Vivid, enchanting, intreging, heartfelt, Korean mythology, love.

This was such an wonderfully heartelt and enchanting mythical tale of sacrifice, self discovery and love. From the first chapter I was hooked as Mina jumped into the sea plunging headfirst into the dark spirit world on a mission to save her people. The Sea God’s city or the spirit world was beautifully huanting and a fantastic backdrop to Mina’s quest. I loved how strong, headfast and open hearted Mina was. She held onto who she was while leaning on her strengths to help her grow and discover more aspects of the world and herself. I adored all of the main cast and loved how Mina and Shin’s reltionship developed and evolved. The story took a few refeshing twists and was impossible to put down.

I will hands down be recommending this book and shelving this as re-read in the near future. As a side note I would love to hear more about XX and XX and will wish to the Sea God himself for their own spin off adventure. Also thank you Rosa Escoda you did a fantastic job narrating this mystical stoy.

Special thank you to #NetGalley, #AxieOh and #DreamscapeMedia for sharing this audiobook copy for my honest thoughts on #TheGirlWhoFellBeneathTheSea. Also, a thank you to narrator #RosaEscoda.

I really wanted to love this book!! I have enjoyed Axie Oh's contemporary YA fiction in the past and was really looking forward to this fantasy story. Sadly, the story was incredibly slow moving and I just couldn't get into it :(
Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to an advance review copy. Definitely recommended for die-hard YA fantasy book lovers.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a fun, fast-paced YA fantasy that is full of lightheartedness and whimsy. Based on Korean legends and folklore, Mina's journey to the Spirit Realm was transportive. I loved meeting all of the characters that Mina meets throughout her journey to break the Sea God's curse.

I thought the author did a great job of weaving together the themes of fate, family and love. One of my favorite quotes was, "Don't chase fate, Mina. Let fate chase you." Mina's was the type of heroine that never gave up and she never took a passive role in her journey. In my opinion, she's the best type of heroine, for younger readers to admire. Throughout the book, Mina tries her best to take care with her relationships whether they be romantic, platonic or familial. I loved that we got to explore all of those types of relationships. The story didn't favor the importance of one relationship type to the other which was refreshing since YA stories sometimes tend to emphasize romantic relationships to push stories forward.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a fun YA fantasy standalone I think readers on the younger side of the YA audience will enjoy. It reads like a fairytale and will have you wishing you could spend more time with Mina and her friends after you finish the last page.

This is a book that starts in media res. Heavy storms have been tormenting Mina's village and the surrounding area for a long time. The community has decided to throw a young girl into the ocean in an attempt to fix the storms. In a strong act of rash bravery, Mina takes the place of the girl meant to go this year. She is met with the intense depths and rich culture of the Spirit Realm. Her time as a human in this world is ticking with little time to fix the curse, set things right, and make it out alive.

Likes: I loved the strong connections between Min and her family and friends. Axie knows how to create a universe! The world building was gorgeous, detailed, and rich!
Dislikes: While I think Mina and who she ended up with make a cute couple and I am happy for them, I did not feel a lot of chemistry leading up that point. The pacing was hard for me to get into. I listened to the advanced audiobook provided by NetGalley. I am looking forward to coming back to this story on the page, so it will be easier to go back and forth. I was frequently confused on what was happening and why I needed to care about it.

This is perfect for fans of rich mythology.
3.5 stars

Mina’s home has been ravaged by deadly storms for generations. Her people believe the culprit is the Sea God, who once protected them. Mina’s people try to appease him by sending him a bride every year, but it never seems to work. Then Mina’s older brother’s love, Shim Cheong, is about to be sent to the Sea God—and Mina goes in her place. When Mina gets to the Spirit Realm, she makes it her goal to wake the Sea God from his sleep to save her people, with the help of a man named Shin and spirits.

This was amazing! I loved the prose so much, it fit perfectly for this type of book. I also loved the theme of what it means to sacrifice yourself, as this was explored a lot in the book. I loved taking this journey with Mina!

