Axie Oh is a first-generation Korean American, born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California San Diego and holds an MFA in writing for young people from Lesley University. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationary supplies, and milk tea, and she currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her dog, Toro (named after Totoro). You can find Axie at AxieOh.com.
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina's homeland for generations. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them. Each year a beautiful maiden is sacrificed to the sea in the hopes of appeasing him. Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina's older brother Joon—may be the one to finally end the suffering. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows her out to sea, 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, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man and a motley crew of demons and spirits, Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all. But 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 . . .
As I read this story, I fell into a kind of spell, where I didn't feel like I was reading, but where I felt like someone was actually telling me the story. I've always been fascinated by the preservation of stories through generations via oral storytelling (versus writing stories down and passing them along physically), because there is such a persistence and beauty to a story surviving and evolving as people do. Mina's story felt like an oral story, one that was passed through generations, and that feeling was only heightened by the importance of story to her journey. When she told fairy tales, when she reflected on the tales of her childhood, all of it worked to create this feeling of the persistence and beauty of story. That is why this novel shines so bright for me—because it is a testament to so many things, but most strongly a testament to the power of stories.
Speculative fiction is so, so important, especially in young adult, and Oh brings a whole new genre style to the table. This fantasy fairy tale-esque story blends our favorite elements of fantasy with a brand of storytelling that makes The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea read like a fairytale. The fantasy was absolutely lovely: this whole other spirit realm, with its own demons and dragons, and its own set of rules felt well developed, and each step I took alongside Mina in this realm made me feel like I was right next to her. I'll remember the description of Mina and Miki eating the dumpling and then begging Dai for more in the middle of the crowded streets every time I look at the cover. Which, speaking of, what a cover! I think the cover does some of the fairy telling work for readers—the light colors, the gorgeous twine of red to a hidden figure, the dress that spirals into the sea is just an absolute gorgeous rendering and homage to Korean fairytales. It works well in conjunction with all the storytelling Oh and her characters do throughout the novel.
Family is also incredibly important in this novel, both the kind you are born with and the ones that you find. I loved how each character, even if they didn't get a whole lot of space on the page, felt very fully-formed, and as important parts of the story in their own respect. This is especially true of Mina's grandmother, Joon and Cheong, who exist very largely in Mina's head, but not so much during her physical journey. The novel makes important moves in showing how important family's impressions on us are, and how they, like the stories they tell, are preserved in our character even if they're not physically with us. And it is in the moments of reunion in this story that are some of the most heartwarming, and that can only come by Oh's ability to make each family member live large in the story even if they're not always physically with Mina.
And the last thing I'll mention is the absolutely gorgeous philosophical drive behind the story: do we have the power to choose our fate? To choose our destiny? Where do choice and story collide? Oh handles these questions delicately, and with so much power. She shows us that yes, there is choice in a story, and that we don't have to become what everyone else wants us to be, because only we have power over ourselves. She doesn't just do this with Mina's stories, but also with Cheong's, Shin's, and Dai's. In fact, I think every character's arc can be drawn all the way back down to these driving questions of the story. Identity also has a huge part to play in this, which can be directly tied to Mina's and Mask's stories as well. The way that each character also builds towards answering the story's driving questions is what makes The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea so captivating and compelling, and the answers Oh provides are the reasons why every single person needs to read this book.
I hope Axie Oh keeps writing what inspires her, because she has shown with The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea that that is her power! Until then, you can find Axie at AxieOh.com.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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