"The God and the Gumiho" might just be one of my favorite reads this year. Following the journey of Seokga, a fallen god seeking redemption, and Hani, a once-feared Gumiho known as the Scarlet Fox, the story is rich with mythological intrigue. Seokga must stop a dangerous creature wreaking havoc in South Korea, and the Scarlet Fox who has resurfaced after a long absence. The twist? His new assistant is Hani, the very Scarlet Fox he's searching for.

The dynamic between Hani and Seokga is one of the book's strongest aspects. Their banter and balanced relationship were entertaining and refreshing. Both characters bring their own strengths and histories to the table, with Hani’s morally grey past contrasting Seokga’s trickster nature. The slow development of their relationship felt natural, despite the story’s fast-paced timeline. The incorporation of Korean mythology was well-executed, enhancing the story without overwhelming the reader. Overall, this book was a captivating blend of folklore, action, and romance, leaving me eager for more.

This was a lot of fun! I definitely could've done without the romance, but as mythological detective stories go, this has everything you want. It's an entertaining (although not too hard to solve) mystery with engaging characters. If you are unfamiliar with Korean mythology (I would've said that I was, but I recognized most of the critters from other books I had read), the descriptions of the creatures are pretty easy to follow and remember. Overall, I enjoyed it, and would recommend to someone looking for a mystery with romance and mythology. 3 stars - I liked it!

Overall I really enjoyed this. It was fast paced and full of action. I loved that it took place in Korea too. I really liked both of the characters, but I would have liked more time between them hating each other to loving in each other - there was only a week! And I wanted way more banter and tension. But overall I really liked this and will read the next one if there's a next one!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

IT TOOK ME AN AWFUL AMOUNT OF TIME TO GET THROUGH THIS BOOK. The first few chapters, I have to admit, while interesting didn't capture my attention completely. It wasn't until I kept reading that I began to pay attention and I'm so glad that I did. This book had me kicking my feet and screaming over Seokga and Hani. They were entirely too perfect together and I loved every minute of them. Hani was so funny and witty and Seokga was so brash and mean (but like in a funny way) AND THEN HE WAS SO GODDAMN SOFT FOR HER UGH!! This story was perfect. No notes. I'm going to go buy a physical copy of it now!!!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc,

This is for all K-Drama lovers! This book takes place in the 1990s in Korea we follow a fallen trickster god named Detective Seokga who is working hard to trying to reinstate his place among the gods and Hani who is a the scarlet fox and retired from eating souls. Hani teams up with Detective Seokga to lead him astray from trying to figure out who the Scarlett fox is and help him capture this other monster. They will do anything to outsmart each-other! This book is so much fun even the side characters are lovable. Literally felt like this was a tv show unfolding in my mind. The banter, the story and the romance is everything!

The God and the Gumiho is the start to a brand new series from Sophie Kim. In the book we follow Hani, a Gumiho formerly knowing as the crimson fox who after some serious over indulgence in the past has caused several actions she finds natural as a Gumiho to be made illegal and taboo, and Seokga, A trickerster god who after a failed coop against his brother has been banished to mortal plane to collect the souls of 20,000 unruly monsters to regain his full divinity and return home. After Hani winds up getting herself and her fellow Gumiho and friend Somi in a pickle, she takes a job assisting Seokga in hopes of covering up what she’s done. Meanwhile Seokga is tasked with hunting down an unruly monster that possess the ability to truly kill a god.

I had a lot of fun with this one! I really loved Seokga and his general grumpiness about everything aside from his favorite thing, Coffee. My one complaint would be near the beginning of the story both Hani, and Seokga feel very immature for 1000+ year old beings, but it’s a minor complaint. I really loved how the author handled the final confrontation and ending and I am super excited for the next installment in this series!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6633078185

Fantasy, romance, and great banter? I had a great time reading and look forward to reading more by this author! Thank you netgalley for letting me read!

Why didn’t I read this sooner?! This book was an enjoyable ride from beginning to finish. I was gripped by Hank and Seokga’s cat and mouse game, as well as their detective runs. The urban fantasy with Korean mythology was an entertaining and immersive background to their romance, and while some of the twists were predictable, the book was fun. The ending was *chefs kiss*. Literally perfect. Cannot wait to read more in this series!

