Let’s be honest if you’re here looking for a review of the God and the Gwisin, it’s probably because you fell in love with Hani and Seokga in God and the Gumiho and the ending left you a mess. Well, I am happy to report that you will find joy again, one day. Maybe. If you are a fan of philosophical thinking.

After chasing down Hani’s reincarnation for three decades, Seokga finally finds her in the underworld working on a cruise ship as he takes a vacation that was forced upon him by his brother and therapist. Aboard the ship, someone is murdered and it falls to Seokga and (Hani’s reincarnation) Kisa to track down the killer.

Seokga is such a sad boy in the beginning it absolutely breaks my heart what this grumpy trickster has gone through. When he meets Kisa, it’s hard to imagine things working out romantically between them. But I love these two characters just as much as I did in the first book. Even side characters in this absolutely drew me in.

The murder mystery plot gives us a way for the main and side characters to interact and focus on, but it felt like it was low stakes. And I didn’t feel super invested, because I was more focused on the characters themselves.

This book is so much fun, the characters are endearing, I love the simple Korean mythology setting and pop culture references. Definitely worth a read, and a reread.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

After devouring the first book, I was so excited to just hop into the second book! We come back to see our favorite MC's in a refreshing light, and back at it in their old shenanigans that I loved so much in the first book! The mystery of what became of Hani wasn't so much of a mystery per say, as it was a bit obvious, but it was still interesting nonetheless as we start off in the mood the last book left off on of missing her. The writing is just as stellar in God and the Gwisin as it was in God and the Gumiho. It was easy to read and very much quick to get sucked into and immersed like in the previous book. Everything face paced, but not in a way that felt disjointed at all. I am hoping there's a third book to this series as the ending felt like it as alluding to that, and I'm more than exited for what's to come!

Sophie Kim is back with The God and the Gwisin, which continues the story in The God and the Gumiho. If you did not read that one (or haven't read that one since it first came out), Kim made it easy to get back into Seokga's universe. That said, Seokga is challenged by the fact that in spite of an actual red thread of fate connecting them, his reincarnated love does not seem to be interested in him, with Kisa even likening their supposed relationship to the Ship of Theseus. I was not expecting that thought experiment to show up in my fluffy/escape-from-reality read, but it was very much appreciated. Cue the shenanigans that will bring them together in the form of another mystery they have to solve and I had conflicting feelings over whether I wanted developments on the mystery plot or the romance plot. I had a lot of fun reading this, and in these trying times, sometimes that's exactly what you need. While this book's story was wrapped up nicely, I do look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the first one, but I think I like this one more. The writing is well done and I love the world that has been created merging the modern with Korean myth and lore. The characters are fun and the world building is fantastic. It's fast paced but in a good way. The ending felt like there will be another which if there is, I'm quite looking forward to.

Thank you to Del Rey for an e-arc of this book!

I really enjoyed the first book in the series and was SO GLAD when I learned it was not a standalone, but would be continued in another book. This books theme is about reincarnation, and Hani has been reincarnated into a woman named Kisa who has died. The premise is that former detective Seokga is still looking for his reincarnated soulmate, but his therapist thinks he's too stressed and so, Seokga, his brother and therapist end up on a cruise.

And there of course, he meets his soulmate who remembers nothing about him. From there, they all have to start unraveling a mystery of who killed Seokga's brother. I feel like this book had the same characteristics that I loved from the first book. It had humor, and it had moments of emotion, but is also a very well written book. You can get lost in this world and really enjoy it.

One of the aspects I loved about this book was how reincarnation was done. This wasn't your typical reincarnation story, and I really appreciated that it was different because that makes it unique. Therefore you're not quite sure where it is going to go.

The second aspect I really loved was Kisa and Seokga's evolving relationship. There were some similarities, but I loved that it was also its own unique story. It was like falling in love all over again. It was so sweet.

This book was bittersweet and sweet at the same time. I know, I know, so weird. But STILL. It's true. I loved the friendships, and I enjoyed the mystery aspect. What a lovely book...and why do I feel like it has been left open for another book?

The God and The Gumiho was a very nice surprise, so that's why I've also requested the sequel to read as an arc. Thank you for granting me a review copy!

Seokga and Hani were a true grumpy x sunshine couple in that one. I remember how that book had me chuckling so often because of the sheer ridiculousness at times. Getting into the sequel they have been separated and trying to re-find each other as Hani has been reincarnated. The one recognizable point being her wine brown eyes.

