I loved the God and The gumiho but this was even better!
I love this world, the magical system and the culture.

I really enjoyed the mystery part of the book and how it was resolved! I don't want to spoil the book so I will just say that this was fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved what Sophie Kim did in The God and the Gumiho: a romance novel that was self-reflective about the genre into which it's writing, in part through the portrayal of Hani as a romance junkie. This self-awareness allowed Kim to effectively bend romance conventions, notably by injecting a range of emotions, including humor and whimsy, into the story.

These elements are present, too, in Kim's sequel, but in less satisfying ways. Like Seokga, it is difficult for the reader to latch onto Kisa as the reincarnation of Hani. His dissonance and disappointment are ours. But the relative ease with which he manages to move from disappointment to desire is not mirrored by the reader (at least in my case). The plot kept me reading, but I never quite bought into Kisa and Seokga in the same way as I had Hani and Seokga.

The central relationship and central mystery aside, I found many elements of this novel to be...distracting.

One is the telepathic power of the red thread. I didn't understand why thoughts and emotions had to be relayed in this way. If anything, it seemed to undercut the depth of relation-building between Kisa and Seokga.

It's nice to see Somi again, and the side relationship with Hyun was sweet. In fact, somehow this relationship felt more real than Kisa and Seokga. This also counts as a distraction...

Hwanin reincarnated as a baby was a slightly ridiculous plot twist that provided its moments, but ultimately felt too weird to me. The relationship between Seokga and baby Hwanin was supposed to feel warm and wholesome, but the shift from resentment to love never felt genuine to me.

I admired the creativity of this sequel but ultimately wished for more from it, especially given how much I liked the first installment.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

📚: Series
📖 416 pages (Paperback)

Genre: Fantasy
Tropes: Fated Mates/ Souls, Dual POV, Korean Folklore, Murder Mystery, Slow Burn

‘Thirty-three years since The Scarlet Fox died.’

‘She’s his lover and a stranger all at once.’

The second instalment in the Fate’s Thread series. Seokga never stopped searching for his love, Hani… he’s travelled far and wide, nothing. That is until he is forced into a vacation by his brother and therapist. Except she’s not Hani in this life, in fact she’s not alive at all. Complicated twists of fate & murder plots for power are afoot. So it’s time to enbark on the SRC Flatliner! All aboard! 🛳️

Going into this book I was super excited, I ADORED the first book in this series beyond words! This one hits a little different, I still loved it & had a great time but the vibes are definitely different. The first book is a more serious murder mystery, cover up style where as this one being set on a cruise ship does lose a bit of seriousness. I know, I was a little unsure at first but I still loved it in the end.
This book definitely reflects a less serious side of Seokga, with a little more comedy sprinkled throughout. We also get some returning characters whose arcs I loved.

I am obsessed with the fated souls/ red thread element. It’s just something that warms my heart, even in real life. How Seokga loves is very relatable to me. This element had me teary a few times throughout.

There were other things that happened in the story which I thought were a fantastic and an interesting take, but I don’t want to spoil anything. If you loved the first book I think you’ll enjoy this one too. I was having such a great time I couldn’t put this book down. Normally it takes me double the time to read a book this length.

Thank you to Sophie Kim, Del Rey & NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The God and the Gwisin by Sophie Kim

First of all, thank you so much Netgalley and DelRey.

Prior to reading this book I very recently read the God and the Gumiho. I absolutely loved this book. Therefore, I had very high expectations. I had hoped to read more about the characters of the first book, I loved Hani and her reincarnation, I just didn't like as much.

I did absolutely loved the world, the culture and the magical system.

**“The God and the Gumiho” was hands-down one of my absolute favorite reads last year, so the moment The God and the Gwisin dropped, I ran to read it—and WOW, Sophie Kim did it again! This sequel completely blew me away. From the very first page, I was hooked. Sophie’s writing has this magical pull that makes you fall headfirst into the story, and I was all in with Kisa and Seokga’s journey.

