The Floating World is hands down my favorite Axie Oh book so far—I’ve read The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, XOXO, and ASAP. I’ve realized that while I appreciate her contemporary work, her fantasy writing is on another level. Her ability to take threads of folklore and spin them into full-blown epics is nothing short of magical. This book is rich and cinematic, but also deeply emotional.

From the first page, the book pulls you into a world that feels completely immersive. It’s lush, atmospheric, and gorgeously described—everything from the smells to the sounds—for example, the sticky sweet miasma of the Underworld—a place reminiscent of Kowloon Walled City or Blade Runner’s LA in my mind. The other settings in the Floating World are equally vivid. They can feel both lived-in and desolate, like places you’ve been before in a dream.

I also loved the structure of the story, especially the multiple POVs. Jaeil was one character who had me on my toes. We need to know about what his deal is. The slow-burn arc between Ren and Sunho—both romantically and personally—was so satisfying. When the characters finally start to realize their attraction to each other, I believe it. It feels earned.

There’s also real thematic depth here. The story takes on big ideas—capitalism, greed, military coups, (sometimes involuntary) conscription, and exploitation of the lower socioeconomic classes—and explores them without slowing down the narrative. Sunho’s storyline in particular gave me Final Fantasy VII SOLDIER program meets Zootopia Night Howler vibes. It’s intense, a little tragic, and completely compelling.

If I have one critique, it’s that the final quarter of the book moves way too fast. After such careful, deliberate worldbuilding and character development, the pacing shift felt a little jarring. Knowing there’s a sequel on the way, I kind of wish the last act had been saved for Book 2—or at least stretched out more. I wanted to live in that world longer, and I think the emotional beats would’ve hit even harder with a bit more breathing room.
All that to say: I need the next book immediately. This world, these characters—I’m in deep. Axie Oh has created something unforgettable, and I’m absolutely on board for whatever comes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends, and Axie Oh for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I ran across Axie Oh when I read (and loved) The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. I loved the way she wove the mythology into a beautiful. Fantastical tail. We get a similar vibe in this story with a bit more science fiction sprinkled in. In the summary, there is the mention of a Korean legend about Celestial Maidens and I am highly interested in finding out more about that story as well.

Ren is part of a travelling show with her adoptive family. We quickly learn her past is a bit of a mystery to her though she does get glimpses at times of a white feather and falling. She also has a mysterious gift within her which seems to offer healing to a certain level but also seems tied to her emotions, so when she is happy or excited, she emits a silvery light and can create winds as well.

Sunho also seems to have a mysterious past as he is constantly trying to hide the fact he was part of an army where his body was bound to a “demon”. He also has an issue with bonding with people and tries to keep people at arms length. As a bounty hunter, he is hired to try and find the source of the silvery light which shone across the sky. They seem to know it is a girl, so now he is on the hunt for his quarry.

The world building is fantastic and I enjoy the cute relationship which blossoms between Ren and Sunho. At times they do feel a bit younger than they are expected to be, but I’m not mad about it. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 so I was OVER THE MOON when I was notified that I was graced with an early copy of this book. The characters, the world, the mystery, it was all so compelling. I loved the way that the fantasy and mystery aspects blended together in this story, too. While fantasy mysteries aren't anything new, this just felt fresh and I quickly devoured it. The two MCs are so vivid and I just loved the way their personalities are so sharply realized. I want the second book in this as soon as possible, because I just loved this so much. I highly, highly recommend this. Axie Oh is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine--their ability to craft stories is truly fantastic!

This is solid YA fantasy quest story with a hint of romance, inspired by the classic Korean take of the Woodworker and the Celestial Maidens.  (This tale is told several times in the book, so don’t worry if you’re not familiar with it - I wasn’t, and I  didn’t feel like I was missing something.  Oh has got you covered.)

Ren is on a quest to find a cure for her foster brother, Sunho is on a quest to find his long lost brother, they both have some special powers and some amnesia about their past that gets cleared up during the story.  A few other side characters get involved in the quest, and the ending makes it pretty clear that they will feature in the sequel. 

The ending was perfect: the quest story lines are tidily wrapped up and the oath forward into the sequel is clearly laid out.  It’s exactly a cliffhanger, but I’m definitely eager to pick up the next book to find out what happens. 



<b>words I looked up:</b>
goral - little mountain goats found in Himalayas and other parts of Asia

This book was an incredibly journey from start to finish.

Sunho made me fall in love with his steadfast courage, his big heart, and the quiet way he loves his people.

Ren made me fall in love with her heart, and the unwavering love and loyalty to those who made her feel at home.

I cannot wait for the second book in this story!

The Floating World is intriguing from head to foot. It will leave you wondering as Oh creates a masterful duology mixing fantasy and mystery. This world is one that I continually was in awe of for the dichotomy and the misconceptions they each have about the other. In the beginning, there's a bit of a learning curve and with the dual POV, we are thrown in headfirst. But as you get used to it, we can see the ways in which the POVs almost mirror each other. For Sunho there's this distinct sense of becoming a weapon, an arrow poised to kill. And for Ren, her power could force her to become yet another arrow.

A dazzling blend of romance, myth, and adventure, The Floating World marks another triumphant entry in Axie Oh’s already glittering repertoire. As a long time fan of both her swoony rom-coms and her lush, lyrical fantasies, I was immediately swept into this tale that pulses with heart, humor, and high stakes magic. Whether she's crafting a contemporary campus romance or reimagining ancient legend, Oh proves yet again that she can do it all, and do it beautifully.

Sunho, a brooding mercenary with a forgotten past, and Ren, a radiant acrobat with a dangerous secret, are magnetic leads whose slow burn bond is as spellbinding as the vividly imagined world around them. Inspired by the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens, the story glimmers with cultural richness and the emotional depth readers have come to expect from Oh’s work. The novel’s true magic lies in the intimate moments that lingered in the mind long after reading.

And the cover? Absolutely stunning. Axie Oh reminds us why she remains an auto read author for readers who crave both epic fantasy and heartfelt romance.

My verdict is that this is an enchanting, emotionally resonant tale that proves Axie Oh’s storytelling brilliance shines across genres. Can’t wait for Book 2.

Floating World’s by Axie Oh is a YA romantic fantasy that follows Sunho, Ren, and Jaeil as they navigate a corrupt government, dangerous betrayals, and the struggle to reclaim their lost memories. The mystery surrounding their pasts kept me hooked—this was easily my favorite aspect of the book!

While I enjoyed the fast-paced plot and immersive world, I struggled to connect with the characters. The romance, in particular, felt rushed and lacked the depth I was hoping for. I kept waiting for more meaningful relationship development, but it never quite delivered.

4.5 Stars

"Men fear women who have wings."

How stunning is this cover!!! It immediately grabbed my attention and made me want to read it. The Floating World is a reimagining of the Korean story of the Celestial Maidens. Ren is a festival performer with a secret. One night her village is attacked by a demon. To save her adopted family, she uses her hidden power, a silver light, putting her life in danger.
The demon kills one of her uncles and leaves another injured, which sets her on a quest in search of a cure. She meets Sunho, a closed-off sword man with dark secrets and no memories of the past two years.

I really enjoyed this story, It caught my attention and held it throughout. It was fast-paced with lots of action and high stakes. What l absolutely loved was the vivid world-building. Axie creates such a unique and amazing world, that's so easy to imagine while reading.

"I don't feel very brave..... "But that's why you are, don't you see? Because you still fight when you're afraid."

Ren is kind, loyal, brave, filled with so much compassion, and loves deeply. I enjoyed her journey and as the story progresses, we learn more details about her background and the secret she's hiding.

"I won't let you lose control," she whispered. He lifted his gaze to her. "And you..." You won't let me fall."

While I think the romance storyline was cute, it felt a bit rushed. I liked how they slowly opened up and talked to each other, but needed more development.

This story is told through multiple POVs, which helps to understand each character and this world.
Ren and Sunho are our main POV characters, but we get a third POV (Jaeil). Even though he didn't have many POV chapters, I found him to be the most interesting. I hope we get more of his POVs in the second book.

If you like reimagined Korean mythology, vivid world-building, magic, love, adventure, high stacks, danger, and secrets then definitely give it a try.

"If I had wings, would you steal them?" "If you had wings," He said, with all the sincerity he possessed, I'd want to see you fly."

Thank you @netgalley, @fiercereads

ARC Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sometimes you can only tell if the journey was worth it once you each the end. This was a bumpy ride. A mixture of a slow story and build up with short action packed scenes. This has a younger voice than I was expecting for seventeen year olds. I say between 12-15? Which gives it a Studio Ghibli and Avatar the Last Airbender (the animated tv show) vibes.

