I enjoyed the heck out of this and tore through it in about 24 hours. The author’s note at the beginning says she was inspired by her favorite k-dramas, and I definitely saw those influences here. From the fast-paced plot, slow-burn romance and mostly behind-closed-doors spice, a powerful and seemingly cold MMC, to the self-sacrifice and tragedy toward the end. It’s very trope-y (e.g., Only One Bed), but the story is so entertaining that I didn’t mind one bit. I’m very happy that the ending promises more happiness than I’m used to from k-dramas, though!

I adored Hani, the gumiho (nine-tailed fox shifter) FMC: her snark and delight at messing with the MMC, her fierce protectiveness over other gumiho, and just being an incredibly powerful woman who never let others push her around — even gods.

I also really enjoyed all the glimpses of Korean culture and other beings from Korean folklore/mythology all interacting with each other in contemporary society. I recommend reading as an ebook so you can easily look up all the references / Korean words.

I see on Goodreads that The God and the Gumiho is listed as first in a series. The book ends in a way that ties up all the main and secondary plot points, so I’m wondering what future books in the series might look like. More k-drama-inspired stories set in this alternative contemporary Korea, perhaps? I will 100% be here to find out!

OH MY GOSH I need a glossy Netflix kdrama adaptation of this book IMMEDIATELY. THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!!

Enemies to Lovers? There's Only One Bed (the best trope)? Secret Identity? Coffee Shop?

I was excited when I read the description and now I feel I can't rest until I get more.

Bear with me because I don't know much Korean mythology so I am not sure what some of the creatures actually are. So Kim Hani is a notorious fox lady who stopped killing after Jack the Ripper, and today she just works in a coffee shop with her friend, a younger fox lady, while annoying Seokja, the trickster god who was sent to the mortal realm after an unsuccessful attempt at a heavenly coup. Seokja is very grumpy and is only halfway through his punishment of killing all the unruly monsters that had joined his coup. Hani volunteers to be Seokja's assistant after hearing that he has been tasked with hunting and killing 1. Her (he doesn't know that she is the notorious fox lady), and 2. A demon that is killing a bunch of residents. But as they investigate, they also realize that they have more in common than they think.

Gosh I loved this book so much, and I'm going to have to put in my preorder this weekend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for this wonderful ARC.

I received an ARC for The God and The Gumiho by Sophie Kim. This was definitely a delightful tale for any fantasy or kdrama lover. The story has mix of action, mystery, and angsty romance.The banter was chef’s kiss.💋 Book 1 of the Fate’s Thread series.

🦊Korean Mythology

🦊 Fallen Trickster God - Seokgo

🦊 Shapeshifter- Hani scarlet fox

🦊 Grumpy MMC

🦊Sassy/morally grey FMC

🦊 Dual POVs

🦊urban fantasy

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I wasn’t particularly into the romance of this book, I was spectacularly into the unrepentant shittiness of the two main characters. It was hilarious and is why i rated this book so highly.

"There are no happy endings in your story. The god and the gumiho ends with tragedy."

A fun and creative read that's sure to delight romantasy fans!

It's a testament to Sophie Kim's writing abilities that I enjoyed this story as much as I did. I started with anticipations high - due to the author's Talons series being one of my favorite trilogies - but quickly realized there were a lot of things about this story that clashed with my personal tastes. Particularly the fact the LI read like a Snape and Loki crossover, which is not my cup of tea.

However! Even with these personal issues and some technical ones, this was still a fun time. I had to look past certain things (such as how icky the fmc is. why was she consistently sticky and chewing weirdly?) but I was invested in the plot and ultimately, did care about their relationship.

This is sure to be a win with trope-driven readers, as this book is filled with many beloved tropes (sunshine x grumpy, forced proximity, etc.) without them feeling out of place. Due to the nature of the story and the fact it never took itself too seriously, these things felt like fun inclusions rather than eye-roll inducing fan-service.

I don't know if contemporary fantasy is one of my favorite things, but I will say that I appreciated how the author incorporated real world elements with her fantastical beings. It was reminiscent of how mystical creatures exist in the Shadowhunters world, while very much remaining its own story.

