This was amazing. I read this on the plane ride to Seoul, and while this is fantasy/mystery/ghosts-related I still became really excited about exploring this city on my own. I was left wanting more, but this was impeccable debut. Thanks for the opportunity to read this worK!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A wonderfully woven story of spirits and mystics in Korean culture. The main characters struggle of forgiveness and coming terms with his past is a hard but beautiful story.

A short, fun book highlighting myths that were unfamiliar to me. I felt a bit disconnected from the characters, but that's a problem I often have with novellas.

DNFed this one before reaching the double digits in page count.

Honestly, I was willing to overlook the 1st person POV, because I've seen it in many good stories and can stomach it at this point of my life, but Present Tenses? Why?! Number one unspoken rule of storytelling in books is that you use Past Tenses. It's not that you can't use Present ones, but they require a level of expertise and experience that this author didn't have. And it shows. It was like reading the draft for a kdrama scenario, not a book.

Thank you, next!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an eArc of this book. I regret not reading it sooner, but I'm glad I finally did.

This was a brilliant story with a wonderful collection of characters. I read this in under 12 hrs and was truly gripped from the first chapter. I loved the small addition of KSL, and learning more about East-Asian culture.

A murder mystery mixed with possessions was somehow exactly what I needed to read to get out of my reading slump!

Thank you NetGalley and Sam Kyung Yoo for sending this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

‘Small Gods of Calamity’ is a paranormal crime novella pleasantly rooted in Korean spirituality.

In a refreshing spin of occult urban fantasy, Kim Han-gil—a spirit detective shunned by his colleagues—chases the trace of a soul-eating spirit worm through a string of suicides. With all options exhausted, an unlikely partnership forms.

“Seoul is a land-locked city—the Seyang Garden Le Ciel apartment complex is over thirty kilometers away from the sea. And yet, all Han-gil can smell is ocean water and brine.

He knows what killed this man.”

‘Small Gods of Calamity’ draws inspiration from Korean, Japanese, and Chinese folk religions and is well-suited for those with an interest in Korean shamanism. Within a short span of pages, Sam Kyung Yoo crafts a well-developed debut novella with their sharp use of sensory description and a family of choice.

Being fond and knowledgable of Asian spiritualism, this novella was deeply appealing and wholly satisfied my intruige. I found it rather compelling and easily read within a day.

I particularly enjoyed Sam Kyung Yoo’s use of multi-lingual characters as well as the contrast between spiritualist perceptions of spirit energy. Although the climax was short-lived, I felt satisfied with the pacing of this novella and it left a strong impression.

This novella may not be suited to those lacking a familiarity and interest in Korean spirituality; however, a lack of knowledge in this area will not make ‘Small Gods of Calamity’ inaccessible.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cast of characters and would love to see more of them. If there is a sequel, I would very happily read it. For these reasons, I have rated this novel 4.3/5, rounded down to four stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for giving me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 60%

The premises of the books were really good: a detective story with a paranormal element. I really liked the worldbuilding and the originality of perceiving souls with different senses. The pace, however, was a bit odd due to the flashbacks and I couldn't grow fond of the characters at all. I didn't care for them and this prevented me from being fully involved in the story, eventually leading me to stop reading it.

This was such a fun and interesting story. I want so much more. I love all of the main characters, I love the spiritual systems, and I appreciated how easy it was to read. I thought that the ending could have been stretched out a little, but that’s only because I wanted more. I hope this ends up being a series or a sequel comes out

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

This was such a fun read, and I really hope the author ends up expanding this world as I could see this being a series. Set in Korea, it follows Kim Han-gil, a police officer in Seoul who has a strong link to the supernatural. He can see ghosts, and can hear and smell peoples souls. He's also determined to get rid of a worm spirit that killed his mum when he was younger - a spirit the other spiritualists in Korea don't believe exist.

The story was interesting and immediately caught my attention. It blends together Korean, Japanese and Chinese spiritualist practices effortlessly and the world building felt very strong. Han-gil's adopted sister, Azuka, is Japanese from a powerful Japanese spiritualist family - the same family who took Han-gil in after his mother died. As such, he's adept in identifying spirits and spiritual work such as bujeok (Korean talismans) and omamori (Japanese protection amulets) and so forth.

