It has been a while since I read this, but I remember my main issues with this book were the uneven pacing, the convoluted storyline, and the characters were flat, one-dimensional characters that acted like puppets being forced to check off tropes this book could be marketed as.

The narrator did a great job of pulling me into the story, it was the writing itself that let this book down.

The cover art is beautiful though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

Unfortunately it seems I did not download the file. I am unable to listen to the book so I can not give it a review. Thank you for the opportunity.

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me access.

This one fell a little short for me. I just didn’t connect to the story but it could have been because of my mood at that moment in time. I will have to give this one another shot in the future because I really wanted to love this one.

A really beautiful story of mythology!
This is the first book I've read by this author and I really enjoyed this one on audio.

I wanted to like this but I could not get into the story or the characters. I felt that it was pretty far fetched and not something I could connect to.

The story is very beautiful. It is a very lyrical fairytale with a strong heroine. The writing is beautiful and gives readers a glimpse of Korean culture. However, the narrator was flat and monotonous throughout the narration. There was no excitement, not even during the action sequences. I could not distinguish between the characters. Therefore, I recommend reading the book instead rather than listening to the audiobook because it would greatly affect the enjoyment of the book.

Mina isn't expecting to end up as the Sea God's bride, but she can't let her sister-in-law sacrifice herself, when all she wants is to love and marry Mina's brother. Plunging into the depths of the sea and ending up in the spirit realm, things continue to go drastically wrong. The Sea God is asleep, Mina's red string of fate is severed from him, her soul gets stolen, she loses her voice, and this is only in the first 45 minutes of the audiobook.

This actually took me a while to get into the story, because it felt like too much at once and I had a hard time processing what was actually happening. Also, as much as I have some knowledge of Asian based folklore, there were so many Gods and spirits and creatures and I couldn't keep them all straight. Also, I have basically no knowledge of Korean folklore and mythology, so I felt clear out of luck trying to understand any of the world. Yet again another reason to go diving into more books.

It was beautifully written, I was a little annoyed with the whole relationship, but I don't want to really express why because it would spoil the whole story. The narrator was amazing, and this book had some really great emotional moments. The moment with Mina's ancestors towards the end of the book made me want to sob. There's just a lot of love that was put into this book, and you can tell.

This book was beautifully written and enjoyed being transported to this underwater kingdom. I love the folklore and mythology integrated into this fantasy story and the slow burn romance was so heart warming.

Mina’s homeland has been ravaged by deadly storms for the generations. Her people believe in the gods and believe that the Sea God used to be their protector, but now curses them. Each year a girl is thrown into the Sea as an offering to the Sea God’s bride. It is believed only the true bride will break the Sea God’s curse. Shim Cheong, who is Mina’s brother’s love is to be sacrificed this year. To save her brother from heartbreak, Mina throws herself into the sea and offers herself up as the Sea God’s bride. Mina is determined to break the Sea God’s curse and only has a month to do it. Will she succeed?

This was my last read for April and it feels like the best was saved for last. This was my only physical book that I finished for April. Also, it was like a light was flipped and my depression around this time was cleared up. I saw the Fairyloot YA edition and absolutely fell in love and had to have it. I kept scouring Pangbooks and Mercari for an edition. I did end up buying one and let’s not talk about the price. Anyway, I absolutely fell in love with this book. The world was absolutely beautiful and immersive. I loved all the characters and how they were written. I did guess some twists, but they didn’t take away from the story since I usually hate guessing twists. These just made me more excited. I just loved everything about this book and absolutely loved the culture. Please pick this up, you won’t regret it.

A story that would best appeal to those new to the YA genre, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea has all the hallmarks of many a YA fantasy: a headstrong main character motivated to change the world they come from for reasons personal and altruistic; a mystery in a realm either ignored or revered by the nation of the novel; people who go from stranger to family over the course of the story. Each component of this is narrative is well executed and lends itself to another lauded entry into the YA fantasy genre. It is only my own jadedness for these stories - as I'm always looking for something that stands apart - that leads me to rate it within the mid-range.

This book was beautifully written. The writing was whimsical and really lent to immersing me into the story. It was so neat seeing the world beneath the sea and learning about all the stories and legends made for quite a journey.

I enjoyed Axie Oh’s writing style. It was magical and the world/characters are well developed. The pacing is slower but I felt necessary to really enjoy and live within the story.

I loved the relationships built between Mina and the other characters, including the sea gods. I definitely recommend this YA fantasy!

The audio was so good & the narrator did an amazing job of putting you into the story. You really felt as if you were walking alongside Mina.

A young (and very brave) girl decides to intervene when her brother’s love is chosen to be sacrificed to the Sea God and become his bride. She travels to the Sea God’s realm in place of the intended sacrifice. Once she’s there, she learns that the Sea God has been cursed to sleep and sets off to break the curse. Along the way, she has her voice taken and placed in a magpie, meets a host of both lovable and scary characters, and learns some deep truths about herself and the world she lives in. This is a truly profound and beautiful story that is wonderfully vibrant and magical. I loved being along for the ride and routing for our heroine!

The audiobook was amazing and enchanting. The reedy and hypnotic voice of the narrator drew me further into the story and I didn’t want to stop listening! I highly recommend this audiobook if you plan to read this book!

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a Mythological fantasy that will take readers on a lush and exciting ride. From the start, the atmosphere is dark and looming. When Mina jumps into the sea, the world building takes off and is vivid and immersive. Mia is an amazing protagonist that has enough grit and flaws that any reader with identify. The mythology is seamlessly integrated into the narrative.

It isn’t often that there is a book that I think about not finishing and end up glad I pushed through, but this is that book. I had seen this book floating around a bit, and I thought the cover was absolutely beautiful, but I was also fairly certain it wasn’t really my type of story. While I wasn’t wrong on that account, I am realizing how badly I need to branch out in my reading, because the realization that I could have missed out on this beautiful story is so sad to me!


I had no real idea of what this book was about, but it was so different than anything I was expecting. I was fascinated by the story of the Sea God’s brides, how fearless Mina was, and the whole concept of her being literally beneath the sea. Though there were times where I felt like this was going to be kind of boring, the characters kept bringing me back in. Everything about this story was so… vivid. The descriptions of Mina’s surroundings and the characters she met along the way were incredible, and I felt like I could really see everything.


This was also one of the most unexpectantly sweet stories I have ever listened to. Something about Mina’s character was so genuine and kind, and it made me have such complete faith in her. She trusted and loved and protected so fiercely that I loved her right back. I was not expecting to create such an emotional attachment to her journey, but I honestly found myself welling up a few times. I wanted everything to work out in her favor so desperately that I was almost afraid to finish the story was some points.

I can honestly say that this has become one of my favorite books so quickly. The story was absolutely beautiful in every way, and I want to read more by Axie Oh in the hopes that I can feel everything this book made me feel. It was the perfect story of friendship, family, and love that I have ever read. This is an absolute must read!

Narration
This book was narrated by Rosa Escoda, and I hate to say it, but her narration was part of the reason I almost did not finish this book. She read the entire thing with the same tone, and it made me think the story was going to be boring. It is already really hard to keep track of characters when listening to an audiobook sometimes, but no character had their own voice, which made it even harder to keep them straight.
5🌟 books; 2🌟narration

It was the beautiful cover that initially drew me in but it was the phenomenal plot, writing, and characters that made me stay. I’m in awe of the gorgeous cover and everything about this. I’m a big fan of Asian fantasy and Korean mythology so I ate this right up. Axie Oh is officially a new insta-buy author! I will read anything she decides to put out!

This is a story about falling into the ocean.

I don’t think this was a bad book, and I really enjoyed elements of it… but ultimately it was just not a book for me. I think I needed more world building? Because it lost me, and I struggled to finish it… but I definitely see why it’s good fit for some readers & it’s a beautiful book.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Dreamscape media for the ALC

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the early read/listen. The characters were all likable. Narrator did a great job telling the story and giving each character their own voice. Will recommend.

This book was one of my most anticipated releases since I saw some of my favourite authors posting about it on Instagram. It sounded exactly like my brand of fantasy and boy did it deliver. I'm sad I wasn't able to devour and savour it like I wanted to because life is doing this rrally mean things to me rn - what god is responsible for this? Where to I throw myself to offer myself as their bride? Because I am ready to do it righ now LMAO. Unlike Mina though, I will be making their life as hard as they do for me 👀
But anyway yes, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea deserves all the love. Mina deserves all the love. SHIN DESERVES ALL THE FRIKKEN LOVE.
And I loved Axie Oh's writing. Flows so well and captivated me completely. XOXO had been on my tbr for a long time too, it's just been hard to get my hands on it - but imma try harder to get a copy now. I can't wait to buy and own this book too.
🥺❤

I loved this Asian Fantasy. I was hooked from the very beginning and did not want ot put the book down. It was a beautiful story. I loved the world building within the spirit world. I loved the characters and hated to say goodbye to them. I would definitely read more by this author. I highly recommend this one. Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.