The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Description From Goodreads:

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…

---

My Review:

I got this book after I read the description on Once Upon A Book Club's website. I wanted to treat myself to a book box without the commitment to a subscription and this was one of my options in the young adult section of the website.

I absolutely adore books steeped in mythologies vastly different from my culture. My first impression from the cover and the description was that this was going to be a beautiful read. I was a bit worried though since the book is only 320 that it wouldn't be long enough for the story to really shine.

The book drops you in the middle of the action which was a bit jarring, to be honest. There was no time initially to know what was what or who was who. I am normally not a fan of books starting like this and was a bit put off. However, this was the only thing I did not like about the book. Otherwise, I became absolutely hooked!

The spirit world was described in a simple but beautiful way. The characters were very enjoyable and the lesson of this story was very meaningful. Mina despite being a character felt so human to me. She went through so many emotions in such a small amount of time such as being angry at the gods to despair to hope and back again. Not once in her determination are we allowed to forget that she's scared but loves her family enough to overcome that fear. I felt like I was going through these stories and experiences with her and the clues throughout the story now seem more obvious now that I finished the book.

I really loved Shin as well who also started in anger and resentment. Seeing him become more thoughtful and experience a wider range of emotions was something I really enjoyed. While I wish there were some moments written by his point of view, I think the author did a great job of showing the changes he was going through, especially the ones involving Mina.

This book is layered in myths and stories that contain not only a kernel of truth but important lessons as well. I think the goddess of moon and memory was a great example of that. Despite being a side character to help further the plot, she really struck a chord with me, It's amazing how a change in perspective and actions can do wonders to change a person's motivations and thoughts.

Overall, this is really an amazing read worth picking up. I don't add books to my collection often, but this has definitely earned its place on my bookshelf. If you enjoy mythology, character growth, and hidden messages then this book is for you.

---

Read the book? Tell me your thoughts below!!