New Sketch-a-wish illustration, voted by my wonderful Patreons for January!

Featuring Shin and Mina from The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh! I absolutely ADORE this book, and was happily re-listening to it while I worked on this piece! There's a funny quip about this scene intending to be where the 'land meets the sea', and instead is described where the 'mountain meets the sky'. But as Mina and Shin respectfully represent land and sea, I managed to squeeze all four in here, with a sea-like sky!

You claim the gods should love and care for humans. I disagree. I don’t think love can be bought or earned or even prayed for. It must be freely given.

Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Spread between my hand and Shin’s is a bright red ribbon. The Red String of Fate. Our eyes meet. “Oh no,” I say. -The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea - Axie Oh

I finished reading Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea a couple weeks ago, and the main characters had such Zutara vibes that I had to draw a crossover picture. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a YA fantasy book!

(Their clothes are me trying to recreate what the characters are wearing on the book cover, I apologize for any inaccuracies.)

♥ Please do not repost. If you like it and want to show people, share a link to this page instead. Thank you!

The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea, by Axie Oh.

Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

I got wildly sick of white European farm boy fantasy a while back. Thank goodnes I didn't have to look hard to find other things, and plenty of them (literally this is not my whole collection, I just couldn't ffit everything in the picture)!

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko follows Tar as she finds her family in an African-inspired fantasy world. The haunting "made of me, and me is mine" still echoes in my head. That and Dayo literally being the adoptive uncle who gets his nibling an elephant.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong explores Chinese and Russian rival crime families in fantasy 1920s Shanghai. For my Shakespeareans in the audience, yes, it's also a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. For those of you with bug phobias, beware.

Tha Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri is often described as having morally gray lesbians, and that's true. But while Priya and Malini are compelling and fascinating to follow, I am HERE for the Hirana. Semi-sentient, possibly evil temple who is soft for its favorite trainee priestess in hiding? YES.

Jade City by Fonda Lee follows the Green Bones in fantasy Asia, as two warring gangs find their places in a rapidly modernizing world. Shae and Hilo's relationship in particular is fascinating.

Full Disclosure: I haven't finished Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, but the first couple of chapters are a WOW and I can't wait to finish this Korean-inspired fairy tale retelling.

The Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan was sheer joy from start to finish, and I have not yet stopped asking "What the Actual HELL, Wenzhi???" Inspired by the myth of Chang'e, this book is a must-read. (The sequel is out November 2022 and I am so excited!!!)

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao took me by the throat and literally did not let me go until the book ended--and even then, it less let me go and more threw me against the boards until round 2. The triangle is the strongest shape, and this has phenomenal poly and disability representation.

Another full disclosure: I haven't started Judy Lin's A Magic Steeped in Poison, but I am so excited for it. There is literal and figurative tea promised, and I am here for it.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah scratched a reading itch I didn't even know I had, and I love this book so much. It has cinnaprinces, a Loulie, jinn, forty thieves, and stories within stories.

Last full disclosure of the post: I also haven't read the doorstopper that is RR Virdi's The First Binding, but it is a heckin' chonk of a book that I am super excited to dive into.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea // Axie Oh

beneath the sea, the dragon sleeps, what is he dreaming of?

My next read-and the cover is beautiful!

"Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe." - the girl who fell beneath the sea, axie oh

Fantasy Romance Recommendations Pt.1

I'm a big fan of Fantasy Romance books but I've noticed that a lot of recommendations lists have the same books over and over again. Nothing against Sarah J Maas, Jennifer Armentrout and Holly Black, but I have read their books already and I'm looking for new suggestions. And thus, I decided to make my own little list (with help from @housebaylor and @shirewalker). Maybe it will help someone somewhere. XD ***Some of the books listed here are not Romance novels officially but all have romance and have HFN or HEA endings Fantasy Romances The Fallen Empire Trilogy by Grace Draven The Kraelian Empire has ruled with an iron fist for centuries, its grip unyielding until the power of three women, and the men devoted to them, break it.

