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.

Thank you Del Rey and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this work!

Another fantastic work by Sophie Kim. I thoroughly enjoyed The God and the Gwisin just as much as I loved The God and the Gumiho.

The narrative continued so effortlessly from the first book to the second. Each character and their story grew and developed even farther. Sophie did a really wonderful job at exploring a wide variety of emotions for each character. They all were dealing with such real, poignant emotions and it really broadened what had been established in the first book.

While I was able to see some elements of the mystery early on, I was still able to be surprised by some of the turns at the end.

As a huge fan of the first book, this sequel has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I will say it does not disappoint! This book follows a similar premise to the first book of solving mysteries and discovering love along the way. It had very sweet romantic moments, with some hilarious scenes along the way, and it was such so sweet watching them fall in love all over again. The two books as a whole read like a k-drama in book form, so if you’re a fan of k-dramas and ridiculously sweet and funny characters, definitely give this book a try!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for proving me with an ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imma be honest, I was worried going into this one. Don’t get me wrong, I loved The God and the Gumiho, it was the perfect mixture of flirty banter and mystery. It kept me engaged, it kept me reading, I was satisfied with the ending. Now, the premise for the second book being Seokga’s soulmate is now reincarnated but can’t remember anything about her previous life, made me sigh. I HATE an amnesia story. They bore me, and they always end the same, they remember and then happy ending. Boo, boring.

So the start of this book wasn’t off to a good start. Luckily, Seokga is a very interesting character so I enjoyed reading his POV and seeing him act a bit more human this time around, compared to his detached style in the previous book. I did start to like Kisa, I liked her drive and determination, and I liked that she was different to Hani.

Now, when the mystery got going? That’s the hook. I had ideas and theories going along with the group in the story. (Need I mention Hajun?? Protect that boy at ALL COSTS, and I liked the critique of the kpop industry through his character.) I liked Somi’s inclusion back into the story, it felt like she was finally given some depth to sink my teeth into.

Was the ‘unexpected baby’ a bit trope-y? Yes. Did I adore every second of it? Also yes.

Watching Seokga and Kisa’s chemistry grow was excellently done too, they suddenly because a relationship to root for, and their character arcs were extremely satisfying to read.

The mystery was good, the characters were good, the overarching story was good. Overall, it was very enjoyable. A fun read with nothing overly serious to have to ponder over. It’s not change-your-life spectacular, but I had so much fun reading it and I thought Sophie Kim did an excellent job bringing back into the world and on the trip of the SRC Flatliner. 4/5 stars 🌟

I honestly have had the best time with this series! It's lighthearted with Korean folklore and an engaging mystery at the heart, and each book has such a great sense of humor. The cruise ship was such a fun setting for this one, especially because it's filled with the dead. I loved the reincarnation element and seeing Seokga and Kisa work through their past (which only one of them is aware of) for the good of their relationship. The mystery was fun and while I did predict it fairly early on, I enjoyed the ride. I highly recommend this series for lower-fantasy lovers with a fun romance at the center! Plus, the side characters - ah I love them!!

The God and the Gwisin is a whimsical and enchanting story.

The trickster god Seokga is searching for his lost love, Hani. She is to be reincarnated, and Seokga has been searching for years. When he is finally forced to take a vacation on a pleasure cruise on the river of the dead, the Red Thread of Fate leads him to Yoo Kisa, a deceased shaman whose soul isn’t quite ready to move on. But Kisa doesn’t remember Seokga, or know about her past life. But when a mysterious and devastating murder occurs on board, Seokga and Kisa must work together to find the culprit. In doing so, they begin to unravel the reasons for the thread that has bound them together.

I really enjoyed this sequel to the Fates Thread series. The God and the Gumiho was such an enjoyable read - a modern fantasy romance with heart and humor - and this second book is just as wonderful. It has the same whimsy and wit as the first book, but we also have new characters and new relationships to explore. The writing was easy for me to get into, and was just so clever and humorous, yet deeply emotional at times, too. It was great to see Seokga interacting with Kisa - it’s both heartbreaking and lovely at the same time. I enjoyed the setting on the cruise ship - it added a unique atmosphere to the story, and the inspirations from Korean mythology made this book really unique and intriguing. I loved Kisa’s story as well - I really connected to this character, and I loved seeing bits of Hani too. This book also has strong mental health references as well, and these issues are dealt with compassionately and with care. The concept of identity is a very important element in this story, and the question of whether love can transcend and endure. Overall, this was such an enjoyable read and a great second book in this series. I’m absolutely looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Del Rey for the advanced copy of this wonderful book!! All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I had a lot of fun with The God and the Gumiho when I read it last year, so I was excited for what was to come with The God and the Gwisin. I immediately loved how it put a fresh spin on the story and characters, not only with a bit of a time jump, but with otherworldly shenanigans involving reincarnation, as well as the continued use of the soulmate connection through the Red Thread of Fate.

I loved the dynamics between Seokga and Kisa (formerly Hani) this time around. He’s his delightfully mischievous self, but he’s also spent a long time searching for Hani after their being parted, and now reincarnated as Kisa (who has also since died and become a gwisin), she has no memory of her former life, or him. I loved exploring her complex feelings of being confronted with this past life she can’t remember initially, especially with Kisa having led such a different life. I did love seeing the two lives begin to converge, and navigating that dichotomy of Kisa having her own personhood while having elements of Hani too. And as for her romance with Seokga, it was quite sweet.

Atmospherically and plot wise, the story also has a bit of a different tone and external plot/goal. I loved that Kids and Seokga found each other on this creepy cruise to the underworld, and the narrative involves solving his brother’s murder. While the book suffered some of similar pacing issues to the prior one, the setting and external plot drivers kept the story moving more consistently, while the internal arcs were simultaneously developing. And while the ending of the last book was a gut-punch (remedied by the trajectory of this one), I love the choice to end this one with some pure Seokga humor, in the form of the godly equivalent of mass media.

This was an absolute delight, I’d recommend the duology to readers who want an urban fantasy inspired by Korean mythology and the vibes of K-Dramas!

Well, I was the happiest person to receive an arc of this book because The God and the Gumiho was a 5 star, I loved it so much and I was dying to read the next one.

Now, about this book, I really liked it. I still love Seokga, seeing his character development, but still maintaining his personality, I loved it. I can't believe how this story could make me laugh one moment and just suffer the next. I also became very attached to Kisa and the secondary characters. I would have liked to know a little more about them. The reasons why this wasn't a 5-star for me was that the romance felt very, very scarce. I did love the couple a lot, but I felt like I was only getting crumbs. I also found part of the story a bit boring. The investigation part wasn't as interesting as in the first book, but the last 30% was crazy. I loved how everything developed, and with that ending, I definitely hope to read more of this story. I feel the world and its mythology are very interesting. I would like to see more of it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you don't know, I love and adore book 1 (The God and the Gumiho) and this absolutely lived up to my expectations. Seokga is grumpy and funny, the side characters added personality and mystery, and Hani (now Kisa) is wonderful.

After how the first book ends, Hani is fast tracked to reincarnation and Seokga must find her again but the only quality she will share with her past self are her eyes. Without giving it all away, they end up on a river cruise ship in the Korean version of the afterlife and have yet another mystery to solve together.

I love the the mix of mythology, modernity, and mystery in this. Oh and romance ;)

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the eARC!

Humorous, emotional and with a satisfying ending. I loved the relationship between Kisa and Seokga as well as the murder mystery plot.

YESSSS!! This was the perfect sequel.

SPOILERS ahead

I have been so curious about how she was going to make a second book in the same whodunit mystery vibe with our existing characters and the whole red thread debacle. and WOW she nailed it. We somehow get to see our characters fall in love all over again in a way that is nostalgic and bittersweet. Seriously so well done. I loved all the new characters that were introduced and will admit that I was having such a fun time with the romance and the god and the baby portion that I didn't even put all the clues together until it was way too late.

I am a fan of Sophie's for life and will never stop recommending this book to everyone within ear shot.

social post coming soon

I sadly didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book and I think it’s due to the writing style and the 180 change of the world building and plot. This 2nd book takes place in only one setting - the cruise ship. To me, this book felt really unnecessarily long and drawn out. What made it worse was that I didn’t feel any type of connection between Seokga and Kisa. It seemed like the author was purely banking on the fact that Kisa was Hani in her past life and they would just be “connected” by the red string and form that close bond. It felt fake and surface level and honestly cringey. I do absolutely love murder mysteries, and if executed well, I think this would’ve been such a huge banger. Unfortunately, it came off pretty childish to me :( There was no drama, tension, uneasiness, etc. I was pretty excited to read this, so I’m sad that it ended up as a disappointment for me.

