The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
Pages: 321
Format: Hardback
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village―and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon―may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin―as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits―Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.
But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…
Like many others have noted, this book has very similar vibes to Miyazaki’s work with Studio Ghibli, particularly Spirited Away. If you are familiar with that movie, you might be able to guess some of the plot points just because these two works do have many points in common, but it doesn’t detract from the overall reading experience. It actually made me enjoy it more, because it was interesting to see how Oh’s interpretation of the spirit world differed from other literary/media versions.
The general setting, combined with Oh’s rich but uncomplicated writing style, creates a vivid fantasy world filled with a variety of creatures and beings that make the spirit realm feel well-occupied and complex in its political atmosphere. It complements the named and central characters, whose growing bonds make up the heart and soul of the novel. In some cases, they did come across as a bit cliched, but I was willing to forgive that in light of their sassy charm. The characters are far from boring, and their adventures are all the more interesting for it.
Considering all the ground that has to be covered early on in the book, I expected to feel bogged down by the number of synopses and character introductions in the first few chapters. And yet, it didn’t feel heavy-handed at all. Oh finds the balance between what needs to be said now and what can be said later, eliminating any unnecessary language and frivolity that would otherwise turn exposition and backstory into a slog. We learn exactly what we need to know as quickly as possible without disrupting the writing style or losing any personality from Mina.
One thing I enjoyed about this book was the inclusion of both platonic and romantic love. So often in fantasy, we get a major focus on romantic love or platonic friendships that become romantic later on. But there aren’t as many books that place a high emphasis on the platonic love you feel for someone. It often gets sacrificed in favor of romance, which is fair, considering the large market for that genre. I liked getting to see a variety of relationships that are equally valued, as well as the found family that Mina discovers in the spirit realm. Found family is quite possibly my favorite trope (a la Six of Crows and The Raven Boys), and Oh did a fantastic job at making this particular family feel fleshed out and deeply connected, despite The Girl Who Fell being a standalone book that’s just over three hundred pages.
This was quite a fun book to read, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a quicker fantasy read since it is a shorter standalone. Not to mention the gorgeous cover art—I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but honestly. With art like this, I think we should be allowed to judge a little, because I could not get this beauty out of my head.
AMBER BUDD - Author 