The Floating World coming April 29th, 2025 from Feiwel & Friends; 368 pages
Content Warning: Violence, death, and depression
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. Her sixth and seventh novels, The Floating World and The Demon and the Light release in April and October 2025, respectively” (Bio from author’s website).
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Sunho is an ex-soldier living in the Under World, a land perpetually washed in the darkness of the Floating World’s shadow. Two years ago, he woke up with no memory besides his name. He worked as a hired sword to make ends meet until he was tasked with hunting down a girl who wields silver light and bringing her to the Under World. Far from the Under World, Ren lives as a traveling acrobat performing with her family. When one of the villages is attacked by a strange demon during their performance, Ren uses her powers of silver light to kill the monster, but her uncle is grievously wounded. She embarks on a journey to find a cure for the monster’s poison and save her uncle, crossing paths with Sunho. He doesn’t know she’s the girl he’s searching for, and the two grow closer as they travel to complete their separate missions. It turns out that fate had much more in store for the two than they originally thought.
The Floating World is a breathtaking fantasy novel inspired by a Korean legend that captivated me from start to finish. I’ve always been a fan of Axie Oh, but this is my favorite book of hers to date. In a world where there are no new ideas, Oh is creating worlds unlike any other. In The Floating World, the Under World exists under the Floating World, and the underside of the world in the sky contains a precious mineral they mine to power their militaries and luxuries. Not only did Oh write a beautiful romance and coming-of-age story, but she also critiqued the greed of the real world and its environmental implications. I thought Ren and Sunho were both great characters, and I particularly loved how there were certain things they had to face on their own. Neither of them lost sight of their original goals because of their growing connection. It was a true slow-burn romance that was rooted in companionship and a shared strength. Sunho never tried to hold Ren back, even when her mission became much bigger than saving her uncle. The ending of this book had me yelling at the page like all the best novels do, and I’m already counting down the days until the sequel. If you’ve never read an Axie Oh book, you’re missing out on beautiful stories that feel both brand new and centuries old.
The Floating World releases on April 29th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer