Book Review | The Floating World

The Floating World by Axie Oh weaves a spellbinding silkpunk fantasy that’s inspired by Korean legend and Final Fantasy.

I’m happy to say, this one did not disappoint. In her latest novel, Oh crafts a compelling cast of characters who tugged on my heartstrings. There’s Ren, an orphan who lives with a performance troupe while trying to conceal her powers. Then, on the other hand, there’s Sunho: an ex-soldier turned sword-for-hire who remembers little of his past. Their two paths collide when he’s tasked with tracking down a mysterious girl who lit up the sky.

The world itself is equally as interesting. Beneath a floating city in the sky lies the Under World, a city that’s plunged in darkness. To light their city, they mine a toxic ore, which creates devastatingly unintended consequences.

However, this book wasn’t completely without flaws. I think my biggest issue was the pacing. The fight scenes were a cool mix of martial arts and unique weapons (like there’s a really fun train fight sequence) that I wish they had lasted longer! On a similar note, I wish the final third had hit the brakes a bit. There’s so many plot reveals and developments happening back-to-back that the story didn’t give itself enough time to properly breathe and build up suspense.

All in all though, The Floating World delivers a heartfelt adventure that sucked me in and swept me off my feet. The sequel can’t come fast enough because this one ends on a doozy!

Thank you, NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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