the floating world felt anemic. in it's world building, story-writing and character-writing, i was left wanting so much more. the plot felt pretty derivative of other similar types of stories; a character having a secret power inside them that they can't control and must hide reminds me of amelie wen zhao's song of silver, flame like night. being similar to another work isn't itself a problem, but the floating world doesn't make itself stand out. the characters felt like there wasn't much meat to them, except maybe jaeil, but the story didn't focus very much on him. i can't say that this book really captured the same whimsy and fantastical feelings as the girl who fell beneath the sea, and it didn't really remind me of a studio ghibli work, either.

it's not by any means bad, but it's a pretty middling and forgettable book. i look forward to axie oh's future works but i'm not sure i'll continue with this series.

This book just did not do it for me.

I just didn’t care, and because I didn’t care, I didn’t know what was going on. It was an early DNF for me.

I enjoyed this story of a traveling theater performer with secret powers and an amnesiac former child soldier who team up, first to save one man, and then to save the world(s).

Like all of Axie Oh's books that I've read, the world building in this story is phenomenal. There's a floating world (obviously), an always dark underworld, and a normal middle world, each with their own strict hierarchies and customs.

It took me a minute to get invested in the main characters, but ultimately, I liked them a lot and the supporting characters were well written.

I listened to the audiobook and Jun did a great job keeping characters distinct and the narrative flowing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story with its character development, world building, and twists. Axie did an incredible job building the world and showcasing the problems within it by showing the reader more than just telling the reader. I found the idea of the under world being in perpetual darkness and having a floating world completely fascinating, especially when you learn more about the world. This is absolutely a series to check out and I'm looking forward to book 2!

Actual review 3.75

A soldier with no memories of his past must hunt down a lost princess; a traveling performer must save her uncle from a terrible illness. Ren used to be important, but after the murder of her mother, she was saved by a traveling performing troupe and was raised by Auntie, her husband, and her younger brother, living her best life as a nobody and an acrobat. When what seems like a demon attacks the town where they're performing, Ren uses the magic she isn't supposed to use to save herself and Little Uncle, but such a display draws attention from the man who killed her mother and wants her dead. Sunho is from the Underworld, the city under the Floating World; he was a child soldier, as many are, but he has very few memories of his life before two years ago, just that he has a brother he needs to find. When he is recruited as one of only a handful of people to bring back the missing princess alive, with the reward being information on his older brother, he knows his work is cut out for him. When their paths cross, things only get more dangerous, and the relationship the two form seems doomed.
This is a fast-paced, thrilling fantasy with an adorable romance in it. I don't know the original story of the Celestial Maiden, but this is a great story. It's a really interesting world that Oh has put together, and the cast of characters is stellar. It also has just a touch of a heist story to it, and I love a good heist.

A fast-paced gripping story that leaves me wanting more. Also one of the prettiest covers I have seen in a while. Really enjoyed the read, thanks Netgalley for the ARC!!

I adored this world! So unique and vivid. I love Axie Oh’s writing. It draws you in. I need to know what happens next after that cliff hanger ending!!

I've never read anything by Axie Oh. But when I saw one of the comps to The Floating World being Final Fantasy (though no specific games), I had to check it out. The Floating World impressed me with its immersive world, feeling of adventure questing, and complex characters.

We follow three characters, Ren, Sunho, and Jaeil, all three with different origin stories and objectives, but find themselves wound in a grand adventure and the fate of multiple countries.

Ren is an acrobat a circus troupe with her adopted family and hides her magic, but everything changes after a demon attack, forcing her to head toward the Under World, a place she wanted to avoid for years. On her way, she meets Sunho, a super solider desperate to find his brother to the point where he winds up with Ren during her travels. Ren has to be my favorite character of the group. Despite being aware of her important past, she's mostly fine with living the humble life of a performer, but has to face who she really is and the consequences of running away from it for so long. While she seems innocent and naive on the outside, she's determined and kind, and grows a lot throughout.

Sunho was also great. He's trying to recover his lost memories and find his brother through doing freelancer jobs, but is often closed off. I do like that despite his super speed, strength, and agility, he has a personal honor code not to kill in order for the demon inside not to take over. It's a tough fight, but during his journey, he's finally starting to open up to someone, and I had a lot of emotions as more of his backstory is revealed and especially at the end.

The relationship with Ren and Sunho was cute, and actually reminded me of Cloud and Aerith from Final Fantasy VII to an extent, with the last of her kind with an ex solider. It's clearly headed toward a romance, but this first installment feels platonic for a good chunk of it.

There's a few chapters with Jaeil (which sounds almost like "Jail" in the audiobook), who is the son of the general with grand plans, and a tie to Ren's past. I hope we get a little more of him as the series continues. The rest of the characters were well rounded and developed and kept me entertained.

