[Early copy from Netgalley. This doesn’t affect my opinions/review.]

I was drawn in both by this book’s gorgeous cover and the comparison to Spirited Away, one of my favorite movies. When I first started reading, I liked the protagonist’s boldness and courage, and also liked Oh’s writing style—I found it beautiful and poetic without being overbearing. Unfortunately, the more I read of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, the less I wanted to continue. If not for the fact that I got an ARC and would’ve felt bad DNFing it, I probably would’ve DNFed this book.

It’s hard to describe my issue with this book. Sometimes I read a book, don’t really like it, and can say it was because of x/y/z. Other times, all I can say is that I wasn’t vibing with the book, even if that explanation feels insufficient—and this is one of those times.

I can pinpoint a couple of things, though: a) I lost interest in Mina after a few chapters and never grew attached to any of the other characters, and b) I didn’t feel any chemistry between Mina and Shin. I found myself not really caring what happened to them or anyone else. There were a few scenes that, had they been between any other ship, I would’ve gone feral, squealing and clapping; instead, I just moved right along.

To be entirely honest, I don’t think there was enough build-up in the romance. Most of the book only takes place over a single month, which, with a couple of exceptions, doesn’t seem like enough time for two characters to truly fall in love. Or maybe the problem was that I wasn’t invested in the characters, so of course I couldn’t be invested in their romance. I’m not entirely sure.

I’m honestly quite sad I didn’t like this book, because I really wanted to. However, if you like Studio Ghibli movies, bold protagonists and character-driven stories, you might enjoy it more.

Representation