Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee is a Korean romantic fantasy. The title caught my attention and anyone who enjoys epic Kdramas such as Goblin, Tale of the Nine-Tailed, Alchemy of Souls, The Mystic Pop-Up Bar, etc., will enjoy this book. Someone described it as urban fantasy mixed with Korean folklore and I agree! It's also quite fast-paced and intriguing. I really enjoyed this. Thank you, Netgalley and Montlake for giving me the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to the remaining books in the series.

I really loved this book! The relationships, Korean folklore and plot all came together so beautifully. I especially loved the interspersed scenes that provided background on the folklore and history of the characters. It was so effective in providing more information to the reader without info dumping, especially because it was written like a beautiful storybook.

Sunny was a great character to read and I loved her relationship with Ethan. The plot got so intriguing by the end, I can’t wait for the next book! I encourage you to pick up this book if you enjoy urban fantasy, folklore and great relationships and characters!

Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee was a wonderful romantasy story,
The structure of the book was something I hadn't read before and the anticipation was one of my favorite parts.

Urban fantasy infused with Korean folklore

Sunny is a century old gumiho, a nine-tailed fox, hiding out in Las Vegas for her misdemeanours as a teenage monster, when an old friend walks back into her life, and the world she thought she had left behind, of mountain gods and powerful cypress spirits, revenant assassins and angels with invisible wings, comes crashing into her less-than-satisfying life.

The first half of the book is largely an urban fantasy infused with Korean folklore, and the quick quips, the seediness of Las Vegas and the backroads of the Pacific coast are an excellent foil to the growing mysteries of who is chasing Sunny and her old friend Ethan. A little spice, a too quick romance, and then a revelation propel the book into its second half, that takes place mainly in a fantasy world of Korean monsters and celestial beings, but this is where the book starts to fall apart, with new information, new revelations and magics revealed in the moment that they're needed, turning something with promise into something pedestrian. Clearly the opening to a series, this still has much promise but Lee has painted the world into a corner form which there might be no escaping.

Three stars, just.

I really wanted to like this one but it didn't work for me :( the characters are completely annoying and I didn't identify with the writing, it seemed very amateurish to me.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee is a mixed first and third person multi-POV romantic fantasy starring Korean-American leads and Korean folklore. Sunny is a hundred and thirty-two years old gumiho living in America after her mother told her to flee South Korea. She meets up with her childhood friend, Ethan, who she hasn’t seen in eight years only to find out that his older brother is now dead. Sunny agrees to help him but holds a few things back and so does Ethan.

I love stories about nine-tailed foxes. There's so much room to play and do interesting things and I liked how Jayci Lee made her gumiho a member of the Korean diaspora. Sunny moves from town to town every ten years to make sure nobody realizes she’s not human, but she misses making strong human connections and having a family. You can feel her struggle to let Ethan in and let herself be vulnerable, but she chooses a more physical side to their relationship over talking through certain things and further deepening their emotional connection.

Ethan is a comfort to Sunny and a romantic interest, but she also struggles to fully tell him anything until he absolutely needs to know. Ethan’s older brother, Ben, was also in love with Sunny but nothing really happened between the two. There’s another potential love interest in Jihun, a celestial being who serves the Kingdoms of the Four Realms, though that’s a bit more up in the air. Sunny has a lot of options to explore in the next book and I’d love to see her relationship with Ben eight years ago fleshed out a bit more in future books.

I liked how we got chapters showing the world’s lore and bits of Ethan and Sunny’s childhood. It helps flesh out the worldbuilding and several even had a more fairy tale vibe, which connects the story more firmly to folklore. I cannot say I’m super familiar with Korean folklore beyond gumiho, celestial beings, and pulgasari, but I was really interested in the idea of a creature in Heaven’s Lake akin to the Loch Ness monster.

I would recommend this to fans of Romantasy utilizing folklore, readers looking for fantasy with Korean-American leads, and those looking for a book with a nine-tailed fox for a lead.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for this e-copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is by far the most Korean folklore I’ve learned from a single work. I’ve been watching Korean dramas of all genres for years, so I was already excited to read this book. But this book implemented so much folklore and taught me a lot more than what I already knew. Not only was the folklore in this book extensive, but it was weaved in seamlessly, enhancing the plot.

The book begins with Sunny, a gumiho who has been hiding amongst humans for the past one hundred years. One day, she’s found by Ethan, who tells her his brother, Ben, was murdered and wants her help in finding the murderer. Soon, Sunny realizes Ben’s murder was likely done by a mythical being. She thinks it’s all her fault and that her old enemy might be using Ethan to come after her. However, as Sunny and Ethan continue to work together, they unravel secrets that change everything either of them have ever known. And, of course, their old friendship begins to turn into something more.

