About the Book:

Title: The Floating World 

Author: Axie Oh

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 

Release Date: April 29, 2025

Pages: 368

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis:

From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn’t realize she’s the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined…

Review:

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley and the publisher. Thank you for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own*

I have been a fan of Axie Oh since her debut Rebel Seoul, and she has not disappointed me yet! The Floating World is her triumphant return to fantasy! I really enjoyed this one, and I love how it’s a reimagining of the Korean legend of the Woodcutter and the Celestial Maiden. The world building is amazing with The Floating World and the Underworld, and I am excited to explore that more in the sequel. The writing was whimsical, the romance was sweet, and the cast of characters were unforgettable.

This has been comped to Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone. I think if you’re a fan of either of those, or fantasy in general, you will find this up your alley.

I definitely recommend and I can’t wait for the sequel coming this fall!

About the Author:

Axie Oh is the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, XOXO and ASAP, and the Rebel Seoul series. 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 dogs, Toro and Leila.