The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea Hardcover – February 22, 2022

I cherish this book. If I ever have a kid, I look forward to reading this to/with them. I loved Mina as the protagonist - she has an instinct for bravery and doing the right thing; she is pure; she is kind. People who want more of a flawed protagonist may be dissatisfied, but personally, I enjoy the POV of someone as cool as Mina - it inspires me to internalize her traits myself. Plus, I’m Asian American, and growing up, I never came across books with a protagonist like Harry Potter (brave, instinctively pure) who looked like me (an Asian gal).Other praise I want to sing: The writing is gorgeous. Nature and landscapes are always important characters to me, and Axie Oh paints them with such beauty. Regarding the romance, I LOVED it. Sometimes I think the only way to capture a fireworks romance is to write with a lot of restraint/understate it, and I feel that’s what Axie Oh did. I’ve read reviews that wished for more development in the romance, but I didn’t feel that way at all. I wonder if readers with who have an Asian background will be the most satisfied with the romance - perhaps there’s a cultural lens needed at some level. Anyway, if you’re a fan of ACOTAR Book #2, honestly, this romance matched what I felt during that book. Tons of internal and external squealing on my part, and just thinking about my favorite scenes me swoon!!I’m new to Axie Oh and I’m here to stay! Thank you Axie for writing my dream book. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to re-reading it :D

Everything you want in a story. Magic. Love. Bro-mance. Fierce females. Sacrifice for family. Fate. And DRAGONS! HA!Throughout the whole story I felt like I was being pulled along a gentle stream and shown fantastical scenes by the author. I loved the way she braided together the threads of familial love, enemies to friends, and brothers in arms. It made the connections between the characters deeper a d more enjoyable to read.I loved also that I was consistently surprised by the events unfolding in this book! I don't usually guess at what happens and prefer to let the story unfold but often stories are predictable. This one was not! Perhaps because I don't have enough experience with the culture or the religion and have not widely read much of the Asian storytellers, but I was constantly gasping, slack-jawed and shouting "WHAT??!!" (usually at work when I would sneak in a chapter or two, haha).My one regret, and why it did not get 5 stars, is because the entire story felt abstract. The stakes didn't feel real enough for me, like I was watching a movie about a war instead of feeling the pain of all the death and in-fighting. And there were a few parts that seemed glossed over and I had to dig back through the pages to even understand what the heck just happened. But honestly, 4.8 stars. A gorgeous, heart-warming and lush read.

This book was recommended to me months ago, and I really wish I’d read it sooner. It was just the sort of story I needed to make me smile, laugh, cry (both from sorrow and joy), and transport me away from the real world for a while. In short, I loved this book and all the emotions it stirred.The overall atmosphere reminded me of the movie Spirited Away, which I also happen to love. The Spirit Realm had a magical whimsy, yet was also made to feel real by its inhabitants. There are the traditional sort of spirits—the souls of humans who died in the mortal world—but there are also gods, mythical beasts like the serpentine Imugi, and more.Everything in both the mortal and spirit worlds revolve around the sea god, an emperor, and a supposed curse. The chosen brides of the Sea God are meant to break the curse, but it has persisted for a century, and while it continues, both worlds suffer. Mina’s role isn’t as clear-cut as the previous brides, since she subverts the “rules” and follows her heart, taking another bride’s place in the last moment.Most of the story takes place in the Spirit Realm, as her decision to leap into the sea occurs in chapter one. Mina isn’t completely prepared for what she encounters there—stories and myths can only guide her so far, after all—and I really enjoyed following her journey as she uncovered the truth of the sea god, his curse, and her role in everything. There were a few surprises toward the end of the book that, in retrospect, I should have seen coming, but the clues leading up to them were so subtle that I didn’t. It was done very well.But it was the characters that stole my heart in this tale. Not just Mina, but Shin, Namgi, Mask, and even the stoic Kirin are ones I’ll remember for a long time. They each had a role in the sea god’s tale, but beyond that, they felt so real, so human (even those who weren’t in a technical sense.)So if you’re a fan of Asian-inspired magic and mythology or movies like Spirited Away, definitely consider reading The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. It was a wonderful story.

Just finished this book today and it was amazing! I teared up in some parts of the book and loved it. For sure gave me some studio ghibli vibes which I also love. 1000/10 would recommend to anyone!! The cover art for the book is also stunning.