The best part of the story was the world building and how seamlessly it was done, and I was barely confused. I'm not sure if there was a map in the text versions of the book, but it at least felt expansive as I was listening to the story. There was the floating world where the elite and those with magic dwelled, the Under World, where most people live, the poor Outer Ring, and the rest of the countryside. The main city had this Korean steampunk feel to it, where aspects of Korean culture are woven through just about everything. There's also description of warfare and experimentation. I'm not too familiar with Korean mythology, but the tale of the Celestial Maiden is told in the story to give context for the story.

The story itself was well paced and intriguing throughout. There's a roller coaster of emotions from cozy and quaint, to thrilling life and death danger, a perfect blend that kept me engaged. I just wish the climax had a little bit more to it, but it was quite satisfying as it was. If the plot was tied into a single Final Fantasy game, it would be VII for sure, with the steampunk fantasy setting, the protagonists being much like two characters in that game, the solider experimentation, and a few other nods. However, it does borrow some elements from other games in the franchise.

The narration by Eden Jun was excellent. It had a storyteller vibe to it, being easy on the ears and perfect for an epic fantasy adventure. Also, the narrator is British and there's some British terms, so Americans be aware of that.

While there are cliffhangers, there is closure in the main objective for the characters of this book. I'm excited to continue reading the series!

rounded down to 2,5 stars. The premise of the book was super interesting and I did like our two main characters. My biggest complaint was that the story moves so quickly at times it's hard to understand. I really do like the dual POV

This is my second Axie Oh book and I just don't think this author is for me. As much as I love love love that cover, the story behind it was somewhat boring and slow. I also struggled to follow along with the audiobook.

The books writing is poetic and nicely done, however it feels like the book is skewing a bit too young even for YA audience. The politics and social issues like the hierarchy, class divide and impacts of those are great, however the injustice here was not truly exploring those elements to their full potential. I think YA audiences can handle a deeper critique on those systems.

The book does feel a bit disjointed potentially because at times it's unclear what the main intention of the plot or characters are. There are high stakes elements but the characters don’t seem invested at times and where there could be a higher element of suspense or tension it seems missing. While the book is fast paced it feels off somehow.

Potentially this is because the characters come across a lot younger and naive than I think the author intended for this world. I think they would have been more determined and driven, with more set views and values. There would have been more tension whilst exploring the romantic relationship but also navigating the corrupt world around them. I think also there could have been more exploration around the history of the world, the monsters, gods and mythology.

The audiobook is done well. A little more range in the voices for the characters and more intensity during the higher stakes elements would have made it even better but overall a good narration would rate at 4 stars.

Marketing the book as Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone I think will do it a disservice in the long run as it falls quite short of those stories however it has the potential to be a great series of its own if subsequent books develop the characters, tension and world more deeply.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook.

This was such a vibe! The world building in The Floating World totally pulled me in!! There was underworld mercenaries, silver light magic, and soft boys with swords?? Like, yes, please. Ren and Sunho’s slow-burn, friends-to-maybe-something-more was adorable, and I loved their emotional growth. It started a little slow, but once it picked up, I was hooked. Ghibli vibes meets Korean mythology = obsessed.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for letting me review this book.

It took me a while to get into the story. But I loved many parts of it. Like the worldbuilding! The details and everything.

In the end, overall, I enjoyed the story. I also love how the relationship between Ren and Sunho grows gradually.

The audio narration is great. It helped get into the story as it was so immersive.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an enchanting YA fantasy read. It could definitely be a first try for a younger reader who is looking for romantasy books suitable for the age.

Includes:
Under World
Great worldbuilding
Feelings

I enjoyed everything about this one, yet, whenever I would go to read it, I just didn’t want to pick it up. That definitely speaks more to my mood reader side than this story or the author’s writing.

Synopsis: Ren is the princess of the floating world and she is on the run after her mother has been killed and her aunt/uncle have had a devastating incident. She runs into Sunho, who is sent to find the princess of the Floating World and turn her in to the new government. They form and unlikely friendship and face hardships together. Can Ren save her family and her relationship?

🔥Spice Level - 0. I don’t even remember if there is a kiss in this one. I believe it’ll turn into friends to lovers, but very slow burn. Yay for true YA!

Read if you enjoy:
🏯 Asian culture
😈 Battle between good and evil (in a world-view sense)
🎭 Secret identities
🗡️ The internal battle between right and wrong (character-sense)
🏃🏽‍♀️ On the run from the government!
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Family above all

🎧 Audiobook details:
Length: 11 hours
Narrator: Eden Jun
I loved the narrator’s voice for this novel. I feel like it fit the character’s description in my mind and I was happy with it. Toward the end, when the action picked up, the narrator’s voice did not. It’s like she was trying to be quiet while also being excited (not fitting the emotions in the story). It really drew me out of the novel at the end. While I do recommend this book, maybe don’t listen to the audiobook unless it’s the only way you can. The beginning of the audio was wonderful.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC for this one! I loved the story.

