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A review by elmewhy
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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? No
4.5
~~4.5 Stars~~ 14th February 2022
*rounded to 5 stars
Beautiful, a poetic tale filled with myths coming alive, true love, loyalty, and sacrifice.
I got so invested in this world and the characters that I read it in one sitting, the story flowed easily, and the pacing felt just right. Plus, Axie Oh did a wonderful job in describing the settings/location, the Spirit Realm felt mystical and real, I really fell into this world as much as Mina did.
Mina is a wonderful heroine, she's written as not the most beautiful, strong, or wisest but she is by far the most loveable and relatable - her loyalty and love to her family shines through and fuels her bravery and strength. The other characters are wonderful compliments to Mina and help her with the journey but I felt we could have been given more depth into their lives and motivations.
I enjoyed how this book managed to avoid a lot of cliches, mainly with Mina, and how although she wasn't the "chosen one" she chose herself for the sake of her family. I didn't mind the ending it felt peaceful and well rounded. Purely selfishly I felt there were times within the book things could have been explored more (romance building with love interests, depth into side characters, more explanation into the gods/myths) but I can't fault how easily this book sucked me into this tale. A really wonderful read that deserves all the hype for its publication.
Plus the cover is stunning, I'll definitely be trying to get a physical copy upon publication.
Details
-Plot: fast-paced
-Romance: PG, Slow-burn, M/F main love interests
-TW: Child loss, small mentions of blood and violence (nothing too gore, very tame)
-Ending Happy/Sad/Unfinished:Happy. Mina leaves her family unknown if they will meet again in the future but she joins her soulmate and newfound family/friends in the Spirit Realm married to the Sea God.
Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review
*rounded to 5 stars
Beautiful, a poetic tale filled with myths coming alive, true love, loyalty, and sacrifice.
I got so invested in this world and the characters that I read it in one sitting, the story flowed easily, and the pacing felt just right. Plus, Axie Oh did a wonderful job in describing the settings/location, the Spirit Realm felt mystical and real, I really fell into this world as much as Mina did.
Mina is a wonderful heroine, she's written as not the most beautiful, strong, or wisest but she is by far the most loveable and relatable - her loyalty and love to her family shines through and fuels her bravery and strength. The other characters are wonderful compliments to Mina and help her with the journey but I felt we could have been given more depth into their lives and motivations.
I enjoyed how this book managed to avoid a lot of cliches, mainly with Mina, and how although she wasn't the "chosen one" she chose herself for the sake of her family. I didn't mind the ending it felt peaceful and well rounded. Purely selfishly I felt there were times within the book things could have been explored more (romance building with love interests, depth into side characters, more explanation into the gods/myths) but I can't fault how easily this book sucked me into this tale. A really wonderful read that deserves all the hype for its publication.
Plus the cover is stunning, I'll definitely be trying to get a physical copy upon publication.
Details
-Plot: fast-paced
-Romance: PG, Slow-burn, M/F main love interests
-TW: Child loss, small mentions of blood and violence (nothing too gore, very tame)
-Ending Happy/Sad/Unfinished:
Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail