Information
Goodreads: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Series: None
Age Category: Young Adult Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Published: 2022
Official Summary
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…
Review
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is beautiful story about fighting for one's family and choosing one's own fate. Set in the lush capital of the Spirit World, the book takes readers on an adventure with protagonist Mina to save the Sea God from a curse and end the storms killing her people back in the human world -- if she can figure out the key to breaking the curse in the first place.
I did feel the book took a while to show me who Mina is rather than tell me. The narrative is certain she is brave and stubborn (and definitely not beautiful or talented), but initially I didn't see what the author clearly hoped I was seeing. Once Mina was able to take more action and make more decisions, I did see she's brave, and she priotizes her family above all else, even herself. In the beginning, there's the sense she does that because she thinks she doesn't have worth, that her value is in sacrificing herself so someone more worthy might not have to give up themself, but eventually she seems to do it out pure love, and watching her gain more confidence in herself is a beautiful thing.
The plot has a few pieces that ultimately come together: Mina must somehow free the Sea God from an enchanted slumber, while staying alive in the Spirit World, while avoiding becoming a Spirit herself, while helping some friends with their own tasks, while figure out the mysteries of some side gods, etc., etc. There's always something happening and always extra mysteries to solve, so Oh keeps readers on their toes.
The romance is really sweet, especially for a standalone with limited space. I did come to believe the two love interests cared for each other after a somewhat short time (Mina has only 30 days to complete her task), but Oh takes care to give them scenes together and figure out what they like about each other and how they can help each other. Readers will really be reading for these two to get their happily ever after.
There were some other places some characterization and relationships seemed rushed, which may the primary flaw of the book, but it didn't bother me enough to diminish the reader experience. Against, it's a standalone, so I don't think i can expect everything to play out in the detail it would in a three-book series.
This is such a genuinely beautiful and enjoyable book. I would love to read more by Oh.
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