This took everything I enjoyed about The God and the Gumiho and amplified it. The two main characters are the same from the original book.... but at the same time, they aren't. There has been a thirty=year gap, and Kisa doesn't have Hana's memories. The dynamic is definitely different--softer, less banter, but more depth and connection. I particularly enjoyed getting more of Seokga's backstory in this book, as well as the general handling of mental health.

But, it's not all long talks about relationships and connections. It's still a fun book, with a lot of k drama inspired action, wild set ups like a cruise ship run by the God of Death, and of course, a murder mystery. I wasn't sure how things could move forward after the ending of the last book, but this exceeded my expectations.

I’m going to try and keep this review spoiler free but you NEED to read the God and The Gumiho first before this emotional sequel.

Overall, I loved The God and the Gwisin! I was a bit hesitant starting due to how book 1 ended but these characters just grow on you. Definitely keep an open mind when you go in! I loved the new and returning characters—an unruly Gumiho, K-pop idol, and A BABY!! I think the baby is my favorite lol. I’m happy for our leading characters and they are just so cute. OK, I can’t say more. 🤐

Similar to book 1, there’s a murder mystery but it all happens on the death god’s cruise ship. This book was so fun and I really enjoyed the change in location. I NEED to see this as an animation. It’s just how it played in my head?? If you’ve read these, please let me know so we can yap and gush!!

Many thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the eARC. 🫶

“A god and a gwisin. It is an impossible thing. Isn’t it?” . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

My god!!!! This book!!!! To put it simply: 5 heart wrenching, tear-induced, stars. Scratch that, infinity stars ♾️✨

I don’t want to spoil anything from book one so this review will likely be on the shorter side just as an fyi! The God and the Gwisin is a perfect follow up to the first book in the duology. It’s the perfect addition to the story and the continuation of events flows seamlessly. Characters we meet from The God and the Gumiho continue to develop while characters introduced in this story really shine! Some sequels can sometimes feel unnecessary and don’t do the story justice, but that is NOT the case for Gwisin! Sophie really builds this world, the plot, and these characters up even more, adding so much depth and meaning to their story and journeys.

There are two really stand out themes throughout Gwisin: the mental health representation and second chances. Sophie brings to light the importance of seeking the help you need, whether that’s through therapy, medication, purpose, or even community. You really get to see right into the minds of Seokga and Kisa as well as secondary characters, which I think is so important to making a reader really care about how these characters and their stories play out. The other standout theme throughout Gwisin for me is second chances and the buildup for these second chances given in the forms of romance and friendship.

☁️ adult contemporary fantasy
☁️ second chances
☁️ murder mystery
☁️ fated lovers / soulmates
☁️ mental health representation
☁️ yearning (so much of it that it makes your heart ache)

It’s got comedy, it’s got tension, it’s got yearning, it’s got passion, it has everything. This book is everything and I absolutely, wholeheartedly recommend reading this duology (and it would make my heart very happy if you did 🥹)

Thank you SO much Del Rey and Sophie Kim for the advanced reader copy on Net Galley!

All I have to say after finishing this book is…
“𝘈𝘸𝘸𝘸𝘸𝘸𝘸𝘸𝘸𝘸𝘸.”
🥹🥹🥹

This series is seriously addictive! I feel in love with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘩𝘰 earlier this year, and its sequel/conclusion, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯 delivers a perfect blend of cheeky humor and adorable silliness that’ll leave you grinning.

Where book one was all snarky hate-to-love banter, coffee-fueled chaos, and urban fantasy vibes, this sequel softens into a shy, sugary-sweet contemporary underworld cruise ship romance with all the K-drama energy.

…𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰.

It’s wildly entertaining and a quick read, but I didn’t connect to these characters right off the bat like I did with the previous book (set 33 years in the future, there are bound to be some personality changes).
Or maybe it’s just that soft sweet innocent romance will 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 quite win me over like a snarky enemies to lovers dynamic does.

Still, I very much enjoyed it!

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 “𝙎𝙚𝙭𝙮 𝙎𝙚𝙤𝙠𝙜𝙖’𝙨 𝙎𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙏𝙚𝙡𝙡-𝘼𝙡𝙡” 𝙜𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙥 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙?! Iconic.

Pure perfection!! I absolutely loved book 1 in this series, The God and the Gumiho, but this sequel was even better!!

What I loved about the book:
1. I just love Sophie Kim’s writing. Whether it’s this series (Fates Thread) or her Talons series, I seriously scream every time she announces a new book. Her writing is lyrical and flirty yet drips with sarcasm; hilarious and silly, while incredibly morbid. The bringing together of these opposite things really works and it’s completely her own voice.

2. I loved the juxtapositions between Kisa and Hani. While they were the same soul and did have a lot of small things in common, they had so many differences! I loved how Hani was a rebellious and loud personality, while Kisa was very quiet and curious. I loved that both of them were super intelligent, Hani more street smarts and Kisa more book smarts. I could really relate to Kisa in a lot of ways, and I loved seeing her come around on her acceptance of being good enough for Seokga as Kisa and not as Hani.

3. I loved how Seokga searched literally the entire globe for Hani. He knew that once the red thread appeared again, it meant that Hani had been reincarnated, and he went anywhere and everywhere he thought it would take him. I loved that he was aware enough from the very beginning that the reincarnated version of Hani may be nothing like Hani at all, and he was fine with that, as she was still his soul stitched and it had been THIRTY THREE YEARS since she left his world. I also loved how we got more backstory into Seokga’s upbringing and the fears he carries with him that he was the reason for his father’s decent into madness. I feel even more connected to his character and was especially proud of him for some of the choices he made in the past and present.

4. I loved the improved relationship we saw between Seokga and his brother Hwanin. While it was not 100% improved, they did seem to have a working relationship where Hwanin pushed to get close with Seokga and Seokga still played brotherly tricks on Hwanin. All in good fun 😊 I loved watching the…regression of Hwanin as well and Seokga having to deal with that for most of the book. I loved how it truly brought them even closer together and how Seokga had to grow more of a heart in the process, showing he really did love his brother and that no one could pick on him but Seokga 🤣

5. I loved the appearance of Somi from the first book as well as her redemption arc in this book. I loved how her personality had changed as almost an honor to Hani; it was fun to see this new side of her, and it was exactly what Kisa needed in a friend who had a connection to her past life. I also loved new character Hajun who was great for Kisa’s current life (i.e. having no connection to when she was Hani). I felt he was super important for grounding Kisa in the “now” as opposed to the “past” which she found herself getting caught up in often. He was also great just in his own right and he definitely had some hardships in his past and darkness lurking below the golden retriever façade. I also was not mad at all about the little relationship we saw bloom between Somi and Hajun. They were adorable together and I hope we get to see more of them in the future books I’m assuming there will be!!

6. I enjoyed how much we saw of Yeomra, the God of Death and the CEO of the Seocheongang River Cruises (“SRC”). While he was not friends with Seokga because of things in their past, he did lend help when needed and was overall an enjoyable character. I loved his concept of the death cruise, which was just ridiculous enough to be hilarious but also totally make me want to go upon my own death 🤣 I loved him as a character, with his dry humor and overall businessman attitude. I would totally read a story centered on him and probably fall to my knees for the God of Death.

7. I enjoyed the sentience to the Red Thread and how it was a trickster itself. It was fun to watch it taunt the two of them and definitely added even more sarcastic humor to the story, which I loved.

Bottom line, there is so much to love about this book, this series, this author’s entire works. I’ve been a fan since the beginning and each additional book just cements it even more. PICK UP SOPHIE KIM’S BOOKS IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey, and Sophie Kim for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

AHHHH!!
Being with Seokga again felt so much like being with a friend you haven’t seen in forever. Sophie manages to somehow make you so comfortable with a somewhat new set of character after getting you so used to the crew from book one. The ghost of Hani does so a good job at not taking over the story but being there enough to feel for Seokga. Speaking of Hani, Yoo Kisa is THE relatable character. Sophie does such an amazing job of giving us a FMC that has the same feelings you and I go through on a daily. The connection between Seokga and Kisa is undeniable from their first interaction and I was hooked the entire time. If you loved Book one just know The God and the Gwisin won’t disappoint.