The most intriguing thing about this story was how the red thread of fate was reason for additional thinking. What if.. we're exactly where we need to be in life and meet exactly who we need to meet?

It reminds me of a quote: "Some people enter your life as blessings, others as lessons".

This whole read felt like it was built on that quote. While Hani has been reincarnated, she is now Kisa. And it took time to get to used to her, root for her. It felt like getting to know a whole new person - although this person has some traits that Hani also had - she is different, more timid. The whole idea of having this thread, feeling the tug of it and not know the person you've been actively searching for, struck a cord in me. She had no memory at all, while Seokga had been actively looking for her and never lost his love for her.

This was beautifully done. I just think that the book was a little bit dragging on other department that perhaps could've been left out. I liked the bits of humor that was sprinkled throughout though.

The reason why this book didn't end up being one of my favourites is mainly due to:
- Character flaws; I didn't see much trickster and I also didn't see much smart
- The 'mystery' was way too obvious, yet the characters didn't seem to see

For me personally, this was an okay read. But I would've perhaps liked it better if the focus of the story wasn't so widely spread. The reincarnation, the red thread and the changes and challenges would've most likely been enough.

Oh, I loved this second installment in the series. Kisa was a fantastic character (I truly loved her), the setting was brilliant, and I loved the addition of the new and old characters in the navigation of friendship.

But Seokga--I loved seeing him in this one. The growth and transformation, but also inner struggles he faces throughout this book were fantastic. Not to mention his dynamic with Kisa was brilliant. I would truly kill for this series to be turned into a K-drama--it's what we deserve.

Now give me the third on stat, Sophie Kim.

The God & The Gwisin by Sophie Kim
Release date June 3rd

Korean mythology fantasy/murder mystery

Fate’s Thread book 2

Seokga, along with his older brother Hwanin, and his therapist Dr. Jang go on an underworld cruise aboard the SRC Flatliner.

There Seokga after 33 years finally meets Hani reincarnated as Kisa who has no memory of the trickster god. Then Hwanin is murdered and turned back into a baby. Kisa and Seokga are tasked with finding out who ripped Hwanin’s heart out.

This book was so fun. I love a good murder mystery and the fact this one was on a cruise ship made it even better. I also liked that Somi got a redemption arc after the events of book 1.

My only tiny issue is the covers, which are stunningly beautiful, don’t really match the book. I expected a cruise ship on the cover.

This one will keep you guessing with all its twists and turns.

Highly recommend.

I was completely surprised to learn that The God and the Gumiho, one of my absolute favorite books of 2024, was getting a sequel—and I can now confirm, after crying through the final two chapters, that this duology has become one of my favorite completed series of all time.

After the heartbreaking yet satisfying ending of the first book, I had no idea what to expect from the sequel. Honestly, book one could stand on its own. But I’m so thankful that Sophie Kim decided to continue this incredible story with The Fates Thread series.

Sophie Kim took the story in a direction I never would have imagined. We pick up 33 years after the events of book one, with Seokga still reeling from the loss of Hani. When he finally feels the tug of his fate thread again, it’s not as straightforward as it seems. Hani is no longer Hani—she doesn’t remember anything from their past life together.

But this isn’t your typical memory-loss or reincarnated-love story. The God and the Gumiho’s sequel is about letting go, finding new beginnings, and learning to love again when you thought that part of your heart was lost forever.

Like Seokga, I started this book heartbroken, unsure how I could connect to a version of Hani who no longer existed. But Kisa stole my heart almost instantly. I quickly grew attached to her story, her trauma, and her journey aboard the ship. Watching her fall in love with her soulmate again—without knowing the history between them—was beautiful. The chemistry between her and Seokga was just as powerful as it was in book one, and seeing the story unfold through both of their perspectives made it even more impactful.

Once again, Sophie Kim delivers a hilarious, sharp, and heartwarming book. The banter is top-tier—not just between the main characters, but across the entire cast. Even the side characters had me laughing out loud. It’s rare that a book actually makes me laugh, but I found myself giggling and cackling throughout so many scenes.

This book also expands the world introduced in book one, diving deeper into the lore of the gods and goddesses—particularly Seokga’s father and the trauma surrounding his capture. I loved how that subplot wove seamlessly into the climax of the story.

And yes—there’s another murder mystery! Sophie Kim does such a fantastic job at planting red herrings and keeping you guessing. You suspect everyone and still don’t see the real villain coming.

