5⭐️

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGally for an honest review.


This novella was immediately intriguing! I loved the Korean culture and spirits, along with two main characters who were wonderfully written. At first glance this is a creepy and fast-paced murder mystery, however it is so much more. It explores lasting trauma and touches on the effects of transphobia along with forgiveness and acceptance. This is a story I will recommend time and time again.

Rating: 4,5

It took me a moment to get into this book but when it hooked me, I was in full-time and stayed up late because I wanted to finish it. It's a novella about a detective who can see ghosts trying to solve a suicide case but while the plot is an important element, the book is mostly about Kim Han-gil coming to terms with his past.

The first thing that came to my mind after I finished this is the pacing, which is unusual for me to consider most of the time. Novellas are a short form and it's very easy to lose the balance between the past, present, character building, and action. Not here though. We get a perfect amount of backstory for the characters with nothing important being omitted and nothing unimportant being added. Everything mentioned at first is explained later as the plot goes on. At the same time, the book never loses sight of the present and leads the plot to a very satisfying conclusion. The character arcs are heart-warming and I honestly wish this was a series to see more of their interactions. The book is also very queer, which I loved.

Overall, I was positively surprised by this novella and greatly enjoyed it. I'll keep an eye out for more books from this author in the future.

Small Gods of Calamity
By Sam Kyung Yoo
Publish date: March 4,2024
Publisher: Interstellar flight press

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy to review

This story is like a supernatural cop thriller/mystery set in Seoul. The premise is very unique in that our main character Kim Han-Gil can communicate with spirits and is investigating a string of suicides that leads him to a spirit worm possession (?) or infestation of sorts. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before. I enjoyed learning bits of the eastern spiritualism but as it is a novella I wish we had more time to learn about the culture and have more time experiencing the relationships between the characters. I’ve seen this labeled many times as urban fantasy- but there is a bit of mystery to it. Overall I enjoyed it.

If I am being 100% honest, I requested this ARC for the cover.

I wasn't quite sure if this would be fitting for me, but the cover looked fun. It took me a while to get to this, but I am glad I did. And I wish this had been longer. This story has quite a lot going on. And I am so glad this was a digital copy that I could read in my Kindle app, because there were a lot of words that I had never seen before. Despite all that, the story was easy enough to follow without getting boring at any point, the characters were interesting and the magic system was definitely different from most of what I've seen. Add to this a tragic backstory, a human spirit detective with his own personal problems and the mystery of a string of suicides and you've got yourself a pretty interesting read.



Small Gods of Calamity is Sam Kyung Yoo's debut novella, and I genuinely hope to see more from this author.

Small Gods of Calamity is a beautiful, heart splitting novella. I honestly can’t even begin to describe how much it touched me. I did not expect it to hit me so deeply.

The root of this horror-fantasy is rooted in Korean culture and folklore as it pertains to occult communications with the spirits. This was a new perspective for me to explore, and was so interesting and compelling to read about. Sam Kyung Yoo’s titular character Kim Hang-il, a police department detective that can commune with spirits. He’s more of a loner, as he’s an outcast at the police station for being “strange.” He’s an outcast within the entire spirit community too, due to his terrible past with attempting and failing, at successful exorcisms.

I loved peeling off the layers to his character, especially as we began to form the connecting threads between his actual personality, his backstory, and the perception of the people around him. I believe that something that definitely added to it was Kyung Yoo’s atmospheric writing. Every emotion was nearly palpable, and almost visceral to read about. There is a consistent thread of melancholy to the story that hit me really hard, but also a kind of sense of hope at the end that made me literally sob. The shining moments here were in the interactions between Kim Hang-il and the people around him, which progressed and shifted as he dived deeper into the case, and himself.

I will say that this story is pretty okay in the mystery aspect. Though we do have a sense of intrigue in trying to paint the full picture behind the case we’re following, I’ve found that most of my interest was based in understanding the perpetrator’s character than the actual steps of the investigative process. The whole discovery aspect was pretty clear-cut and uncomplicated. On the other hand, the horror aspect? Absolutely TERRIFYING. I have no choice but to mention the writing again because it did such a good job of amplifying the supernatural nature of what these characters were facing.

Nevertheless, I am more of a character person at the end of the day, so that did not bother me. This book hit me so hard, I finished it in the span of hours. This is definitely an amazing read, that I can see myself recommending to anyone with an ear.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Interstellar, for providing me with an eArc copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this eArc in exchange for a honest review.

Kim Han-gil is a detective in Seoul with the ability to see ghosts.
The first spirit he sees confused me quite a bit, but it seems it also confuses the spiritualists themselves sometimes.

While working as a detective, and the only one who can see ghosts, Han-gil has been dubbed "crazy". While his co-workers only see that the suicide rate has gone up, Han-gil knows this is actually the work of a Parasitic, worm ghost. A ghost connected to his past.

While his adoptive sister, Azuna, is working in Japan he receives the latest suicide case. Azuna calls in some help while she's busy. But this help is another connection to the past & the worm spirit.

Not for me. Would recommend to others. Great world building and I loved the diversity in the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This novella is what The Dead Take the A Train wishes it could be. Both are about spiritualists and exorcisms, both have aspects of horror (though this one is much less gruesome), and both have queer protagonists who are down on their luck and mocked by their paranormal communities. Where The Dead failed, though, Small G-ds of Calamity succeeded.

The pacing was excellent. The author reveals pieces of information bit by bit, letting the reader slowly piece together what happened in the past to make the characters who they are in the present, and it was so masterfully done that I was surprised to learn this is a debut. The story itself was grim but had moments of humor to break up the angst, the descriptions were vivid, and the mention of Han-gil being bi and asexual? Flawless. Stunning. Very natural. The trans representation? Beautiful. Chef’s kiss. The worldbuilding was also done very nicely.

My only wish is that it was longer, and that we’d gotten a bit more of an explanation about the supernatural world itself. It left a lot up to interpretation in a way that had me wanting. Overall, though, I have very high hopes for anything this author comes out with next.

A story of spirits, secrets, and spirals spun into one of my top reads of the year. I loved this story so much I even went on to immediately check if the author had written anything else I could read.

Kim Han-gil is a spirit detective - or rather an actual detective that can see spirits. An outcast with the police department, he investigates cases that are seemingly open and close (i.e. suicides) to see if they fit the criteria of being worm hosts. Worm spirits are rare parasitic spirits that only Kim Han-gil is able to see, making him a pariah amongst the spiritual community too. Many people do not believe they exist, but years ago he watched one murder his mother. When he is sent to investigate a suicide, he quickly realizes a worm is active and must team up with someone from his past to prevent further deaths.

I enjoyed the characters, the backgrounds, and the overall plot of the book. I wish it was longer and we were able to dive deeper into the story and background.

There is a trigger warning of transphobia alongside blood, gore, and overall violence. The transphobia is not from the main characters who vehemently are against any transphobic statements and beliefs.

I really enjoyed this novella and would highly recommend reading it. This author is guaranteed to be on my list for any upcoming novels/novellas they release!

A carefully written novella about a Korean police detective who is also a magic practitioner. Sam Kyung Yoo is a strong author, bringing us straight into the action, moving forward confidently while sharing enough background to make us feel for Kim Han-gil. Some body horror and family tragedy, an excellent plot and characters, hopefully the start of a series - urban fantasy that is fresh.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

Tw for gore, knives, transphobia

I loved the premise of the world building. It was rich with spirits, set in modern Korea. It was fascinating to see the blend of folkloric practices and an urban setting. I do love these types of settings (Like DC's Spirit World)

I would love to read more books in this setting and I would read a full novel set in this world.

Given that it was a novella, there wasn't much description as to what places looked like and I've liked more description to the world.

Small Gods of Calamity tells a story about a spirit detective that is keen to unravel the mystery behind what other police officers believe to be suicide cases. Different from others, Kim Hangil is able to tell apart someone's soul based on its smell. And he is certain that this is another soul-eating spirit worm case that can't just be left alone, or it will find a new target and the cycle won't end.

I found the idea of this book to be very intriguing, for I am someone who enjoys consuming similar content seen in korean drama The Guest and korean movie Exhuma (that I saw a few days back).

Though I guess I could say that I had rather a high expectation going into this, I expected it to give off a suspenseful atmosphere from start until end that would leave me unable to forget about its content. However, it was only subtle. I also found the writing to be stiff, there were times I couldn't focus on the story and just wanted it to be over. That being said, the book isn't bad. I love how it has found-family trope and the ending was quite satisfying.

My sincerest gratitude goes to NetGalley for providing me with ARC in exchange of honest review.

Small Gods of Calamity has a really interesting premise. A detective, Kim Han-gil, works as a police officer. His unit has been investigating a string of suicides that haven't made a lot of sense. Han-gil knows they are not suicides but a parasitic spirit in the host that drives the host to suicide or killing so it can jump to a new host. Most in the police department think he is a bit crazy and he has struggled to keep a partner, there are even bets on how long this new partner will last.

Han-gil is looking for the other resident to the suicide they just left. He can tell by the psychic residue that this is not what it looks like but that the man jumped to his death because of a spiritual parasite. He has seen this before, his mother actually died due to a worm parasite just like this and he has spent his life tracking down the others that have split off from the original host trying to irradicate it. Looking at the apartment, it is clear that the other inhabitant is also affected and it is just a matter of time before they have another suicide or worth a string of murders on their hands. But his normal cop partner will just think he is crazy, his adopted sister is out of town so she is sending Yoonhae, someone extremely familiar with the worm parasite as one used to live in him before it was exorcised.

Han-gil and Yoonhae will work to find and contain the spirit worm until Azuna can make it to Seoul for the exorcism. This is a strained partnership because it is the exorcism of Yoonhea gone wrong that ended up killing Han-gil's mother over a decade ago. There are some very interesting concepts on how different people can perceive the psychic realm and the wards they could use for protection. I liked the dip into Asian culture but think this is going to be an easier read for someone who understands a little more about that culture than a reader like myself who hasn't spent much time in it.

