by Axie Oh
ASIN/ISBN: 9781250853080
Publication: April 29, 2025
Series: The Floating World #1

**I received a copy of the book through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.**

I grew up on eastern myths and fairytales, so the woodcutter and the celestial maiden is a familiar one. Axie Oh expands on the tale, making it her own with fantasy and science fiction elements that are also reminiscent of past and present anime and dramas I adore. Wrought with an intermixing of both the familiar and unfamiliar, it was hard not to like The Floating World.

Oh has a gift for immersive beginnings, so I was easily pulled into the story with these characters. The setting reminds me of sageuks I loved, so that was exactly what I imagined as Ren journeyed away from the more rural areas to save her uncle. I am not a big fan of reading science fiction, but including these elements here gave me Rogue One vibes, which made me like it all the more.

The introduction of the main characters in the beginning remains my favorite part of the book. Each leaves a lasting impression, particularly Jaeil. Sunho and Ren are poised to be the main leads, but I did not find anything too surprising about either. Ren is a straightlaced protagonist with protecting her family and friends at the forefront of her actions, even if she may make mistakes here and there. Sunho is similar despite being a sword-for-hire. He is motivated by memories of his brother, who he is desperately searching for. Jaeil is somewhat more difficult to pin down due to his position in the army and his relationship to the general. Will he or won’t he turn Ren in? Could she mean more to him? The side characters are also memorable, especially Ren’s Big Uncle. I’m a sucker for big, gruff looking male characters who are marshmallows on the inside (e.g. Ma Dong-seok as Sang-Hwa in Train to Busan), and Big Uncle is very gooey .

As with Oh’s previous The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, the romance is not as fully developed as I would have liked it. There is some chemistry between the characters. There are feelings being stirred by the other person, but there is not enough for me to believe it could be romantic. With declarations made rather quickly, I unfortunately found myself somewhat pulling away from the romance.

It also did not help that, at times, Sunho and Ren seem younger than they are, making this seem more like a younger YA novel. It could feel enchanting at times while frustrating at others. The latter feelings arose likely because of the dialogue or behavior, which sometimes left me cringing.

Will I read the next book? Probably. I do want to find out what happens next for our characters, but it isn’t like the wait will make me suffer.