Sophie could write ten more books in this world, and I’d devour every single one. This duology is one of the strongest I’ve ever read. The Fates Thread series will always have a special place in my heart. It’s a story about soulmates, heartbreak, longing, loss, and rediscovery—all while mixing in mischievous gods, laugh-out-loud humor, and gripping mysteries. It’s a genre blend I never knew I needed.

This was good. Not quite as good as «The God and the Gumiho», but still good. When I finished that first book in this (presumably) duology, I was bawling. I was also really looking forward to the sequel, while also dreading it somewhat. Mainly because I loved the dynamic between Seokga and Hani in the first book and was not all that confident that Sophie Kim would be able to recapture as incredible a dynamic between Seokga and whoever Hani’s soul reincarnated into. And my doubts were kinda right. The dynamic between Seokga and Kisa is very different from his dynamic with Hani, but it still works. Just not quite as perfectly as before. Ultimately, Seokga and Kisa are still really sweet and loveable together, and I’m jealous that they get to live in a cozy cottage in a magical library.

Oh and the plot was good too I guess. I mean the plot was once again centred around a case Seokga (and Kisa) had to investigate, just like in the first book. This time I guessed who the killer was pretty much immediately, which was not the case in the first book, but that didn't detract from the reading experience for me. I don't really have much else to say about this, since the detective case is very much just a background story, with the main story being the relationship between Kisa and Seokga. I think I slightly preferred the case in the first book, but not by much.

Lastly, I think it would've really helped to have a pronunciation guide somewhere in the book. These often annoy me in Fantasy books because ultimately it doesn't really matter if some made-up fantasy name is mispronounced, and also the 'phonetic' spellings used are quite confusing for a non-native English speaker (especially the vowels). However, since the 'fantasy words' in this are actual real names of entities in Korean mythology/folklore, I would've loved a pronunciation guide. I read the first book as an audiobook, so I knew that the <s> in 'eoduksini' and 'gwisin' is pronounced more like an English <sh> than an English <s>, but loads of other words I'd never heard before.

The God and the Gwisin was everything I wanted and then some. Sophie Kim has seriously leveled up—this book is lush, romantic, a little eerie, and somehow both fun and emotionally resonant. While I enjoyed The God and the Gumiho, this sequel felt sharper, more focused, and honestly? Better.


The dynamic between the leads had me grinning and emotionally invested. I loved how the mythology continued to unfold with rich detail but never felt overwhelming. And the banter? Top-tier. The romance was slow-burn in the best way—tension, pining, payoff. Yes, yes, and yes.


It’s rare for a sequel to step out from the shadow of its predecessor, but The God and the Gwisin didn’t just step—it twirled, winked, and left me swooning.

The God and the Gwisin by Sophie Kim – Pub Date 06/03/2025

“He’ll forever remember that, for a brief time, he had her.”

There are so so so many wonderful quotes I want to share with you all from this book. And a few of them are NSFW! ;)

The second book in the Fate’s Thread series is just delightful! I did a re-read of the first book before starting this one and I’m so happy I did because it just reminded me how much I loved it! And now I can confidently say that this is one of my favorite series. 🩷

Like in The God and the Gumiho, we have two POV’s, Seokga the trickster God and Kisa the Shaman. Seokga has spent decades searching for his lost love he’s been all over the mortal realm searching for their reincarnated person. And one wonderful day a red thread appears tied in a beautiful almost floral knot around his pinky finger. But soon after he starts following it, it tangles into knots and leads him nowhere.

Now years later, his brother and therapist are forcing him to take a much-needed vacation after his last trip searching in Antarctica for Hani. Unfortunately... things take a bad turn soon after the vacation starts. Now Seokga will have to dust off his detective skills after decades of not using them.

We’ll get to spend time with an old friend and meet some adorable new ones in this spectacular sequel by Sophie Kim. There's mystery, longing, angst, trauma and so much more to be found between the pages. I had a hard time putting the book down and found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t able to be actively reading it.

If you love Korean mythology, K-dramas, and kicking your feet in glee while reading then I highly recommend the Fate’s Thread series!

*2.5
Our crew is back and this time, they are on a cruise through the underworld!

I had a difficult time getting into this installment, unfortunately, it doesn't get interesting until around 22%. There were many character introductions and setting that needed to be laid out, which was difficult to get through when this is supposed to be a continuation of an already existing story. I was saddened by how many lovable characters didn't even make an appearance in the novel. The story ended up suffering from second book syndrome (aka should have left book 1 a a standalone).

My biggest complaint was the romantic relationship. The red string of fate ended up just being annoying (the snippets of thoughts shared through it were weirdly formatted), the relationships being constantly compared made it seem like they weren't actually fated at all, and the spice was a weird mix of juvenile and over the top?

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC!

I was so excited to dive back into this world and Sophie Kim did not disappoint!! Following events from “The God and The Gumiho,” our favorite trickster god Seokga is searching for his soulmate, following the red thread of fate across the globe in hopes of finding her. Little does Seokga know that he will find the souls of his lost love aboard the SRC Flatliner, a cruise ship that transports souls through the underworld to reincarnation. Did I mention there is also a murder mystery afoot? As an urban fantasy focusing on themes from Korean mythology, I was enraptured the entire time! With witty dialogue, lovable characters, and themes of love and acceptance, Kim has made a stunning second installment in this series. Who doesn’t want a love that bypasses our physical selves, but looks inward to our very souls and essence? I loved learning more about the workings of Korean mythology and the world that Kim has wrought. I don’t want to leave these characters just yet, and I will just continue to hope for more books in the future!

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey/Random House for access to this eARC for review; all thoughts are my own.

♾️ ★
It’s Kisa and Seogka’s world and we’re just living in it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC!!

Oh man, where do I even begin? I LOVED The God & The Gumiho with all my heart and the heartbreaking ending had me eagerly wanting to see Seogka and Hani reunite. From the beginning of this book, we see a different side of the trickster god compared to the first novel. In Gwisin, he is vulnerable, rawer and more open. We see a desperate side of him searching for the love of his life, his soulmate, in her reincarnated form by chasing a red thread that links himself between her, only to find out she's not where he expected.

Yoo Kisa felt so different from Hani, and I love both their characters so much. Kisa is an intelligent doctor who is constantly having racing thoughts. She was so easy to relate to in that sense. This new dynamic between Seogka and Kisa and how they begin to accept the other and understand one another was everything. Seogka, my poor traumatized baby, is nothing but patient with Kisa. He's willing to love her for her, no matter who she is, Hani or Kisa.

LOVED having some of the past characters come back and be a part of the story as well. The brotherly dynamic had me laughing, and Kisa's friendship with Somi and Hajun was so precious. I don't even know how to properly put into words just how much I love this duology and the characters. It's one of those stories that I just want to jump through the pages and be a part of. I will forever cherish Gumiho and Gwisin ‪‪❤︎

I mostly enjoyed “The God and the Gumiho” when I read it last year. Yes, I felt it was aggressively quirky at times, but even without connecting fully to the characters, the story was fast and engaging. It also ended in a unique way, with the author making a rather brave choice with her couple. That being the case, I wanted to see where she’d take the story from there! And I’m glad I checked it out, as I enjoyed this one more than the first.

As I mentioned in my review of the first books, one of my major struggling points came down to connecting to the the main characters. Here, however, both characters have changed in big ways. In the case of our FMC, she’s literally a different person now, having died and been reincarnated (then died again and is now a ghost in this book). This was all for the better for me, as I much preferred this more reserved, scholarly style character that we follow here. Kisa finds herself in a truly bizarre situation, learning she is the reincarnation of a woman that was the soulmate of a fallen god. I also enjoyed Seokga more in this book. His is a quieter but more determined journey in this story, with less of what I felt was fairly stilted “grumpiness” from the first book.

I also enjoyed the cast of characters for the most part. Yes, there were times where some of the humor still didn’t quite land for me. But at this point, I think that’s purely a “me thing” where this just isn’t quite my style of comedy, as I know it works for a lot of other readers. Granted, I know that in general I’m fairly picky about what comedy I enjoy.

I struggled the most with the mystery element of the story. I read a lot of mysteries, however, so to me, the culprit was incredibly obvious from the very start of this portion of the story. That said, it wasn’t poorly paced or anything, and even guessing the ultimate reveal early, I still was able to enjoy the story being told.

I also enjoyed the love story itself. I feel like there were a lot of potential pitfalls in trying to write a romance between characters in this situation (Is Kisa the same person as Hani? Is she “obligated” to feel the same way about Seokga? How much of her feelings are then her own?). But the book does a good job exploring the philosophy behind it all (again, this is an aspect of the story where the change in personality from Hani to Kisa really improved things for me!). There was also a refreshingly restrained hand at the “angst wheel” which prevented the book from falling into any pits of melodrama.

Overall, I thought this was a very fun sequel. In many ways, it surpassed my expectations and I definitely enjoyed it more than the first. That said, fans of the first book I’m sure will gobble this one up too!

Rating 8: With a new take on its main characters, this sequel improved on the first and was a fun read all around!

Link will go live on June 11 on The Library Ladies

A very enjoyable sequel to The God and The Gumiho.

A lot of the things I really enjoyed here are the things that kept me hooked while I was reading the first book in the series: the world-building, the secondary characters and a sense of humour. The world-building is still fantastic (loved the idea of the dead going on a cruise before reincarnation, loved the god of death presenting himself as a CEO). The supporting characters are just as interesting, from the lovely Hajun to Hwanin (my personal favourite now, more Hwanin in the next book, please!) to the reappearance of characters from the first book. The banter was very well written but there were unexpected moments of sadness here too (the little boy with the stuffed toy - such a tiny moment, yet so heartbreaking).

The romance side of the story was also well written, in my opinion. Reincarnation is a tricky trope in romance (for me at least), so I thought that bringing up the Theseus ship problem was an interesting way to sort through what was happening and the solution to it was quite sweet too.

Last but not least, the biggest surprise for me was Seokga. The way he is written here made me really care about the guy this time around and that made the whole story so much more enjoyable.

Looking forward to the next!

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seokgu and Hani are kind of back. Obviously, the events of book 1 prevents one of them from returning in the form that readers met initially, but due to a bargain struck, they have been given a second chance, one that gets complicated even before the two of them come face-to-face with each other again. Which eventually leads to another mystery they must solve.

This book was easier for me to get into, and I think part of it was that I already had a connection with the characters, and I really wanted to see how the reincarnation meet-up was going to go.

I did have a good feel for what was going to happen again, but it didn't detract from the plot for me. Definitely worth picking up if you enjoyed the first book or if you're interested in seeing Kim's take on Korean mythology.

I really liked The God and the Gumiho, but I loved The God and the Gwisin!! This is a rare book where I wish I would have read the blurb first, so I had been prepared for a prominent character change – but it still was a solid 4.5 star read anyway! It was kind of like the equivalent of someone being re-cast on a tv show, but I might like the new version better!

This sequel still has great banter, but adds in some new and returning side characters, a murder mystery on an afterlife cruise ship, and a baby. I love a good locked-room type murder mystery!

I will be adding more Sophie Kim to my TBR soon!

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey, for an early copy in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to Sophie Kim, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The God and the Gwisin in exchange for my honest review.

The God and the Gwisin is the second book in the Fate's Thread Duology. This book takes place approximately 33 years after the end of The God and The Gumiho. Seokga is no longer a fallen god but he is still struggling after the loss of Hani. When a red thread of fate leads him to a cruise down the river of the dead, the last person he expects to find is Kisa, who is Hani reincarnated, and is dead. Except Kisa has no memories of her past life, and she has no interest in Seokga. Oh, and she is dead. When Seokga's brother is killed (who is the Emperor), Seokga and Kisa, with the help of some old and new faces, team up to solve the murder before Seokga can be blamed for the crime. After all, he did try to kill his brother once.

There is so much that I loved about this book. The character development from all sides is outstanding. Watching Kisa become more confident in who she is and what she wants with her life was such a joy. She is so different then Hani, yet they both share some of the same traits, just expressed in different ways. Watching her try to figure out how she feels about Seokga, given that he loved Hani first, was an experience. I appreciated that just because there was this fate thread, it does not mean that she falls in love with him right away. It happens slowly. I also appreciated Seokga's inner battle between wanting Kisa and still loving Hani. There is also another character from the first book that I LOVED seeing and being able to witness how much she has grown from the end of the first book. Outside of the character development, the plot was great in this book. I often feel like books are either all about character development or all about plot. Being able to read a book that truly was both all about plot and character development was a treat. I enjoyed trying to solve the murder right alongside the team, and I also appreciated not being able to easily solve the murder on my own. It was a surprise at the end to see how it all played out and the why behind why the crime happened. For all those who loved the first book, I promise you will love the second book even more. It is unique, and while many of the characters are the same, you can clearly see how they have grown over the past 33 years, rather than remaining stagnant.