This book was fine. I didn't particularly feel strongly in either direction about it, which was probably part of why I didn't love the book. I was not invested at all. The two main characters are over 1000 years old each and yet they both act like immature, moody teenagers. The disconnect is weird and their dialogue/inner monologues are incredibly cringe. Luckily, those aspects were less prevalent as the book progressed, so I was not as annoyed in the second half of the book. The author clearly leaned hard into popular tropes. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a good trope and I swoon with the best of them, but these felt so forced and way too abundant for my taste. I love a good trope when it seems to come naturally in the story. I know that instalove is a somewhat common trope, but it drives me nuts, especially because enemies to lovers is also going on and it's very difficult for those two concepts to mesh. What do you mean she's everything to you? You met her two days ago and she annoyed the hell out of you?? Another book ick I have is when the main characters talk incessantly about smut and reading fanfic. I don't know why it bothers me, but I always find it cringe and annoying.

I think for me personally, overall the characterization and personalities were subpar. The storyline had potential, but probably could have gone through a few more rounds of edits (more story, less of the weird romance, or at least develop the romance more so it doesn't feel so fabricated). I was not planning on continuing the series, but the ending did make it so I'll likely pick it up for curiosity's sake.

2.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

I really enjoyed this story! The plot was engaging, the writing was gorgeous and atmospheric, and I found the characters to be empathetic and dynamic.

My favorite part of this was definitely seeing the twists on Korean myth that the author made. I also loved the mystery aspect of trying to figure out who is the killer and whether or not Hani will be found out. Seogka’s redemption was also so much fun to read about and kind of the concept of what redemption actually looks like to someone was an interesting concept to watch unfold.

My biggest issues were minute because of how much I enjoyed everything else:

1) I found Hani not having a fallout to her deception to be something I wish happened. It was such a big portion of the plot — Hani deceiving Seogka, Somi losing control because Hani didn’t think about the consequences. And none of that really came to fruition. I hope it does in the sequel but who knows.

2) the romance, while it was fun, felt like it was more tell than show. There were so many moments of introspection where it was stated ‘omg i don’t actually hate them??’ but I would have loved to see it play out in their actions more slowly aside from an asleep cuddling session

Overall, did enjoy the book and I can’t wait to see what the sequel looks like!

*thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my review*

It has fantasy. It has mystery. It has romance. It has comedy. It has subterfuge. It has found family. It has a demon trying to turn the earth into the Dark World. This book surpassed my expectations in so many ways, and is a for-sure contender for my favorite read of the year.

Hani and Seogka are ever the unlikely pair as they traipse across the country and back in their endeavor to defeat the hungry demon. As the fallen trickster god, Seogka is perpetually rude and grumpy…until he isn’t. And he can’t quite figure out why the beautiful and witty Hani, with her sunshiny personality and quick wit, is suddenly so important to him. But he knows he will do anything to keep her safe. Hani, on the other hand, has a few tricks of her own up her sleeve, hidden beneath her dazzling smile. Her mountain of secrets is safely buried in the past, until Hani has to choose between keeping secrets or keeping her friends alive.

I didn’t know it was possible to have morally grey characters that were this lovable. Sophie Kim’s storytelling felt ethereal and cinematic, and I loved the way her characters came to life. As I watched the story unfold, I was completely spellbound. I knew there were going to be twists—it was a detective investigation, after all—but I didn’t quite see it coming until it was right in front of me.

Brilliantly done and an instant favorite.

Stuff and things:
-immortals in the mortal world
-grumpy x sunshine
-hidden identity
-dual pining
-open door
-cinematic battle sequences
-“touch her and die”

I loved this book! It's no secret I am a fan of Sophie's writing, her YA series is one of my top reads, and her adult book was just as captivating! The mystery and the banter made it for an extremely entertaining read and I was OBSESSED with Hani's and Seokga's dynamic. I really hope we get a short story of just fluff at some point because I need more!

At the end of this book, I was surprised when I was reminded this is part of a series. I love it as a standalone, and things felt tied up at the end for me. So I'm curious about what comes next.

I like the teasing banter between the two main characters. I don't know. The two of them make so much sense in my head. I think their feelings and internal voices may have changed from allies to lovers a little too quickly. At the same time, something about this book hit me in a way that I'll give it many passes. It's not perfect, but I really just enjoyed reading it. It's difficult to put my finger on why, though.

