Nine Tailed was a mixed-bag read for me. On the plus side, I loved the dose of Korean folklore, and the story premise was interesting and held a lot of potential. In general the plot was entertaining too, but the book had a few flaws which detracted from the good points to the extent that this only became a three-star read for me. The prose felt a little juvenile at times, the romance was predominantly insta-lust and I couldn't get behind it, the pacing was erratic, and towards the end a ton of new characters were suddenly introduced all at once with no time for the reader to get to know them. The finale of this book also felt rushed after a slow build-up at the start. Overall, a great idea, but the book could have used more polishing/editing before release to help it reach its full potential.

An urban fantasy+romance centered around Korean folklore and featuring Korean MCs.

I really enjoyed the Korean folklore details here (this is a second Korean mythology-inspired book I've read this year, and I still find it fresh and interesting). I also appreciated the fact that the story was pretty fast-paced and there were quite a few action scenes which felt exciting. The little 'intermissions' in the form of short stories about characters' past were also pretty cool.

I was not totally sold on the romance - I understand that the two MCs have shared history, but it is mostly off-page and the insta-attraction felt a bit rushed. However, things got a lot more interesting (both in terms of the romance and in terms of the whole story) two-thirds through the book when the story moved to the Kingdom of Sky. The last third of the story is where the book really earned that fourth star for me.

It is a first book in a series, so it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Thanks to Netgalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love books inspired by Asian Mythology that belongs in the romantsy subgenre. If you love found family and characters that will make you kick your feet in glee, this is for you. I really enjoyed the authors writing style and the characters complexity.

Thank you NetGalley, Jayci Lee, and the publishers for this eARC.

This was done well for Lee's fantasy debut!! I was very excited when I seen Lee post on Instagram her new book would be a fantasy!

Now I will say all the Korean mythology and folklore of the Ninetails is unknown to me so no hate towards Lee (it's me lol)...but it was very difficult to follow or keep up with. I love knowing that Lee will be putting a guide into the hardback but even still some of the cryptids/mythical creatures are hard to keep up with.

Anyhow. that aside I loved the mmc was not a fan as to how FAST Sunny fell for him. I feel some books need a dual POV to help with connection not feel so repetitive.

The traveling between world was interesting not sure how much I loved the idea of Las Vegas being one of the main locations lol.

the ending felt not so much rushed just unfinished (minor ciffhanger)
i'm a huge rambler but I will be buying the book to do a reread and annotate plot lines
still not understanding the need for a love interest if is she was celibate for so long then out of no where decides she finally has lusting feelings for a man idk idk just my romance reader brain.

-insta love/lust
-mythology
-nomad fmc
-cliffhanger
-reverse grumpy sunshine
-powerful fmc

Sunny is a nine tailes fox spirit...a thing she obviously tries to hide from the humans around her. She lives her mundane live until a friend from her past shows up and asks her to join him in finding his brother's murderer.
From Las Vegas to Korea to the realm of gods, the two of them follow leads and their growing feelings for each other.
Jayci Lee combines Korean folklore, romance, urban fantasy and a detective story in this first book of a series.
For me personally, the pacing felt a bit off and I'm also not a big fan of the more insta-lovey development. The romance felt a bit shallow for that. We get to meet a very intersting, found-family like group of characters towards the later half of the book and I really hope we will meet them again in the sequel!

This book at the intention on being a much needed fresh take on the romantasy genre, but fell a little flat. Personally, I did not enjoy the author's tone/writing style and would've preferred to have a little bit more development or backstory given to the lead characters. I think with the help of a great editor, this story has potential. Perhaps the second book in the series will do what this first one couldn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I fell in love with this cover and read the description of the book, I was thinking I had found myself a romantic murder mystery with some fantasy elements in between. Cue my surprise when I find out that our main character, Sunny Cho, isn't the only one hiding some magic from the rest of the world; so is the book.

This book was not what I expected, and when I reached the middle of the book it was like I suddenly had picked up a wholly different book; the only red thread holding the parts together were the 132-year old horny virgin gumiho, who resembles a teenager in more than looks. I'm no stranger to the weird age gaps romantasy can throw my way, but this book genuinely made me uncomfortable, because Sunny Cho keeps remembering the main love interest, Ethan Lee, as the 16-year old boy he was the last time they spoke, while reminding us of her own age.

