Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. The Floating World was a book filled with GORGEOUS world building and expansive character and magic. There's a lot thrown at the reader at first, but it's done in an enjoyable and fun way. I loved all of the characters, I didn't feel like they were filler or "extras", but they honestly propelled the story. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release. I'm curious to see where the series goes!

I’d rate this 3.5⭐️. The premise definitely caught my attention. It has that magical, unique vibe I love, but the way it played out didn’t fully live up to the potential. The world-building started off strong, but as the story went on, it didn’t really get explored in a satisfying way. The pacing also felt a bit off, especially during the fight scenes. They were over way too quickly to really feel impactful. Ren and Sunho, the two main characters, also felt a little flat. They didn’t have the kind of depth that makes you feel attached to them, and sometimes they came across as way younger than they were supposed to be. That said, I did enjoy their chemistry. There’s definitely something there. I just wish there was more buildup. It would've made the connection hit harder. One thing I really appreciated was the Korean lore woven into the story. It added something fresh, and the twist genuinely surprised me. I’m hoping the sequel gives more time for character growth and fleshes things out more. Despite the issues, it was still an enjoyable read overall, and I’m definitely picking up the next one to see where it goes.

Oh boy am I so invested in this world. Firstly—floating worlds vs underworlds + exceptional world building and a spoonful of mythology? Enticing and delicious. I loved the magic of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and The Floating World follows through with the same level of worldbuilding and magic nature! If there’s one thing Axie Oh excels at, it’s her worlds. I don’t know the original myth for The Woodcutter and the Celestial Maiden but I love how it was intertwined here in this story and I definitely want to go check out the folklore. There’s demons here, which we see represented in lots of Asian myths. It can sometimes get repetitive but I think the story is unique enough it stands on its own two feet.

I love the Ren is an acrobat—it makes for a unique character with an already established nature. She’s dexterous, she’s fun, she’s got secret powers 🫢 Oops, that one is supposed to STAY secret. She is dedicated to her adopted family

SUNHO! How could I not absolutely loVE this boy?? From his first scenes I knew he’d be a favorite. He’s a former soldier with missing bits from his memory? He’s looking for his brother?? Boys got amnesia and a tragic backstory for days and I love that for me. Fill em’ up with more trauma, thank you. It’s giving Final Fantasy energy and lord knows I love Cloud Strife. If you’re an FF fan I think you’ll enjoy this.

There’s also well done and engaging side characters which I have mentioned before is always a HUGE win for me. I don’t want them to feel like plot devices—they enhance the story!

This is a Book that I many would classify as a romantasy but it has a pretty good balance between romance and story. It definitely is very plot heavy which I love! And thank you, Axie for breaking the cycle of enemies to lovers! These two are so adorable. I do think there is a lot more growing for them to do, but I am sure we won’t be disappointed when the sequel comes out.

It is a little slower at times but it really ramps up in the last bit. Sunho’s storyline was definitely the hilight for me. Ren’s could get a bit jumbled and have weird pacing at times. She’s still a fun character but I do hope her stuff becomes even more interesting.

A really fun read that I’m excited to explore more of in the future next book! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced earc!

4.50 feather falling stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions in this review are my own.

So I'll just straight into it, this is a novel definitely meant for a specific reader and/or mood. It is most definitely a Studio Ghibli movie in book form. It is so easy to read and get into while still being engaging. Honestly I feel like this could be read outloud to an elementary class and middle schoolers could easily pick this up to read themselves. While that means the writing is very simple, I still think it is an incredible feat of Axie Oh to be able to write a book for such a wide range of an audience and still have an amazing story. On another note, the comps are absolutely accurate (FINALLY. THANK YOU MARKETING.) and I ate it up. I actually went to my husband every time there was a very obvious FF7 franchise insert/parallel and it made me love it all the more. (As a side note I still maintain that Crisis Core is the BEST out of the whole franchise ((suck it husband)) and that Angeal is the BEST FIRST CLASS SOLDIER EVER AND ZACK AND CLOUD ARE JUST POSERS AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL.)

