Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Title: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Author: Axie Oh

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s

Publication date: February 22, 2022

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Summary

Mina’s homeland has been plagued by deadly storms for as long as anyone can remember. So, each year, they sacrifice a girl to the Sea God, hoping that he’ll help stop the storms. This year, the beautiful Shim Cheong has been chosen as the Sea God’s bride. Who is Mina’s brother’s true love.

In order to save her brother, Mina sacrifices herself to the Sea God. Now in the Spirit World, Mina has to figure out how to break the curse once and for all. With the help of other spirits and a mysterious man named Shin, Mina is determined to once again bring peace to her homeland. And be able to once again reunite with her family. As long as she is the Sea God’s true bride.

Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing for an advanced copy of this to review! I saw somewhere that this had some Spirited Away vibes, and I definitely agree with that assessment. The world building and the mythology in this book are really well done. Oh brings you into this magical sea world, and continuously raises the stakes.

Not only is the world building well done in this book, but the characters are as well. Not only is Mina a strong, well developed character, but so are the friends and creatures she meets in the Spirit World. You can feel her determination on the page, and the supporting characters just help to make it a well rounded story.

While the world building and the characters were great, the main romance at the core of the book left a little to be desired. I think maybe it just needed to be a little more fleshed out than it was, and that would have made it more believable.

All in all, if you’re looking for something with anime vibes inspired by Korean mythology, this is definitely your book!

4/5 stars