I'll be honest: I loved the first half of this book way more than the second half. If I think more about it, and try to forget the first part ever happened, I can see the vision of the continuation of the series, and the interesting world-building and different story lines that's been set up in the latter half. This might also be why the story suffers though; the pacing changes with the setting.

All in all I like the idea and concept that Nine Tailed has set as a fundament for the rest of the series, but I wish it had happened earlier of with a more smooth transition into it, so I could be excited about it.

If you are into prophecies, Korean folklore and romantasy, this might be for you. If you want a romantasy with some good world-building, this book could also be the pay-off for a good treat down the line.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Nine Tailed is a Korean folklore-inspired romantasy in which a nine-tailed fox and her PI friend set out to investigate his brother's murder.

I think this book was trying to accomplish a lot, and in some ways it worked for me -- I'm pretty much always on board for a melodramatic K-drama vibe, and I thought the mythical aspects were really cool -- but in other ways it did not. This book definitely attempts to occupy that ever-pursued New Adult space, where there are adult themes but a stylistic connection to YA. And while this book did technically pull that off, I'm not sure I was particularly satisfied by the writing as a whole.

As romantasies go, the world building and magic systems in this one are superb, however the actual romance between the main characters felt really underdeveloped and therefore underwhelming. I think this series has some potential and I'm likely going to pick up the next installment, but I do hope to see a little bit more development for our main characters.

Thank you Jayci Lee for an ARC of this book!!

I really enjoyed this! I loved the worldbuilding and the characters and especially loved the inbetween chapters that showed a bit of lore/backstory! I absolutely loved the angst as well!! Such a push and pull of emotions on the heart!! I can't wait to read the next one and see what happens next!!

Sunny does not want to draw attention to herself in fact she prefers to be the least interesting person in the room unfortunately for her she has a nine-tailed fox spirit. She is constantly moving from city to city making sure not to form any real attachments so she does not risk losing control. Eight years ago she left Ethan behind and now he is a PI and he tracks her down to ask for her help with finding his brother's murderer. Their quest turns into much more than a quest for vengeance as an ancient evil is stirring and they discover their friendship may be something more.

I really enjoyed how unique this story was and the world building was beautiful. The romance in the story is more of an insta love and there were lots of slightly awkward parts because Sunny does not have any romantic experience. Ethan was a great romantic interest and had strong character development, I wish we got to see more of the time when they were separated because I think it would have only added to his growth. I really loved all of the side characters as they made the story even more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

I did also read this in conjunction with the audiobook that I purchased myself. The audio narration was excellent.

RATING AND OVERALL THOUGHTS:

3 stars, barely. “Bruh.” I am sad to say, that I am left with a sour taste in my mouth from this novel. It had a strong beginning and I was here for the ride (despite a few minor dislikes) but then the last half of the novel nose dived off a cliff into the Heaven Lake and never resurfaced the same. It ended up a twisted and confused version of its former self that not even samgaetang can fix. I am not sure if I will read book 2 but I am leaning towards no.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

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“Besides, what does my choice of going furry or not have to do with my destiny?”

WHAT I LOVED:

- The intro was very strong and had me really hooked. Really the first 40-50% of the novel was easily a 4 star read.
- I did love the descriptions of magic, lore, and places. It was all very vivid.
- Korean folklore were very well weaved into this.
- The narrators were great. A great audiobook read.
- The cover is absolutely beautiful.
- I will be craving steak and sunny side eggs for days now. Thanks.
- I did really enjoy the humor and the banter between the MCs in the beginning.