Overall, while this was not to my personal taste and it was a bit flawed, I still emphatically recommend this. If you're someone that wants a quick romantasy where the plot isn't lost to the romance and the characters have their own driving forces beyond their hormones, I do think you will love this.

Beyond anything else, looking past the stickiness, it is a fun time.

The God and the Gumiho feels like a book where the pieces are all there, but none of them quite fit together in a fully satisfying way. I should be totally clear here: the pieces, incomplete and misshapen as they may be, are great! I love Korean mythology, I love mysteries, I love the interactions between ancient mythologies and modern technologies. I just felt that things didn’t quite click.

My major problem with this book is mostly a problem of marketing: I can’t get a read on whether or not this is meant as YA. Those who read my To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods review may remember I had a similar complaint, so, this may just be a quirk of mine and YMMV. All the same, I just think that having a strong sense of your core audience before publication can really help a book find the appropriate readership. The writing style was fairly juvenile, but there were a few explicit-ish scenes, so it’s not quite clear to me where this is meant to slot in. Maybe that nebulous “New Adult” I keep hearing about?

Moving on to our characters: we are firmly in soapy k-drama/fanfiction/tropes-first-ask-questions-later territory here, folks, and while that’s neither inherently a good thing nor a bad thing, it’s certainly a thing and a thing you should know up front. This is a romantasy, emphasis on the romance; worldbuilding and plot take a backseat to the characters and their dynamics. Enemies to lovers is a hot buzzword in romantasy, but we’re more in the “annoyances to lovers” world, here; our main conflict sparks because of a coffee order. (This isn’t Rin/Nezha, ya dig?)

And it’s… fine? It’s fine. Hani and Seogka act much more like the protagonists of a romance than 1500 year old immortal gods. There’s not a lot of gravitas. They’re cute, and their interactions were a lot of fun to read, but definitely temper your expectations. Their personalities came across a little grating at times, which I’m chalking up to the limitations of the romantasy enemies-to-lovers subgenre. We’ve gotta hit our trope checklist, dammit. These characters need to banter.

This all being said, The God and the Gumiho is a fun, breezy read. The writing is simple, but it’s not offensive. The mystery takes a backseat to our characters, who, again, are admittedly a little much at times, but never so much that I felt compelled to put down the book. And, at the end of the day, it’s certainly leagues ahead of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods - so much so that it feels a little insulting to even put them in the same category.

This was a fun Korean mythology and folklore inspired contemporary fantasy! The banter between the two main characters mixed with their hunter-hunted like dynamic meshed well with the murder mystery/detective plot. 🕵🏼

The story follows Hani, a notorious shape changing fox spirit who’s laying low due to her past, and the fallen trickster god, Seokga, who desperately wants to return to the heavens. I found their dynamic quite entertaining, though I do think their antagonism was a bit overdone here and there. Their slow burn romance had a very subtle switch that I think I slightly missed along the way, so their growing affection took me by surprise at one point. 🤭

I enjoyed Hani as her own character. She’s witty and quick-witted thanks to her fox shapeshifting abilities, but I really loved her change of heart through the course of the book from self-serving to a compassionate woman. I also felt incredibly bad for her for her disastrous decision making with the young gumiho, Somi. 🦊

Seokga exuded MCU Loki vibes to me. He’s cold, calculating, and a prickly character who is hiding a deep desire to be appreciated and loved (at least, this is what I thought of him). I loved how he came to be more and more human through his interactions with Hani and the precinct head, Shim. His ending really shows how much he has grown throughout the book while still sticking to his trickster nature, and I’m excited to see if this sticks for him in the long run. 🐍

While this is the beginning of a new series, I found that this could have been a god standalone in its own right with the way the ending pans out; it also doesn’t give me a clear direction in which the sequel will go other than Seokga and Hani reuniting, but again, this is more of a personal thought. 🤔

In general, I had a blast with these snarky characters and getting a wonderful deep dive into Korean mythology and folklore through the characters’ interactions. Big thank goes to Del Rey Books and NetGalley for accepting my review to read this book in exchange for an honest review; and to be author, Kim, for crafting such a fun plot and cast of chaotic characters!

Publication date: June 4!

Overall: 4.25/5 ⭐️

I received an ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

The God and the Gumiho is an urban fantasy dectective procedural romantasy set in a Korean mythological retelling. Which I won't lie is a mouthful, but I loved the setting. I've never read another book that explores Korean mythology and I enjoyed it being interwoven in a modern setting. It felt like an original and fresh concept. I also enjoyed that both the main characters are morally grey characters. The conflicts keeping the two characters apart went beyond communication misunderstandings.

However I will say there was something off about the pacing for the romance subplot. I think Kim didn't put the legwork into putting down enough breadcrumbs for the romance at the beginning to build up the emotions between both characters. So when the characters suddenly both fall for each other after one kiss that doesn't come about organically, it feels like the emotions were forced. I will say though that Kim hit it out of the park when she wrote that kiss scene. Overall the beginning of the book was very slow for me but the speed picks up by the halfway point.

I won't give anything away except to say that I loved the ending. Kim's crafting of the ending was another instance where her writing skills really shone through. I rate The God and the Gumiho 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

So I was super excited for this book! It seemed like such an interesting premise and the characters seemed fun. But also even in starting it, it read as much younger than I thought - much more YA than adult. But overall I liked the characters, and the plot was interesting.

And then the romance kicked in and I almost thought they were joking. It was so…. Incredibly quick? At how fast they fell in love? I thought I had missed something but it shifted so quickly. By the end, I get? Almost? Why they fell that fast but I just almost wish there was yearning!!! Yearning to lead us into the next book!!!!

But the plot was fine. I did feel a little off at how the villain manipulated her friend so easily. That girl… bless her. She was so silly. I was waiting for her to get arrested not turn evil

I also totally missed the year it was set which was my fault.

But overall this is a very sweet read. I liked how the characters interacted although I thought the romance was incredbily fast. But really sweet.

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for an early chance to read and review!

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I knew next to nothing about The God and the Gumiho, but the title and cover both drew me in instantly. The premise also sounded fairly unique. The introductory note from the author further promised K-Drama vibes, and those definitely came through in the best way.
I loved the subtle, gradual lore building with gods and demons, rooted in Korean mythology. There’s a sense that both leads are characters who’ve been around for many centuries and seen a lot, and the little references to historical events they’d drop absolutely tickled me, like 1888 and Jack the Ripper.
The characters are absolutely delightful. Gumiho Hani once had a “career” of devouring souls as the notorious Scarlet Fox, and is now enjoying a peaceful retirement working a coffee shop, which in itself is incredibly comical. But then, you throw in exiled god Seokga, who is trying to work toward his redemption. Even without any other external plot, the banter between the two is absolutely delightful, and a total highlight of the book. And having them work together to catch a demon presented an interesting challenge, especially with him still not knowing her secret identity. I loved how their feelings for each other grew through the forced-proximity with one another.
This was a tad on the slower side, pacing wise. A major factor is that the romance is the central element, and it is a bit of a slower burn. But I felt that it was mostly effective in this regard, and there were other external plot elements that complemented the romance arc and occasionally moved the story forward. But it’s key that if you’re expecting something deeper or more epic/action-packed, you won’t find that here.
This was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading more from Sophie Kim in the future. If you’re looking for a relatively cozy, fun romantasy with Korean mythological influences, I’d recommend checking this out!

🦊✨😈☕️🌃

This book is heavily based on Korean mythology but made modern. It was different than any fantasy I’ve read before. I loved the mystery/crime aspect of the story and the romance between the characters had me giggling and kicking my feet. Seokga is a grumpy god/detective and Hani is a bubbly barista and Gumiho (nine tailed fox). I’m not too familiar with Korean mythology so there were a lot of names I had to look up as I was reading.

Honestly the first 50% was a grind for me to get through. It started a little slow and I feel there wasn’t enough world building or explaining the different types of creatures so it was hard to picture the characters in my mind and I was confused as to what some of them even were. I had to keep googling everything. After the first half of the story it picked up a lot and was full of tension, action and a pretty satisfying end to a slow burn romance. The last half of the book really bumped up my rating.