I really enjoyed all of this, and it was great to get more knowledge of the spiritual side of Korea, Japan and China. I have seen some comments saying people are confused because it doesn't really explain things, but I think if you're happy reading an epic fantasy with completely made up terms then you shouldn't have an issue reading a book featuring real life practices and beliefs!

As a reader from an island that has its own spiritualism and cultural rituals, I enjoy stories from other countries that also feature these aspects.

Small Gods of Calamity captured my interest with its premise and when I started reading, I realized that I was going to have a good time with this story. Our main character is vulnerable, flawed, and resentful. With his connection to the spirit world, he is able to see and communicate with those who have passed on. But there are also malevolent entities with selfish and deadly motives who must be stopped.

I enjoyed how human Yoo made his MC, he had moments of pettiness, grief, and defensiveness. His alienation at his job, his chosen family, and his dedication to helping those who have been possessed kept me in the story and as more is revealed of his loss, haf me empathizing.

I always love it if different cultures, mythology, folklore, spiritualism and so on. This time it's about korean culture and folklore, and the fact that actual Korean spiritual practices and tools are used in the book? Amazing. I absolutely love Kim Han-gil. He's one of my favourite main-characters this year and feels so human. I really love that there is no tip-toeing around the topics like disability, overworking, sexuality, mental health, and LGBTQIA+.
I definitely wouldn't mind a second book.

I liked the concept of this one. The idea of a spirit detective who works for the Police Department but can see supernatural beings is intriguing. I was also intrigued by the detective’s personal past with his mom, and it was incorporated well into the book.

There were several things that just didn’t work, though. This book felt like a sequel to something else. There were many mentions of past events (e.g., “their last case”) that were brought up in passing as being significant but not in a way that added to the depth or background of the character and work. It was the same thing with the gods and supernatural aspects. We were just thrown into the middle with no sort of grounding for these things, which made it feel disconnected. With how short this novella was, there just wasn’t enough information or detail included to make any aspect feel like it had enough depth to support the work. All of these aspects led to this work feeling disjointed and emotionally distant throughout.

If you’re interested in an urban paranormal novella set in South Korea, then you may enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Small Gods of Calamity is a supernatural, crime, horror novella, with queer rep and a truly engaging story that I devoured in a single day.

Our main character, Kim Han-gil, is a queer man with the ability to see and sense the world of spirits that runs parallel to our own, and we follow him as he investigates deaths that all seem to be linked to a particularly vicious and mysterious spirit with links to his past.

I dont want to give too much away about the story, but learning about Kim Han-gil's past and that of the supporting characters (particularly Shin Yoonhae) really deepened my love for the characters. Telling a great story, with twists, sadness, excitement, and doing so with queer rep and a deep dive into spiritualism and mysticism, fantastic!

I really hope I get to see more in this world and from this writer!

As a huge fan of K-dramas, I enjoyed this a lot. Reading this felt like I was watching a Korean movie or thriller-mystery drama. How the story unfolds, how characters are related to each other, and also some terms that are hard for readers to understand if they are not into Korean culture. Otherwise, it is a great read.

This was a really fun and easy to read story! A spirit seeing detective in the heart of seoul investigating a suicide that he believes to be committed by supernatural elements!

The story jumps straight into the plot and I enjoyed the the world-building. Would love to read more??!! Connections to other agencies in Japan and China? How cool does that sound!!

Some great bi and trans rep as well. Something not often seen in Korean lit.

I received an Advanced Reading Copy from Netgalley.

Here is a story about spirits, Korean shamanism, and exorcisms in modern day Seoul. Our main character, Kim Han-gil, is a detective with the Seoul Metropolitan police but that's just his day job. His detective work supports his other work, hunting and exorcising evil spirits.

For a debut publication, it was really well done. I am not usually fond of novellas because I find the length odd, too long to be a short story but too short to be a well developed book. This novella turned out to be a pleasant surprise. In only 150 pages, it managed to create a gripping plotline while providing enough character development to robustly tell a story. There was just enough mystery to leave you wanting more. You become invested in the characters and curious about events that are only hinted at in this book. I'm really hoping that this will be the beginning of a series. I'd love to learn more about Kim Han-gil's history. The supporting characters were also intriguing. Just enough was told about his adoptive sister and his back-up support to pull you in and make you want to know more of their backstories. The ending felt a little bit rushed and anti-climactic. Overall, the book wrapped up the story nicely and was a really fun short read. It has the feel of a 90 minute Asian horror film. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to future works from the author.

