Pages: 320
Published: 22nd February 2022
Genre: Fantasy
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…
This is a sweet book which immerses itself in gorgeous mythology and introduces us to an engaging protagonist, with a concept that screams all-out escapism. There are curiosities and questions to be found almost everywhere as you enter a unique setting with complex dynamics at play, although a large group of characters contributes slightly to a meandering plot that is sometimes difficult to follow.
It is extremely apparent that the author cares deeply about the legends on which the story is based, as she depicts them lovingly and with great emotional depth. Every ounce of power is drawn from Mina’s sacrifice and from that moment right at the beginning, you know from the pureness of her heart that she is a character to be rooted for as she descends into the realm of the Sea God.
The fast pace of the opening few chapters catches you out, as the story launches straight into Mina diving beneath the water instead of introducing other characters such as her brother Joon and his beloved Shim Cheong, the people she has chosen to save. You get to know them a little more later on, and the pacing does slow down a touch even as the writing remains concise.
There are a lot of likeable characters around, but they all seem to appear at once and it became very hard to tell them all apart. Of the various spirits and demons that Mina encounters, Shin is the most memorable as he is mysterious and enigmatic, while Mask and Dai were also fun to read. The problem is that there are a load more to keep track of and it is easy to get mixed up, whereas it takes too long to fully understand the Sea God’s true role in the story.
The setting is full of magic and that is beautifully conveyed. It certainly feels like you have been taken to another realm while reading this book, with a nice contrast drawn between the fragile ambience of the Sea God’s world and the storms battering Mina’s homeland. If there are any high stakes within the plot, then they are diluted by the fantastical atmosphere that envelops just about everything.
Overall, it is one of those unusual books where the plot and maybe even the characters turn out to be secondary to how it makes you feel and the places where it takes your mind while reading it. The very basis of the story with Mina’s sacrifice is right at the heart of it to lay the foundations, and despite it occasionally being hard to follow, it will still strike a lot of chords on its whimsical journey
After being raised in New Jersey, Axie Oh studied Korean history and creative writing at the University of California San Diego before collecting an MFA at Lesley University. In 2017 she published her first novel Rebel Soul, with a sequel released two years later.
Those were followed by XOXO, which itself had a sequel in 2023 called ASAP. In between, she released The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea, which is perhaps her most popular book to date. Her next book, The Floating Heart, will be released in 2025. She currently lives in Las Vegas with her two dogs.
This was a good book and I loved immersing myself in the atmosphere and connecting with Mina, but I wish that I enjoyed the story a bit more. Maybe I picked it up at the wrong time and did not get to appreciate it fully.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Stephen Reads Books 