Overall I really liked this book. If you like fantasy and kdramas you’re gonna enjoy this one!!

This book is everything. Just so damn good. What’s not to love about an enemies-to-lovers fantasy story based off of Korean mythology and as a tribute to K-dramas? I immediately fell in love with the MCs, Kim Hani, the infamous Scarlet Fox, who used to devour souls as a gumiho, but retired after binging too much and becoming full and Seokga the Fallen, a trickster god-turned-detective who has been banished from his realm due to a coup attempt against his brother and is now serving his punishment tracking down escaped, unruly monsters. In other words, we have a grumpy god and a sunshine gumiho who happens to be very grump towards the god.

I never thought I could say I relate to a god, but Seokga is so relatable, especially when it comes to coffee “The mortal realm of Iseung disgusts him, but there is one feature - and mind you, one feature only - that he finds he does not loathe with the entire expanse of his bitter soul. Coffee.” I feel both the bitterness and the love of coffee so much. The humor (especially the dryer humor from Seokga) and banter from both characters is so good. Sophie Kim is able to get the reader so entranced with these characters that you will be on the edge of your seat turning the pages, hoping for a happy ending.

I will not spoil anything here, but I will say this. The ending pulled my heart out, stomped on it a little bit, and then gently placed it back in my chest. And I would live the experience over again just to see more of these characters. Speaking of which, I am glad that this is just book one for the Of Fate’s Thread Series and hope to see more from Korean mythology-inspired stories!

When I read the summary for The God and the Gumiho, I instantly wanted to read this book, because it sounded like something that I would enjoy... and I did! A lot. Even more than I thought I would.

At the beginning of the book, Kim says that this book is 'a love letter to K-dramas' and, as someone who from time to time likes to dabble into K-drama world, I can confirm that this is exactly how it felt reading this book. Author created such a colourful, magnificent world, full of some familiar and new (at least to me) Korean mythology creatures, somehow managing to use both real locations in South Korea (ex. Busan) and as well incorporating a new city where these mysterious being like to rest - New Sinsi. This atmosphere grabs the reader right from the start, where in 1992, a fallen god Seokga is trying to atone for that time he decided to attempt a coup against his brother. We've all been there... no? Working as a detective to catch unruly demons spread in the mortal world, Seokga greatly enjoys coffee at the Creature Café, where Kim Hani works. She is a gumiho, infamous for having devoured a lot of soul in her previous, more notorious life, when she was known as the Scarlett Fox. These two couldn't be further from friends tho, since Hani very much enjoys messing with god's usual coffee order and doing anything and everything in her power that would make Seokga angry. However, an unexpected appearance of a powerful demon changes things drastically, as gumiho becomes god's assistant and their strange, but fun adventure finally begins.

I loved both of the main characters as well as others that appeared less, but despite that, were still important to the story. I think that author did a great job with portraying all of them and their relationships with each other, although I would have enjoyed seeing more of Seokga's and Hwanin's interactions, but I hope that it would be more prominent in the next book. I'm also fifty-fifty about the romantic part of the book as (at least at first) it seemed that things were going a bit fast and attraction started a bit out of the blue since there were no crumbs at the beginning (except for the exceptional banter) that would suggest these feelings. Despite these initial doubts, I still enjoyed how their relationship progressed through different stages and by the end was very happy with how it turned out.

As for the story itself, I don't have anything bad to say, I thought it was very fun and enjoyable throughout the whole book. Sometimes in books there are parts that drag a bit and I start being impatient about getting to the next exciting bit, but, fortunately I didn't have this problem with the God and the Gumiho as plot constantly moved, whether planting different clues to build a mystery or developing relationships between characters. The mythology elements were also very prominent, which I enjoyed a lot since I already knew some of them and it was easier to get into it. Ah, and I have to mention author's writing style, which was often very dreamy, but also included great dialogues, which made me snicker. All in all, this was a very nice read - fun and easy, but at the same time intricate and very colourful.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

Thank you to netgalley and del rey for this advanced readers copy.

3.75 stars rounded up

I believe this is Sophie’s adult debut and it was a very fun time! I will say that this book is highly recommend towards kdrama/jdrama lovers and even those who love manga and manhwa as it feels like a written out kdrama or manhwa.

Because of this feeling, it honestly did not connect with me as much as I would have liked. At times i really enjoyed it and other times it just felt like i was reading a fanfic of characters i liked from an anime lol Which isnt BAD of course but just wasnt for me especially. With that being said I did still tear up with a certain POV at the end of the book lol

After finishing the book, I get why its set in the 90s but it didnt really feel like it either. Then again I am not sure what SK was like in the 90s anyways so not sure if this is even a relevant critique for me personally.

Overall, I loved both Seokga and Hani as characters. I do feel like their attachment for each other is odd and extreme given that they are both over a thousand years old but fall hard in just a weeks span of time. HOWEVER i will say that the end of the book also makes this make more sense so I will cut it some slack lol

I absolutely loved this book! I’m half Korean so reading about these different gods and creatures made me feel like I was getting to know a part of my culture.
I loved the grump sunshine Seokga, god of trickery. And Hani, the ever seductive Gumijo, was such a phenomenal character. I loved her personality and how bold and confident she is. She had me laughing throughout the book as she taunted Seokga.
I thought the ending was beautifully written.

My only suggestion for Sophie Kim would be adding a glossary. And maybe even a pronunciation guide. There were so many creatures and I would have loved to been able to look them up as an easy reminder.

Thank you for honoring me with this ARC read! It was one of my favorite reads of 2024

DNF @ 12%

I wanted to like this book. Story-wise, I did like it (not that I got far), but the writing is so very childish to me. Several times, I was taken out of the story because of something someone said or just a weird descriptor word used. It happened often enough that I'm just not going to bother finishing it. Certain parts felt like a child randomly snuck in and wrote a sentence or two.

Not my cup of tea, but if you enjoyed it, I'm glad!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Sophie Kim, even if I at first approached it with some apprehension. I am no means well versed in Korean mythology, but this book has certainly more than piqued my interest! A grumpy fallen god meets a sunshine gumiho, who has wicked past and claws of her own. Part mystery, part K-drama, I could not put this book down! The pacing and underlying mystery of the book were well done, but I believe the hero of this story is our pair of antihero’s. The angst and longing between Hani and Seokga was truly heart wrenching and I cannot wait to see where their story goes in the next installment. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this eARC for review.

Super excited to have been able to get an arc of this book, this one being one of my highly anticipated reads for the year!
I’m personally unfamiliar with Korean Folklore, so reading this retelling, was brand new for me all around. The story itself is captivating from page one, introducing a really exciting world with a very grumpy god and a gumiho who really hates coffee. I loved the dynamic between the main characters, both causing chaos in their own ways. I found myself rooting for them and giggling when you get to the point where they’re denying their feelings. The story was constructed really well and the author really has a great way with words. I’m super excited for this story to continue personally and I think this would make a great K-Drama adaptation.
Tropes if you’re that kind of person: slow burn, only one bed, enemies to lovers, folklore retelling.

4.5 stars but I am absolutely tempted to round up, so we’ll see! But I had so much fun reading this book, from the two main characters earning a spot in my heart (and their delicious dynamic) to a story that wove in humor, heart, Korean lore, Kdrama vibes and romance tropes I adore. I wish I could be more coherent, but that’ll have to be saved for later when I’ve gathered all my thoughts!

Do you like K-Dramas? If you answered yes, I have great news for you. If you answered no, you answered wrong and need to try again.

The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim is K-Drama coded to the max!
Seokga: A trickster god turned detective who hates everyone and everything and only wants to return to his brother’s good graces. Well, buddy, it won’t be easy, considering you tried to overthrow him, lost your godhood, and were banished to the mortal plane.
Hani: A sexy, “kind of” reformed Gumiho (nine-tailed fox) who has decided she’s stuffed after devouring the livers and souls of MANY men over a hundred years ago. She’s just an “ordinary” girl now working in a coffee shop that a particular fallen god frequents.

This book gave me everything I wanted and more: mystery, deceit, slow burn enemies to lovers, and a great ending.

Please do yourself a favor and read this once it comes out on June 4th.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC*