The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

The village where 17-year-old Mina lives worships a tempestuous sea god the villagers sacrifice a young woman to once a year in the hopes of appeasing him and gaining his protection and benevolence. When Mina throws herself into the waves instead of the actual sacrifice (her brother's girlfriend) she stumbles into a turbulent world under the sea where deities and spirits roam - similarly to the world of Spirited Away. Will she be able to convince the sea god to help her village? And will she survive this strange new world? An incredibly entertaining story with a protagonist worth rooting for. Mina is far from stupid and doesn't let the countless otherworldly creatures in the underwater realm push her around. I practically flew through this book; the story progresses quickly without feeling rushed. The cast of characters surrounding Mina add dimension and an emotional aspect to this retelling of a Korean folktale, and there's a bit of romance as well. A beautiful, interesting, feel-good story in a world you can almost touch. / Das Dorf der 17-jährigen Mina verehrt einen tollwütigen Meeresgott, dem die Bewohner einmal im Jahr eine junge Frau opfern, in der Hoffnung, dadurch seinen Schutz und seine Wohltat zu erlangen. Als Mina sich anstelle des eigentlichen Opfers, der Freundin ihres Bruders, in die Wellen stürzt, erwartet sie eine kunterbunte Unterwasserwelt, in der Gottheiten und gute wie böse Geister walten -- ähnlich wie in Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland. Kann sie den Meeresgott davon überzeugen, ihrem Dorf zu helfen? Und wird sie diese neue Welt überleben? Eine wahnsinnig spannende Geschichte mit einer Protagonistin, zu der man gerne hält. Denn Mina ist nicht auf den Kopf gefallen (trotz des Sprunges ins Meer) und lässt sich von den zahlreichen seltsamen Wesen im Unterwasserreich nichts vormachen. Ich bin förmlich durch das Buch durchgeflogen; der Plot schreitet sehr zügig voran, ohne sich voreilig anzufühlen. Die anderen Figuren neben Mina verleihen diesem Retelling eines koreanischen Volksmärchens Dimension und auch eine emotionale Komponente, und ein bisschen Romantik ist natürlich auch dabei. Einfach eine schöne, interessante, feel-good Geschichte in einer Welt, die sich zum Anfassen echt anfühlt.

I absolutely loved The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea! It's one of those books that completely pulls you in and doesn't let go. The world-building is gorgeous, and the mix of fantasy with Korean mythology was so unique and captivating. The characters were incredibly relatable, especially the protagonist, who felt so real and brave. I also loved how the story was filled with adventure, magic, and a touch of romance, but still had a lot of heart and depth. If you're into books that whisk you away to a magical world and make you feel all the feels, definitely give this one a try!

Axie Oh composed a beautiful story full of myths, fairytales and a romance so painful I couldn't put the book down. At times the book gave me Spirited Away vibes, but at the same time was entirely different. I always wanted to get to know more about the characters, the world they live in, the magic they are surrounded with and I was never dissapointed. This is a book I would read a dozen times again and I think the reading experience would feel as magical as it did the first time.

To save her brother and his great love, Mina offers herself as the bride of the sea god, whose wrath is threatening the human world with deadly storms. Once in the world of the spirits, Mina begins a race against time, because either she breaks the curse of the sea god, or she loses her soul and is bound to the spirit realm forever. But she is not alone. She gets help, not only from three mysterious spirits, but also from House Lotus, whose lord is the protector and guardian of the sea god and to whom Mina is connected by the thread of fate. With "The Girl Who Fell Beneath" Axi Oh has created a fantastic and mythical world, with great characters, a beautiful love story and a good connection to Korean mythology. Definitely read!

Mina sacrifices herself to the Sea God to save her people and their land. But she is not the real Sea God‘s Bride or is she? Will the Sea God accept her sacrifice? This story follows Mina on her adventure to wake the Sea God to help her save her land. On this journey she meets lovely and mysterious characters, one more interesting than the other one! With one of them a red string of fate is formed, but as the Sea God‘s bride she should form that string with the actual god… A great retelling of „The Tale of Shim Cheong“ and it is fantastically written! It is a wonderful story about friendship, love and destiny. Recommended for everyone who loves fantasy with an East Asian setting, in this case Korea!