*𝚌𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚐 𝚔𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚜 🙂‍↕️*

The God and the Gwisin is such a fun, emotional, healing continuation to the Fate’s Thread series. Not only does it include the perfect mix of romance, mythology, and mystery, but it also has all the character work and further background exploration I didn’t even know I needed. Along with some beloved returning main characters (all the same but different), we are introduced to some lovely additions to the cast. And of course, how can you resist the fun new setting? I never thought I’d see a mythology-cruise ship crossover, but I got it here and had a blast.

The first book showcased a meeting of like minds, the banter, and the tearing down of walls. This second book explores the why. Why is seokga the way he is? Why can’t he get along with his brother? Why is Kisa, Hani’s reincarnation, his Threaded person, rather than Hani herself?

What I loved most was the progression of their romance. In book one, we saw boundless, fiery passion. Book two leads the way to vulnerability, understanding, and adoration. The blooming affection between Seokga and Hani was so precious and beautiful that 🥹 was my face literally the entire time reading this.

Seokga and Hani are my cuties and I will love them forever ❤️

Thank you SO SO much to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC!

This is the sequel to the God and the Gumiho and this review will contain spoilers of the first book.

<spoiler>I was devastated when Hani and Seokga did not get their HEA at the end of the first book but this book definitely made up for it. I was very worried that this would be a mediocre sequel because honestly.. a cruise for the undead? What does that have to do with anything? But I am EATING. MY. WORDS. I loved this just as much as the first one although for some different reasons.</spoiler>

I want to say that these were character driven books because they all have such great arcs, but there was still a good amount of mystery and action. We learn about so many more creatures and some of the gods which added depth to the story as well as Seokga’s character. There was also some great exploration of mental health, grief, forgiveness, fate, love, and friendship. This had everything I wanted and so much more.

The God and the Gwisin had the same enjoyable balance of serious and unserious that The God and the Gumiho had; I will gladly read this duo over and over again.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I have been waiting so long to read this! Once again, Sophie has made me fall in love with not just the characters but the world she creates as well! I get so sucked in that I lose track of time lol.

We are back with our favorite grumpy god of mischief for more shenanigans–and of course, a mystery that must be solved. Oh and did I mention this takes place on a cruise ship in the underworld? Yep. You need to add this to your summer TBR. 

Seokga has been searching the entire globe for his soulmate for the last 33 years–no biggie–when his therapist and brother force him to take a vacation. That’s right, the god of mischief is in desperate need of a vacation. Only what he finds on the cruise ship is more than he bargained for. 

I won’t say too much about the red thread and the love interest in this book because I don’t want to spoil anything for those who have not yet read book 1. If you’re interested in this series, the first book is The God and the Gumiho! What I can say is that this book is Fun. Yes, the F needs to be capitalized to emphasize my point. I laughed and smiled my whole way through this book. The amount of highlights on my Kindle is insane. 

That is how much fun I had reading this book. 

Sophie Kim’s writing is chef’s kiss. Seokga is hilarious. His grumpiness and bluntness are unparalleled. We were also exposed to a more vulnerable side of him in this book, which I loved. We got to see more of his trauma and why he acts the way he does towards those around him. At his core, like all of us, he wants to be loved and chosen. Kisa, our heroine, is a great balance for him. She’s very analytical and prone to becoming obsessive when she finds something interesting, which as readers, I believe we can all relate to. Watching these two interact was pure joy from a reader’s standpoint. Throw in a mystery and enjoyable side characters full of snark and you have a stellar sequel. 

Honestly, I could read about these characters solving mysteries forever. Give me more, Sophie Kim!

3.75/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read an eARC of this novel. I read and enjoyed The God and the Gumiho last month so I was pleased to be able to pick up where that left off. The God and the Gwisin takes place 33 years after the events of The God and the Gumiho, and the reader finds Seokga desperately searching for Hani's soul, trying to follow the red thread that is tied around his finger and ties him to her. He ends up on a cruise vacation (aboard the SRC Flatliner, a luxury ship on the river of the dead) where he discovers Kisa, who is Hani's soul reincarnated, and incidentally died the same day that Seokga first saw the red thread. Unfortunately Kisa does not share any of Hani's memories so Seokga is a stranger to her. While on the cruise, someone gets murdered and Seokga and Kisa, in addition to 2 other friends, are tasked with solving the murder. I found this to be a very well written, fun story. I believe it is considered an adult book, as there is a little bit of spiciness, but it reads more as YA/NA. The reveal at the end was a little predictable, but it was a good time so I'm not mad about it. One thing that I think would have improved both of these books for me is if the author had included a glossary of sorts to explain each of the Korean-myth inspired gods and creatures that are mentioned in the book. I had a hard time keeping them straight and found myself googling the terms often and if I could have just gone to the back of the book and read a description (especially curated by the author, instead of reading through multiple articles each time) it would have been much easier and given more color to the books overall.

This was one of the most anticipated read and wow,I loved it even more than the first book!

I loved the set of a cruise and especially the emotional element hits so hard ! It’s full of love , angst , longing ,hurt and gave allo different vibes than the previous book. Bu it have also a great deal of chemistry and the relationship with Kisa it’s beautiful as the one with ani.

So, yes, it’s a soldi 5 stars read!

The first 25% of this book absolutely slapped. I was intrigued by the mystery, I was laughing at the shenanigans, I was feeling for poor Seokga after everything he went through.

But then everything sort of felt meh in the middle. This carried over to the ending too, unfortunately. There was a lot of build-up only for it to be solved relatively quickly and with barely an inconvenience.

But I think my main issue was that the author spent the majority of the book trying to convince us that Kisa and Seokga had chemistry when really everything paled in comparison to his relationship with Hani. The banter Hani shared with Seokga, the similarities in their experiences, the mischievousness. It's not that I didn't like Kisa, she's sweet. I just don't believe those two fell in love and all the time spent on it and away from the plot didn't really help. (You'd think having a bigger page count dedicated to it would help, but no...)

In book 1, the plot and romantic development were intertwined, we knew going in that something would have to give, etc. The stakes weren't just theory. Plus, let's just say Seokga had a personality. Here he is just whipped 24/7, and while I understand where this comes from, the execution didn't do it for me.

Then there is the mystery itself... Also needed work. It's not that the first book's mystery wasn't predictable, but at least there was more momentum and crumbs to follow. The foreshadowing and build-up were a lot more satisfying. Let's just say that if you go into this book for the mystery, you'll be disappointed.

Still, the setting is fun, the cast is also fun (the baby especially), and it can be a good time. Plus, it could end here if you wanted it to. Same for book 1, actually. Plus, I'm clearly in the minority, so go ahead and read this book if you liked the first.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Sophie Kim and Del Rey for the chance to read and review this book.

Thank you so much to Del Rey and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my review!

This book was one of my highly anticipated reads of 2025 since the first book, The God and the Gumiho was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2024! With the way the first book ended up, I have been desperately waiting to read the sequel to see what awaits for our beloved gumiho and mischief God.

First I just want to say that I love Sophie’s writing style so much; there’s just something so beautiful and whimsical about the way she weaves Korean mythology into the setting of her books. Both the characters and the settings really pull you in and leave you wanting for more.

The sequel picks up around 30 years after the events of the first book. During this time Seokga has been looking for the reincarnated soul of Hani until finally the Red Thread of Fate shows up. However, who he finds at the end of it is not who he expected.


This book was both emotional and exciting. I absolutely loved the murder mystery plot weaved into it. The cruise ship was the perfect setup to create a tense and exhilarating setting for our main characters. On top of that, there was also the perfect found family trope and the additional accidental baby acquisition trope! I also really liked how the book focused more on Seokga and allowed him to go through a great deal of character development.

The romance in this book hit so hard with the longing and angst; it definitely gave a different vibe to his initial relationship with Hani but doesn’t erase the chemistry in any way. If anything, it only strengthened it. I think his relationship with Kisa was just as beautiful as his relationship with Hani and in a way, had a slightly stronger buildup. Seokga had to fall in love with someone who was Hani but not Hani at the same time and Sophie did an amazing job with writing about their relationship.

