The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a beautiful retelling of the Korean folktale "The Tale of Shim Cheong." While I was unfamiliar with the original, this story presented a wonderful entry to the tale that I've since read. The story is beautifully written and short and sweet. Highly recommended!

THE GIRL WHO FELL BENEATH THE SEA is a tale that touches upon themes of processing grief and the love shared between friends and family. Sixteen-year-old Mina chooses to sacrifice herself to the Sea God in place of Shim Cheong, the love of her brother Joon's life. In this ultimate act of love between siblings, Mina hopes that Joon will be able to live a full life with Shim Cheong by his side. Once in the Spirit Realm Mina finds the Sea God withdrawn and detached from the world around him. Resolved to find an end to the storms that plague her country, Mina sets out to understand how to help the Sea God overcome his grief.

I'm not familiar with THE TALE OF SHIM CHEONG, the myth that inspired this book; so I can't speak to that. However, I did get Miyazaki animation vibes while reading, particularly when secondary characters Mask, Kai, and Miki interact with Mina. These three spirits are mysterious and quirky, but bear no ill will towards Mina, reminding me a lot of SPIRITED AWAY. Although they don't have a lot of page time, I found them the most engaging. However, many of the secondary characters are introduced very quickly and thrust into the plot with barely any preemptive build up as to their background or importance. Overall, I found that this was a problem throughout the book that also affected the world-building.

Marketed as a young adult fantasy novel, I thought the writing, characterization, and world-building were on the younger side of this genre. Frankly, I felt it should have been categorized as middle grade. The writing style is simplistic and to-the-point and the plot is fast paced and doesn't allow for much introspection or character growth. Perhaps this is more commonplace in middle grade books--I wouldn't know as I don't read them). But for a young adult book, and based on the amount of raving I saw, I expected the characters and the story to be more fleshed out.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, which was disappointing because the Spirit Realm has so. much. potential. There are so many different gods and goddesses and mythical beasts mentioned, but barely any exploration beyond that. Instead the characters felt flat, the conversation stilted, and the romance underdeveloped. I also felt like a lot of plot elements weren't fully explained or the solutions to any hardships had a convenient solution.

I also found it somewhat puzzling that the marketing bills this as a feminist retelling. Again, I can't speak to the original myth, but I think THE GIRL WHO FELL BENEATH THE SEA barely squeaks by as feminist. Just because there's a main female character who isn't afraid to voice her opinions, or has a strong relationship with her grandmother, doesn't make it a feminist retelling. Yes, Mina takes charge of her life and decides to sacrifice herself to save another girl. But, instead, what about trying to change the tradition of sacrificing a girl every year to the Sea God in an effort to stop the storms? Why not question these types of traditions? And, once Mina reaches the Spirit Realm, she constantly needs rescuing. Despite knowing that she's vulnerable in the Spirit Realm, she puts herself in questionable situations, she doesn't ask the right questions, she doesn't (at the very least) ask how she can protect herself.

If you can't tell by now, unfortunately this book didn't work for me. I think a younger age group would enjoy this. In fact, the subtlety of any feminist themes (i.e., the voicing of one's opinions as a girl; a quest run by a girl) are probably appropriate for middle grade. But I think they're too subtle and simplistic for the YA age group.

This book was exquisite. A retelling the Korean myth of the Sea God, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea shows what true courage and love looks like. This story follows Mina, as she journeys to the Spirit realm to find the Sea God and break the curse that has them suffering from terrible storms and other environmental phenomena.

The character development is great, Mina, Shin Namgin and Kirin especially, have a ton of character growth throughout the story.

The world building for the spirit realm was exquisite. I found the interactions between spirits, gods and mythical beasts to be fascinating.

The love story was heartbreakingly beautiful, I laughed and cried equally. Yet it was very well balanced with Mina's quest and didn't take away from the main story, as much as it enhanced it.

Overall would recommend 100%.

I received an ARC of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea in exchange for an honest review. Thank You author Axie Oh, NetGalley, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this amazingly written book. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was packed with vivid imagery and was one of my favorite reads for my 2022. I was unable to finish the whole book before it was archived due to me going into labor and then having to get into a new routine with my Newborn. I have Purchased The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and I'm looking forward to finishing it ! I recommend this book to any fantasy and mythology lover, and to those that would love to give fantasy a go. Thank you once again to author Axie Oh, NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for this opportunity.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. It read a bit young for me. I recognize I am not the target demographic, but I generally can get on with YA if it has more of a mature or well-developed tone.

However, I really enjoyed the fact that it was a Korean-inspired story, weaving folklore into a contemporary novel. I would love to see more books like this out there in the future and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to give this title a chance. As a librarian, I'm always interested in seeing if books will be a good fit in our collection. I'd definitely recommend it to teens looking for something a bit less heavily plot based, with great atmosphere and whimsy.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I initially had a difficult time getting into this book. It had a slow start, after the lyrical first chapter. I stuck with it, though, and ended up loving the second half. I think one of the things that was off-putting to me was how fast the love story seemed to develop, but given the overarching theme of fate that was probably by design. Once the narrative picked up for me I couldn’t put it down, but that wasn’t until like 60% or so. Given how much everyone has loved this one, I think maybe I just wasn’t in the right mind frame? But ultimately I give it a 4/5 stars. It was imaginative and lovely and I love mythological stories.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

I am absolutely delighted to say that Axie Oh has done it once again! The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is such an enthralling and beautiful novel. Let me say that I haven't devoured a book this quickly in a while.

I was interested in this book the moment I saw the cover and read the description. I was hooked right from the opening, and I just knew I was going to be in for a treat. Even though we don't know much about Mina and Joon in the beginning, the bits and pieces are enough to show that they care about each other, and I love a good sibling bond. The first meeting between the sea god and Mina was not what I expected, and I thought it was a really interesting plot development. I also loved the other characters, especially Shin. I really enjoyed the layers to his character and each time we got to know more about him. It was also interesting to read about all the other gods, what they represent, and their motives. I was also curious about Mask and Dai and how they were involved in everything, and finding out about their identities was a lovely reveal. I thought Mina was a wonderful main character as she has so much strength within her but also compassion that really shines through.

And of course I have to mention the romance. It was so cute, I was truly screaming, crying, kicking my feet at 3am. I love them so much. The plot twist at the end also surprised me. I think some people may have guessed it, but it got me. I was honestly so enraptured in the plot that I didn't see it coming, and I thought it was a wonderful twist. I only wish we got a little more of an epilogue just because I want to see more of the romance/cute moments between the two.

Overall, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was a novel that I honestly could not put down. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially those who enjoy fantasy!

I found this to be beautifully written and loved the story. I'm unfamiliar with most Asian mythologies so I appreciated learning about Korean storytelling and stories. Mina was an inspiring heroine and I loved her relationships with her family and friends.

This was one of my most anticipated books, but sadly I just didn't like it. I spent most of the time confused. I felt like nothing was explained and once it was, it wasn't done in a cohesive way. This one just wasn't for me.

Absolutely loved this and I do not think I have ever read a book like this before! This book gave me a vibe like her previous book which is called XOXO where the character FL falls in love with a trainee and I loved both of her books. If you love retellings and especially Korean fairytale retelling, then please read this!
4 stars!!

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Positives: Short and sweet. A Story filled with lots of love and hope.

Negatives: Not much plot. For a story with a deadline, it lacks urgency.

3.5 stars

It’s a beautiful, heartwarming and insightful story. A fairytale of old.

I loved Mina’s character; her determination and steadfastness. Even though non of the reviles are surprising, it is still a blast to read. It’s so full of live and wonder and fairytale magic and wisdom.

I don’t even know how to put into words how beautiful this story was. From the exquisite writing to the well written characters to the engaging storyline, this book really had everything I wanted and needed.

Stopped at 14%. Feels very YA with a hero’s journey set up. Our average YA reader is likely to enjoy. The opening is interesting, and it’s likely three to four stars for the middle grade/YA age group if it continues as it has. Adults, not as much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC.

I…LOVED this book.

Over the summer I read XOXO, which was such a fun and swoony story. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea keeps some of the elements that made XOXO an addicting read (new places/experiences, family, ~romance~) but brings a different side of Axie’s writing to the forefront. It’s one of those stories that captivate you, pulling you into a new world. I wanted to both read Girl in one day and take the time to soak in every little detail.

Girl is told from the perspective of Mina, the younger sister of the infamous Shim Cheong’s lover. I loved how Axie reinterpreted the core of the original Korean folktale by expanding the perspective of the story (aka adding Mina) but also clearly asked questions, digging deeper into the characters and their hearts. Plus, Axie wove her story with such elegance and lyricism that it was hard not to want to stay by the characters’ sides.

Retellings always appear with simple curiosities like “what if” and “why”: Why is Shim Cheong almost a myth before she is even gone? Why do Mina’s people believe that *girls* must be sacrificed to appease the Sea God and his anger? Why can’t Mina—and the others in the story—be in charge of their fate, their destiny? Why do others have a say in how they live their lives, both on earth and after death?

Mina is a protagonist that everyone needs. She’s a character is never shies away from expressing her fear, but she also understands that she’s worthy, that she’s loved, and that she’s in control of her fate, whether others try to push her into a predetermined path or not.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a beautifully told retelling of a Korean fairy tale. In this version, Mina, a young woman who is not especially beautiful or talented, makes a split-second decision to sacrifice herself to the Sea God, an angry spirit taking out his vengeance on her people. When she takes the place of another, she falls into the sea and then into the spirit realm where she is not quite sure what to expect. She learns that the Sea God is not ignoring her people or is angry at them, he is cursed to sleep. In his place, Lord Shim is managing his affairs and Mina's fate is tied directly to Lord Shim's. Mina has one month to awaken the Sea God and to recover her own lost soul before she must stay in the spirit world forever.

There was so much to love about this book. The writing was so beautiful, and I loved the characters and the worldbuilding. I wish I could explore this gorgeous and fantastical place. I can definitely understand the comparison to Spirited Away, but it's not quite the same. It stands up beautifully on its own outside of a comparison to anything else. I know several teens who will love this book and I'm so excited to recommend it to them.
Recommended for middle school and up.

This book was possibly the most anticipated read of 2022 for me! I loved the story and how it came together. :While I know Spirited Away is not Korean, I saw a lot of similarities with Girl and Spirited. It was beyond magical and I'm so glad it came through and I didn't let myself hype myself up to much for it!

Axie Oh is definitely a must read author and I will preorder all of her books!

This book was such a delight to read - from the Spirited Away vibes to the fact that it weaves together Korean mythology and fairy tales, it was precisely my cup of tea. Were some things predictable? Certainly. But there were at least a couple twists I didn't see coming, and the overall themes just worked for me beautifully. The romance is sweet and not overbearing, and there are friendships that warm the heart as well. The story is well paced, not too long, and a standalone--which is a rare, rare breed in YA. Highly recommend!

Thank you Feiwel & Friends for letting me read this before my fairyloot edition came in!


Themes:
retelling of fairytale
enemies to lovers
hidden pasts
fated destinies
family ties
underwater setting

3.5 rating
I love fairy retellings. And Axie Oh can really write a setting! I loved the buildings and the underworld. She seemed to write the side characters very well but somewhat missed the mark on fleshing out the main character: Mina. For all the descriptions of living in a fishing village, she didnt have any opinion or actions on how these strangers are waiting on her hand and foot taking care of her, even combing her hair as a Lady. I've read plenty of books with female characters being weirded out or refusing that kind of service due to their background so to see no reaction in this book was just weird to me. Mask, Miki and Dai almost made me cry! Half the plot was pretty slow but in the end i did like it and i cherish my special edition very much.
Love to see more from this author.

Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of the book for my honest review.

Inspired by the tale of Shim Cheong- a Korean folktale, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a remarkable story about a girl who should sacrifice herself to the sea God so she could stop the upcoming storm from happening to her homeland. We follow the MC, Mina, in her journey in which she sacrifices herself in place of the girl her brother loves to save him, and she ends up in the Spirit Realm. She now must find a way to become the Sea God’s true bride to end all the suffering of the citizens before her time runs out.

I absolutely love the mythology in this book. The themes of love and family are great. The lyrical storytelling and the action-packed plot force you to keep on reading. And my favorite: the shocking twist and turns.

This book is by far one of the best books I read to Axie Oh. Overall, I recommend this book to YA fantasy books fans.