The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

A New York Times Bestseller!

Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling retelling of a classic Korean folktale, perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

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…

Praise for The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea:

An ABA Indie Bestseller

"On every page I found something marvelous and new, and I was eager to keep reading because I wanted to further explore this wondrous new world." —The New York Times

"A beautiful, mesmerizing retelling I wish I’d had when I was growing up. ... A heartfelt tale that I will be recommending for years to come." —Elizabeth Lim, New York Times-bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes

"A clever, creative, and exquisitely written tale of sacrifice, love, and fate." —Stephanie Garber, New York Times-bestselling author of Caraval

Also by Axie Oh
The Floating World
The Demon and the Light

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Published Feb 22, 2022

352 pages

Average rating: 7.51

199 RATINGS

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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea* by Axie Oh features lyrical writing and immersive East Asian-inspired mythic worldbuilding that deeply...

ocularopoeia

Jun 02, 2025

8/10 stars

Fun straight forward read! Feel good fantasy

jenlynerickson

Jan 01, 2026

10/10 stars

“A young girl with a homeland in peril, a Sea God’s bride with a mystery to unravel…Only a true bride of the Sea God can bring an end to his insatiable wrath. The bride who shares a Red String of Fate with the Sea God has the power to break the curse…Is it too much to hope that…a girl with nothing but herself to give—could be the Sea God’s true bride?” But when she encounters Shin, “he is not the cruel and spiteful deity I envisioned, but a boy-god, asleep and crying in his dreams…A tall, not very frightening, honorable god without a soul. How did my fate get entangled with his?...I won’t say the qualities he lacks that would make it impossible for me to love him, either: a caring heart, looking at me not as a burden or a weakness, but as a strength.” “People do the most desperate things for those they love. Some might even call it a sacrifice…But I think it might be the other way around. I think it would be a terrible sacrifice to do nothing…I couldn’t endure in a world where I did nothing, where I let those I love suffer and be hurt…the emptiness of having done nothing at all…Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe.” Mina finally discovers “what it means to be the Sea God’s bride. It’s not a burden or an honor. To be the Sea God’s bride is not to be the most beautiful girl in the village, nor is it to be the one to break the curse. To be the Sea God’s bride, she must do one thing: She must love him…love can’t be bought or earned or even prayed for. It must be freely given…All of us are unworthy. All of us deserve to be forgotten”/forgiven. “There is no place you can go so far away from forgiveness. Not from someone who loves you…Don’t chase fate…Let fate chase you.” “The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is about a lot of things, but to me, it’s first and foremost about family,” fate and the fortitude of forgiveness.

pinkietea

Oct 21, 2025

6/10 stars

Axis Oh did an amazing job creating a fantastical world with east asian elements. I got a very Spirited Away vibe from reading the descriptions of the settings which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, the main character fell a little flat for me and I found myself struggling to understand her. It felt like the author was describing her one way but the actual character behaved in a completely different way. Personally, I also had a hard time rooting for the romance between the FML and ML. I did end up satisfied with the way the characters were wrapped up in the end and overall enjoyed the story.

novelishdelish

Dec 11, 2024

10/10 stars

If you enjoy beautiful story telling, Koren Mythology, and Korean Folklore this book is definitely for you. It may be slated as a YA novel, but as a adult over 30 I enjoyed it immensely.

Ashku7

Nov 30, 2024

8/10 stars

3.25 Rounded Up

Yep, I got super Spirited Away vibes. I will say it was different enough to be its own story, but there were definitely scenes and character traits/challenges that reminded me of Spirited Away, which is one of my favorite Studio Ghibli creations so...I'm not mad at it.
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Apparently, this reminds people of Hayao Miyazaki's work?

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