the god and the gumiho

this review avoids spoilers by using neutral pronouns and [REDACTED] in place of names :)

what a book omg! it was amazingly written and beyond enthralling, the worldbuilding was so captivating and detailed and I loved the characters and how they all interacted with each other!
in this book we follow Seokga and Hani through their unlikely meeting (coffee shop meet ugly anyone?) and as their relationship develops through the novel. Hani weasels her way into Seokgas investigations into a string of murders connected to a historical gumiho the Scarlet Fox and a demon terrorising the city in order to turn his eye away from her and her friend as suspects in the Scarlet Fox case.  their now joint investigation takes turns they never could have imagined; as their relationship goes from tumultuous to something softer along with it.

I adored this book! the characters were so easy to know and root for, and I loved how Hani and Seokgas relationship developed from the disdain and annoyance it began with to the devastatingly emotional ending. the ending of this book did make me cry just with how developed the character and maturity of [REDACTED] was and how humble they were 🥹. I also loved the cyclical nature of the book; how similar the beginning and the end were with the exception of how much better [REDACTED] treated themselves and others around them. the epilogue got me as well, it was so beautiful to see how [REDACTED] reacted to what happened and how much joy it brought them.
the description of the different realms along with how involved and yet disinterested the gods were to the human realm and the tragedies that were befalling it. the different demons included were so interesting to read and I loved the inclusion of all the mythology behind all of them; from the ones I had heard about and the ones that I hadn't!

As someone that enjoys kdramas and very familiar with kdramas tropes and cliches I was very much intrigued by The God and Gumiho. However I believe this book is a perfect example why some writing works better in drama format rather than a book. While the premise sounded interesting the story, characters and world building left much to be desired.

I tried to love the characters but they just weren't as likable and sometimes felt like characters acted very OoC. The plot was very predictable and felt like the author tried to tick all the boxes that made kdrama romances fun in 2016-2018. The plot is set in 1992 but i often forgot which era the book was set in. What I really enjoyed however is the writing style. Sophie Kim's narration and prose is very good and often felt like I could see the scenes on my screen. Overall a decent debut book. Thank you Hodderscape for the arc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to read this book when i saw the blurb and it did not disappoint. Kim Hani, a retired Gumiho, works in a café shop where she, particularly, likes to annoy a trickster god. Seokga, a fallen god, must live in the mortal realm until he completes his punishment. Both of their lives intertwine when a series of events force them to work together. Secrets between them and a powerful demon from the underwold on the loose, it's upto Hani and Seokga to stop him before humanity is lost.

This is a great enemies to lovers book with all the bickering we like to see between our main leads. I found their interactions funny and could feel their hatred towards each other. As soon as i went into this world, it was so descriptive and painted such a lovely picture for me. First impressions are always important in a book and i'm so happy i was able to get into it straight away. The pacing was perfect and the characters were so cool. Hani is a badass with a mouth and Seokga is a broody guy who's only love is coffee with one sugar and one cream. I found myself having to cover the page because i didn't want to, accidently, skip to the end in important scenes. Even though i figured out the villain, i still loved every moment of this book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to hodder books and netgalley for allowing me to read and early copy for an honest review.

This is probably more like a 4.25

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review this book early. This sounded up my alley and I was not disappointed!

This book was so much more than I expected, and I am so glad I took the time to read it.

I adored the relationship between Hani and Seokga so much, I laughed out loud at some of their interactions. Their growing tension was immaculate. Honestly one of my only complaints with this book was that I wish it was spicier.

Unexpectedly I cried at this books ending. I haven’t done that in forever, but it really tugged on those heartstrings for me, and the time jump ending with the little nugget of gold at the end made me so happy.

This was a really unique setting and world, with the over saturated inclusion of Greek myth in fantasy these days, learning about Korean mythology and the gods was so intriguing coming from someone who knows virtually nothing about them. I think the author also made it accessible incase you weren't familiar with them.

This book also reminded me a little of Crescent City especially in terms of the human + other creature urban city, the creature going around killing people that the are trying to hunt down alongside local law enforcement, and the aspect of the love interests having failed in revolutions in the past and left with having to kill monsters as punishment. This similarity isn't really a complaint though because I truly did enjoy this book and in every other way it was far different.

If there is a book 2 in the series following the same characters I will 100% read it. (less)

Our main characters, Kim Hani and Seokga, are not the heroes by any means. Actually, they are the villains who are forced to play the hero to protect the humans in their city. Kim Hani is a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who hides her identity as the Scarlet Fox. She was once known for her liver binge (yes, you read that right, she ate liver) and is almost considered a legend by the other nine-tailed foxes. Seogka is the fallen trickster god. After his attempt to seize the throne from his brother went awry, he was sentenced to capture 20,000 paranormal criminals before he could regain his powers and position as a god.

The two couldn't be more different from each other, but when Seogka is tasked with capturing the Scarlet Fox, Kim Hani joins him in hoping to derail his search effort. But when a monster that risks destroying their city and their life as they know it appears, they will need to join forces for real this time.

I was cheering for Kim Hani since the beginning. She's not the typical heroine, and I quite enjoyed that. She's selfish, arrogant and nobody matters other than her. Seogka considers everyone else to be below him and he's on Earth just to do his job to regain his position as a god. During their time together they don't change each other, but instead accept each other for what they are. I'm to going to lie, the ending was quite sad and I wished for something different, but I can't wait to see what book 2 will bring.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodderscape for approving me for this ARC. This was a highly anticipated read for me after my friend read the ARC and loved it so much she’s hoping to get a special edition copy.

This is my first Asian-inspired fantasy read (have more on my TBR) and it’s what I would call an urban-retro fantasy. It’s modern day but set in the 90s. The opening page was a little weird, I can see it as an opening shot in a film but appears slight strange in writing. The book took a while to get going, about 15% in, and I found it didn’t really start to pick up until 23% in. Oh but when it picked up, it picked up fast. The pacing and flow was spot on. It felt like I was watching a K-drama unfold in my head. The mystery and crime wasn’t something I expected so it was a pleasant surprise.

Seokga and Hani felt like true enemies to lovers, in the sense that they deeply dislike and antagonise one other. More akin to Divine Rivals, rather than the type we tend to find in the romantasy genre these days. I loved their banter and interactions with each other. Seokga is meant to be an unpleasant and difficult to like character to those around him but there’s something that makes him likeable to you as a reader.

I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I anticipated. I didn’t love it but I really liked it. The creatures from Korean mythology reminded me of the K-drama, Hotel del Luna, so if you enjoyed this book, you’d probably enjoy that show. It felt unique and different to other fantasies I’ve read, there were some tropes but it felt done in a refreshing way, nothing ever felt overdone. Kudos to Sophie Kim.

I’ve rated this 4/5 stars.

Right, first and foremost this book brought me such pure unadulterated joy.

The God and the Gumiho follows our 2 main POVs, firstly we have Seokga the fallen god of mischief, turned detective who must send 20,000 souls to Jeoseung to atone for his past crimes and then Hani, a Gumiho, named 'the Scarlet Fox' renowned for killing over 500 men in London in 1888 (oooft) Both our main characters find themselves teaming up when a demon starts terrorising the city thus hilarity and all the good stuff follow!

I loved both characters SO much, Hani was a chaotic ball of morally grey cuteness with a heart of actual gold (deep down...DEEP down) and Seokga was an actual touch starved grumpy mess and I love him. Combine them both together and just ***heart eyes*** The world Kim has created and the characters are all so enjoyable - I'll admit I wasn't without a few eye rolls as Hanis' decisions and actions but honestly made sense for her and she is just a whole vibe.

The second I finished it I went to try and find special editions of the book because I NEEDED TO OWN IT! One thing I will say is I hadn't realised it was the start of a series, but honestly, I think it actually really works well as a standalone.

3.5 rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I'll be honest and say I was not feeling this book for the first few chapters. I found myself not really enjoying the writing style at first, which is my own personal preference, and I didn't feel fully engaged in the story for a while.

This absolutely changed as the story went on. Sophie Kim has done an amazing job at weaving together Korean myth and fantasy to a more modern setting. She kept certain aspects, like how the magical creatures stay hidden from the mortal world, simple but effective, and it really allowed her to focus on the more prominent parts of her worldbuilding. The culture around the gods was entertaining, and the ease at which she explained each creatures features/roles in their magical society made it easy to become immersed.

I also really liked each of the main characters! To me, the romance itself felt a little rushed, but that could be because I definitely have a preference for something a little more slowburn, but by the end of the novel I felt so invested in them that it didn't matter to me in the long run. I do wish they'd had a bit more emotional vulnerability before they were thirsting over each other (lol) but, as I said, by the end of the book I was really rooting for them. I actually really enjoyed the bittersweet ending. <spoiler>It definitely would have felt like a cop-out if the two of them had been allowed to freely walk into the sunset together, and Seokga having to lower himself to begging really sold how committed they were to each other. It would be interesting to see how the relationship plays out in the future with reincarnation in the mix, especially if her gender is different and how Hani's different life experience influences her in her new life, or what form she'll take in a magical sense.</spoiler>

Hani herself was entertaining as a main character, morally dubious at times but easy to understand and root for, and it was lovely to see Seokga soften and open up over the course of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I'll definitely be picking up the next in the series!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Put simply this is everything a romantasy should be. A fantastic combination of well written characters, a compelling plot and immersive world building, this book hits on all levels..