Many thanks to DelRey and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

Love, love, love, love, love, love!! I stayed up to 1:30 in the morning to read this in one sitting. Could not put it down, even when tears were leaking steadily out of my eyes and blurring my vision. I loved The God & the Gumiho, but this was even better!

Seokga might be my most favorite grumpy MMC ever. I wanted to give him a hug so bad, but I know he'd have hated it. My heart just ACHED for him throughout this entire book. Finding his Threaded, but then Kisa not knowing who he is, and then all the existing emotional baggage from his father and brother--it just tore at my heart. But Kisa ended up being so amazing. I loved her. And watching them getting to know each other anew was so cute at times, I was just kicking my heels in glee. The character work in these books is just phenomenal.

Did I guess the "bad guy"? For once I did! I just didn't guess the why of it all. The end was definitely heart-pounding as everything played out. It wrapped up neatly and quickly, but I'm not mad about that at all. And seriously, I love these characters so much that I would happily sign on for more detective adventures from them!

Highly highly recommend these books!

Fantastic.. As usual when a book is really good, I don’t have that much to say other than read this.

I adore everything about this, I don’t think I have a single criticism honestly. The plot is great, the romance is amazing, the world building is fabulous.

Seokga and Kisa are just.. Just perfect. I have not read a book with this particular trope and I think Kim did it amazingly! It has the potential to go very badly, and the execution of this was flawless. Once again such a harmonious and beautifully developed romance.

I once again enjoyed this plot a lot and had so much fun figuring out the “who did it” although I do think that this time around some plot points were a little more obvious.

Also this book has one of the coziest frikkin epilogues I’ve ever read?!? I want a whole book based on that epilogue alone.

In short, an absolutely fantastic anding to a duology and I can't wait to read more from this author.

3 stars
Content warning: mentioning of suicide, death, murder, eating disorders, medical terms, injury detail, betrayal, medical suppressants, revisiting toxic parenting (historical)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

After the way The God and the Gumiho ended, I knew I'd have to get my hands on the sequel and continue this story, even though I had critical thoughts about how some of the information was presented in the first book. Admittedly, I wish I had left it at that fond point, because I won't sugarcoat it - this was a mess. In the series' storyline, it's been over thirty years since the first book's ending, and it seems as if the trickster god Seokga degenerated in maturity and all those around him were equally as juvenile to read about.

In the case of Kisa, the main female protagonist, a sheltered medical genius in her early twenties when she passed away, some of the naive responses could be accepted, but for the rest of the cast? I feel as though the author slipped back into more of a YA style of writing for the sake of making this story exceptionally humorous. And despite every attempt to settle into this Korean retelling of a dramatic Olympus with the sequel set in the underworld on a ship called the SRC Flatliner, I wish I could have thrown myself overboard instead of enduring this tale at times.

There were moments where there was so much potential, but the story was shrouded by endless longing and desire for the loss of Hani to Seokga and Somi, Kisa trying to fit into the mold but equally telling them all she was her own person, a dead idol (who's entire storyline gave me the biggest ick from the beginning, but I'll get to that) who was only utilised to make characters react, and a murder mystery that was all too easy to guess from the beginning which led to a god reincarnation to bring a baby god into their mix. Adding to this was the author's attempts to bring in emotional character development, throwing in quite dark subjects amongst nonsensical humour at times. The continuation of Korean pop culture interjections is still very on the nose, especially as I mentioned above around idol culture. I respect that the author was trying to approach the subject of mental health and suicide in the Korean entertainment industry, but the casual way it was thrown into the storyline alarmed me. Every time Hajun's past was brought up, it got worse, and by the time anorexia was addressed, at the most inopportune moment for the main protagonist to be thought drifting, I realised my hopes for giving this story a higher rating than three stars were over.

Everything towards the ending felt rushed and overproduced, and then love declarations were given over. Whilst the ending was sweet enough for the trickster god, Kisa, and their friends, I found myself questioning the relationship between Kisa and Seokga. They didn't have enough build-up in their romantic tale, and relied too much on the red string of fate plotline, and Kisa's previous life as Hani. It left it all feeling a bit underwhelming, and I'm disappointed that I had looked forward to this sequel and found myself disliking a lot of the elements here. I just wanted more, and every turn it made towards good growth, another bout of needless humour or random thoughts threw it off for me again.