Ehem anyways, The Floating World was atmospheric just like The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, with amazing main and side characters, an absolutely cute love story, and just in general warm cozy vibes while still having stakes. I definitely can't wait to see what happens in book 2 and also can't wait for my special editions to come in. I loved this one and can't wait to see what else Axie Oh comes out with!

The Floating World is a YA novel that weaves the legend of the Celestial Maidens with the vibes of Final Fantasy into a captivating tale of finding identity, saving family, and hope for goodness. Although it is advertised as Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone, The Floating World is a novel that stands on its own, only drawing a little bit from those popular series.

One of this book's main subjects is identity, and the lengths we'll endure to understand ourselves and our place in the world. For Ren, her journey is one of accepting who she is and what her role is. She's determined, family-orientated, positive, and just a morally good person. These are all the characteristics that we love in a hero, but because of that, Ren doesn't stand out from other YA fantasy heroes. I would have loved to see more character growth to add some complexity. Likewise, Sunho's on the journey to discovering who he is, because he has only memories of the last two years of his life. His path to self-discovery is different from Ren's though, because he knows nothing about his past. Their relationship was sweet and wholesome. I especially enjoyed seeing Ren open Sunho up. What these two characters find out about themselves is thrilling and devastating, but perfectly sets up the book for a sequel.

The world of this book is interesting and vividly described. I was able to imagine the setting quite well due to the author's words. My only critique is that I wanted more of this world. I wanted to know more about mithril and the mines, more about the floating world and underworld. Because the story was heavily focused on Sunho and Ren, both of whom know very little of themselves let alone their world, I understand that there wasn't going to be a lot about the history of this world. But there is a third POV that could have been utilized to explain the world and its history for readers. The author had some unique ideas for the floating world in the story, and I can't wait to learn more about this world in the next book.

My main critique of this book is that the plot is quite simple and predictable. However, this doesn't mean that the book was unenjoyable. I think that, due to the simplistic writing and plot, the story's audience is more suited for lower YA. Additionally, the pacing of the book felt off. There were exciting moments that were quickly explained in a few paragraphs, and then some moments were painstakingly detailed that didn't add much to the story. The third act felt rushed, in that it was doing too much with all the reveals and action. Despite this critique, the characters and their missions were interesting enough to propel the action forward.

This novel is for people who want an adventure, Korean folklore, Final Fantasy vibes, a sweet romance, and mysterious pasts to solve. Overall, I enjoyed reading The Floating World, and I look forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing me with an eARC to review.

Most of the story was 4 stars, some of it was 3 stars. I didn’t like how she tried to get out of her duty and I wish the romance moved a little slower. The world could have had more details as well. The plot although similar to others had its own uniqueness to it, I liked the character and thought they all had some5ing to add to the story and the three povs were a good choice. I agree with it being whimsical.

I loved following Ren and Sunho’s story. They both had lost their memory and went through varying struggles which led them on their separate journeys. You get to experience the characters individually and get a sense of what motivates them in the world they live in. Through their travels, their paths collide(imo that’s where the story starts). They were initially wary towards each other especially Ren with Sunho, but as time goes by they start to develop a very sweet relationship. The romance was rather quick but absolutely cute.

This is marketed as Final Fantasy meets Castle in the Sky but it also reminds me of Akatsuki no Yona and Arcane from League of Legends. There’s a blatant caste system like Arcane where the rejected and poor live below ground while the nobles and rich live on top. Being basked in sunlight is considered a privilege which the ones below may never experience in their lives. And when compared to Akatsuki no Yona (without spoiling anything I hope), Ren reminds me of Yona in a sense, though I can also compare her to Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender.

The story’s pretty light and sweet. Ren only dreams of a normal and relaxing life - nothing more than to travel and perform with all her loved ones even if fate has something else in store for her. What I didn’t enjoy was the writing style. Even though the story seems pretty fast paced, the prose made it hard to continuously read. This book can definitely be finished in one sitting. It’s a fairly short but it took me more than a handful of tries to reach the end. Also, her powers along with the world and its history weren’t fully fleshed which I’m assuming (hopefully) will be delved into in the sequel.