First of all I’d like to thank the publisher and netgalley for granting me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I fear I will be unable to be normal about this book for the foreseeable future, i’m sorry in advance for the amount of fangirling I will be doing in this review. I have to admit I was definitely in a reading slump when I started this, but around the 25% mark, I felt like it just grabbed me by my arms and quite literally dragged me out of my slump swamp.

I was a bit hesitant going into it though, partly due to the fact that I was hardcore slumping. But another big factor was that it was this whole new world with a big amount of creatures that i’d never heard of before. Werewolves ? I was obsessed. Vampires? Been there done that. But truth betold, the only name that rung a bell to me while reading was ‘’guhimo’’ and the others were just a big blur. But I can proudly say that after finishing this book that i’m never going back to plain old vampires and werewolves. The author had this beautiful way of explaining the different realms and creatures that inhabit those realms without it ever feeling like a straight up info dump.

Don’t even get me started about the two main characters. I love them, I am in awe of them. I may have adopted them as my 2 chaotic children. (let’s just forget they’re more than a thousand years older than me). The only thing that I kind of struggled with is that the switch from ‘’enemies’’ to friends and then to lovers felt a bit sudden to me. Could be because of the fact that I literally read 90% of this book within one day, so i’m not letting it impact my rating in any kind of way.

I can yap on for so much longer about this brilliant novel, but I’m thinking that you all should just pick this up when it comes out, so you can see for yourself what an amazing world this author has created!!!

I think I can safely say this is one of my favorite reads of 2024 so far!! 5/5 without a doubt

Thank you NetGalley and HodderBooks for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review ♡

What can I say..... its like a fantasy k-drama with the best tropes.

This was such a wonderful story and I didn't want it to finish! Kim Hani is a legend of a gumiho (a nine-tailed fox) who has been in hiding since her rampage in London in 1888. We also meet Seokga (a fallen god, the god of mischief and chaos, who is hell bent on getting back home to his rightful place among the gods).

The world building is great, there were a few times I had to research some of the creatures mentioned but that is only because I am not familiar with South Korean myth and lore, but it was incredibly interesting to look at and read into. Definitely a realm in which I want to read more books that have this lore in.

The relationship between the two main characters is both hilarious and captivating. The banter between the two is funny and real, and I just loved it.

There better be a second book right? Because those last few chapters ruined me.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

3.5 Stars

The best way to describe this book is as a k-drama in book format. So if you enjoy romance (and fantasy) K-Dramas, this is for you!

This book is set in a fictitious Korean city called New Sinsi in 1992. If follows two main characters: Seogka, the fallen god of deception, who lost his god status after an unsuccessful coup against his brother and emperor of the gods Hwanin, and Hani, a very old gumiho (nine-tailed fox) who once was the most wanted creature in the whole city and is now a barista (overstuffed with souls and livers) at a local coffee shop, even though she hates coffee.

Seogka hates everything about the mortal world, except coffee. The two eventually meet in the café where Hani works and their personalities immediately clash.

Seogka needs to hunt down all the creatures he unleashed in his coup. The plot follows a normal mystery: several murders occur and our main characters try to find out what happened through different clues and try to stop demon of darkness invades the city shedding more blood. As Seokga is trying to find the notorious Scarlet Fox, who struck again, unknowingly that it is Hani, she applies to be Seogka's assistant in order to throw him off her scent. But with a bigger threat looming in the horizon, they have to join forces. 

This was a nice, easy read. It read like a lighter K-drama with a lot of fantastical elements and interesting characters. The interactions were funny and I liked their background stories. But I have to be honest: I enjoyed the romance at first, I found it cute, but then it became way to Tropey and the interactions became forced. I liked how the romance was developing between the characters, but at the same time it was way too many tropes being forced on the story. To name some:
Enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, only one bed, morally grey MC, assistant to the “bad guy”, at some point they become roommates…
For me it was to much. I liked the bunter and different personalities, but the tropes made it less interesting and original, as if we were just checking boxes in the romance category.

Still a very enjoyable read overall though. I would love to see more of the gods as well if there is ever a continuation.

Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGallery for providing me this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | ARC review

this was SO much fun. i’m crossing all my appendages that i get off the Fairyloot waitlist so I can get the SE of this one!

here me out: if you liked Crescent City, enjoyed Disney’s Zootropolis, and police procedural dramas: you’re going to love this. (& if you have read this and loved it, i recommend Zootropolis lol) A big reason why all of the above are a win for me is because there’s an element of detective work, usually a slow burn, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers relationship, and fun side characters that build our MC’s personalities, & this book is no exception!