I believe this is set up like a K-Drama, I'm not incredibly familiar with those so for me the story telling and some of the wording in the story was strange and unfamiliar to me. For example one character is names Yoonhae but every time he is referred to it is shin Yoonhae. I'm sure there is probably some cultural significance to that but I didn't know what it was and so it just seemed strange to keep inserting the shin before Yoonhae's name.

Also because of the length of the book it was hard to really dive into any of the character relationships. Azuna is Han-gil's adopted sister but that is about the most we get there. It is a statement and now they hunt spiritual parasites together, but we don't get much development on that front.

There is also Han-gil's relationship with his brand new partner that is very surface level as well. It seemed there were hints this new partner might have been more open than to the others of his past but it is really glossed over and there wasn't a lot of resolution at the end as to where Han-gil stood with his job as a police officer or his future. It was a bit rushed and open ended at the end.

Hard to have a really completely well rounded story in a novella but Small Gods of Calamity did have and an interesting premise and I think could have been fleshed out in world building and character development a little better. There were also a few small inconsistencies that may be fixed by final copy so I will not mention them here. Not really my typical kind of story so I had some learning curve issues with it that were distracting.

This was the first time I had ever read this type of plot before and I enjoyed it. It did take me a bit of time to read but I liked the story and the flow of writing as it moves through the characters POV and also memories to present.

As the cover suggests, this novella not only reads like a good manga, but it draws inspiration from some classic anime as well. This is definitely a story for adults, dealing with the emotional and psychological impact of loss while seeking closure. The author rights on these topics very well, while weaving a mystery to be solved, This story has everything you could want in a story to keep you hooked until the very end. Besides, who doesn't like ghosts with glass teeth.

3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Han-gil is a man split between two worlds- a police officer who also moves in spiritualism circles and has vowed to destroy the spirit creature that killed his mother, a creature that even other spiritualists don’t believe truly exists.

The concept was great. The characters were interesting and well developed (for the most part) and the level of LGBTQIA+ representation was fantastic. There was a lot of potential to work with here and I enjoyed the book. If the author writes another there’s a good chance I will read it.

However, for a 150 page book it sure took me a lot of time to get through. It didn’t grab my attention very well. There was a distinct lack of action and even in scenes that were action packed I didn’t feel much tension. Probably because they flew by quickly, and in many there never really felt like there was a huge sense of danger. Some of the most action-packed parts of the books were only 1-2 pages long. The climax was probably only 5 pages total. Ending on a cliche was also not the best choice.

In a lot of places it felt more like a character study than anything else, and the vast majority of that development was done through describing character’s internal thought processes. They said very little of depth and value to one another. This could be cultural, to be fair, because not everyone talks about their feelings or says everything that comes to mind. But it made a lot of the relationships feel a bit shallow and unearned, since all the change had happened on the inside of each character individually.

Overall, I recommend it and I did enjoy reading it. It’s only 150 pages so it moves quickly. I would just say that in future books the author should work to build tension, draw out the danger, and build the relationships between the characters more externally than internally.

But again, I really enjoyed this!

REALLY great read! The character is so compelling from the start, it made me very curious about the book! an overall hit

This was a gripping read and I was intrigued by the characters. I will look out for more by this author.

I'm immediately drawn to anything spooky so as soon as I saw the cover I was sold AND it's a nice short read at around 150 pages! Perfect for anyone who prefers shorter stories or has a short attention span (like me).

I'm already acquainted with Korean/Japanese/Chinese spiritual shenanigans so I really enjoyed the combination of practices shown in this story, I could read about a whole series of possessions and exorcisms by Han-gil & Co.!

The plot follows a singular entity causing multiple possessions that usually end in death for the possessed as their souls are devoured. This is investigated by the two people whose lives were completely changed on its first appearance as they chase it down while also facing what happened 16 years prior.

Slightly spooky, slightly gruesome and lots of sadness!

Most characters are LGBTQ+ and most are in need of love and hugs - if this is your cup of tea and with a satisfying conclusion to boot - give this a read!

Small Gods of Calamity
By Sam Kyung Yoo

A Review by Jamilla (@ LandsAwayBooks, a wordpress blog)

The cover and the title of this book both caught my eye, immediately! Then I read the blurb — murder mystery meets the supernatural — and I knew I was all in! Small Gods of Calamity definitely did not disappoint!

Han-gil, is our protagonist, a young detective, shunned by most of his department for a long list of weird behaviors… beginning with the fact that he can see ghosts. Not that most people would believe if he told tale of it; least of all his new partner, who’s sure to have heard the rumors of the last one getting stabbed.

But that’s the least of his problems. He’s on the hunt for the small, mysterious god of calamity that killed his mother and went on to spread and burrow throughout Seoul, leaving bodies and mutilated souls in its wake.

SGOC, gives you a glimpse of the rich culture of the Asian spiritualist community, something I’m completely unfamiliar with and am now intrigued by! I certainly hope that this would be the start of a series, because although this story was wrapped up quite nicely… bow and all, I’m excited by this world that the author crafted!

Note: Bisexual & Asexual protagonist who suffers from depression & anxiety.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.