Also, the narrator had a lovely voice that fit well for Mina.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a young adult historical fantasy steeped in Korean mythology. It follows a girl named Mina who comes from a village by the sea, which has been devastated by vicious storms for 100 years as the result of the Sea God’s wrath. It is said that only the Sea God’s true bride will appease him and stop the storms, and so every year Mina’s people sacrifice a girl to be taken to the spirit realm, in the hopes that maybe she will be his soul mate. This year’s sacrifice is Shim Chong, the most beautiful girl in the village, and the betrothed of Mina’s beloved brother. Unable to bear the heartache her brother will face if his love is sacrificed, Mina instead throws herself into the sea. Once in the spirit world, Mina discovers that the Sea God has actually been cursed in an enchanted sleep, and in order to save her people Mina must find a way to break it. With the help of the gods, demons, and spirits she meets along the way, Mina only has 30 days to learn the secret of the curse and how to break it, or she herself will turn into a spirit and never be able to return home.

This was easily one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Fantasy novels based on mythology are always my favourite, and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was no exception. As per usual for me, the setting and atmosphere were my favourite parts of this. I’m a sucker for world-building, and Axie Oh’s incredible ability for story-telling painted the most beautiful picture in my head of the spirit world and all its inhabitants. The characters in this book were just as vivid as the setting; I was not expecting to fall in love with so many of the side characters! Every character had such a personality, and were all a delight to read. I was captivated by every single one of them, felt my heart break for them, and desperately hoped for all of them to have a happy ending. In terms of plot, this book was perfectly fast-paced for my personal preferences. There was not one time where I found myself bored and waiting for things to get moving. And even in the slower moments between the action, the writing is so beautiful that I still found myself completely enraptured by every word. I would definitely suggest listening to the audiobook, as oral storytelling is such an important part of this book, and so hearing this story being told to you just feels right. The narrator did an incredible job at conveying Mina’s strong but tender heart, which lended itself very well to the breathtaking romance at the heart of this book. I felt the chemistry between the love interests immediately, and was instantly hooked on them and couldn’t wait to see how it was all going to unfold. While I was able to guess a few of the plot twists towards the end, I really didn’t mind that! I was just along for the ride and enjoying every moment of it. To sum up, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was an overall incredible read that I ended up giving a full five stars. This book deserves nothing less, and I hope that everyone who picks this up gets to experience the same amount of joy that it brought me.

4.25 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book.

To combat the deadly storms, each year Mina's village sacrifices a bride to the sea god, as legend says only his true bride will stop the storms. But to save her brother's beloved, Mina takes the place of the chosen sacrifice and falls beneath the sea to the realm of spirits, where she will find there is more to the legend than she originally thought.

This was so beautiful! I definitely see why it says this would be great for fans of Spirited Away because it definitely is! I loved the mythology and beautiful storytelling. The characters were excellent and the pacing was really good! Mina is such a great main character and I love how fierce and determined she is to save the ones she loves. I also love the red string of fate woven through this entire story!

I do wish that it felt like the characters knew each other better. At one point it seemed like they just all really liked each other and I wasn't sure exactly what Mina had done to make them all her friends at that point. I did love this though!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Grief, Violence, and War
Minor: Blood, Injury/injury detail, and Murder

Wow, this was such a beautiful book! It was a bit slow for me, and not knowing any of the myths behind the story, I was confused at times, but it was still told so beautifully, the characters are so easy to like, and the ending was just wow! Left happy tears in my eyes.

This is the story of Mina, who sacrificed herself to save her family and village. Once under the sea, she must solve the mystery of how to the Sea God’s bride can break an old curse. The beginning was very abrupt, so it felt like being dropped in the middle of the story. That is the only negative thing I can say about this story. Oh has definitely inspired this reader to learn more about Korean folklore.

First off, let's just take a minute to admire this beautiful cover!

"nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe"

Initially this book gave me The Ghost Bride vibes. But let me be clear, this book stands on its own.

Mina’s homeland has been ravaged by horrific storms for generations. People in her village believe they are being punished by the Sea God. Trying to appease him, every year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the Sea to be his wife.

Shim Cheong is the most beautiful girl in the village. She is also the true love of Mina's brother, Joon. When it is time for Shim Cheong to be thrown into the sea, Mina throws herself into the water instead.

"Wait for me where the land meets the Sea"

Swept away into the spirit world, she encounters many things and many beings. But the most interesting is the Sea God who is in an enchanted sleep. What to do? Mina encounters a young man named Shin as well as demons, goddesses, and spirits. Mina knows that she must do whatever it takes to wake the Sea God.

Sounds like a fairy-tale set-in fantasy land, right? Well, it is in a way. This book is inspired by Korean folklore/mythology. I am not the biggest fantasy reader, but I'll be honest, the cover drew me in. This book is quite the journey from land to the sea and has many characters, but it is easy to keep track of them.

I didn't think that I would enjoy this book as much as I did. Again, not a big fantasy reader, but there was something about the vivid descriptions and atmospheric feel of this book. I could imagine things playing out and what characters looked like. The writing is quite beautiful and lyrical at times.

I enjoyed Mina as a character and her inner strength and courage. I loved the themes of family, choosing your own fate, destiny, sacrifice, choices, and love.

In the mood to be spirited away? Pick up this book and be absorbed into the world building, lyrical and beautiful book.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Personally, this is an excellent example of a book starting in the wrong spot. A beautiful story brought down by me playing catch-up.

In an attempt to stop the terrible storms that wreak havoc on Mina's home, a young bride is sacrificed to the Sea God every year. This year, Mina takes the place of the chosen girl to protect her beloved brother, and falls beneath the surface of the sea to a spirit realm. There, she finds the Sea God under some kind of curse and believes that she must be the one to break it. Teamed up with new friends both willing and reluctant, Mina has thirty days to wake the Sea God before she becomes a spirit herself.

Upfront, I will tell you that the publishers were kind enough to send me an early audio copy. While the narrator was alright, they didn't quite suck me into the story. I am not opposed to reading this again at my own pace with a physical copy in future.

This absolutely started in the wrong spot. From the very first page, I could not keep up. I had to rewind often, just to make sure I didn't miss anything, but there was too much thrown at the reader without any chance to settle into the story. Mina uses her brother as a driving force for why she jumps into the sea, as it is his true love who has been chosen as this year's bride, but we meet him for all of two seconds before Mina jumps overboard. There is no opportunity to understand what is going on. I barely remembered their names, let alone their importance to the story and who Mina is as a character. The storms, the Emperor, the history of the Sea God's brides, ribbons of fate, curses--I couldn't keep up. Even as I was writing my own little summary above, I wasn't even sure if those really were the stakes of the story.

And that's a big problem.

It took away from me enjoying what is actually a wonderful book. The realm beneath the sea is a mildly creepy and intriguing magical world. I've seen it compared to "Spirited Away," but as I've never seen that film, I cannot confirm that. It is filled with fantastical creatures like ambitious gods and goddesses and dragons. And the writing itself is beautiful. Simple and elegant and easy to follow when I was finally able to settle into a scene. There are a lot of characters that assist or thwart Mina, and many of them were quite endearing.

Mina herself, however, I kind of fell out of love with her. Again, I do somewhat blame the book starting in the wrong spot. There was no chance to really ... meet Mina before she's shoving aside the chosen bride and diving in to take her place. It was hard to grasp why she did that for a long time because we're getting to know her only within the confines of the conflict and her need to survive it. It did eventually become clear that she is a rather selfless person. She wants to help everyone, but she doesn't have a lick of common sense it seems. And of course, bearing in mind that she's only 16 years old, she is very sheltered, and it shows. There was one interaction with a god that really made me dislike Mina because of that naivety, and I didn't have faith in her to triumph at the end of the story.

I also didn't care for the romance storyline. I wanted to. A lot. The love interest is wonderful and I actually adored the ending the pair of them had ... but the journey to get there was lacking. I needed so much more to make it believable and instead it felt a little wish-fulfilling, rather than a great love story. I think it just needed more time and more interaction to really pay off the way the ending deserved.

I'm quite sad this didn't live up to my hopes. It's a gorgeous book that went too fast for me to follow along with, and I feel that loss quite keenly.

i'm not too sure what to think of this novel. i loved the elements of this story, however it was really slow. i read this through audiobook which normally allows me to finish a book faster but i often felt myself wanting to put the book down. this was until the 70% mark, after which i loved the book and didn't want to put it down. i think i will pick this up again and hopefully enjoy it more. thank you to netgalley for providing me with an eARC audiobook for review purposes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media

5/5 WOW. Within the first few pages I knew this book was going to be 5 stars!
Every moment of this book is not only beautiful but engaging and paints such a beautiful picture of this story. From the first page to the last the story is driven at such a perfect pace. I never felt like I yearned for more (okay I never wanted this book to end) and I never felt that something was too short.

LOVED
the imagery, the sacrifices each character made in their own unique ways, whimsical, perfect pace, retelling, every character in it.

DISLIKED
absolutely nothing nobody can say anything negative about this book I won't listen.

I am now off to read every book Axie Oh has ever written.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this great book. This story is based on Korean mythology and combines wonderful storytelling that reads like a fairytale with diverse characters and a fast-paced adventure. I really liked the focus on family and bonds, and the themes were lovingly explored throughout. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

This was such a beautiful story!

It jumps right into the action. From the very beginning you are swept away into a new world. I adored the characters and the connections they form with each other. I was never bored with this magical story. It was an easy and enjoyable read. 100% recommend!!

While I did end up really enjoying this book, it took me a really long time to get into it. I actually listented to almost half of it and had to start over because I just wasn't able to retain what was happening. I don't think it was anything to do with the book, I think it was me, but it was still a little frustrating.
I found this book very atmospheric and whimsical. It takes place in the spirit world for the most part, and you really feel that. Looking at reviews after finishing, a lot of people compared it to Spirited Away (which I LOVE) and honestly, I can see it (even though I didn't think of it while I was reading it). It has the same vibes, the same mystery. It was it's own thing though, and it would make a great Ghibli movie.
Mina was a great main character. She sacrifices herself to the sea god in place of her brother's love and has such a great integrity and heart. The side characters were really fun as well, but I am not going to try to spell their names!
There were a few twists at the end and some were surprising and some were just heart warming. I love it when you get those surprises that just make you smile and sigh with happiness.
It was wrapped up nicely, although maybe a little quickly. I am definitely looking forward to reading more books by Axie Oh!

This audiobook was pretty enjoyable. I liked how the audio almost sounded as if she were underwater, which goes very well with the story itself. I enjoyed the story, I’m just learning that YA isn’t really something I’ve been falling in love with lately. I know a lot of people who would adore this though.

4.5 stars What a beautiful fairytale! Mina takes the place of her brother's fiancee and sacrifices herself to the Sea God as his bride. But nothing is as it seems in the spirit realm and Mina has 30 days to reclaim her soul and "save" the Sea God or she becomes a spirit forever. A lovely Eastern tale that I had never heard before. I listened to it in one day; it was so good!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio version of a beautiful story.*

Oh I'm torn by this book. Between 3 and 4 stars for me.

The writing is beautiful. The descriptions of the world below the sea are just stunning. The world of the dead is *chef's kiss*. The comparisons to Spirited Away are particularly apt.

And yet.

I have a problem with heroines devoted to sacrificing themselves. And the big reveal at the end was something I saw coming very early on in the book. And I did think this could have been edited down a bit, as the plot felt like it meandered...but as in a lot of young adult, when it hit the romance aspect of the plot I felt like everything bogged down.

It was still good, though.

And it was my first NetGalley audiobook, which was so cool! Rosa Escoda narrating was very good. There was an odd echo in the soundtrack that I trust will fixed by the release date, so that's not a ding on production quality but one of the drawbacks of reading/listening to an almost finished book.

The sea god used to protect her people. With hopes that they will be protected again, a girl is chosen to be the sea God’s bride each year, in hopes that once the “true bride” is given, the suffering will end. When Mina sacrificed herself to the sea in place of her brother’s love, she tumbles into the Spirit Realm, where she must figure out how to break the curse and wake the sea god before it’s too late.

This was a magical stand-alone inspired by Korean mythology of the sea God’s bride, and it did not disappoint. First of all, the narrator was so suited to this story. Rosa Escoda brought this vibrant world to life and kept me engaged for the entire story. I loved the side characters, and almost hope we get more story to keep their stories going even as Mina’s has wrapped up. (Novellas would be great to accompany this!)

I guessed one reveal, and it made me even more excited to see how it would be resolved. Another blindsided me and made me cry. This story is full of heart, and makes me want to pick up Axie Oh’s first book even more!

I love learning about mythology through stories like these, and it makes me want to seek out more retellings like it. I’d highly recommend it, especially as an audiobook!