3.5 “coffee with one cream and one sugar” Stars

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, and Sophie Kim for the arc in exchange for an honest review! I feel so grateful!

Thoughts:

The author, Sophie Kim, states at the start of this book that The God and the Gumiho is a “nothing if not a love letter to K-drama, to the sparkling romance, vibrant fantasy, and lovable characters found in many of my all-time favorite productions” and that is exactly how it is read. I felt all the K-drama fantasy romance vibes and more! A lot of it is overdramatized and the tension is laid out THICK in this book (especially between the main couple).

What I loved about this story more than anything is how fun and loveable our main characters are even though they are not necessarily likable. They have flaws, quirks, and are down right assholes to each other, but you cannot help but laugh and want more from them even as you roll your eyes. With that said for how old they are (in the thousands), they are a bit immature and annoying at times (said lovingly lol).

I struggled with some aspects of this read, and specifically when it was in regards to the folklore. I felt like I wanted more. We were given names, but I was craving more description and insight to who the creatures and mythical beings were. However, even with that being said, the world-building was well done in its mix of the mortal and mythical worlds.

One of my other struggles was with the plot. It was either fast paced or dragging and nothing really in between. Which for me as the reader, it had me putting it down, then binging a few chapters, then putting it down again, and then binging all over again at the climax until the end.

I had ups and downs with this read with some I LOVE THIS moments and EHHHH THIS IRKS ME moments. Overall, it still managed to capture my heart. I'm looking forward to more works by Sophie Kim.

Tropes: Forced Proximity, Hate-to-Coworkers-to-Lovers, She falls but He falls harder, Sherlock and Watson dynamic, Mystery, Secrets on top of secrets, We-push-each-other’s-buttons-but-don’t-think-it-is-flirting-until-it-is

Would I recommend this and to who:

Yes and the K-drama fan or overdramatized (kinda corny) Fantasy lovers!

Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:

E-book

Pace:

Fast to slow to fast to slow to fast again

Cover thoughts:

STUNNING!!! I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE!

POV: (single or multi):

Multi

Quotes:

I have so many quotes that I would love to share, but I will only be able to do so after purchasing my physical copy as the author requested not to quote for publication until checked against the finished book! 🙁

Triggers (possible spoilers):

Violence, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Addiction, Torture, Injury, Toxic Relationships/Friendships

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

this was a lot of fun! i know a lot of books are sold as being like a kdramma but in this one i actually felt it, even found the humor similar and i could picture the scenes in my head.

the only aspect that disappointed me was the romance, i think they both got too strong feelings too fast and wish it had a little moon development and i think it had more potential

overall really enjoyable read and would definitely pick another book by the author!

Oh my goodness this was so cute! I love a good slow burn.

This fun murder mystery coupled with Korean mythology played out like a classic K-Drama. Our grumpy fallen god enjoys only one thing in the mortal realm, coffee. Our gumiho loves throwing coffee on grumpy gods and putting an excess amount of sugar in his drinks.

The banter between Seokga and Hani made me laugh out loud. They made a great team and I enjoyed watching their relationship form.

This was a highly anticipated read for me this year and it did not disappoint!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Thank you Sophie Kim for brining this story to life and sharing it with all of us!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8xbFY3P_xh/

The God and the Gumiho was wonderful! I had an so much fun reading about this world and plot, but most of all Seokga and Hani. Well done!

This is my first read from Sophie and definitely won't be my last! From the get-go, I absolutely loved the vibes and the characters, and the buildup was really enjoyable to me. I've seen others compare this to having the perfect k-drama vibes and I would agree! It's definitely put me in the mood and I can't wait to see how book two goes!!

K-Drama in book form. INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS. Gosh, this was so funny and silly and romantic. I'm so tired of reading doomsday fantasy so this was a really nice change of pace. One thing I appreciated was how unapologetic the worldbuilding was. Internet and phones and cars with Korean mythological creatures. Well, why not? It reminded me a lot of Crescent City with the cool mixing of urban fantasy and modern technology. I really hope there are more books in the series.

Thanks for the arc NetGalley. I was really hoping I would like this book because it had a lot great elements to it, but I was definitely expecting more. I wanted more world building, I wanted more with the characters relationship, and the mystery aspect was lackluster.