I’d like to thank the publisher and Netgallery for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a DNF for me at about 30%. I just struggled with connecting with the story personally. It was not bad, the characters were solidly written and the plot was interesting, I just don't think I was in the right spot for reading it. Will try to come back to it later on.

3.5 stars. Let me just say: I LOVE the premise. The Floating World is set up similar to an adventure-type manhwa that I would really enjoy.

I just wanted more of everything. The world has a unique set up, but some aspects could have used more detail. This story is inspired by the Korean folktale of The Heavenly Maiden and The Woodcutter. I would have liked some deeper connection between this world and the inspiring story.

Both MCs have hidden identities, which sets the story up for intriguing character work. However, their romance blooms before we learn a satisfying amount about the characters, and even towards the end, their motivations aren’t well justified. I was told how they felt, but the writing didn’t sell it for me. I didn’t feel it with my whole heart and soul.

Yes, Ren and Sunho are very, very cute, but there wasn’t enough depth in each individual to convince me of their fondness towards each other. This made their budding relationship and sentiment towards each other feel a bit dramatic - heart-warming but unfortunately and equally as cringeworthy. I had to keep reminding myself that this is YA romantasy.

Still, the plot is enjoyable. I will still read the next book because I need to know what happens next for our MCs. I hope that the second book will provide what I feel this first book lacks.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for this ARC!

The Floating World is an enchanting and romantic fantasy reimagining of a beloved Korean folktale.

Ren is a traveling troupe acrobat, performing stunts and telling stories across the country side. When a dangerous demon attacks the town where they are visiting and her uncle is injured, Ren decides to travel across the mountains to find a cure. A chance encounter brings her in contact with Sunho, a young sword for hire who is seeking a mysterious girl at the behest of a powerful army captain. Sunho, along with a hundred other mercenaries, wants to find the girl and be rewarded with riches, as well as information about his missing brother. But both Ren and Sunho are hiding secrets, and they will need to trust each other if the wish to survive.

I really enjoyed this book!! The prose was excellent, and I especially liked the dual POV of Ren and Sunho, with a few chapters from a third POV that is super intriguing. The bits and crumbs of foreshadowing kept me guessing throughout, and the reveals were satisfying. There is a bit of a blossoming romance as well, and a first love that is so sweet. Our characters have difficulty opening up to each other, as they have hurts in their past and secrets that keep them safe. Seeing their growth was wonderfully done. I also enjoyed the unique world, thought I might have appreciated a bit more depth in the world building. We have demons and light magic, a floating world and under world, a war going on, and a mysterious substance being mined that may affect everything. I wish this was a tad more fleshed out earlier in the story. We do get bits and pieces as we go, though, which helps. The characters and their interactions were great, and I think this is the strength of the book. The ending was exciting, and I can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - Feiwel & Friends for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

4.75 stars
Shout out to Net Galley for lending me an e-arc to dive back into a beautifully written world by Axie Oh.

If you are a fan of beautifully written stories, Final Fantasy and/or Sailor Moon, oh, boy do I have a recommendation for you. Bonus and that Axie Oh blessed us with the second part later on this year.
The story opens with our FMC, Ren, a troupe performer embarking on her final performance of the year and hiding a power (???) from the world around her juxtaposed with our MMC, Sunho, an amnesiac orphan getting ready to break into a factory with the hope of regaining his memories and his family.
How do these two cross paths you ask? One pretty terrifying demon and a legend of a lost princess later, this book takes its time immersing you completely in its lore and its characters before RIPPING YOUR HEART OUT. :) I highly recommend it and probably won’t stop.
I NEED the sequel!

TW for body horror, abandonment (including emotional), death and some war violence

I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read the next! I loved the characters, setting, and plot. I’m a big fan of Axie Oh and her writing. It’s always cozy and whimsy and keeps you interested. I also love that her books always seem like the perfect length without things feeling rushed or drawn out. Thank you for the Arc!

