“My fate is not yours to decide. My fate belongs to me.”
Following the releases of the Rebel Seoul series (2017, 2019) and XOXO (2021), Axie Oh is back with The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea. In this novel the author invites readers to immerse themselves in the fairytale retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong”.
Deadly storms have destroyed Mina’s hometown for generations. Believing the Sea God has cursed them, the villagers sacrifice a young girl every year, throwing her into the sea to become the Sea God’s bride hoping that one day one will be his true bride and put an end to the curse. Mina, did not plan on becoming the Sea God’s latest bride. But, motivated by her love for her brother, she throws herself into the sea to save her brother’s beloved, the beautiful Shim Cheong, from being sacrificed. And so, Mina is whisked away to the Spirit Realm, where she discovers the Red String of Fate that ties her to the Sea God. But he is not the all-powerful being she expected to see. In the split of a second, her fate is altered once again and she loses her soul and so she finds herself joining a group of different characters that will help her on her journey to retake her soul before she is bound to the Spirit Realm forever as well as to find a way to bring calm to the sea and peace to her community whilst also uncovering some truths about the magical world.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a mesmerising action packed fantasy that perfectly blends folklore creatures into a story that deeply focuses on people’s connection with each other and the relationship between humans and gods. It’s got action and adventure set on a magical realm and it mixes it well with themes of love (both romantic and platonic), found family, and loyalty. A story that will captivate any reader from the very first page.
The characters are lovable and their journey is enjoyable. The main character, Mina, is a great heroine; she’s an independent, determined, and selfless teenager who’s main focus is to protect her loved ones. She really has incredible determination, she never gives up and is always trying to come up with new ideas and making decisions. Her loyalty to her family and her bravery definitely shine through the pages. The secondary characters are just as lovable and charming as Mina and compliment her perfectly as her companions in her journey. However, it’s harder to connect with some of them due to the pacing of the story. The romance between the characters is soft, and cute, and definitely a slow-burn, a trope so very loved by many.
The author throws us into the middle of the action right from the very first page and it keeps it up right up until the end. There’s a lot of these action sequences that keep up the tension throughout but there are also some slower, more soft moments that make the storytelling perfectly balanced. The progression of the plot feels logical and the plot twists are also very well executed. The author also makes a wonderful use of flashbacks and stories within stories making this the perfect blend of world building and information. This way, the main character discovering things as the story progresses is mixed well with conversations she had with her grandmother and with the stories she told her.
It’s easy to see why the book has been compared to the acclaimed and beloved Ghibli film, Spirited Away. The author has captured perfectly the folkloric and mythological inspirations of folklore in her writing, making the story and the world feel very vivid and whimsical. This vivid mythology, the entrancing spirit world, the heartfelt romance, and the themes of loyalty and bravery certainly parallel the animated film. However, The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is its own very unique tale and one shouldn’t read it with the animated film in mind.
All in all, The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is a beautiful, poetic, heartfelt, and mesmerising retelling that will captivate the readers from the very first page. A tale brimming with love, heart, and spirit that will take you away on an enchanting journey through a very magical realm. Perfect for those who love found family tropes, East-Asian folklore stories, and slow-burn romances.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is available from Amazon, Book Depository and other book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
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…
