Actual rating: 3.5 stars

If you‘re looking for a quick, light-hearted, sweet, and whimsical read that you binge in a few sittings, then look no further because this one is waiting to sweep you away far beneath the sea in the realm of the spirits where those, gods, dragons and other magical creature wait to enthrall you.

Based on the Korean classic The Tale of Shim Cheong, this retelling follow the protagonist Mina as she leaps into the sea instead the actual girl who was supposed to be sacrificed to the Sea God as his bride because she is who Mina‘s brother loves. From there on, she enters the Spirit Realm beneath the sea where she finds herself in front of the Sea God and realizes he is far from what she expected. Worse even, there is a curse which can only be broken by the Sea God‘s bride, and ridden by her determination to save everyone she loves and put an end to the sacrifices of young girls, Mina tries everything to find a way to break it.

Similiar to the enchanting retellings of Elizabeth Lim and Sue Lynn Tan, this story reads itself like a fairytale. We are swept away in a whimsical world filled with gods, dragons, spirits, and magical creatures - and I loved every thing about it. I wasn‘t familiar with the Korean classic this story was retelling, so I had no expectations or ideas on where exactly this story is leading, which is why I also just loved to be part of the ride and see where Mina will lead us next. After researching the content of that classic, I‘m also thrilled that a close version of that story found its place in this one while The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea seemed to follow a different path on telling this.

The setting, the story, the characters - everything about this book is rather enjoyable, and I had fun reading this story in two sittings because of the quick pacing and whimsical touch to it. However, as much as the pacing allowed me to fly through the pages, it caused some of the issues I had with the execution of the story, and the romance we are being presented with. Three hundred pages didn‘t seem enough to truly let the story breathe. Everything happened too quickly - the passing of important events, the resolving of issues, the development of the relationships - for them to leave a proper impact on me. Which is why I wasn‘t able to immerse myself too deeply into this story, or to feel deeply enough for the characters.

Despite the fact that I overall enjoyed the story, these aspects didn‘t allow me to love it as much as I wished to do. Which is somewhat a pity because I‘m convinced if there had been more pages or even a sequel to it, then this could‘ve easily become a new favorite. Nevertheless, it remains a sweet and light-hearted story that one can enjoy, especially if you‘re looking for a quick read to binge in a sitting or two.