I enjoyed how the story progressed. Sunny and Ethan worked together, they met beings who would help them, met others who wanted to hurt them, and learned more about themselves and each other. What began as a simple hunt for a murderer turned into so much more; story wise, this book sets up for a great sequel.

Sunny felt like a great main character and narrator. She was a lone wolf, who never let herself get close to anyone… in case she’d become too attached. Her prickly personality and snarky remarks provided a good chunk of the humor, which I enjoyed. Ethan, on the other hand, didn’t feel like he had much of a personality to me. Maybe it’s because we see him from Sunny’s perspective, who hasn’t seen him in almost a decade. Most of her thoughts about him simply felt like lust, which made for a bland romantic relationship. We could tell these two characters loved each other as friends from their past, but nothing in the present developed their relationship. It seemed to be rooted in sexual attraction only. I honestly enjoyed Sunny’s interactions with the supporting characters more than her scenes with Ethan.

For the most part, I did not enjoy the writing in this book. It felt repetitive and didn’t seem to flow well. The progression of Sunny’s thoughts and narration, as well as the dialogue in some parts, felt unnatural. BUT, other than the chapters from Sunny’s POV, there were a few short chapters throughout the book. Most of these short chapters were written in a style different from the rest of the book, which I liked a lot more and looked forward to as I read. These chapters also served to foreshadow plot twists, giving the reader information that Sunny herself did not know. The writing in these chapters was also more fairytale-like, which added to the folklore fantasy theme perfectly.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the theme and plot of Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee, but the execution was not on par. Despite this, I was captivated and would definitely read the sequel.

I'm really gutted to mark this DNF at 60%.

I tried taking it as a silly K-drama/comedy series and I still couldn't make it work.

I just could not stand the MC, Sunny. She's meant to be 132 years old and acts like a teenager, complete with edgy/angsty lines like:
I swore to never care about anyone again - to never grieve a loss again.
I honestly wouldn't know. I've never felt anything like this before.
The black coffee looks as dark as my soul. (Which made me cringe so badly, I nearly pinched a nerve in my neck.)

There are also sentences that include 'random dudes' and 'bad guys' as key targets and 'Now you just sound like a nerd'. Which drove me up the wall.

This is before even getting into the fact that Ethan has zero personality. His personality is literally 'hot'. Apparently this is also meant to heighten their sexual tension because Sunny is attracted to him but she can't be, but she is, but she shouldn't, oh but she does. And I do not care. The whole attraction thing is further weird since, despite it taking up most of her thoughts and interactions with Ethan, Sunny apparently never had this attraction before and is a virgin. But sure, just jump straight to friends with benefits with this guy you haven't seen in eight years but keep referring back to him as if he was still 16. That's not creepy at all. At least in K-dramas when there is a centuries old deity after someone they're generally adults the whole time and aren't swapping between lusting for them in the now while thinking about them as a minor.

Every argument or indecision is just resolved in the next sentence. "Don't come with me. I shouldn't drag you into this." "You didn't." "Oh, ok, I'm glad you're here." What?!

The sad part is when you get to these break up chapters throughout the book, they are so rich and vivid so it is obvious that Jayci has a talent in her writing. But it is immediately lost when you're back into the main story. If Jayci wrote a collection of legends or had done this book in the same tone, it would have been gorgeous.

Instead, I've had to put it down before I lost too much more time on it.

Sunny Cho is a nine-tailed fox spirit. Afyer leaving the magical realm many years ago, she now resides in Las Vegas where she keeps her fox buried deep inside her rather than risk losing control of her terrible powers.

Ethan Lee, a friend she left behind eight years ago, comes to town with news. He needs help finding his brother’s murderer. Does it have something to do with Sunny?

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 on the rise.

The premise to this sounded so good. Everything is told from Sunny's point of view with a few chapters telling a story from the magical realm. Those chapters were good. I wish there had been more because I didn't enjoy being inside Sunny's mind.

She isn't an easy character to like which might be a little on purpose as Sunny keeps herself distant from everyone. Ethan is more likeable but neither of these characters are believable.

The story itself is also hard to get into. The details are confusing and this isn't helped by how much time is spent on Sunny pining over Ethan. It's an insta love situation, which doesn't always bother me, but Sunny acts very immature. The romance just isn't romantic. There is an explicit love scene which I didn't like and was unexpected due to the YA feel throughout the book.

Unfortunately the writing style also failed to grab my attention. This book just wasn't for me.

This was such a good read. I loved the characters and how they were all entangled as the book went on. I enjoyed the mix of modern day and Korean folklore - I am interested in reading more books like this and I can't wait for any future books in the series.

No one was more excited than me when I got chosen to read Nine Tailed early. I started watching Korean Dramas way before it took over the world (but it did take over my world though *wink* Am I lame? Maybe. Still working though. Mostly) and I’ve always loved their folklores, culture and music. So reading a book so seeped in Korean culture and mythology was an absolute dream!

I know some of their more famous lores and I love that Lee speaks about those; but I loved more all the little lores and stories, traditions and practices written into this baby. It was such a refreshing experience reading Nine Trailed, where lore and reality are wonderfully entwined.

What I love about Nine Tailed was how quietly it starts, almost…softly. With a memory that’s deep in its meaning and ensures the reader’s understanding of the pain and plight of the protagonist. From that moment on, it’s game on for the world building. With the journey that the author has to take us in this book, I think the fact that Lee chose to establish her world early was a fantastic choice to have made. Pulling from both real world events and Korean folklore, Nine Tailed is truly a ride and a rush. You want mystery? You got it. You want romance? You got it. You want myths and magic? You got it. You want action, dialogue, emotional intrigue and political play? You got those too! It’s how well these individual elements were all established (both altogether and in isolation) and wrapped and handed to you like the best gimbap in the world that works best for this book.

The writing in Lee’s Nine Tailed was perhaps my favourite. I’ve read two of Lee’s books before this and I love how perfectly suited to the genre they had sounded. But Nine Tailed sounds nothing like them and it took me a moment of pleasurable shock to come to terms with it. Nine Tailed reads with a thread of melancholy, pain and loneliness than any of Lee’s other books. Every moment is seeped in emotion and the protagonist—also our primary narrator—sounds world weary, exhausted but with enough will to turn over the world for those she loves. Lee has truly well encapsulated the voice, tone and tenor of a story that speaks with cultural reverence, emotional intelligence and love. The author mentioned this is a work of her heart and had you not known that, you’d have still said this book was all heart after having read it.

With these many elements at work so well in the book, the plot is a little slow to reveal itself. Actually, correction, the whole plot purpose is slow to reveal itself. The reason for the correction is that there are more obvious plot problems that we’re following the threads of, before you suddenly realize where all these threads are leading to. It was honestly so much fun! There was even a little relaxing break in the middle for the readers to kind of simmer in the joy of the moment. *wistful sigh*

Then the proverbial poo hits the fan. Of course.

Mooooving on.

I think characters are the backbone of any story and I cannot explain how much I enjoyed being in Sunny‘s mind. With so much humour, pain and love, Sunny aka, our not-even-a-little-sunny, female protagonist takes the narrative by the horns and digs her fox claws straight into our hearts. The secondary characters slip right into the story and sidle up beside aforementioned clawed heart and give you a pat and go ‘there there’ and suddenly you love these four new characters you didn’t even expect to see. Loveeeed ’em.

The pace is brutal. From page one the book is bustling with incidents, emotion and wit. Believe me, you won’t believe how much you’ve read between one sitting and the next and the book isn’t a small one. I believe that the author has created the perfect set up in the first book of this new series.

This beautiful book has already released and is available for free for all Kindle Unlimited subscribers! Five stars! Happy happy reading. I canNOT wait to see what Lee is going to be doing with this series (I’m not sure why I thought this was a standalone read) and I highly recommend it. Also, there’re are also adult and/or graphic content in this book that may be triggering for some. Please check trigger warnings before starting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling in Nine Tailed and the relatable, likable characters,. Loved every single second reading it.

Fox spirits are so cool

This was a fantastic story filled with sarcasm, quips about the world, magic, various forms of travel, and beings that are more than what humans can imagine.
I loved Sunny and her reluctance to connect with others and hiding from her magic was understandable. It’s hard to embrace your magic if you don’t know what it can do. Power is scary. Ethan is an interesting character and I appreciated his commitment to Sunny even when he didn’t know what was going on.
There are some intriguing side characters and I can see them becoming more.

Highly recommend for mythology loving readers who want something that’s not Greco-Roman.

I'm very conflicted about this one.

