THE FLOATING WORLD, by Axie Oh, Feiwel & Friends, April 29, 2025, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult)
Axie Oh reimagines the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens in her latest young adult novel, The Floating World.
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… —Synopsis provided by Feiwel and Friends
The Floating World is an expansive adventure set in a fantasy world where those in power will do anything to maintain their hold.
The story follows Sunho and Ren as they try to save the ones they love. The story jumps between the two, which is a little confusing at first. Sunho and Ren come from two very different places — rural/agrarian and urban/technological. Because of this, getting a true sense of time and place. As the story progresses, and author Axie Oh’s world building takes shape, the confusion disappears, but you have to give it some time.
Through Oh’s deft hands, Ren and Sunho come to life. Her exploration of their motivations is strong, and her addition of Jaeil as a sort of other love interest adds another layer to her story.
There’s a lot going on in The Floating World, and not everything gets cleared up. It’s good that a planned sequel is in the works.
The Floating World moves quickly — especially once Sunho and Ren meet, and the characters have enough flaws to keep you interested. There’s a lot of room for growth, and I look forward to the next book.
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