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klsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I REALLY wanted to love this book. Loosely based on a Korean fairy tale, it follows Mina, a young girl who sacrifices herself to the increasingly violent Sea God to save her people. In a page right out of Spirited Away, she falls through the sea into the Spirit World and must find a way to break the Sea God's curse. There were quite a few lovely ideas in this novel, but they were underdeveloped, weaving circuitous plotholes that left me exasperated.
This book was confusing - sometimes barreling at break-neck speeds through assassination attempts and sometimes dragging through memories and myth. I wish the author had spent more time developing the characters and world. It was whimsical and sweet, but the pace moved so quickly that the world collapsed on itself. We barely had time to get to know anyone - most things were shown, not felt, and there was little time for lingering or angst. I wanted more lyrical, fairy-tale esque prose because of the format. Perhaps this would've worked better as a short story? There were lots of explanations and little trust in the reader, which makes me think it was written for a younger audience. That being said, I did like Mina, though she fit many of the "special, strong chosen one" tropes (which can be done well, tbf). Namgi might've been my favorite character (queer, found family, creature of myth? Sign me up).
It's possible I'm not the demographic audience, which is ok! I might not have a cultural understanding. At this moment, this book wasn't for me. I recommend it if you like Studio Ghibli, easy-read fairy tales, and Korean folklore.
(Am I a hater?? This is not the best review streak, lol).
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Bullying
morininung's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
though the pacing left a lot to be desired, TGWFBTS made up for it with its rich worldbuilding and awe-inspiring characters. more than once, i found myself in tears and on the edge of my seat. through the journey mina took, she found love in all its forms, each more true and beautiful than the last, shown and reciprocated through compassion and laughter and truth.
dialogue lines that tore my heart out of my chest, shattered it against the ground, and then laughed at me
"Really, I don't need this torch, but you do, so I'll hold it for you."
"There is no place you can go so far away from forgiveness. Not from someone who loves you."
"I apologize for many things, but mostly I apologize for making the weight you carry a little heavier."
"When I look at Kirin, I see only him, a bright light in the darkness. When he looks at me, he sees only the darkness."
"Sometimes, you don't find family in your own blood, but elsewhere."
"This room was empty before," Namgi says. "And then you filled it with all these things. Is that a good metaphor for how you've filled all our lives?"
"I wanted to be wise and good. I wanted to be whole."
Kirin's grip tightens. "You are, Namgi."
"I will miss you, Mina, my favorite sister."
I scoff. "You only have one sister."
"Yes, and she is the bravest person I know."
"With everyone and everything pushing you toward the Sea God and a fate not of your choosing, you looked back to what you wanted. And because of that, to me, you are the Sea God's bride. The girl who, by saving herself, saves the world."
"She is my bride."
"As for the Red String of Fate we share, he said—"
"You're wrong," Shin interrupts. "I think I have a fever."
"I don't need a Red String of Fate to tell me that if you should die, so will I."
I take in the dark circles beneath his eyes, his lips red against the pallor of his skin. "You look awful—when was the last time you slept?" At the same time, he says, "You look beautiful."
"I would tie my life to yours, if you'll have me."
He releases me, placing his body between the dragon and me. "I won't let you hurt her."
"I may be soulless and haven't a Red String of Fate, but I don't need either to tell me that I love you."
"Will you wait here? Do you trust me?"
He doesn't answer me at first, watching me with his sea-dark eyes. Then he smiles, a small quirk of the lips. "With my soul."
I love you. Wait for me, where the land meets the sea.
His arms tighten around me. "Wherever you are, I'll find you."
"I'll make it easy for you. Because I'll be right here. With you."
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Misogyny, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
sea_sea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Child death, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Child death and Death
Minor: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
aexileigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
tashtasher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
chrisljm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
While I agree that the premise is reminiscent of the movie Spirited Away and Uprooted by Naomi Novik (two things I enjoyed thoroughly), it was very much written for a YA audience. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think the main difference between YA classics and contemporary YA is that the classics are written to be understood by younger audiences but will still have a broader appeal.
At the end of the day, this one missed that mark for me. It was very much full of emo, cringey moments, insta-lovey when I could have sworn they were initially portrayed as enemies. The pacing was bizarre and very jarring (which could be attributed to a dream-like quality, if I was being generous). Situations were convenient when needed to be, and I often had to suspend my disbelief to continue reading. Lastly, the characters were lacking development and the repetition got old (referring to all of the grandmother's grandmother bits, and so many sentences starting with "But").
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
saoreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and War
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
To combat the deadly storms, each year Mina's village sacrifices a bride to the sea god, as legend says only his true bride will stop the storms. But to save her brother's beloved, Mina takes the place of the chosen sacrifice and falls beneath the sea to the realm of spirits, where she will find there is more to the legend than she originally thought.
This was so beautiful! I definitely see why it says this would be great for fans of Spirited Away because it definitely is! I loved the mythology and beautiful storytelling. The characters were excellent and the pacing was really good! Mina is such a great main character and I love how fierce and determined she is to save the ones she loves. I also love the red string of fate woven through this entire story!
I do wish that it felt like the characters knew each other better. At one point it seemed like they just all really liked each other and I wasn't sure exactly what Mina had done to make them all her friends at that point. I did love this though!
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Grief, and War
Minor: Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail