For generations, deadly storms and floods have ravaged Mina’s kingdom, causing wars to be waged over the dwindling resources. The people, believing the Sea God is punishing them, sacrifice a beautiful maiden every year in an attempt to appease him. They hope that the Sea God will eventually see a sacrifice as worthy and choose her as his new bride so that the deadly punishments will stop.
But when the next maiden chosen is Mina’s brother’s betrothed, he follows her into the sea. Mina knows that this means death for her brother and rather than risking the Sea God’s wrath, she sacrifices herself instead. Only, once she’s swept into the Spirit Realm, she discovers that the Sea God is in an enchanted sleep. Determined to wake him so that the vicious storms will stop, Mina embarks on a journey below the sea. But time is against her. She can only remain in the land of spirits for a limited time. And someone wants to make sure the Sea God never wakes.
A lush, feminist retelling of a Korean folktale, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea brings to life a story with a modern twist. Mina is now the hero of this tale, one who not only saves her brother and his love, but sets out to end the storms once and for all. The Sea God needs saving, not Mina. In this delightful turn of events, readers are swept into this Korean tale with the more modern elements of friendship and strength at the forefront of the story.
While fairy tale retellings have largely focused on European stories in the past, more books focused on the rich history of Asian mythology and folklore are coming out. If you’re craving more of these stories, you’re in luck.
Here are five mythology retellings just like The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Xingyin lives a sheltered life on the moon. She has no idea her mother was exiled from the Celestial Emperor’s court for stealing his immortal elixir. But when Xingyin’s magic flairs, her existence is discovered, and she’s forced to flee. She makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, where seizing an opportunity, she disguises herself so she can learn directly from the Emperor’s son.
To save her mother, she must go on a quest where she faces dangerous creatures and violent enemies. And when a forbidden magic rises, threatening the kingdom, Xingyin must strike make a choice: risk everything she loves or destroy the entire realm.
Six Crimson Cranes
Magic is forbidden. That’s why Shiori’anma has to keep hers a secret. But during her betrothal ceremony to a man she doesn’t want to marry, she accidentally loses control. It means she doesn’t have to go through with the wedding. It also gets her banished and her brothers transformed into cranes.
Her stepmother warns her that if she ever speaks again, one of her brothers will die for every word she speaks. As she searches for her brothers voiceless and alone, she stumbles on a conspiracy to seize the throne. To save her kingdom, she has to lean on the one thing she’s been taught to stifle her entire life: the magic in her blood.
Song of Silver, Flame of Night
When the Elantian colonizers invaded Lan’s kingdom, they killed her mother, outlawed magic, and changed her name. Now, she spends her days scavenging for anything from the past that can explain the strange mark her mother burned into her arm before she died: a mark no one else can see until a boy saves her life.
Zen is a practitioner of a magic long thought dead. He recognizes the mark on Lan’s arm and knows it hides her own practitioner abilities. To get answers, they have to travel deep into the mountains of the Last Kingdom, where they discover masters planning to overthrow the Elantians. But both Lan and Zen harbor secrets—the kind that can either save the world or destroy it.
Shadow of the Fox
A thousand years ago, the Kami Dragon granted a terrible wish. Now, whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers gets a new wish. Yumeko was raised my monks and taught to hide her yokai nature. But when the temple is burned and her adopted family killed, she flees with their greatest treasure: part of the ancient scroll. She meets Kage, a samurai under orders to retrieve the scroll at any cost.
Yumeko needs him to survive, but he hunts what she protects. With an army of demons chasing them, her secrets aren’t just life or death. They hold the key to the fate of the entire world.
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A Thousand Steps Into Night
Gods, monsters, and humans live side-by-side in the realm of Awara. Miuko is just an ordinary girl. But when she is cursed, she transforms into a demon with a deadly touch. To undo the curse and return to her normal life, she sets out on a quest where she has to avoid demon hunters, outfox tricksters, and negotiate with feral gods. She left to save her old life only to discover that her transformation gave her power and freedom—the kind she may not want to give up. The kind that might just be worth sacrificing her soul.
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