WHAT I DISLIKED:

- The ages of the MCs in relation to their romance later on left a sour taste as she kept thinking of him as a teenager that she once knew at first. They could’ve had the same bonding experience they did with everyone older.
- The FMC found everyone hot, had constant butterflies in her stomach, and displayed a lot of lust towards everyone which just left the what I was believing to be the main romance at that point kind of unbelievable.
- The back and forth will-they-won’t-they for the main MCs was so grating after the millionth time. The way that *one scene* ended was beyond infuriating.
- It got very repetitive and then new plot lines, people, and places were suddenly thrown in to shake things up but it made it a confusing mess.
- The obvious nudge of a love triangle at the end there was annoying. I can do love triangles but right there at the last 10-15%? No.
- The last 30-40% of the book felt like a different author wrote it. I got the vibe that it was decided to make this into a series suddenly instead of letting this be a strong standalone and so those new plot points, places, and people were thrown in in a half baked attempt to keep it going. What is worse is that major points just got abandoned by the end. Like why have her sign up to go into this trial if nothing about it is mentioned again later in that same book? It really read as if the author struggled to weave the threads together later on and then just gave up.
- I cannot get over the fact that she walked around topless for like hours in front of a bunch of people and it was such an out of pocket and unnecessary thing. Like I felt like it was put there for the FMC to say she was all confident but then in a scene not long after that, she shys away from being seen unclothed. Pick one. Either make it Mardi Gras for girlypop all the time with the swagger to prove it or make her a shy virgin like it alluded to her being the entire book.
- The end was like a really bad anime and the bad references to pop culture nearly made me throw my iPad across the room.

WHAT I AM NOT SURE ABOUT/WANTED MORE OF:

- I was expecting more detective work. I mean I guess it did have that but it was a different twist and felt breezed over.
- The characters were all very much cardboard cutouts. That wasn’t a bad thing at first because I was getting exactly what I expected from this novel but then it was a bad thing.
- The BBEG just felt flat. Such much was talked up about him but then when he finally came on screen to show his powers I just felt “meh”.
- Should’ve gotten the found family sooner. I love that she found one but they were all introduced so late that there wasn’t any real buildup for it to mean anything.

I really enjoyed this book! It was like none other I have read. It is a Koren background with love and mythology intertwined. I enjoyed the romance and would like to read more by this Author.

The beginning of this book was hard. I didn’t like how fast Sunny fell for Ethan and it felt very forced. I will say that the combat scenes were really well written! The plot twist of Ethan “betraying” her was predictable but i actually didn’t mind it.

I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion I am giving voluntarily. This is a Korean romantic fantasy with adventure and a ton of Korean mythology. While it was fun, I had a hard time keeping up because of the mythology.
I don’t think I’m a fan of the authors writing style. The romantic aspect felt forced because there was no lead up it was instant attraction and I personally need tension or banter. The plot was a good idea but it heavily needs editing, not in punctuation aspect but in a flow of the story way.

This was a great book. Jayci Lee has a great story telling ability. The world in this story was amazing and I loved the characters. They were all so much fun to follow. Her writing is magical and has a flow to it that keeps you invested in the story and characters. I really loved this and the cover is equally as stunning and fun as the book was.

Sunny cho is a Nine tailed fox who has been on the run from her past since she was eighteen. Because of who she is and what she is she can never stay in one place for long if she wants to risk being discovered. But when an old friend tracks her down and asks for her help she has no choice but to face her past head on if she wants to protect the people she loves.

This book has one of the most unique premises ever and I was so disappointed by how it was executed. I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as one of the worst books I’ve ever read but It got repetitive and I was completely thrown off by the insta- lust and insta love. A lot things that needed to be explained was often vague. And sometimes it felt like most of dialogues weren’t well timed.

It had all the potential to be an epic slowburn romance, with a grumpy girl on the run and a sunshine boy who would do anything to protect her.

<I><b>“Love is fleeting, Ethan,” I lie woodenly. “I’ve lived a hundred thirty-two years. I would know.” “Let me love you for a thousand years and prove you wrong,” he says, his voice breaking.</b></I>

As this was based on Asian folklore it would have been cool to have most of beings heavily part on their quest. Especially the part where Ethan and Sunny got separated, that could have been a great opportunity for the author to explore Ethan’s POV and give us the intricate details to how Ethan discovered who he was and how he was coping with all of it whiles he was hunting the yellow assassin.

But overall I enjoyed it. It was actually easy to follow through I hope the sequel has more rounds of editing, is action packed and has much more backstory

<b>“You . . . you are evil,” the mudang shrieks. “You will kill everyone if you unleash that power.” “No, I won’t.” My eyes flutter shut.</b>

<I><b>“Because I choose to be good.”</b></I>

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange of an honest review

Thank you Netgalley, Montlake, and the author for the opportunity to read this in return for an honest review. And let me just say it will be an honest review.

1. From the beginning, I disliked the FMC. Explain to me the reasoning for the annoying repetitiveness of "I'm a mythical creature that hurts everyone I get to close to" conflicting with her other internal monologue of "I must help this person find the killer of someone I got too close with in the past."
2. What is up with the integration of the romance into the plot line? The FMC admits that she's an 100 year old plus virgin by choice, yet this MMC has come in and she suddenly has these wild thoughts of attraction towards him, ADMIST the following inappropriate times: hearing that his brother died, someone is trying to actively kill you, AND in the midst of fighting an assassin (which sounds like the last point but different, you would understand if you read this, which I am completely not recommending this). If you thought Fourth Wing and Iron Flame was poorly edited/written with the mixture of spicy scenes and the the rest of the story, this is WAY worse. And the hinting of her "lust" or physical feelings towards the potential build up of a love triangle? Is that happening? I have no idea. But to describe your FMC feeling the heat rise to her cheeks at the feeling of her skin to clothing as she's being held in his arms is appropriate while being transported to another world? I don't know. I just don't know.
3. And the one major spice scene? HOW DO YOU LEAD UP TO THIS WITH MINIMAL FLIRTING??? HOW DO YOU GET TO THIS POINT AND JUST THROW IN THOSE NICKNAMES OUT OF NO WHERE? And to throw in the practical "we can't do this because we don't have a condom" really threw me for a loop. WHO THINKS ABOUT CONTRACEPTIVES AT A TIME LIKE THAT? Clearly someone who was like, "no this is important to address." Please, someone tell me I'm not crazy. I mean other books address it with taking some kind of herbal/medicinal thing, but like why? In a book like this?
4. Last but not least, this book deserved way better help and editing. It has potential, it has a chance to be better than it is and to grow. However, I think that the final product completely missed the mark by trying to be so much. Please pick a lane and stick with it. You have the main protagonist who is the chosen one, with a star crossed lover that is destined to fail and bring upon death. You have the potential love triangle, the MMC also being the chosen one. destiny, found family, touch upon possible lead up to academia things... There are probably more and they are just beyond my grasp at this moment.

I requested and read this book because I felt the FOMO of others on bookstagram posting about it and, sigh. If I could get my time and energy back from reading this, I probably would. Do I recommend this? Not really. Do I think I want to read the next in the series? Possibly, as I would like to see where it leads. Overall it's a 1 point something rounded to a 2? Yeah. Let's go with a 2.

I will be posting this to Instagram, Goodreads, and Storygraph

I enjoyed Nine Tailed - this is a 3.5 star book for me, but found there was so much Korean mythology that was unknown to me that it was quite hard work to keep up to speed with all the terminology and what type of creature or being was what.

Of course, that is my own lack of knowledge, so I don't fault the author for that at all, but it did reduce my enjoyment. I also, somehow, didn't realise that this was the first in a series, and while I wouldn't say this ends on a big cliffhanger, the story is definitely not neatly tied up. I am sufficiently invested that I want to read more, and now that I've read the first book I think I understand the world sufficiently for the next story to be a little easier to read.

I enjoyed the movement between the modern mortal world - mainly around Las Vegas, and the world of the Korean gods, the evolving story with Ethan, as well as having such as capable, fierce female lead who is so protective.

It was such a magical and quick read ! I love all the types of folklore, but the Korean is the one I know less about.. so I was really captivated by it’s big presence in the book! I loved the romance end the K-drama vibes that it gave me, and i love the chapter’s about Sunny and Ethan. I was captivated by this book and I definitely recommend it!

I knew I was going to love this book from the moment I’ve saw it here and I’m beyond thankful for the change of reading, I won’t spoiler but I have to say Sunny you’re really a bad ass gumiho.. and Ethan??????? Sorry I wasn’t expecting that, now how can I continue without knowing the rest of it???