This is a slow burn romance, that fit pretty l well with the vibes this story was giving. This felt more like an Insta-attraction that grows into something more, then insta-love, which I appreciate .

While the pacing can be a little bit rough I really enjoyed the unresolved connections this story formed and the questions that linger from this book's conclusion. This book actually resolved issues it started off with while revealing a larger storyline arch for the continuation of this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends, and Macmillan Children's publishing for this ARC!

It has been a while since I was so fully immersed in a story. Every time I picked this up, it truly felt like I was in their world.
The writing and the descriptions were so on point and I had the best time reading this.
This is not usually my cultural preference for fantasy, but I loved it. I honestly can't wait for the next one at the end of the year.
I love that it is had YA and New Adult feels to it, no spice while still having a sweet romance. Who they are as people and what they can accomplish was more important than their relationship and that was a breath of fresh air.
I might now be regretting skipping the SA of this book, because I think I need a trophy shelf copy.

I’m really impressed by how Axie Oh is able to juggle different genres within the YA world. I found her contemporary romcoms XOXO and ASAP set in the Kpop world to be lighthearted and enjoyable. But my favorite of her novels is The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, a fantasy retelling of a Korean folktale. So I was eager to read The Floating World, the first in a new fantasy duology touted as a blend of Final Fantasy and Ghibli.

If I were to compare the book to a Ghibli film, the plot and characters feel most reminiscent of Castle in the Sky– but perhaps a more grim version with more complicated moving parts.

Honestly, I found the first third of the book to be difficult to get into and at times confusing to visualize and follow. This is deliberate, I think, to avoid info-dumping exposition, and to allow readers time to acclimate to this new world and learn its history and current conflicts. Some of the transitions between plot and to show the passage of time felt a bit abrupt and awkward. I just had a hard time imagining the world the characters inhabited.

However, things really start to come together after the first 30%. When the two protagonists, Ren and Sunho meet and come together, the nature of the land above and below, as well as their own past histories, begin to untangle. Their dynamic and eventual romance is a bright, hopeful spot in an otherwise grim, dark world and was what ultimately kept me reading.

There are some surprises toward the end, both a bit predictable and unexpected that definitely set the scene for the next book. That cliffhanger was a killer, but I’m thankful I’ve been approved for an arc of the sequel, which thankfully releases later this year! This is a review I’d like to return to once I’ve read the accompanying half.

RATING: 4.5 stars rounded up

Thank you so much to the author, Macmillan, and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How often do you read fantasy books by BIPOC authors? How often do you read fantasy books with worldbuilding that blends history and modern elements together? The Floating World encapsulates all of these aspects into a YA novel that feels as if I stepped right inside an anime series/movie.

The story is narrated by three perspectives. The unexpected encounter between Ren, a troupe performer, and Sunho, a mercenary for hire, leads the two of them on an adventure as they help each other with their own personal goals. Meanwhile, Jaeil, the military commander of the Under World, seeks out the missing heir of the Celestial maiden while reluctantly watching his father ruthlessly expand their kingdom toward the Floating World.

The world in this book is exquisitely breathtaking. Every description of an urban or natural landscape made it easy to visualize scenes in my head and elicited similar positive emotions from when I read the author's debut novel. The main characters are all distinctive from one another, resulting in believable character developments that kept the plot moving forward. And, the chemistry between Ren and Sunho was executed so well that it made their slow burn romance pay off by the time their first kiss occurred.

My only critique is wishing I felt just a little more emotion toward a certain character death in the second half of the book. While tragic, the emotional impact wasn't quite there. I do hope that the sequel will address this since I'd love for this character death to have more of a lingering emotional impact for me.

Highly recommend picking this up as your next read if you want to read a book with Korean-inspired worldbuilding and reads like a fantasy manga!