The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden Vasya Petrovna is a young woman gifted with the Sight which allows her to see spirits who inhabits the world. The arrival of Christianity spells trouble for her and the world of the spirits at large. This story has her rebel against her fate as a woman in medieval Russia, go on a great adventure and meet amazing characters.  One of my favourite.

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher A subversive take on Fairytales! After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra―the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter―has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.  It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. Celia and Marco's beautiful story of challenges, love and magic. Beautiful haunting magic. Radiance by Grace Draven Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart. The Bird and The Sword by Amy Harmon Magic is forbidden and gifted people are sentenced to death. Lark, a voiceless young woman, has a gift she must keep hidden. The day her mother was killed, she told lark's father she wouldn’t speak again, and she told him if Lark's died, he would die too. Then she predicted the king would trade his soul and lose his son to the sky. A Fate of Wrath and Flame by K.A. Tucker Portal Fantasy! Gifted thief Romeria is transported into another world into the body of a treacherous princess. Romeria is plunged into a startling realm of opposing thrones, warring elven, and elemental magic she cannot begin to fathom. Only read the first book so far Married to Magic Trilogy by Elise Kova Shared Universe, Fantasy Romance, Stand Alone Novels About Young Women and their Unexpected Romances with Magical Men Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past. For the last seven years she’s been collecting a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she’s received. Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer and everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects. Only read the first book Promise of Darkness by Bec McMaster Princess. Tribute. Sacrifice. Is she the one prophesied to unite two warring Fae courts? Or the one bound to destroy them? If you like S.J.Maas you might like this YA Fantasy Romances Uprooted by Naomi Novik Agnieszka lives in a quiet village bordering a corrupted Wood. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik Multiple POVs fairytale Miryem gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk--grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh--Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. The Girl who fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh Mina's people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering. An Enchantment of Raven by Margaret Rogerson With a flick of her paintbrush, Isobel creates stunning portraits for a dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—Isobel makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne, and even his life. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson Elisabeth was raised in a magical library where dark magical grimoire are kept. She hopes to become a Warden whos job is protecting the Kingdom from their powers. Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. Shielded by Katlynn Flanders Hidden Princess, arranged marriage, yearning! A kingdom ravaged by war, and the princess who might be the key to saving not only those closest to her, but the kingdom itself, if she reveals the very secret that could destroy her. Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs. A Crown of Wishes by Rosha Chokshi Book 2 of a series. A captured princess and a wise prince team up and to win the Tournament of Wishes, a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor. ****Part 2: Urban Fantasy recs to follow.****

Mina from “The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea” by Axie Oh

I read this book recently and I really enjoyed it! It very much feels like a fairytale, Mina is a great heroine and the vibes are fantastic. I based this design on a very direct description of what Mina wears in the book after falling beneath the sea ;).

I am the artist! Do not repost without permission and credit. Find me over on instagram at ellen.artistic

Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe.

Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

@userdramas get to know me bingo ⎈ adaptations @pscentral event 18: adaptations

"Who are you to say what my fate is - if I am to fail, or if I am to succeed? My fate is not yours to decide. My fate belongs to me." The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (@axieoh) is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong."

“The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea” cheebs. Original novel by Axie Oh.

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (FEBRUARY 6TH, 2024)

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HAVE I MISSED ANY NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES? HAVE YOU ADDED ANY OF THESE BOOKS TO YOUR TBR? LET ME KNOW!

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NEW STANDALONES/FIRST IN A SERIES:

Relit by Various

ASAP by Axie Oh

Even if it Breaks Your Heart by Erin Hahn

Out of Body by Nia Davenport

Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos

The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton

No Time Like Now by Naz Kutub

I Hope this Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang

Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada

How the Boogeyman Became A Poet by Tony Keith

Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender

Dead Girls Don't Say Sorry by Alex Ritany

Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo

You're Breaking My Heart by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

NEW SEQUELS:

Clarion Call (Ravenson #2) by Cayla Fay

The Cursed Rose (The Bone Spindle #3) by Leslie Vedder

All this Twisted Glory (This Woven Kingdom #3) by Tahereh Mafi

King Cheer (Arden High #2) by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, & Jamie Green (Illustrator)

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Happy reading!