Dislikes:
-It felt disjointed
-The writing style felt very juvenile
-Insta love and came on a bit strong, the spice was totally unnecessary and unexpected when the main character felt so immature. Everything about this book outside of the spice felt YA, and a young YA, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but there was no clarity
-Telling and not showing
-Annoying stories/fables throughout the book
-Extremely limited first person POV

Likes:
-Great premise
-Sweet love interest
-Korean culture and food makes it very atmospheric and immersive
-Likeable side characters
-I liked the message, how the MC learned to let people in and that she didn't have to be alone
-Good pacing

I really wanted to love this one but overall it fell flat. I think if it had been YA, dual POV and had a lot more editing it could have been great

A heartwarming ride of discovering ones strength and how or where to leverage it. The importance of friendship and who to trust. The adventure in this book is well written, intricate and greatly executed.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley and bought

So I’ve read other things by this author and loved it so I bought the ebook when it came out, set it aside to savor, forgot, and then found it on NetGalley. I’m not mad as the book immediately pulled me in and I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait to follow along with the story whenever the next comes out.

I really enjoy this book! I didn't have a wide knowledge regarding Korean Folklore, but the story that Jayci Lee weaved was incredibly captivating. I found the pronunciation guide pivotal and really helped with being able to comprehend people and places within the story. The map and glossary were both also very beneficial.

Sunny was a great character and I loved how she grew through the story and really came into herself. I loved Ethans character and thought he was incredibly sweet and such a great balance for Sunny. The writing style for Nine Tailed was very well thought out and I loved the inclusion of some of the mental health aspects aswell as the Korean culture and the food aspects! After reading Nine Tailed I am so incredibly excited to see what comes next with this world and definitely plan on continuing with the series!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Jayci Lee for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Nine Tailed, book one in the Realm of Four Kingdoms series, is the first fantasy novel ever written by author Jayce Lee, and it is something of which she should do more. A gumiho, nine tailed fox spirit, Sunny had been in hiding for over a hundred years when she was unexpectedly tracked down by Ethan, a young man she had been friends with several years earlier. Ethan shared that his older brother had been murdered and asked Sunny for her help in solving the murder. Ben’s murder had actually been a message for Sunny from an enemy she believed to be dead. She discovered that an event of catastrophic proportions had occurred and she would need to take steps to eliminate the threat from the world. What transpired was a harried trip across the ocean, back to Korea and in and out of the supernatural realm while trying to escape pursuit, gaining allies, and searching for answers on how to destroy a powerful foe. Wow. This novel grabbed me almost from the first page. It was filled with fast-paced action, chemistry between Sunny and Ethan that risked the book erupting in flames, irreverent, witty banter, some big surprises, and a slate of fascinating characters one cannot help loving. The story was incredibly well written, original, and entertaining. I could easily see it adapted to the screen and hope that will happen. It was wonderful to read about Korean mythology and magic interspersed with modern technology and language. I liked the interaction between supernatural beings and the modern human world. I cannot wait for the next book to be published so that I can dive back in to Ms. Lee’s world. I will close by stressing that if you enjoy romantasy, you need to read Nine Tailed. This is a story that shouldn’t be missed.

Nine Tailed is such a beautiful story about life, love, and duty. Set in our world, with some fantastical additions, Sunny Cho is a gumiho, trying to live in anonymity in Las Vegas, until her past catches up to her. Her friend, Ethan, shows up out of the blue, looking for her help.

From there, the world expands. We steadily got introduced to the magic system, characters, and the realms beyond. I loved hearing about all of the magic and getting a picture of Sonny’s nine tailed fox form.

This story really took off, and I loved the addition of the found family aspect. I can imagine that will only be enhanced as this series continues.

I really loved Nine Tailed and can’t wait for more.

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Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee was immediately one of my "I have to read that or I'm gonna die" books. After reading the God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim earlier this year, I've literally been starving for a return to something similar, and this delivered on every front.

Packed with action, magic, tension, and mystery, Nine Tailed follows Sunny, a fox spirit, on her journey with Ethan, the boy she left behind years ago for his own good. After his older brother is murdered, Sunny knows she needs to avenge him. And Ethan, now working as a PI, isn't going to let her do it alone.

This is a globe trotter, for sure. I wasn't expecting our main characters to go to Korea, much less have them deal with the dangerous issues of North Korean travel. There's a lot of culture packed into a relatively short amount of time, but it never feels overwhelming, even when we transition into the magical realms. And wow, there's a lot of sexual tension here. Sunny and Ethan are down so bad for each other, you just want to yell at them to kiss already. Their sarcastic banter back and forth really helps with their speedy relationship, as does the fact that they knew each other years prior.

I think the mythology and magic of this story are well executed and I never felt confused about what was going on. There was a twist that I saw coming from quite a ways away, but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment. This is one of the first mythology retellings where I don't think the writing was lush and lyrical and mystical, and it's super refreshing to instead have a bold, action-packed, modern writing style to chew on. I liked how Sunny and even the other magical beings all kept a very modern vibe, despite being surrounded by traditions and ancient customs.

I'm really excited for book two in this series and I'm going to be waiting on the edge of my seat for any news!