piperkitty's review against another edition
5.0
This book is written well and has a very descriptive text. This is such a powerful story. It reminds me of Miykaza Spirited Away. I love the spirit realm and how vast it is. I loved that this has been based on Eastern Asian folklore. At the centre of it, this novel is about the heart. Mina oh I adore her and how she sacrifices herself, its interesting to see the relationships which she forms with other characters. This is a must read for young adult fantasy
piperkitty's review against another edition
5.0
This book is written well and has a very descriptive text. This is such a powerful story. It reminds me of Miykaza Spirited Away. I love the spirit realm and how vast it is. I loved that this has been based on Eastern Asian folklore. At the centre of it, this novel is about the heart. Mina oh I adore her and how she sacrifices herself, its interesting to see the relationships which she forms with other characters. This is a must read for young adult fantasy
hasnita_singh's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Beautiful, whimsical, majestic, passionate and heart tugging.
If you're looking for a YA fantasy standalone that's super quick, will hook you from the start and keep you hooked, this is the one for you. From the first chapter, you dive right into the action and everything happens quickly and before you know it, you've devoured it in one sitting.
I love Mina as a main character. She's driven, passionate and so desperate to save her family and the world above. I love Shin, he's so complex despite how short this book is. I love their relationship. I love all of our supporting characters, even the ones we just get glimpses of.
This was so much fun. I need to re-read this so I can highlight every page.
Beautiful, whimsical, majestic, passionate and heart tugging.
If you're looking for a YA fantasy standalone that's super quick, will hook you from the start and keep you hooked, this is the one for you. From the first chapter, you dive right into the action and everything happens quickly and before you know it, you've devoured it in one sitting.
I love Mina as a main character. She's driven, passionate and so desperate to save her family and the world above. I love Shin, he's so complex despite how short this book is. I love their relationship. I love all of our supporting characters, even the ones we just get glimpses of.
This was so much fun. I need to re-read this so I can highlight every page.
ljg765's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
kulaaid's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I am always a sucker for a mythology or fairy-tale retelling, and this book did not disappoint. This was a new twist on the Korean myth "The Tale of Shim Cheong" with elements of the author sprinkled throughout.
I gave this a solid 4 stars because it was a very whimsy book and well done for a debut book. As the author states in her acknowledgements that this was also a book about family and I felt it. I felt it to the core in the book. It felt like what the Main Female Lead (Mina) went through had the wellbeing of her family in mind, even when things seemed selfish at times. I felt quite swept away like I do with Miyazaki films (which the author referenced being a fan of in her about the author section), but it also quite reminded me of "Bride of the Water God" by Yun Mi-kyung (the book even referenced a girl named Soah).
It did however, lose one star for me because many of the characters felt very not complete and the reader only gets hints of backstories which I wish were more suss'd out. I really wanted to see more meaningful interactions between the characters, other than ones that are there to advance the plot. And it felt like poor Mina was going from one catalyst to the next without a lot of down time to further world build. But not all stories need that to be good.
Overall, this YA fantasy was the book I needed to get me out of a reading slump and rekindle the feeling of enjoyment for reading for readings sake. I can't wait to see how the author grows and what she brings next to readers.
I gave this a solid 4 stars because it was a very whimsy book and well done for a debut book. As the author states in her acknowledgements that this was also a book about family and I felt it. I felt it to the core in the book. It felt like what the Main Female Lead (Mina) went through had the wellbeing of her family in mind, even when things seemed selfish at times. I felt quite swept away like I do with Miyazaki films (which the author referenced being a fan of in her about the author section), but it also quite reminded me of "Bride of the Water God" by Yun Mi-kyung (the book even referenced a girl named Soah).
It did however, lose one star for me because many of the characters felt very not complete and the reader only gets hints of backstories which I wish were more suss'd out. I really wanted to see more meaningful interactions between the characters, other than ones that are there to advance the plot. And it felt like poor Mina was going from one catalyst to the next without a lot of down time to further world build. But not all stories need that to be good.
Overall, this YA fantasy was the book I needed to get me out of a reading slump and rekindle the feeling of enjoyment for reading for readings sake. I can't wait to see how the author grows and what she brings next to readers.
averyandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jambibat12's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
atmylibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
varietyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
sarah_krawat's review against another edition
5.0
This book is stunning, beautiful and powerful. I will address my bias immediately that I love the writing style, it’s beautiful. I am one who enjoys a fairytale, mystical writing style that wraps around me like a blanket and this book achieved that from the first page.
The story itself had me hooked from the first page and it took me on a powerful, emotional journey. The way storytelling was used in the story was so well done and added incredible depth to the story and helped us connect with the characters and find them relatable. I loved our main character, both her strengths and her weaknesses, and felt all the characters were well introduced and developed. The tie ins were satisfying and really brought the book full circle for the ending.
I’m very happy with this book and give it 5 stars. I recommend it to all, it introduces Korean culture in an interesting and digestible way while also teaching you. After this amazing story, I am excited for Axie Oh’s next book.
The story itself had me hooked from the first page and it took me on a powerful, emotional journey. The way storytelling was used in the story was so well done and added incredible depth to the story and helped us connect with the characters and find them relatable. I loved our main character, both her strengths and her weaknesses, and felt all the characters were well introduced and developed. The tie ins were satisfying and really brought the book full circle for the ending.
I’m very happy with this book and give it 5 stars. I recommend it to all, it introduces Korean culture in an interesting and digestible way while also teaching you. After this amazing story, I am excited for Axie Oh’s next book.