina finds herself in the spirit world, determined to break the curse savaging her land.

Oh did a fantastic job with this story telling. The feel of this book did heavily remind me of Spirited Away, but that just made it all the better. The spirits and gods and goddesses of this world were striking. To see how they acted in reaction to humans was something I never thought of, or even challenged being a religious person myself. I am always believing that the love we give in life will be returned, but it not always the case no matter how hard we try.

This happened to be the first book I have picked up regarding Korean folktales, and I learned so much while also being entranced by the world. I loved the aspects provided of the bridges between the human and spirit world. Mina's determination to save everyone in was something I greatly admired. She was filled with love, as a person should be, even with all the negativity thrown her way. That shows a characters true value, in the face of hardships and Mina had a key to her that made you want to look up to her.

Upon finding out who was with Mina along her journey in the spirit realm, touched my heart, almost to tears. The story had a way of picking at the deepest parts of your heart, with the kind words delivered by our cast of spirits. I think this story could have been so much more in the sense of adult fantasy, but I am so content with the results nonetheless. I highly recommend this for any reader of any age.

Thank you to Axie Oh, Macmillan Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ebook arc in exchange for an honest review.

A remarkably beautiful story, weaving in proverbs and poetry, and telling a tale... not just of the past, but timely for our day as well.

A story of a strong will used with a passionate heart. Not looking out for yourself, but for others. Of seeing a course to help others and knowing that it will rob you of your own joy, but doing it anyways.

And realizing that sometimes, when you do what's right, you are actually following your heart.

Sure to be a story the resonates strongly with readers, do not miss this fable-esque take on a Korean myth!

That was beautiful! Now, I have to be honest, I struggled a little bit to get into this one at first just because it felt about too fast paced for me in the beginning - small issues resolved themselves very quickly and I was struggling to see what the main through point would be. For me the halfway point was about where I turned on my axis and made bread as an excuse to stay up late and keep reading.

This story is a reimagining of Korea’s legend of Shim Cheong but make no mistake - It’s not Shim Cheong who we follow through the spirit realm, but Song Mina the younger sister of Cheong’s love. Cheong, due to her beauty, is meant to be sacrificed as a bride to the Sea God and Mina’s brother, Joon, is determined to stop it. Naturally, Mina chases after her favorite brother and, in a moment of bravery, self-sacrifice, and sheer determination to decide her own fate, she offers herself as a bride instead, throwing herself into the sea.

Ooof, that’s a lot, right? And it’s not even spoilers because that’s basically all in the summary! Anyway, Mina ends up in the Spirit Realm, and she’s determined to do whatever has to be done to make the Sea God stop absolutely wreaking havoc on her village and maybe start answering prayers again. But of course, stormy waters have the power to push even the most well charted plans of course, and hijinks ensue!

Overall, I loved it! Beautiful, more feminist take on The Tale of Shim Cheong, and a great YA read for those interested in historical fiction, legends, and fantasy.

Over a week or so I read 7 different fairytale- and folklore-based novels. I think this one was my favorite of the bunch. I loved the details of the worlds, both real and magical, and I loved the main character, Mina, and her indomitable spark. The romance in the book, in a genre that's often plagued with a certain unattractive Byronic tendency in its male heros, was surprisingly lovely.

This book was just okay. There were serious fairy tale vibes which is something I love in a book. The premise was good and the characters were pretty interesting. But I found the plot to be pretty predictable. I guessed the ending halfway through. I also would have liked the plot to have been better fleshed out. There were several spots where it felt rushed to me.

Absolutely incredible! This was such a heartwarming read about family, faith, love, and courage. This story was so rich and incredibly told. There is just so much life to it and I am so so happy I read it. It was a lighter read and I was able to finish it rather quickly. However, it is truly a treasure and I would highly recommend it.

Thank you so much to the wonderful author, Axie Oh, NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where to start. This book was fantastic, it's everything I want from a gentle fantasy. The world building was lovely, the characters were so easy to love it was like a breath of fresh air, and the message is so pure.

We follow Mina, a girl from a seaside village, as she sacrifices herself to the Sea God in place of her brother, Joon's, fiance. From there we follow Mina as she's brought into the spirit world where she comes face to face with the Sea God. Only problem is: he's sleeping.