This was such a fun read! I knew instantly that I had to read this book the second I saw the cover. It's gorgeous and the character art is immediately intriguing and makes you want to know more about these characters. The art style is beautiful, and for some reason it reminded me of rpg character art because each piece of clothing/accessory on the characters represents something important.

The narrator was really good, but I would have appreciated if the action scenes were read with a bit more emotion to reflect the fear the characters had. I felt like those scenes were read the same was as the character building moments so it was a bit odd. Overall still a really good performance though.

The story and setting gave me such Legend of Korra / Castle in the Sky (Ghibli movie) vibes mixed with a little dose of steampunk/bioshock. I loved the main characters and how they interacted with each other, and in the end how supportive their relationship became. I read a lot of enemies to lovers books so this felt like a breath of fresh air. There was mistrust in their relationship at the beginning but seeing them slowly learn to trust and rely on one another was great. I really enjoyed how the MMC is this badass bounty hunter but also how soft and kind he still is. AND THE FACT THAT HE HAD NEVER BEEN KISSED WAS ADORABLE. Just refreshing is the key word for how this book is.

A true breath of fresh air that the Fantasy/Romance genre desperately needed!

Another fun read from Axie Oh. It's an atmospheric fantasy story set in a steampunk world.

The story is told through three POVs, our FMC Ren, her companion Sunho, and her estranged friend Jaeil. I thought the characters were well developed and their narrative voices were distinct. I really enjoyed the side characters as well, Little Uncle and Tag had some of my favorite moments.

This is one of the few times where I would say I think this book should have been longer! It would have been great to have more time with the characters and to let the tension build before resolving the challenges that they face along their journey. The plot was fun, but I think the story would have had more depth if the author let things linger and build up a bit more. That said, I am really looking forward to the sequel.

I listened to the audiobook as well as read the Kindle version. While I enjoyed the narrator's take on bringing Ren to life, I think it would have benefited from having different narrators for each POV.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan, and Dreamscape Media for providing digital ARCs of this book.

What I like about Oh's books is the creative world building, the imagery, and the culture. The Floating World leans on the younger side of YA for me, and it has a bit of a studio Ghibli feel to it, which was fun. That being said, the plot was rather straightforward, and the characters didn't have as much depth as I hoped. There is a slowburn, budding romance in this, and that was sweet. Though the characters, who are supposed to be 17 years old, read much younger.

All in all, a good read but not my favourite by this author.

I listened to the audio, and the narration was great! When there was a lot going on, I had to focus a bit more but overall, I enjoy this narrator.

Rating: 3.5 rounded to 4 out of 5.

CW: Violence, war, injury/blood, death, child abuse, trafficking, suicidal thoughts.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

This book definitely took a little more time than normal for me to get into, but when I did it was magical.
I listened to the audiobook, and I think it was the narrator that made it a tad more difficult to get into the book. a lot of the times they seemed very flat. I'm glad I stuck with it, even though I wasn't a fan of the narrator.

This is definitely one of those love it or hate it books. I enjoyed it for what it is, with the caveat that there are a few too many characters and plot points for the length of the story (even though it will presumably be a series - some of them would have been better served by waiting for their own spotlight).

Here's the test: If I mention the Grishaverse, the Rey/Kylo Ren era of Star Wars, Sarah J. Maas, etc., do you:
A) Shudder slightly and unfollow me; or
B) Get out your fan art and start comparing your favorite relationships.

Group B is the target audience for this story - you will recognize many moments from similar works, which is not a criticism - you know what you like, and this is designed to give you more of it.

I listened to the audiobook, and it did, at times, seem like the narrator was from Group A - her voice is very clear and easy to understand, but she did not seem to be having a particularly good time, which was unfortunate.

But setting that aside, this is a great (and very G-rated, by the way) addition to that particular subset of romantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Okay, so first things first: the story itself? Gorgeous. It took a minute to get going, and I did find myself kind of drifting early on (floating, if you will… shut up, that was funny), but once it clicked, it clicked. There’s this quiet, magical undertow that builds, and by the time it hit its stride, I was in it. Fully. Totally enchanted.

Now… the narrator. Look, I wanted to love them. I really did. But it felt a little too monotone, like they were reading it to themselves instead of to me, you know? The voices between characters weren’t distinct enough, so every time we swapped POVs I had to stop and be like, “Wait, who are we now? Where am I? Who’s emotionally spiraling and who’s just standing nearby?” It didn’t ruin the story, but it definitely pulled me out of the moment more than I wanted.

Final thoughts? The book is magical and worth it, but I kind of wish I’d read it instead of listened. Or maybe I just need a narrator with a bit more sparkle and chaos in their voice. Like… someone who could actually handle the mood shifts and wonder this book deserves.