Every year, May is celebrated as AAPI Month in honor of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders who have contributed to the world. With popular reading platforms like Goodreads publishing lists of AAPI authors, the month has been a lovely whirlwind of new #ownvoices books topping my to-be-read list. Through it all, the one that has completely taken my breath away is a Korean-coded fantasy debut to the beat of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. The gorgeous cover of Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea depicts Mina, a young girl whose role has never yet been the protagonist. The loveliest girl in her village is Shim Cheong, but Cheong’s beauty is as much of a blessing as it is a curse—every year, a girl bride is sacrificed to the Sea God in hopes of satiating the deadly storms that sweep the land. Legend says that only the Sea God’s true bride will calm the floods forever. Beautiful Cheong is set to be the annual sacrifice, but there is one problem: she loves Mina’s brother. To save her brother’s beloved, Mina jumps into the sea as a sacrifice instead, becoming the reckless heroine of her own story. In the watery depths, she enters the Spirit Realm, where spirits and creatures and gods abound. But nothing is as it seems. As Mina tries to figure out why the Sea God is causing so many storms in the human world, her soul is stolen. From there, Mina must venture through a world of magic and lost stories and vengeful gods to seek answers about the Sea God, lest she become a spirit forever. This book painted one of the lushest, most breathtaking settings I have ever had the pleasure to immerse myself in. Axie Oh brought the fascinating world of the Spirit Realm to life with such a detailed hand that I could feel the flurry of spirits, smell vendors’ candies and desserts, see the gilded palaces and gardens. I loved the Korean culture incorporated into the book, from the twist on the tale of Shim Cheong to the Red String of Fate. There was something about the aesthetic of the book that felt wholly comforting. Perhaps what I adored most were the themes. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Mina; she seemed like yet another perfect Mary Sue heroine, the clean-cut selfless kind of girl about as real as a unicorn. As the book progressed, though, I began to see her flaws: her fear, her doubt, but her unwavering filial piety triumphing nevertheless. Mina stayed strong because of and for her family, which I deeply admired; it was steeped in the book’s Asian roots and ideologies, untarnished by romance or ulterior motives. Flashbacks to her grandmother’s wonder and storytelling ability were wonderfully written and executed. Even when Mina was struggling, she sought to comfort others and wove stories like her grandmother’s that were more magical than anything in the Spirit Realm. Mina was wise beyond her years and wielded her vulnerabilities like knives, which is the bravest thing of all. That said, there was romance in the book. Initially, I lamented the lack of chemistry between the main couple. After reading, however, I’ve come to view it as more of a meeting of souls than physical touch or grand acts. I think the two love interests’ personalities truly slotted together, their individual internal beauty translating into immense care for each other. There is a love triangle, but in its loosest definition—Oh explored romance in such an unconventional yet wholesome way. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea featured the neglect of gods and the trenches of darkness between broken souls, but it also displayed the power that comes from weakness and how mere words can change the course of the world. It has earned its place as one of my comfort books and favorite books of all time. Oh has broken into the world of young adult fantasy with impeccable talent. I wish I had just one more page to spend with Mina and her friends and family, but in my heart, I know they ended up in exactly the right place. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. Feiwel & Friends, 2022. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Anne of Green Gables, Reviewed by April, 13
As quoted by Buddha, “With our thoughts, we make the world.” For Anne Shirley, a young, bright-cheeked orphan brought to the budding beauty of Prince Edward Island, the world cannot be more lovely than she imagines it. From a huge lake that she nicknames the “Lake of Shining Waters” to the multicolored flowers she fashions into crowns, Anne’s imagination knows no limits. In L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, Anne believes she is being brought to a permanent home—a place called Green Gables owned by siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Matthew fetches her from the orphanage and she fawns over the gorgeous land the entire ride back to Green Gables, giddy with joy at finally leaving the orphanage. But when they arrive, strict Marilla drops the bomb that Matthew was too shy to expose: they wanted to adopt a boy, not a girl, and intend to send Anne back to the orphanage. Brokenhearted, Anne cries herself to sleep, but it is not the sight of her tears that moves Marilla: it’s the prospect of Anne being adopted by another cruel old lady instead. Marilla is strict, but she is not wicked. With much reluctance, and to Matthew’s joy, Marilla resolves to keep Anne after all. Is it just the magic of the beautiful Green Gables? Or is Marilla’s gradual softening of heart for Anne a show of real parental love? Anne begins as an insecure, gangly girl whose temper and absentminded dreaminess land her in all kinds of hot water. But in the grass and flowers on the banks of the Lake of Shining Waters, Anne grows up slowly and surely—and any amount of blunders and mistakes on her part cannot take away from how much she is loved by all. This book was wonderfully, heart-achingly gorgeous. I love classics because they so often follow one person’s entire life, and it was splendid to live in Anne’s world from childhood to womanhood. She was such a vibrant character, her quirks and dreams and shortcomings truly taking life on the page. I feel as if I’ve grown up with her and loved her just as much as Matthew and Marilla did ever since she arrived at their doorstep. It was bittersweet to see Anne grow into a woman because I adored her starry-eyed youth, but I was so proud of her in the end for always striving to be the best Anne she could be. She grew past her flaws and did her best to protect the people she loved. The writing style was impeccable—it is marked by many a monologue, as Anne loves to talk for pages upon pages about what she is passionate about, something that endears her to me and everyone around her. There’s something indescribably warm about L. M. Montgomery’s writing that evokes the sweetness of spring, the nostalgia of summer, and the heartache of autumn all at once; reading it is truly an experience I think everyone should have. And the setting! Green Gables was so lush and natural, filled with little brooks and lakes and forests, mirroring the purity of Anne’s heart. It felt just right for her youthful, carefree soul, but I’ll admit to being a little (and by little I mean intensely) jealous of Anne. I mean, who wouldn’t want to frolic among blooming flowers and old-fashioned white houses with sprawling fields bracketing glittering lakes? Anne made so many stories in her head by simply living there, establishing an ethereal quality about the book. What I adored most, though, was the omnipresent motif of love. It was executed perfectly in that subtle way that can’t help but pull on one’s heartstrings—Matthew’s openhearted, pure love for Anne, Marilla’s grudging, developing, and eventually wholehearted love, Anne’s love for her parents and friends, Anne’s friends’ playful love for her. Montgomery knows how to add these elements without overdosing on them, and her small but significant ways of showing love were both heartwarming and tearjerking—a perfect combination. Anne of Green Gables is an iconic book. It has passed through hundreds of years and survived until today because it tells, perhaps, one of the most important stories of all: the story of a child who started out small and grew to be great because she knew how to love and be loved. Mind you, I was bawling my eyes out by the end from the pain of letting this book go, but I always end up loving a book that makes me cry. Even if you don’t shed any tears, I hope you find the same comfort in Anne’s story as millions of other readers have, including me. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Puffin Books, 2014. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Born on the First of Two, Reviewed by April, 13
We have lived in this world for so long that we often forget to notice its beauties and terrors. Although a blossoming of flowers on a tree branch or the putrid smoke of factory pollution might be perfectly normal to us, there’s something incredibly special about them in different ways. In Born on the First of Two, Anya Geist crafts a otherworldly society that views the Earth with exactly this unique perspective, for this society lives above the clouds. The Land of the Clouds is a bustling, ever-moving network of people above the clouds. Although Maya should be just another eleven-year-old living in the Land, there’s always been something amiss in her life. Perhaps it’s because her parents mysteriously disappeared when she was young. While Maya loves the aunt she lives with, she can’t help the tension between them as her curiosity about her real parents grows. When Maya’s history teacher unintentionally drops a clue about Maya’s identity, however, everything changes. Suddenly, Maya is convinced that she is the one in a prophecy destined to fight a group of evil people named the OCT. And it adds up—on the back of her locket, the ones her parents gave her, is a street name on Earth: 15 Harding Street. In her eyes, this can’t be a coincidence. Now, Maya must embark on a journey to Earth to discover the importance of the elusive 15 Harding Street. Between “motion sickness” when she time-travels throughout Earth’s history to deadly voices preying on her, Maya is on a race against all odds to figure out who she and her parents really are—if the OCT don’t intercept her first. Geist’s debut novel is a riveting blend of bildungsroman and familial love, highlighted by the science fiction elements! It was powerful getting to see not only Maya’s self-exploration and development, but how much her aunt and her best friend, Scarlett, loved her as well. Although Maya felt alone and small for much of her journey on Earth, there were two people trying to find her the entire time. Although this is a girl from the Land of the Clouds, I felt like I could resonate with her so deeply in this aspect. Ah, Geist’s writing was simply delightful! The vivid description, especially of Maya’s time-traveling process, was a spelling series of events that truly allowed me to visualize the scene. It felt like I was there with Maya, seeing the gray, frothy beach and the Tunnel of Time right beside her. I also loved the idea of people living above the clouds, operating in tight-knit communities and schools similar to ours, but in an entirely different environment. I was, however, hoping for more world-building. It was unclear what the citizens of the Land of the Clouds looked like, what they did every day, et cetera, so it was difficult for me to understand the difference between people on the Land and people on Earth. In turn, when Maya visited Earth and expressed awe in everything, it made me confused about what was so strange to her. The lack of concrete world-building caused a sort of disconnect between the reader and the character at times. Overall, this was just a mind-blowing novel. Geist is such a promising writer who infuses heart and hope into her characters, no matter how dire their situations may be. Submerge yourself in this classic tale of soul-searching and internal courage—it won’t disappoint! Born on the First of Two by Anya Geist, selected Editor’s Choice of the Stone Soup Book Contest 2020. Children’s Art Foundation, Incorporated, 2021. Buy the book at our store, Amazon, or Bookshop.org.