This was fun and entertaining! This was my first read by this author. It really did give me final fantasy 7 vibes with Ren and Sunho's personalities, some of the mystery and descriptions of the clothes, Under World setting and clothing. I also really liked Ren's bravery and honesty. She's not always afraid to speak the truth or her opinion. Her and Sunho really come to talk to each other, take a leap of faith to speak the truth and care for each other. Their relationship felt very genuine which can feel rare in YA these days. I do think it could've been at least 50 pages longer to help with the world building and building the friendship with Tag and Yurhee. Plus some of the end felt a bit distracted before getting back into place. Despite those small flaws, I really liked this story and cared for these characters. I'm excited for book 2!

4.5 stars rounded up!
I’m not usually someone who reads YA books and this one was AMAZING. I adored the characters, the world building was so interesting and the fact that the FMCS backstory was more intertwined than I thought just made it that much better. This book is action packed, I adored all of the side characters especially Yurhee. And even though it’s a YA book there weren’t many instances where the characters acted super young but I still think it’s appropriate for the YA category! I will definitely be reading the next book.
Thank you so much Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the arc.

I really enjoyed this book. Ren is an acrobat hiding her magic, always moving with her adoptive family. Sunho is a former solider, living with a dark secret and amnesia. Jaeil is the son of a ruthless general, hunting for a missing princess. Their stories collide as the stakes are raised and each must fight to survive.

Ren was my favourite character, but I also enjoyed Sunho’s character arc and story. I enjoyed the way the author tied the strands of each story, bringing the protagonists together. I would have liked to know more about the magic system, and had more background to the different parts of the world which would have helped it make more sense as I read. I also would have enjoyed a faster pace - things don’t move much for the first half of the book, and then pick up rapidly.

The story blends Korean mythology with YA fantasy, political intrigue, and slow burn romance. I look forward to seeing where the plot goes in the next book!

Thank you to the publishers for an e-ARC via Net Galley!

I found this book to be not only disappointing, but very frustrating to read. My biggest issues lie in the pacing and characterization, which both stem from the writing style, which feels stunted and unedited.

From people to emotions to events, everything is written at such a blunt and breakneck speed that it was truly difficult to keep track of what was happening. The descriptions are bare-bones, to the point where we would bounce between scenes and locations within a single paragraph. I don't tend to struggle with "seeing" the book play out, but I could not get a grasp on most of the scenes as they were happening. The blunt descriptions paired with the simple, short sentence structure made
it difficult to grasp anything, like "Are we inside or outside right now? It said we were in a cave two paragraphs ago, but now we're calling it a hall? It took FMC three days to get across one section of the travels, but it'll take her friends less than two days to go even further than that? Who all is in the room we're in?" I was baffled through the entire book, barely hanging on to plot points as we sped through everything.

This also lead to logical fallacies within scenes. Example (kept vague for spoilers): MMC is in a big room and fights a monster. FMC was somewhere else but hears him yell so she runs to find him. She finds him leaning against the wall catching his breath. They chat for a minute before remembering they had somewhere else to be and proceed to run (hand in hand, of course) to their friends, but in the description of this, it says they run through the hall and /past the room where MMC slaid the monster/. Uh, they were just in that room, what do you mean they're running past it??

Similar example: FMC and MMC are in a town square, open-air market type place on the coast of a river. Some assassin people catch notice that the FMC is the one they're searching for and try to attack and catch her. FMC climbs on top of a pavilion (?) and somehow knocks it over into the bridge (the bridge goes across the river? The market spans both sides of the bridge? I still don't understand) so that the attackers are stuck on the other side. Then, to get to safety, they run across the bridge? The bridge that they just knocked a whole gazebo-thing into? But also an enemy is standing in the middle of the bridge and you have to fight him first to get by? I genuinely do not understand anything this scene was trying to show us.

The "action" scenes are so barely written that after about halfway through this book I wanted to skim but simply couldn't, because even the words we are given aren't enough to make sense of what was happening. I didn't note any specific quotes but other reviews have, so you can see examples there of what I mean. It is like "Girl runs and jumps. Girl lands on ledge and keeps running. Boy runs after her. An arrow almost hits her but she dodges. Boy falls off the ledge" Like you can use a few more words, please!!

This writing style also hit the characterization. Typically I don't care too much about characters in a book (just gimme plot) but within conversations, people would go through whole cycles of different emotions that just didn't make any sense. Example: FMC and MMC are running through a field (?) and come across some bandits/runaways that attack them. Once they realize FMC and MMC will put up a fight, they stop slinging arrows at them and chat, and that chat goes a bit like this

-Bandits: Who are you and what are you doing here
-FMC: Uh don't worry about it, we're just headed somewhere
-Bandits: I don't think so *moves to grab them*
-FMC: *Falls on the floor and throws a tantrum* Ok I'm sorry we are fleeing my disapproving parents, leave us alone!
-Bandits: Oh okay, lemme see your weapons though
-FMC: (I don't remember exactly what she says but) *rolls her eyes and insults the bandit guy*
-Bandits: Yea you seem safe I guess
*Proceeds to feed them, give them supplies, let them spend the night in their camp, they tell each other fireside stories*
The next morning: Y'all were pretty cool I hope to see you again on our travels sometime, take care!

People go from laughing, to serious, to nearly crying, to bffs in the span of one conversation. SOO many times I thought "Uh what you just said is in no way an actual response to what they just said" as people were talking.

I also think this could greatly benefit from having a map (if the final printed version has one, then good! But the e-ARC did not) and I couldn't grasp the scale of the setting.

Overall this severely needed more editing and I'm sure I will forget most of what I managed to glean from it shortly.

Where do I begin?? This was a fantastic departure from The Girl who fell beneath the Sea. This first part of a duology, weaves in mines of mithril with Celestial maidens to create an elysian floating world. Axie Oolh's supporting cast once again bring such vivid hues to the storytelling, with Yurhee and Jaeil, being my top favorites.
The story marries powerful yet powerless themes for both main characters who have each suffered loss and are broken in their own way.. Ren, a troupe performer, is on the hunt of a cure for her demon-attacked uncle.. and Sunho, is a mercenary seeking his brother.. with slow burn tension simmering throughout and a crescendo of an ending, this book is exciting and unputdownable!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Feiwel and Friends for sharing the ARC!!

4.5 stars. This YA novel was compelling, easy to read, and had a strong storyline that felt equally rooted in both mythology and fantasy. It very much felt like an anime, in all the best ways. It had so much heart and strong character development. All the characters were multi-faceted and complex, with deep motivations. The author handled the love story with a featherlight touch that felt unforced and authentic to the youth of the main characters. The setting / world building was a bit vague (and thus confusing), although it slowly unfurled by the end. This was obviously intentionally done, and I feel the risk of not over explaining in the first half of the novel was rewarded by the way the end came together. It ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, and I was happy to find out that book 2 is landing later this year. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Axie Oh has a very special ability to write the most meaningful friendships and I love her for it. Every book should have friendships this important.

I really appreciate that Ren’s quest wasn’t focused on an instalove romance, it was focused on found family and being there for the people who need you. I loved how important Ren’s family were to her, even though they weren’t her biological family. I loved the way Ren and Sunho became friends, I loved the way they slowly opened up to each other and came to trust each other. For a YA book this had a surprising amount of depth to the relationships.

Another thing I really enjoyed with this book is the theme of Ren wearing her mask, and how the people important to her supported her in it, even though they wanted to see her face. When she let Big Uncle see her face for the first time it made me so emotional. It felt so true to her story of fear and desperation and how she felt such a need to hide herself away, and the way that the people who loved her gave her the space to do felt was so kind.

I’m emotional. I better get approved for the arc of book 2 because I need to read it immediately.

First off thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a work of ART from start to finish. The world was both whimsical and dark, the characters were lovable lil cinnamon rolls, and the story absolutely was gripping at every turn.

It’s studio ghibli meets final fantasy meets shadow and bone and I absolutely adored it. I laughed and I cried and I cannot wait to read more. Catch me running to buy the rest of Axie Oh’s books IMMEDIATELY.