Veronica @ Little Corner Reads

Colored Pages Book Tour: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (Axie Oh) – Mood Board

Title card: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea Book Tour (Feb 16th-22)
Book Cover

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Axie Oh
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Mythology, Retellings
Length: 336 pages
Contains: minor violence, minor language
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…

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Blackwells | Book Depository 

Today’s post is part of a book tour with Colored Pages Tours. As usual, I signed up for the last day of the tour, which works out for you because today is the publication day for The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. You can find the other stops by checking out the tour schedule.

If you’re looking for friends to read it with, you’re in luck because it’s @literasian’s March book of the month!

Feiwel and Friends is my favorite publisher, and they are not disappointing with their releases this year. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, and I purposely chose it for my first read of the new year which may or may not have set ridiculously high expectations for the rest of the books I read this year.

This post was made possible because I won an eARC through a giveaway hosted by Feiwel and Friends/Fierce Reads/Macmillan Publishers, but the following is an honest review. You can find my original review here.

Don’t forget to check out my full review

Shim Cheong might be the most beautiful girl in the village, but her face is a curse.

As someone who loves retellings and supporting the Asians, I am so excited we’re getting more reimagings of Asian myths and folklore. Even though the promise of Ghibli vibes is what put The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea to the top of my list of anticipated 2022 releases, I was a little nervous people were overselling the comparison because I’ve been burned before. So when I say Axie Oh’s latest book deserves all the Spirited Away comps, I mean it.

Some brides are chosen, but there are some who 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 to be brides.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a story about fate, family and fables set in a magical world “of dragons, of gods with unfathomable powers, of assassins who move unseen through the shadows, where your voice can be transformed into a bird and then stolen.” I’m not gonna lie, I’m totally just here for the vibes but they’re so good. The story is magical, whimsical, and so soft it’s basically gossamer-like. I seriously found myself highlighting line after line of breathtaking descriptions and gorgeous prose that did the cover art justice. (Almost all the “favorite quotes” stops on this book tour are many of my favorites too!)

A magpie may dream it’s a crane, but never will it be one.

Axie Oh basically gave us a story with all the vibes of a Korean Spirited Away, and I absolutely love the world she created. I was already playing around with the idea of making a mood board when I saw Colored Pages Tours sign ups. I’m still relatively new to making mood boards, but I’ve gotten so much positive feedback, I figured I’d give it a shot. There were honestly so many different pictures I wanted to include in my mood board that didn’t make the final cut—maybe I’ll make more in the future?—but for today’s I tried to capture the ethereal, melancholic atmosphere of the story.

I love signing up for the end of book tours because it means I get to share content from some of the other bloggers (but mostly because I’m a procrastinator.) Here are some highlights from the other stops:

  • I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet, but I’m excited about the playlist that Saoirse @ Booked with Boba made. (Maybe when I do a reread?)
  • I had the same experience that Sara @ Lyrical Reads mentioned in her review: “I wanted to both read Girl in one day and take the time to soak in every little detail” (I did the former.) She also has a playlist that I’m looking forward to listening to!
  • Isabelle @ ThisBelleReadsToo so many of the pictures she has for her mood board are ones that I almost used on mine.
  • @_half.blood.reader shared her favorite quote, but I also just love the cover image she chose. I wish my IG could be that aesthetic 😍

About the Author

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, stationery supplies, and milk tea, and she currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her dog, Toro (named after Totoro). She is the author of multiple books for teens, including The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea.

Are you planning to read Girl? What are your favorite Ghibli movies?

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