I adored watching our 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 morally grey fallen god & gumiho grow and develop their friendship first & foremost. romances are so much more believable to me when they’re friends first and i love the innocence of growing to love your bestie 🥲

secondly, although predictable to me, the detective, cat and mouse aspect to the story kept me really engaged. thirdly, korean folklore/mythology is a fairly new genre to me and i adored learning about these fantastical creatures.

ultimately, watching our MCs go from: “𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕘𝕠𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕩 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕘𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕠𝕝𝕕,” 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕣𝕤. “𝕊𝕖𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖.” to: “𝕎𝕖’𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘,” 𝕊𝕖𝕠𝕜𝕘𝕒 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕡𝕤. “𝕎𝕖’𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕒𝕨𝕟.” had me in a chokehold until 3am last night.

-thank you to Netgalley & Hodder Books for the ARC!-

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole premise of this book. The settings were vibrant, the characters were all loveable in their own ways, and the inclusion of myth and folklore were brilliant. The writing flowed well, and the plot was fun, even with some coincidental bumps along the way.

It was fun to see an early reveal into who Hani was, how she planned to deal with it and then another trouble was thrown in, forcing our endearing main characters to be together. I'm very open and looking forward to a sequel, whether it continues with Hani and Seokga, or moves onto others in the story.

The only downside to this was that I did find it a bit difficult to engage with the abundance of Korean myth folk, purely because I wasn't 100% sure on how to pronounce their names, or were able to imagine what they looked like. It didn't take too much away from the whole book itself, but they weren't memorable.

Definitely for lovers of kdrama, urban fantasy and mysteries!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6414639881

As a recent convert to K-dramas, I thought I'd try a K-novel, and it didn't disappoint - supernatural romance galore, lots of fun and lots of tugging on the heartstrings. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow, just wow!
This was one of my most anticipated reads, and it did not disappoint!
If ypu like korean culture, K dramas and the grumpy/sunshine trope this is definitely for you!
Like K dramas, the romance did progress quickly, but for me personally that wasn't a problem, the world was beautifully built, I could almost see myself sitting in the creature cafe, sipping on a iced coffee.
I adored Seokga, and his unapologetic stance, the god of trickery indeed, and Hani was sassy, the ending with what happened had me in tears (no spoilers here!)
Although some of the mysteries were easy to guess, it was still so enjoyable, I really liked the crime aspect, it worked so well, and learning all the korean creatures and gods names was really interesting.
Can't wait to see more from this author.

The God and the Gumiho is shown as a K-Drama in book form, and it really is. The book delivers in its thematic promise, but that was it for me. It was a very fun read with its world-building, especially, and the writing style was quite great. The author does transport you to the world of the story really well. However, the rest was nothing special for me. It was like watching a k-drama one afternoon and continuing to see where it leads. But I didn't really like the leads, which was a bummer. It was, still, a fun read.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for this arc.

4.5 stars.

i. loved. this.

if you know me, you know i love folklore. myths and legends. no matter what culture, it's an aspect of people that's always fascinated me.
going into this, i had no prior knowledge of korean folklore, and i enjoyed googling all the little things i didn't know before. so for that alone, i thank this book for finding me.

the god (seokga—fallen, grumpy, hates everything) and the gumiho (hani—retired murderer, coffee-hater, loves making a certain god's life hell). and i loved them so much. even though i found their romantic arc to be moving a little too fast, they were so fun to watch interact. the way seokga learns to love, not just hani but other people around him (or perhaps he already loved, he just didn't recognize it for what it was). their interactions, the bickering, it was fun.

and i do love me a good murder mystery. 😌

anyways, i quite enjoyed this, and i would for sure read the second book!!

The God and the Gumiho is a Korean contemporary fantasy—which I don't tend to read much of— with a lot of lore taken from Korean mythology, and Oh my, God I loved it so much more than I expected to? The prose was beautiful and witty. Phenomenal. And slightly heartbreaking? I just have a thing for that type of stuff.

Seokga is a grumpy <s>emo boy</s> fallen trickster god trying to redeem himself so he can get his powers back and go home. Hani, the notorious Scarlet Fox, becomes his assistant to prevent him from discovering her true identity and just to annoy the shit out of him. I did find her a tad immature at times, but that's really my only complaint.

Hani and Seokga were snarky, and their banter was immensely entertaining. As someone who's picky about romance, I loved their dynamic. I wish there was more. I see this is a first in a series? I'm not really getting my hopes up for more of them but maybe a spin-off about Somi?

The author's other work, Last of the Talons, has been on my tbr for a while, but now I'm definitely going to check it out.

Unfortunately wasn’t for me. DNF’d at 53% because I felt like the story wasn’t unfolding as quickly as I’d hope and it was more predictable and trope-y than I expected. If you like cozy, K-drama-like romances with some Korean mythology twist then this is for you.

Biggest thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.