3 stars! ⭐️

With the incorporation of Korean folklore, this book was intriguing with an original take on a romantasy book. However, while the potential was there, the execution fell flat for me.

The world-building and magic system in this book left me somewhat confused. I struggled to grasp the rules of the world, which may have been because of the first-person narrative and the unreliable, often ignorant perspective of the FMC (Sunny). While this point of view adds mystery, it also made it harder to connect with the story’s structure and stakes.

Despite being over a hundred years old, the FMC’s behavior often felt more like that of a teenager, which was so frustrating. Her unreliable perspective added layers to her character but also made it challenging to fully trust or empathise with her journey.

While the pacing felt uneven at times—particularly in the development of relationship between the FMC (Sunny) and the MMC (Ethan), this book successfully lays a solid foundation for the rest of the series. Additionally, the representation and uniqueness of this story is great.

While this book didn’t fully resonate with me, I appreciated its originality and cultural depth, and I’m curious to see how the story develops in the next book of the series.

I want to thank NetGalley, Montlake and the author for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this cover!! This was a unique novel with many great things, but the romance just wasn’t my favorite on this one.

Rating: 3 Stars

“Desperation makes fools of us all. And I’ve always been a fool for you, Sunny. I’ve loved you since I was sixteen.”

Jayci Lee's Nine Tailed, first book in the Realm of Four Kingdoms series, was an interesting take on Korean Mythology and culture. While entertaining and filled with adventure, I don't believe its accurate to classify it as a young adult book (the better age category would be new adult or adult).

Sunny is a gumiho, or a nine tailed fox spirit who has been hiding from the world of the Gods, or the 'Shingae' for most of her life. Ageless and nearly immortal, she's been on the move for the last century so the mortals don't realize she doesn't age. When someone from her past finds her, however, she's forced to return to a past she thought long behind her and confront old enemies she thought long dead.
I loved getting to learn about the elements of Korean folklore and mythology. Fox spirits have always been interesting to me (thank you Pokemon and Naruto), and I love 'trickster' spirits too. The author also delves into different types of spirits from the Underworld and even forest spirits, so those were nice to learn about too. The team that Sunny and Ethan end up working with later in the book is made up of figures from different ‘kingdoms’ and I enjoyed that found family aspect of the story.

Sunny and Ethan's relationship was a bit hard for me to buy into initially. Insta love doesn't always connect for me, and that's what it came across as (though Ethan has, in his own words, loved Sunny since he was sixteen). While there many obstacles in their path (i.e. destiny and prophecies), I'm curious to see how things play out in future books. I do want to note that their relationship is why I don't think this book should qualify as a young adult novel. It gets intimate, spicy, and very detailed at multiple points throughout the novel. While that might be ok for some youg adult readers, I'd hesitate to paint with such a broad stroke. As such, I think the better age categories would be new adult or adult.

Overall, an entertaining and engaging read. I'm curious to see what happens next in the series, especially with the revelations about Ethan. Narrators Michelle H. Lee and Greg Chun did a great job bringing the story to life with their performance in the audiobook. I would recommend this book to mature readers who are fans of the romantasy genre, like diverse worldbuilding and characters, and the found family trope.
Thank you to the author, the publisher Montlake and the team at NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.

After reading this book I was left wanting more. The way the author wrote this book is absolutely incredible. I definitely recommend this book along with the author. Thank you NetGalley for this adventure.

Thank you to Montlake for providing this free advanced reader copy through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

Official Blurb:
An enemy on her tails, an innocent at her side, and a dangerous power within her that could destroy them all. Jayci Lee melds Korean folklore with modern Americana in this fiery new series.
Sunny Cho aspires to be the dullest, least interesting person in any given room, which can be challenging for a nine-tailed fox spirit. So she drifts from city to city—staying clear of any and all attachment—and keeps her fox buried deep inside her. It is better this way. She would rather live as half of herself than risk losing control of her terrible powers.
Ethan Lee, a friend she left behind eight years ago, is a brilliant and distractingly hot PI. When he tracks her down and asks her to help him find his brother’s murderer, Sunny knows her uneventful life is about to be turned upside down.
Traversing the mortal realm and the world of gods, Sunny and Ethan discover their quest is much more dire than mere vengeance, and their friendship might be…more. An ancient evil is stirring, and Sunny is faced with an impossible choice: save the worlds from annihilation or claim the love fated by the heavens.

Nine Tailed by Jaycie Lee blends urban fantasy with Korean folklore. The mythos of the Gumiho (구미호) has always captivated me and this story offers us an interesting twist to this folklore. Sunny, our kind-hearted protagonist, has a special place for Ethan. They are investigating a murder but it turns out being so much more. Their banter and interactions are a delight - and yes, there is a small amount of spice. Why is this marketed as YA? That feels really wrong.

The worldbuilding felt a little off, to be honest. It felt rushed and overwhelming at times. The rapid introduction of the mythologies, while very interesting, felt overstuffed. I was very grateful for the glossary in the back. The writing felt a little chopped at first, but I grew used to it and appreciated it as the story progressed. The middle part, where they go off to another "realm" felt odd - like another story, almost. It wasn't delivered as smoothly.

Overall, this was enjoyable, especially for someone with an interest in Korean folklore like myself. While there is room for improvement, I'm eager to read Lee's next book in this series. I’d rate it a solid 3.5 out of 5.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! This was my first Jayci Lee read, and I'm excited to see how the series continues.

A repost of my review from goodreads:

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a book review. I have read Jayci Lee's romances and have enjoyed them as light, happy reads. However, I adore mythology, mainly Asian mythology retellings, so when I found that she had written a book about a gumiho, I knew I had to read this new book of hers. I had been busy and unable to read for a bit. However, onnce I started reading this book, I literally could not put it down and finished it within a day. I loved the idea of a Korean mythological world that also abuts against our human world of Korea and Las Vegas. Sunny was a beautiful, flawed character, and I enjoyed seeing her develop throughout the book. The relationship between Ethan and Sunny was well done. I also loved that their story was interspersed with chapters from the past to let the story unfold gradually. The book was fast-paced, unfolding as a mystery and an epic ancient story with fast-paced action. Similarly, the book seamlessly blended traditional Korean elements such as the hanbok and the enchanted house preserved 100 years ago with today's world. The book ends at a pausing point and appears to be setting up the stage for the next installment. I think fans of the Sue Lynn Tan's Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology will also love this book. And for me, saying that Nine Tailed is as complex and wonderful as Daughter of the Moon Goddess (one of my favorite books) is some of the highest praise I can give.

Really great book influenced by Korean mythology! I really loved seeing my all the Korea-inspired aspects, from the characters to the settings.

This book was great. There was a great mix of fantasy and romance. The plot was extremely captivating and fast pace. I can’t wait until the second book comes out so I can see what happens next.

I’ve always been a sucker for Asian mythology and with a cover this pretty, I just could not resist. Sadly for me though, the book did not match my expectations. Whether it was because I was unintentionally comparing it to The God and the Gumiho or what, I don’t know, I just felt there was something missing.

The pacing was off, the romance was a little too insta-lust for me, the language gave me Gen Z vibes and threw me off from immersing into the world fully and I just couldn’t connect with Sunny or Ethan. Such a shame as I loved the Korean folklore side of the book but everything else was lacklustre and could have done with some more editing before being published.

I thoroughly enjoyed Nine-Tailed. It cleverly weaved the fantasy and modern world together, while creating very real chemistry between Sunny and Ethan. I do think that there were pacing issues that kept the novel from being five stars. It seemed almost like two books stuck together. I would (and have recommended Nine-Tailed to my readers.

I included it in the below post

https://romanceandco.substack.com/p/the-nine-tailed-fox

and in the following IG post

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-7_CD1v5_E/?img_index=2

I look forward to the rest of the series and would love to receive an ARC, if possible.

I am obsessed with this book. The storytelling, the realistic back-and-forth of young minds, the on-fire chemistry between the FMC & MMC, the inside look into Korean cultures, beliefs, and stories. They hinted BIG TIME starting in the first 1/3 of the book the bomb they would drop, but it was like a gentle leading of the hand to get there.

I don't want to give any spoilers because I really did just love it so much that I want others to experience it as blind as I was, but I KNOW I will be looking for other books by this author from now on. Bravo. You hooked me, reeled me in and I'm caught for good.

I enjoyed this book.. with the Korean folklore woven throughout the story and the characters really making it interesting. Seemed a little clumsy at times but otherwise really enjoyable

I loved this!

It was such a fun twist. I've got a soft spot for trickster type stories and characters, definitely can't get enough.

I felt like this was a let down for me. The writing wasn’t bad but the storytelling wasn’t there. I had high expectations from the way this was marketed.

I desperately wanted this book to be a five star read. The Korean folklore was better. than I could have even imagined it would be. The mentions and discussions of food (yay!! foodies unite!) were delicious and I truly loved learning so much about Korean culture. The characters felt a wee bit flat, and the insta-love with no buildup or real heat between the pair was a bit off-putting. I really was rooting for Ethan (& Sunny) and wish I could have heard from his POV about their time apart as there was just so much missing that I'd have loved to explore further. I also would have absolutely loved more on the other characters - they were introduced, they were lively, and then rushed and thrown on the back burner when Sunny & Ethan reconnected and the focus from then on was just on them. It just fell a bit flat overall, but I do believe that I will continue reading this series - I really want to learn more about the Korean culture!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jayci Lee for this e-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

DNFed at 25%.

I REALLY wanted to enjoy this book. I'm starving for culturally specific romantasy, and I've been fascinated with the tales of the gumiho ever since I saw the episode of Lovecraft Country titled "Meet in Me in Daegu." I was intrigued by the murder mystery plot, and the dynamic between the FMC Sunny and MMC Ethan, a P.I. she has history with. The "prologue" titled "Gumiho" immediately captured my attention, and I thought I'd be locked into the story from there.

However, when the main story begins, the narration style suddenly switches to being overly modern and casual to the point of feeling juvenile. There's a lot of casual infodumping, overdone sexual tension right off the bat complete with some cringe-y flirting and insta-jealousy, and glimpses into Sunny's thoughts that overtly spell out every emotion of hers, even the ones that are obvious already. I think this book would be far better marketed as YA rather than adult, as it reads VERY YA. I'm sure there are many who would enjoy this book, and I think the concepts and plot have a lot of potential, but this just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Jayci Lee for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Nine Tailed is a fresh take on the romantasy genre focusing on Korean folklore.

The world building was well developed and it felt nice being able to move throughout the world and realms.
The cast of characters had a great found family vibe to them. The magic systems were unique and well explained.

I am personaly someone who doesn’t really love instalove, so there wasn’t enough relationship building for me.

The plot itself moved along well and kept me interested to see what will happen next, so I will definitely be checking out the next book.

If you like: urban fantasy, paranormal romance, Korean mythology, you should definitely give it a try!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a refreshing amazing fantasy book I Recommend. The character development in this whole book was amazing you have found family and spectacular characters in this book is for you

Face-paced is the best way to describe this romantic Korean mythology and American weirdness all blended together. Good fun and looking forward to the next book in the series.