The Floating World by Axie Oh is a YA fantasy inspired by the Korean legend of the Celestial Maidens. Sunho, an ex-soldier with amnesia, lives in the Underworld working small mercenary jobs for a living. He hopes to one day find his older brother who can piece together his past. When a light shines out of the mountains far to the east, Sunho is hired along with others to find the girl who wields the power. The girl, Ren, is a traveling performer who lives a mostly happy life with her adoptive family until a demon attacks and changes her fate.

Ren is naive, but ever optimistic. You can’t help but be drawn to her. She’s always looking at the bright side of things despite her past. Ren hides a powerful secret, one that could bring the nation to its knees, but she wants nothing to do with it. The only thing she wants is a cure for Little Uncle, her friend and part of her adoptive family who was struck ill after the demon attack. Ren sets off across the mountains back to the land she ran from ten years earlier.

Sunho is an interesting character. He is cunning, brave, and can fight. But the only thing he really wants is to find his brother. When he’s hired to find Ren (though he doesn’t know it is her yet), the man who hires him says he knows Sunho’s brother and can help him find him if he’ll bring him the girl first. What the man and Sunho do not count on is Sunho falling for Ren.

This is a fast-paced plot full of adventure and thrills, but is at its heart about the characters. The story bounces between Sunho and Ren’s perspectives with occasional chapters from Jaeil’s perspective (the captain who hires Sunho). I appreciated getting all the different viewpoints in this story. It helped to build the world and layout what to expect. The romance was a little too instalove for me personally, but I think that was done intentionally as a part of the retelling. We’ll see in the next book.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Floating World. Ren’s adventure across the mountains and into the Underworld is exciting and thrilling as we see it mostly from her perspective. She’s entranced by all the new things she encounters. Sunho’s self-discovery as more of his memories come to light is both heartbreaking and revealing at a deeper threat to their world. I’m excited to continue the series. If you are a fan of YA fantasy with a touch of romance and a heap of action, I highly recommend it.

I am a big fan of Korean culture, especially Kdramas and Kpop and I have enjoyed reading XOXO and ASAP by Axie Oh, so when I got a chance to read the Floating World by her, especially when I am in the "Fantasy Mood" at the moment, I jumped on it. I was so excited that I shared it with my book peeps.

This was quite a sweet book to read. The folklore elements took me by surprise, that made the book reading experience far more enriching than anticipated. I connected with Ren and Sunho with their stark opposite personalities and layers, bringing me back to one of my favourite Kdramas of all time, "Alchemy of Souls".

Even though it was packaged as a light hearted soft fantasy, there were so many dark elements seen with tendrils of lost family and love that the story bloomed as I kept reading. Sunho's life made me tear up at many moments and especially Ren's bond with her Big Uncle and Little Uncle.

I think the highlight is that it's a duology, so I can expect more to unfold in the next book as few subplots are yet to be unravelled, so I am really looking forward to reading the next one. I am more and more curious about Jaeil as morally grey characters are always fun to explore *wink*.

Book Recommendation - Definitely, to add a Korean fantasy twist to your life *wink*.

I grew up on eastern myths and fairytales, so the woodcutter and the celestial maiden is a familiar one. Axie Oh expands on the tale, making it her own with fantasy and science fiction elements that are also reminiscent of past and present anime and dramas I adore. Wrought with an intermixing of both the familiar and unfamiliar, it was hard not to like The Floating World.

Oh has a gift for immersive beginnings, so I was easily pulled into the story with these characters. While I liked the characters, at times, Sunho and Ren seem younger than they are, making this feel more like a younger YA novel. It can feel enchanting at times while frustrating at others. The latter feelings arise because the dialogue or behavior sometimes left me cringing.

Fans of Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea will enjoy the story. I certainly did.
(3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Ren is a young traveling performer whose adopted family are attacked by a demon. Ren tries to save her family by defeating the creature with her light, a form of magic she has kept secret for years. Sunho, an ex-soldier with limited memory of who he is, is given the opportunity to earn more coins than he could imagine earning if he can track down the source of the light. Sunho and Ren’s path cross after she leaves her family to try to find a cure for her injured uncle. I enjoyed Ren and Sunho’s story and seeing Sunho discover his forgotten past over the course of their journey to find a cure. I wish we had more of Jaeil’s POV as I found his character to be more interesting than others. I am interested in seeing where book 2 takes Ren, Sunho, and Jaeil. Overall 3.5/5 rounded up. If you like YA fantasy, check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love Axie Oh, and she didn’t disappoint with this new series. In this book you follow the main character Ren, whose adoptive family and the village they are performing at are attacked by a demon. Her uncle, like a brother to her, gets poisoned by the demon and so Ren travels to find where the demon came from and return with a cure for her uncle. However, Ren has to return close to the place she fled from when she was young to accomplish this task, which puts her at great risk. Prior to leaving, Ren’s goddess powers flared in her moment of fear when they were being attacked, and the general of the army sent assassins to kill her. One of these assassins is Sunho, the other main character, who is just trying to earn some money so he can continue searching for his missing brother. Soon Ren and Sunho cross paths, and a dangerous adventure starts for them both.

I love how you can easily visualize this world from Axie’s writing; from the gorgeous mountains and fields to the dark and contaminated under world. Her writing is so detailed and immersive, and I really grew to care for the three main characters. I’m super excited to read the second book in this series and highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC.

Once again, Axie Oh weaves a tale with exquisite worldbuilding and unforgettable characters. Both of the main characters, Sunho and Ren, have POVs that are so unique and tailored to them, that it can be a little unnerving at first, especially in the beginning.

Sunho and Ren's relationships and settings are so different at the start, that I wondered if they had any similarities at all. However, I read over the first few chapters and realized I was wrong. They aren't connected by the plot yet, but they share a similar background. Sunho is an amnesiac sword-for-hire who wants to reconnect with his past. Ren is an acrobat in a caravan who loves her adoptive family. Both of them came from unknown circumstances, even if they lead different lives. Sunho wants to find his past, yet Ren has moved on. I find that to be beautiful characterization.

The world building in this book is absolutely stunning. Final Fantasy meets Korean mythology in this sweeping fantasy with epic adventure, heartwarming found family, and sweet sweet romance between a soldier for hire and a troupe performer with a secret past. Axie Oh’s writing is magical and incredibly captivating and I love how seamlessly she blends all the elements of an epic fantasy to create a compelling story with unforgettable characters. The scenes she creates, whether peaceful ones in the meadow or action packed ones fighting demons, paint a vibrant picture in my mind that feels like I’m right next to the characters experiencing everything with them. Each scene is so emotionally rich you feel the story instead of just reading words on a page.

Sunho is trying to remember his past while Ren wants to forget hers. They’re both such empathetic souls I just want to hug them 😭. Their friendship that slowly turns into more tugs on the heartstrings. He clams her fears and she soothes his soul. Tag and Yurhee were also such wholesome characters. Jaeil’s character is one of the most complex in the book and I’m looking forward to seeing how chooses to handle things. That ending was so bittersweet and I cannot wait for the sequel!!

The pitch I read for this book was "Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in a Korean Mythology Retelling". Shadow and Bone isn't a familiar one to me, but the other two really came through.

Ren is an orphan running from a tragic past, performing in a troupe with her adopted family. Sunho is a mercenary who awoke two years ago with no memory of his past except for his need to find his lost brother.

When Ren needs to leave home to find a cure for her Uncle after a demon attack and her hidden powers cause Imperial soldiers to hire Sunho to find her, can they both achieve their goals?

I really liked the parallel stories told from Ren's and Sunho's points of view, and the way that reveals about Ren's and Sunho's pasts unfolded in intertwined ways. The side characters of Tag and Yurhee, rebellious scoundrels who worked with Sunho before are well fleshed out just as Ren and Sunho are.

As someone who's played through Final Fantasy 7, the titular Floating World and the Under World, the slums beneath, really felt like a great homage to Midgar and there were a couple of scenes with details you could tell were added with love for other fans.

Overall, this was a fun read and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley

sunho, an ex-soldier, lives in the under world, a land of perpetual darkness. he’s been on his own for the past two years, picking up odd-jobs to survive, but finally he finds a job that might be the last one he needs: a chest of coins for finding a girl who wields silver light.

ren is an acrobat who travels with her adoptive family. her world turns upside down when a village she’s performing in is attacked by a demon. she uses her power of silver light to kill the demon, but not fast enough to save those she loves. she sets off to find a cure for her grievously wounded uncle, crossing paths with sunho along her way. he doesn’t know she’s the girl he’s looking for, and as they grow closer, they learn of their shared pasts.

i was so excited for this book since i love a couple of axie oh’s other books! i found this to be a fun and exciting read. i loved the world building; this book was inspired by korean legends, and it was cool to see how the author made this unique to her story. i also loved the romance between sunho and ren. i’m a sucker for a good romantic fantasy, and these two really did not disappoint. sunho not knowing ren was who he was looking for created so much buildup for the readers.

overall, this was a great YA romantic fantasy. i can’t wait for book two!

First I'll say, don't be put off by this being listed as YA. I'm assuming it's listed that way because the characters are 17/18, but it doesn't read YA to me personally.

That said, the world building could've been expanded on a bit more. In the beginning I was really confused by the layout of everything. You have the Floating World, the Under World, the mithril mines and then everything else. Maybe even just a map in the beginning would've made it more obvious how everything was laid out.

I really liked Ren's character and that she was motivated by the love of her family and friends instead of this just being a revenge story. That felt different and refreshing. Watching her and Sunho trying to help each other was so sweet and I loved the bond that developed between them. Also, seeing Sunho go from kinda grumpy and not "needing" anyone, to realizing he has people he cares about and that care about him, is always so endearing to watch.

Overall I really enjoyed the story told, the culture, the character development and the questions it left me with. I can't wait for the next one.

“There is so much awfulness in the world, but not when I’m with you. I feel like I can overcome anything, as long as you’re by my side.”

Sunho is an ex-soldier living in the Under World, a land perpetually washed in the darkness of the Floating World’s shadow. Two years ago, he woke up with no memory besides his name. He worked as a hired sword to make ends meet until he was tasked with hunting down a girl who wields silver light and bringing her to the Under World. Far from the Under World, Ren lives as a traveling acrobat performing with her family. When one of the villages is attacked by a strange demon during their performance, Ren uses her powers of silver light to kill the monster, but her uncle is grievously wounded. She embarks on a journey to find a cure for the monster’s poison and save her uncle, crossing paths with Sunho. He doesn’t know she’s the girl he’s searching for, and the two grow closer as they travel to complete their separate missions. It turns out that fate had much more in store for the two than they originally thought.

The Floating World is a breathtaking fantasy novel inspired by a Korean legend that captivated me from start to finish. I’ve always been a fan of Axie Oh, but this is my favorite book of hers to date. In a world where there are no new ideas, Oh is creating worlds unlike any other. In The Floating World, the Under World exists under the Floating World, and the underside of the world in the sky contains a precious mineral they mine to power their militaries and luxuries. Not only did Oh write a beautiful romance and coming-of-age story, but she also critiqued the greed of the real world and its environmental implications. I thought Ren and Sunho were both great characters, and I particularly loved how there were certain things they had to face on their own. Neither of them lost sight of their original goals because of their growing connection. It was a true slow-burn romance that was rooted in companionship and a shared strength. Sunho never tried to hold Ren back, even when her mission became much bigger than saving her uncle. The ending of this book had me yelling at the page like all the best novels do, and I’m already counting down the days until the sequel. If you’ve never read an Axie Oh book, you’re missing out on beautiful stories that feel both brand new and centuries old.

This was so fun! It's so rare for me to pick up YA books now, but this was a great addition. I really enjoyed the characters, but the world is really what did it for me. I loved the sense of adventure from start to finish, and I adored the romance. It didn't take away from the story, but helped it move forward and didn't overshadow the actual plot. I can see a lot of people loving this!

I've previously read (and loved!) Axie Oh's work, but this is my first fantasy by her! An sweet, sweeping YA fantasy with romance.

Things I loved: The worldbuilding here felt so original, and really expansive — you get a sense that the world is so much bigger than we even see on the page! The romance was so sweet, as well.

Things I would have wished for: a bit more development of the romance (I felt like they went from just meeting to being Devoted to each other just sliiiightly quickly. that said, I loved them together once we reached that point!); more time to settle in with the worldbuilding. it took me a while to get a grasp of the world, the rules, the magic system, etc.

Overall, a solid 4 star read! Thank you to the publishers for the eARC.

This was another incredibly immersive story by Axie Oh! You can trust this author to deliver something fresh and riveting every time and she did not disappoint! I strongly recommend this for all fantasy readers!

I got held up with work and this one too longer than I expected to get around to. I'm still not finished with it but so far I like the book.

The world building is well done and feels immersive. The romance is great for a YA book and I'm looking forward to finishing this one. I will update my review when complete.

Book Review: Floating World by Axie Oh
Rating: 4.5/5

Floating World is a breathtaking return to Axie Oh’s signature blend of poetic prose, heart-tugging emotion, and lush, immersive settings. Set in the same universe as The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, this story reads like a dream—ethereal, romantic, and quietly powerful.

At its heart, Floating World is a tale of identity, grief, and self-discovery, wrapped in a beautifully crafted fantasy world inspired by Korean mythology. The main character’s journey feels deeply personal, with themes of belonging and love—both romantic and familial—woven throughout. Axie Oh’s lyrical writing style elevates every moment, making the story feel like a delicate painting come to life.

Though the plot moves at a gentle pace, it’s the emotional richness that carries it. The relationships are tender and layered, and the romance is soft yet soul-stirring—perfect for readers who love slow-burn, character-driven stories. And true to its name, Floating World sweeps you away like a gentle current, leaving you wistful and a little bit changed by the final page.

Perfect for fans of: whimsical fantasy, Studio Ghibli vibes, lyrical prose, and emotional coming-of-age stories.

Axie Oh has once again completely swept me away with her stunning world-building and mesmerizing storytelling. I will never tire of the richly imagined realms she creates, filled with unforgettable creatures, swoon-worthy romance, and characters that feel so real and beautifully crafted. Ren and Sunho’s story was inspiring, full of intriguing mystery, and a blooming love and appreciation.
Axie Oh’s fantasy world is bursting with fresh, original lore that seamlessly weaves in Korean mythology and culture elements—something that feels both new and deeply resonant. Every page was a joy to read, and I found myself utterly captivated from start to finish.

The Floating World is an action-packed and unputdownable new fantasy from Axie Oh. After a tragedy occurs, Ren embarks on a desperate mission to save her family. Ren soon crosses paths with a mysterious traveler who she saves. As Sunho and Ren grow closer, they must work together to survive dangers that cross between worlds.

I loved the world-building of The Floating World! Axie Oh creates an imaginative and vivid world. The romance is slow-burn, which makes sense as they fight their way towards safety. The writing is cinematic and it is easy to picture the action-packed battles and adventures. I’m curious about the side characters and Ren’s mysterious powers.

The Floating World is a fantastic younger YA that would be perfect for readers seeking fantasy adventure and a touch of romance. I’m excited to see how the story continues!

Thank you to Axie Oh, Feiwel & Friends, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good YA fantasy. There's a bunch of great action scenes that were really vivid and the world building was really smooth and introduced really well. Really strong found family vibes with everyone Ren meets. And a really soft mercenary love interest that I would have fallen for also. Really great friends to lovers slow burn happening too and that ending makes me need book 2 now. Can't wait to read the sequel. Thanks Netgalley for an early e-arc copy.

The Floating World is an expansive adventure set in a fantasy world where those in power will do anything to maintain their hold.

The story follows Sunho and Ren as they try to save the ones they love. The story jumps between the two, which is a little confusing at first. Sunho and Ren come from two very different places — rural/agrarian and urban/technological. Because of this, getting a true sense of time and place. As the story progresses, and author Axie Oh’s world building takes shape, the confusion disappears, but you have to give it some time.

Through Oh’s deft hands, Ren and Sunho come to life. Her exploration of their motivations is strong, and her addition of Jaeil as a sort of other love interest adds another layer to her story.

There’s a lot going on in The Floating World, and not everything gets cleared up. It’s good that a planned sequel is in the works.

The Floating World moves quickly — especially once Sunho and Ren meet, and the characters have enough flaws to keep you interested. There’s a lot of room for growth, and I look forward to the next book.