The God and the Gwisin picks up right where the first book ended, with Seokgo following the red thread of fate to find the reincarnation of his lost love, Hani. But this thread becomes very tangled, and when it finally leads him somewhere, it’s to Kisa, a reincarnation who doesn’t remember anything about their past together and is literally dead, paying a penance for a previous life of wickedness.

I really liked how this second book was developed. We get to see a new side of Seokgo—a version of him that’s grown and is ready to reconnect with his real love, but still has all the charm and mischief that made him so fun in the first book. There’s solid character growth, and the author doesn’t change who he is at the core. And honestly, as much as I enjoyed the romance, what really stood out to me were his scenes with his brother and the other side characters. Some of those moments were so funny, I thought I might cry from laughing.

Kisa’s story was probably my favorite part. What I loved is that she’s not just a copy of her past self. She’s different, and she’s okay with that. She’s made peace with what came before and isn’t holding on to it. Seeing her and Seokgo fall in love again—on new terms—was beautiful to read.

I also loved the detective part of the story. The mystery was really well done, and I thought the way everything came together was super satisfying. The side characters had great storylines too, and I think there’s a strong message behind their journeys that a lot of readers will appreciate.

The ending was great, and I really hope Ms. Kim writes a third book. She definitely has the material for it, and I’d love to keep following Seokgo’s adventures—and see how his relationship with Kisa continues to grow.

4.5⭐️

I loved the first book, The God and the Gumiho so I felt like I was begging for this. And I was not let down.

Magic. A cruise ship. Full of the dead, from the underworld. Gods. Mystery. Romance.

This has it all and it is the woven perfectly. The story magic from the first book carries through as does the emotional depth and wit.

I loved this. I loved the first book too and I think I just love Seokga and seeing him turn into a soppy, in love, god. I found this so engaging I couldn’t put it down, and I just wanted to keep reading to figure out the answer!

This was quite different from the first book, and it’s difficult to say exactly how without spoiling the first. This also follows a murder mystery plot line where our MCs are trying to figure out the culprit all while exploring their budding relationship and getting caught up by suspicious characters.

This one is a lot more death focused, which is strange to say, but the way that Kim balances the lighthearted tone of the book, with these much darker more sensitive elements is really masterful. Being able to make this work is a real achievement and I just loved it.

I liked it even more than the first one. Maybe because I already knew the characters, because we get straight to the heart of the matter, or because I knew what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. Korean folklore remains in the spotlight, to my great pleasure, but it's the humor that I appreciated the most, the strong point of this volume, I think. I didn't remember it being so funny, or maybe it's the situation, the cruise, the baby... The romance is also very sweet, even if it's not what I'm looking for primarily, and particularly touching, thanks to the unique bond that unites the two heroes. As in the first one, I also loved the relationship between the two brothers, which takes an unexpected turn here. The investigation is much more anecdotal, it's true, but I was having so much fun that I got used to it without almost noticing it. Almost. As for the ending, it's perfect as it is, besides I thought it was a duology and that suited me very well, I doesn't like long series, but with the potential that remains to be exploited and the elements put in place in the last pages, I would be really disappointed if we didn't have a sequel!


J'ai encore plus aimé que le premier. Peut-être parce que je connaissais déjà les personnages, que l'on entre tout de suite dans le vif du sujet ou que je savais à quoi m'attendre mais vraiment, je me suis régalée. Le folklore coréen reste à l'honneur, pour mon plus grand plaisir, mais c'est l'humour que j'ai le plus apprécié, le point fort de ce tome-ci il me semble. Je ne me souvenais pas que c'était si drôle ou alors c'est la situation, la croisière, le bébé... La romance aussi est réussie, même si ce n'est pas ce que je recherche en priorité, et particulièrement touchante, notamment grâce au lien unique qui relie les deux héros. Comme dans le premier, j'ai également adoré la relation entre les deux frères qui prend ici un tournant inattendu. L'enquête, elle, est beaucoup plus anecdotique, il est vrai, mais je m'amusais tellement que je m'en suis accommodée sans presque le remarquer. Presque.
Quant à la fin, elle est parfaite telle qu'elle est, d'ailleurs je pensais qu'il s'agissait d'une duologie et ça m'allait très bien, moi qui n'aime pas les séries à rallonge mais avec le potentiel qui reste à exploiter et les éléments mis en place dans les dernières pages, je serais vraiment déçue si nous n'avions pas une suite !


Link coming soon