Publishing date:
04.03.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: A fantastic blend of spices and comforting ingredients in a tasty soup
The book left me: Wanting more like this, and a continuation of the story please ...

Negatives:
Repeats descriptions a lot, often on the same page
Conversations flow a little strangely
Characters can seem very irrational with no proper reason for it
Not so much a mystery, more so a "oh no it broke, not we have to fix it"

Positives:
Characters have surprising amount of depth for such a short story
The plot moves naturally
Great dynamic between the characters

Features:
Lots of korean culture, myths, spiritualism, talismans, a tiny cameo with sign language, lots of queer representation, possensions, multiple POV's

Why did I choose this one?
I was craving a mystery again, but since I can't stand the usual "whodunnit" killer kind ... I opted for a more fantasy-esque book. This was an absolute success in those terms

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
Pick-Up-Able. Very engaging story, got me hooked.

What was the vibe and mood?
It had a very heavy and serious kind of vibe to it. As if everything was hung on a thin thread ready to snap at any moment, but we gotta be safe before we attempt to climb it. It also reminded me of "Constantine" a lot, similar mood there.

The descriptions of people spirit energy also brought with it some "phantom smells" for me, so I could constantly "smell" whatever was happening on page. Very freaky, and very cool

Final ranking and star rating?
A tier, 4 stars. Very good book. I will be on the lookout for this author again. Vibed with the writing and the character work a lot. Will also be recommending this around in my circle, I think it might surprise a lot of people

"Small Gods of Calamity" by Sam Kyung Yoo is a short but engaging paranormal mystery novella that touches upon some significant themes.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The pacing was brisk, and the writing was easy to follow, even though English isn’t my first language.

Kim Han Gil was an intriguing protagonist. It was compelling to see him struggle with his place in society due to his past and how it had shaped him, as well as his sexuality and talents in the paranormal context. His actions were consistent with his characterization. Watching him deal with his personal struggles and gradually overcome them was very believable. It made me feel seen and understood in my own struggles, while also showing me that there is always hope and that I am not alone in what I’m experiencing.


Serious topics like discrimination based on sexuality, grief, forgiveness, and depression were handled thoughtfully and given the time and tone they required.

My only complaints are that I wished the story was longer because I only felt the strong connection to the characters near the end. The ending itself also felt a bit anticlimactic. Additionally, I would have liked more time to explore the side characters, such as Kim’s sister and his new work partner.

All in all the mythological elements, the characters, and the tone of the story were fascinating. I hope to read a sequel to delve deeper into this world.

Thank you to The Publisher ,The Author & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

Basics
Author: they/them
Genre: urban fantasy, horror
Setting: South Korea
Themes: possession, rage, retribution, forgiveness
Mood: dark, haunted

Main Characters
Kim Han-gil: a police officer in the violent crimes unit who can see spirits
Shin Yoonhae: the person Han-gil never wants to see again

Pros
+ biromantic, asexual rep
+ trans rep
+ hearing impairment & Korean Sign Language rep
+ parasitic soul-stealing worms 🪱
+ the writing is stunning, lush, yet succinct and pared down (my favorite)
+ Han-gil has the ability to not only sense spirits, but also spiritual energy. From peachwood inscriptions that sound like the brush that was used or threads that bind and protect, the depictions of his senses are really beautiful and captivating.
+ Paper talismans warding against calamity! I just know some creepy sh*t is going down in that place once those are discovered. Kdramas with shaman elements (Somebody, Destined with You, etc) have taught me so.
+ Spiritualists all experience spirits differently, some sensory experienced, some as colors and flames, etc. Very cool idea.
+ I LOVE THIS! The author's imagination is truly awesome.
+ the body horror elements are excellent 👌
+ I would LOVE this to become a series. I'm very invested in this world and characters.

Cons
- none

TW: death of a child (off-page), spirits, murder of a parent (off-page), transphobia (on-page), dead-naming a trans character (on-page), gore, blood, possession, body horror, anxiety disorder

Comp Recs: Soul Eater by Lily Mayne (for the parasitic soul-stealing worms🪱)

I felt like the author could have spent more time developing the story. Was interested initially in the storyline and the idea of a ghost seeing detective was cool but ultimately the story was just okay.