I love this author and while I didn’t fall in love with the book as much as I did the Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, I still thoroughly enjoyed this story. Ren and Sunho are just two character that fit together perfectly. Sunho comes from the underworld where he doesn’t remember what happened to him, he just knows that his brother is missing and there seems to be a demon inside wanting to get out. Ren knows that she left her old life but she is very happy living with her chosen family. She has magical abilities that one day she is forced to use to protect those she loves, causing a bright light to be seen across the lands. By using her powers, she sets into motion events she could never dream of. Causing swords for hire to be sent after her, including Sunho who is promised news of his brother’s fate if he can bring the girl back alive. Little does Sunho know that the masked girl he meets on his way to find the girl wielding the magical light is the one he has been sent to find. Their journey is filled with ups and downs and together they forge a path towards friendship the answers they both hope to find. I can't wait to see where their journeys take them next.
Thank you so very much to Macmillan Children’s publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Ren wields light power, it’s a secret between her and her family. When her family member falls ill after a demon attack, Ren promises to find a cure to help save him before it’s too late. Sunho, an ex-soldier turned hired swordsman and a young man with strange abilities, has no recollection of the last few years of his life. All Sunho knows is that he has a brother he needs to find. When rumors start to circulate about a young girl with light magic, Sunho is hired to find and capture her, and as part of his reward, he will obtain information about his brother.

Ren’s character is selfless, brave, and determined. She cares deeply for her family and wants to do her best to protect them. Sunho is a little rough around the edges and prefers to keep to himself. But that slowly changes when he meets Ren. The two bring out the best in each other and complement each other so well. The chemistry between Ren and Sunho, just naturally flowed.

I was obsessed with the world-building. The descriptions were vivid, and the folklore, fantasy, and steampunk elements were perfect! The plot was fast-paced and kept me eager to flip the next page. The story has 3 POVs, all of which were intriguing. I loved reading about their different journeys and how they eventually came together.

Overall, I can’t wait for book two!

Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan children's publishing group for the ARC!

This is my first and I want to say strong pause on this author. This writing is very whimsical and imaginative, it is almost like you are there in the story as it’s being told along the pages but, something after the first 30 or so pages shifts. The pacing is weird because the one action scene that you come up on first seems rushed. The blending of the characters lives/worlds seemed to be poorly mixed and I had such high hopes for this but, this is for a younger adult like middle grade at most. I would have liked better explanation on the MC backgrounds and longer action scenes to where they make better sense.

axie oh has done it again! i really thought that she outdid herself with this book. i've been a fan of hers ever since xoxo, and she never ceases to disappoint. in a market saturated with the same ideas, i feel like axie really stood out with this book because i felt like it was not just a romance but also extremely adventurous - i felt like i was on my toes the entire book! i am super excited for everyone else to realize what a masterpiece this book is.

This was a story was so rich, I wanted to savor it, but so suspenseful, I had trouble putting it down. The cover is gorgeous but doesn't really give the right vibe as to what to expect as far as the world goes. But still, it was a great read.

So I've only read her contemporary romance books, this is my first fantasy book of hers..
And Axie Oh, I am so in love with Ren and Sunho!!
First off? The cover is gorgeous!! Second: This story and world building is absolutely magical. I was addicted to the adventure quest and side quests, all of it! The lore of the Celestial Maiden, Floating World and Under World was so interesting to learn about. Again, obsessed with Ren and Sunho, their reluctant allies to friendship and turning into more, my babes!!
Then Axie Oh comes and rips my heart out near the end, actually for a reason that hurt me more than I expected it to. I literally need book 2 ASAP!

Thank you Fierce Reads, Feiwel & Friends, and Macmillan Children's for the ARC!

“If you had wings,” he said, with all the sincerity he possessed, “I’d want to see you fly.”

Sunho is my consent KING, and I just love him to pieces. Every character in this breathtaking story is full of depth and longing and meaning, but Sunho in particular. I did not expect to love him so much, but Axie Oh has this masterful way of building and weaving stories for each personality in ways that catch you entirely off guard.

I can absolutely see the comparison of this to a Studio Ghibli movie, as I could see each part of the story come to life in my head, from the reeds dancing in the wind to the crimson robe, to the mask Ren wears. This story was just so achingly beautiful and meaningful, and I deeply appreciated the care and attention paid to the Korean myth. Axie Oh brings the culture to life in an elegant, and vivid way that few are capable of. You truly feel the desperation, longing, and frustrations of Sunho and Ren and it’s impossible not to actively root for them.

As much as I wanted to delay finishing this story just to spend more time in their world, I couldn’t help but to shove all other tasks aside until I’d read my fill and then some. Axie Oh picks you up from the first page, and her words are so infinitely readable - I read this faster than I even thought possible.

I cannot wait to dive into other worlds Axie Oh has created, and I genuinely cannot wait to dive back into this one as well. I also cannot wait to see the fan art, and I will petition whoever I need to to get this story animated so I can see the Floating World come to life.

Thank you, TRULY, to Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title!!