Though a red string of fate binds them, it's quickly severed by the Lord of Lotus house, and self proclaimed protector of the sleeping Sea God, Shin.

With the help of the Sea God's protectors, and children she befriends in the spirit realm along the way, Mina must help unlock the secrets of the sleeping God.

This story is all about love, love of family, love of friends, and love for yourself. Mina is an outstanding protagonist that is so full of heart. There were many times I just wanted to comfort her but knew I just had to keep rooting her on!

Every aspect of this book was purposeful, I honestly can't think of anything to trim from it. It lacks the tropes we usually see in fantasy books, which was a huge relief for me.

The chemistry between the characters, combined with the ethereal atmosphere, creates a downright pleasant reading experience.

It was intriguing to see the other god/desses and what their realms were like, I only wish we could have seen more, but that's just personal preference. As said, everything in this is there as much or as little as they need to be.

With all this talk about a bride, one would think it was a romance, but it isn't in my opinion. Romance is an aspect, but not the focus. And what romance we do get is so gentle and warm, I love it.

I see it compared to Spirited Away, and while I don't personally see that, it drips with Ghibli style and Miyazaki aesthetic. I very easily could see this being beautifully animated and would be first in line for a ticket!

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is full of love, magic, atmosphere, and breathtaking worldbuilding. It's a nice warm blanket on a cold night and a hug from a loved one. Be sure to check it out!

A feminist re-telling of Korean mythology with a daring heroine that willingly chooses to disappear beneath the sea to break an ancient curse. For years, storms have ravaged Mina's home and swept away people's lives in a deadly wave. Her people believe the Sea God has cursed them and to appease him they sacrifice a maiden to become the Sea God's bride. Shim Cheong is chosen, but she's beloved by Mina's older brother and as a result, Mina sacrifices herself instead.

"The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea" is truly enjoyable because Mina seizes her fate and sets out determined to break a curse that no one has been able to break before. She does not bemoan her fate but instead sets out with a fierce determination to save her village and wake the Sea God. There were so many fantastic moments when other characters would place her wants and desires second to the god, but Mina would forcibly remind the person and the reader that she had chosen her fate and she would see it through. Oh really nails the feminist re-telling and gives agency to the Sea God's brides.

lovely take on an old folk tale. The characters were lively and real and I really enjoyed the adventure. I'd give this to my 12 year old in a heart beat

Wow! What a charming, engaging, and all around fantastic read. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an adaptation of a Korean folklore about Sim Cheong.

This novel has everything that makes a fantasy novel thrive; action/adventure, twists, great main and supporting characters, wonderful setting for it all to take place, and best of all, an amazing story. The flow of the novel was perfect with the right amount of elements.

I work in an international school in China and serve a very large Korean population. I think this book is a wonderful story with strong Korean culture, that all my students will enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. This has to be one of my top reads of the year! I am excited to share it with my school!

Ah! This was gorgeous! So original and engaging. The plot kept me hooked and the characters were so easy to fall in love with. Oh is definitely an author I will be keen to see more from soon.

Where do I even start with this book? It was painfully beautiful and the characters were so uniquely real that I would gladly read a full trilogy about their day to day lives. The plot was fascinating and I really liked how fast paced it was.

As a white American, I don’t have the authority to speak much on the Korean cultural aspect of this. I will say, however, that I fell in love with the world and it was such an interesting look into a completely different culture than I was used to, without being overwhelming or confusing.

I don’t know if this is a cultural difference or if this is something unique to this author, but I loved how in love with the world Mina was. Often in YA fantasy books you get a main character who can’t wait to escape the mundane world and experience the magical, which is fun and all, but I feel like it’s also unhealthy and makes the real world seem less beautiful. I really appreciated how Mina loved the world of the living just as fiercely as she did the world of the spirits, even though it lacked the wonders and magic of the spirit world.

I also appreciated the strong emphasis on platonic love, and how the love the Sea God and the Emperor shared was never treated as less meaningful or important because there was no romantic love. The friendships were respected and valued as much as the romances, which is so rare to find in YA.

Overall, this book is amazing, I’m obsessed, and I desperately need more books in this world.

This book is great. I love seeing myth retellings from non-European countries, and Mina was a great character! I hope to read more from Axie Oh in the future.