What I adored most was how the romance was paced—slow burn perfection! Nothing felt forced or rushed, and their relationship evolved so naturally that I found myself holding my breath during their interactions. The chemistry? Off the charts. The tension? Chef’s kiss. And Kisa? KISA!! She completely stole my heart. She’s such a compelling character—fierce, vulnerable, and deeply human. I loved every second with her on the page.

And let’s talk about Seokga’s inner turmoil. The way he wrestled with his feelings for Kisa felt so raw and believable. It added a whole layer of emotional depth that elevated the entire story. I was feeling everything right along with him.

Oh—and the murder mystery?? SO fun, so twisty, and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I genuinely couldn’t stop turning the pages.

This book had it all: heartache, swoon, suspense, and that kind of storytelling magic that makes you want to re-read it as soon as you’re done. Easily one of my top reads of the year—and I already want to scream about it to everyone I know!”

Having read The God and Gumiho, I was delighted to dive into the second installment of the series. I received an ARC from Netgalley.

Seokga, now back in his place as a god, has been searching for the reincarnation of Hani - who is at the end of the red thread of fate that has appeared on his little finger, for 33 years. For ... reasons, he ends up on cruise in the underworld with his big brother the Heavenly Emperor and his therapist. The ship's crew are all dead. Amount them is Kisa, who is the person at the other end of the thread.
It took me a little longer to get into this one compared to The God and the Gumiho. It still has a murder mystery running through it, with plenty of twists and turns. Seokga is still great. Kisa is very different to Hani, but definitely intriguiing. I loved Hajun and Somi, too.
This was a lot of a fun. I'm hoping there's a book 3 in the series.

I cannot tell you how much I love this little duology. Sophie Kim is brilliant, and she never fails to make me laugh and cry and rage all in one book sometimes all in one page. I am unsure how to do this second installment justice and not spoil literally everything in it. But I felt that it all came full circle not just for Seokga but also for the whole pantheon and Kisa/Hani. We meet new characters, and we forgive and spend time with old friends. This ship in the underworld is for many dead the last journey before they are reincarnated and for Seokga, this journey is similar. He had to confront a lot about himself and who he used to be and who he wants to be. Falling in love changed him for the better and finding Kisa gave him back the spark of wanting to continue down the path of change not just for love but for himself. Kim is very clever in her writing, showing the torture of the underworld is that everyone is forced to work in a corporate setting until they get through the never-ending queue to reincarnate. This was an interesting take on the current society we live in, and I found it very funny. I loved baby Hwanin and his new relationship with Seokga. Watching Seokga attempt to care for a baby was amazing and hilarious but watching his love for his brother grow was so sentimental as he was taking care of him because that was what was best not because he could get something out of it. This turn of his character was pivotal. So much happens in the short five days they are on this boat, and it is hard to put into words how amazing this book was, but it was truly like watching a TV show in my head. I would read anything Sophie Kim writes, and I will cherish this duology forever and I still think about The God and the Gumiho on a daily.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

See, this is why: 1. I was waiting to read this until closer to the release date so I wouldn't have to wait too many months afterwards for it to officially come out, and 2. I was saving this book as a special treat. Because I knew I would love this, and I wanted to savor it for as long as possible.

What am I supposed to do now?

Are we getting a third book? I feel like this is probably a duology but the ending leaves things open for a spinoff?

The God and the Gumiho left off with 2018 Seokga sitting in a park, seeing the red thread, and starting to follow it back to his soulmate. The God and the Gwisin starts with Yoo Kisa on a break from an exhausting day at the hospital, seeing the red thread appear, and then dying. Skip forward to 2025, and now we see Seokga in therapy because he's been searching for Kim Hani's reincarnation ever since 1992, and he still can't find her. When his brother, Heavenly Emperor Hwanin, basically forces him into a "restful" vacation on a ghostly cruise in the underworld, the tangled red thread finally straightens and Seokga finds his reincarnated soulmate's ghost working on said cruise. But of course Kisa is mad because she's a good person being forced to pay for Hani's extensive crimes, and she just wants to rest, and she absolutely is not the confident killer that Seokga is in love with. But when a murder happens on the ship, Seokga and Kisa must team up to solve the murder (and take care of the sudden baby that has fallen into their laps) before anyone else in the pantheon finds out and starts accusing Seokga. The two slowly learn about themselves and each other and fall in love in a truly lovely love story. And a bonus, we also have a love story and redemption for Nam Somi.

I loved this. I knew I would love it, but this made me so happy. I can’t wait to own this book. This is definitely one of my favorite series. I read this to feel better after finishing another book that was tough emotionally, and this love story made me feel enveloped in love.

I think I need to reread The God and the Gumiho now, just to bask in the Seokga and Kim Hani/Yoo Kisa love story.

Tropes: fated mates, reincarnation, second chance, sudden baby
CW: This book takes place on a cruise where Kisa is helping ghosts (gwisin) heal after their traumatic deaths, so there is discussion of murder and suicide (in addition to the murder in the plot). Also, two-chapters of sex scene, lol.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for this perfect ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inklore, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced copy.! You can pick up The God and the Gwisin on June 3, 2025.

The God and the Gumiho was one of my favorite reads from last year, and I was SO EXCITED to dive into the sequel before the release date. And, for the most part, I enjoyed myself while reading The God and the Gwisin, but a few things stood out to me. Spoilers ahead for the first book (and slight ones for the second book).

Right away, we start this book off with Seokga seeing the Red Thread of Fate leading him back to Hani in her reincarnated form. This is the moment we all waited for, desperate to see the two reunite and fall in love all over again. But, just as Seokga reaches her, the thread goes limp and tangled, leading him nowhere. Kisa, the reincarnated soul of Hani, has just died and gone to the underworld.

Seokga doesn't know this for seven years, and he spends those years desperately searching for her (not thinking that she could be in another plane of existence). He only happens to run into her when he's forced to take a vacation to the underworld and goes aboard the luxury cruise ship Kisa works for as an undead gwisin.

The entire cruise ship storyline just felt a bit... underwhelming to me. We have another murder mystery, with Seokga and Kisa teaming up to once again hunt down a killer. But the atmosphere and circumstances surrounding the murder made it feel more campy, Knives-Out than end-of-the-world stakes. It just felt like such a departure from the first book that it was hard to connect with Seokga and Kisa as much when so many ridiculous cruise ship factors affected their investigation.

Things picked up a little bit at the end when ACTUAL end of the world factors came into play, but I wish we'd seen more hints of this dropped throughout the middle of the book. Compared to the stakes established in the first book, this one just had less urgency and immediate sense of danger, making the story feel a bit more cozy/campy. Nothing wrong with that, just different from the vibe I expected.

But of course, the other main storyline we had to focus on was Kisa and Seokga rekindling their love. Kisa, though she has Hani's soul, is VERY different personality wise. And unfortunately, similar to Seokga, I found myself wishing for more signs of Hani. Her character was SO compelling and explosive in the first book, and to see a complete 180 in this incarnation of her was just a tad disappointing. I know that's how reincarnation works, and I'm glad we were able to see Seokga appreciate Kisa for who SHE is, but I couldn't help missing Hani.

Honestly, one of my favorite parts of this book was Somi and Kisa rekindling their friendship. It was gratifying to see Somi own up to her mistakes and grieve for the role she played in Hani's death. Seeing those two reconnect healed something in me too.

Overall, this book was a fun read with some great character moments, but it was definitely a bit of a departure from the first book.

4⭐ *will post edit on bookstagram closer to release date*

Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Wow. I loved this book. I could not, for the life of me, figure out who the killer was before they were revealed. I will never be a detective fr. I was happy to see some characters back, like Somi. Somi reuniting with Yoo Kisa broke my heart because I think after some time, she missed her friend too and regretted the part she played in Hani's death.

I will have to say, it was a bit hard to like Kisa at first. She was very clinical, making her seem too distant to like. However, as the story progressed, you realize that its just her defense mechanisms, and the way she quickly befriends Hajun and Somi shows how much she actually cares. I think in this book, you really see more of who Seokga really is. You see his back story, the reason why he is who he is, and got the redemption arc that he deserved. It also made me empathize with him seeing him love someone who couldn't recognize him.

I enjoyed watching these characters make amends with Hani through Yoo Kisa. She's not the same whipsmart gumiho we met in the first story, but she is just as badass. I highly recommend this book!!! But WOW I did not expect that ending !!!!!! I can't wait for book 3 <3

No spoiler arc review:

I hate that this book didn’t work out. I absolutely loved book 1. I made it through a couple chapters and realized this wasn’t going to be for me. The tone was completely different from book 1, and it felt like an info dump to catch the reader up on an entirely different part of the world, the afterlife, and types of jobs for medical students. It made it really difficult to get into the story. I sat on it for a long time deciding whether I would continue the book or not. Then I realized if I have to convince myself I should put it down for good. For me book 1 could have been a standalone. It makes me sad because I was so excited to revisit Seokga

This was such a fun time! For everyone who thought the first book was like a K-drama in book form, this is more of the same in the best way. We start off 30+ years after the end of The God and the Gumiho and we're following Seokga as he's forced to go on vacation on a riverboat in the underworld. With his brother.

If you have watched Alchemy of Souls, this feels like season 2 of that show a little bit in terms of the relationship, definitely not setting or plot though. We have a little bit of a murder mystery in this one and a reunion of some of the side characters from book one that was really nice to see. This felt a little bit more like Seokga's story and we see a lot of growth from him. He's still the same cynical god with everyone issues, but this one focuses more on his relationship with his father.

Overall a delight to be back with these characters and in this world. Would love to have more with these characters and from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the eARC of this book.
The God and the Gumiho was one of my absolute favorite books of 2024 and its sequel lived up to every one of my expectations. It has the fun elements of a murder mystery (on a cruise ship), reincarnation, k pop idols, second change romance and Korean mythology all mixed into one with a mix of new and old characters that we already love.

After the cliff hanger of the first book, it picks up 33 years later with Seokga following the red thread of fate towards Hani, except it turns out it is not Hani, but Yoo Kisa. Much to Seokga’s dismay, we learn that Yoo Kisa has no memories of her past life as Hani (and therefore him). But when his brother gets murdered, they have to band together to figure out who the murderer is all while trying to understand their connection and where they fit into each other’s lives.

I really loved Yoo Kisa’s character and how the relationship with Seokga developed over time and in a completely new way compared to his and Hani’s relationship. Although she is not Hani, I really liked the way the character arc and story line was done to tell us that she is her own person but not skipping over Hani completely since her character still plays a part in this book. I loved how her past life started blending with her new life, yet not erasing the parts of her that still made her Kisa. We also get to see deeper parts of Seokga as he delves into his relationship with his parents and brother, as well as his insecurities from his past.

All in all, I really really loved this. It has the same humor and banter as The God and the Gumiho, yet also touches on the mental health issues of the characters.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6994905493

What can I say, yet another smash. Sophie Kim just keeps giving us pie that's delicious but hard to swallow. I'm going to just say in my preface, that this book was so heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. But it was just too good as well. First of all, if you've read my review on The God and the Gumiho, then you know how much of a K-drama fan I am, and how much I love Sophie's immaculate work that speaks just like K-drama; with this book, it just kept on getting better, I will say that Sophie has given us another treat, yet again, and it hit the spot.

Apart from the praise, the plot was AMAZING, it was certainly a unique setting, something that I haven't seen before, setting it in an afterlife cruise (along the lines), as vacation is a novel approach that was seen through in the best way. It was literally so cinematic, like I could imagine and literally was spectating the whole book as it was happening like a movie. IT WAS THAT GOOD.

I won’t get too much into the plot, but I will say that this is your sign to go and read it, yet again, you cannot call yourself a K-drama fan without reading this; if you’ve read The God and the Gumhio, then this is very nostalgic as we literally yearn for Hani (Former FMC– kind of) along with Seakga (MMC) does, it is quiet an overwhelming journey, and I loved Kisa (new FMC–kind of), her vibes were sure different from Hani, but I think that Sohpie has written her so well, it was impeccable.

In terms of criticism, I wouldn’t say there is anything specific, wholistically I only see good things about the work, and it was one of the books that does leave a hole in your heart, but in the sweetest way possible, it was for me anyway. In my opinion, there is nothing to point out as a black spot in this book, it was marvellous and very well done, if I had to say something, then I would think the grammar was just a little tiny bit funny in some areas, my personal opinion but apart from that I’d say it contributed to the charm of the book, all in all, it was spellbinding.

You guys, I cannot say anything but ‘READ IT’ for this book, the starting is a little bit mundane, but the meat comes very soon and carries through for the entirety, so don’t hesitate, and even if your trying Korean Folklore for the first time, this is certainly the best way to start and stay, no one does K-drama vibes like Sophie Kim, she just has a captivating style that is just hard to not be impressed by. So, as soon as it is out, get it, read it, and love it. HAPPY READING!!

A very exciting follow-up to The God and the Gumiho! Seokga's reconciliation of the Hani he knew with the Kisa he now sees combined with Kisa's understanding of who she is independently of Hani creates so much delicious yearning and angst. The characters grow so much and the mystery keeps the story well-paced.

Sophie Kim's The God and the Gwisin is a swoony, thrilling sequel to The God and the Gumiho, combining mystery, romance, and fantasy into a compelling and captivating story. This time, Seokga, the trickster god, must team up with his reincarnated lost love, Yoo Kisa, to solve the murder of the heavenly emperor aboard a luxury cruise ship in the underworld. The stakes are high, the tension is palpable, and the characters’ journey is filled with emotion, suspense, and unexpected twists.

I am such a sucker for a guy swooning for his lost love.

I really enjoyed The God and the Gumiho so I was so excited to be lucky enough to receive an arc for this one. While The first book started slow for me this one jumped straight into the plot. A urban fantasy retelling with an intriguing who dunnit storyline absolutely grabbed my attention. I enjoyed revisiting the original characters but the addition of a few new characters made a welcome addition. Seokga’s family dynamics were explored in a lot more detail in this book which provided some much needed context. I really enjoyed the cruise ship setting, plenty of places for a murder to hide but no way off the boat made the whole story feel claustrophobic. Overall I had a great time with this book and I hope after that ending that another one is coming our way.

I love this series and this story and have enjoyed it and want to thank Sophie Kim for the opportunity to review and read the book. The grump and sunshine trope is something I will always love in this universe and how Soekga just loves Hani so much it makes me squish <3

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to Sophie Kim, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really wanted to love this. Unfortunately I don’t think Kim’s writing style is for me. The characterisation wasn’t great and each character felt childish with the same personality traits and humour. It was very tell-don’t-show. The first book didn’t work for me either. It’s a shame as the settings and plots were creative.

I enjoyed 'The God and the Gumiho' a lot ! But I loved 'The God and the Gwisin' with all my heart !
This book was a delight, funny and romantic, atmospheric and intriguing ! I love Seokga so much and really like Kisa as well !
Again, Sophie Kim delivers the perfect K-Drama in the form of a novel (I laughed out loud at one particular mention, that my other k-drama fans will love!).
I am hoping that Kim is not finished with this world, I'll definitely read more of those characters !

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!