As for the side characters, I really enjoyed Hajun’s and Somi’s relationship too. I really liked how Somi was given a redemption arc and despite being a side character, she played an instrumental role in the story. Hajun’s character was amazing as well and I liked how Sophie was able to write in a character that opened readers’ eyes to the darker side of K-pop


The ending was wrapped up beautifully and I am so happy that Seokga and Kisa finally found peace and happiness with one another.

I thought this was such a fun read! I loved the first book, and while this one didn't fully capture the same magic (Hani 4 Life), it was still a really good time. Some of the twists were predictable, but that didn't ruin the read at all.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The second installment in the Fate's Thread series, The God and the Gwisin follows newly reinstated god Seokga as he searches for the reincarnated form of his deceased true love.

I absolutely adored The God and the Gumiho, and I really didn't know whether this book would outdo it, but I have to say, The God and the Gwisin really knocked it out of the park. The ghost cruise, the red thread of fate, the murder mystery, every bit was absolutely pitch-perfect. While I missed Hani, Kisa absolutely won me over, and the differences and similarities between the two characters were remarkably intriguing and a joy to discover. This book was funny and sad and sweet and bittersweet, and while I don't want my two babies to ever go through anything bad ever again, I also selfishly hope this isn't the last book set in this world.

I want this whole book tattooed onto my body.

After reading The God and the Gumiho last year and having my heart ripped out I was so excited for The God and The Gwisin and felt so lucky to be given an ARC copy! This book tore my heart out and proceeded to stitch it up and then put it back in my chest before repeating the process at least three more times. I am so attached to the characters in this duology that I cried through the last three chapters not wanting to say goodbye. To avoid spoiling anything I won't mention much about the plot but please do yourself a favour and pick up this duology!

Onto characters, which I feel were truly the heart of this is story! I was already so attached to Seokga and Hani in the first book, and can proudly say they still had me in a chokehold in this book as well. Kisa really tugged on my heartstrings, I could see a lot of myself in her with her propensity for overthinking and her journey throughout the book was beautiful. There was such a push and pull between the two, and if you know me, you know that is favourite of mine!

I also loved Somi and was glad to see her again in this book, as well as our new comer Hajun who had me on board (hehehe.. they are on a ship in this book, get it?) immediately with his caring yet clueless personality and traumatising past. Hwanin was also definitely a fave in this book, iykyk. Sophie really has a way with writing characters and sucking you in to the world within the book and I will be reading everything she ever writes from now on, even if it is a shopping list.

I would absolutely love more books in this universe, I feel there is so much more to see and am praying for an announcement in the future. Especially with how this one ended!!

Thank you to NetGalley and DelRay for providing me with an eARC of this book.

4⭐️

The God and the Gumiho was one of the most surprising top reads of the year for me last year (shoutout to my Fairyloot subscription) so I was so incredibly excited once I got the e-ARC for its sequel, The God and the Gwisin. These books are emotional, funny, adventurous, and just such great reads! When this starts, we meet Seokga again seven years later. I loved that this one was more centered around his story because I immediately gravitated towards him in book 1. He is still chasing after his reincarnated love which leads him to being abroad a cruise ship in the middle of a murder mystery. I love a good murder mystery, my Agatha christie roots shining through, so the set up for the book already told me I was gonna love it! While on the cruise ship, Seokga meets Kisa, a ghost gwisin. I really enjoyed the relationship between them in this. The romance had banter, tension, longing, and so many lovely moments throughout. I loved that while these two were figuring out their relationship, they were also trying to solve all the mysteries happening on the ship. As with The God and the Gumiho, Sophie Kim perfectly weaves in Korean mythology into this. The mental health representation was also really well done. I love this world and characters that Sophie Kim has created. I will truly miss this world but am so happy this duology ended on a high note!

Thank you so so much to Del Rey and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my review!

The God and The Gwisin is a light and easy read that’s perfect for when you're feeling tired, as it doesn't require too much focus. I really enjoyed it!

The pacing for this book was better than the first book, though there are still some abrupt scene transitions. However, it’s not as bad as the first one.

This book focuses more on character development, which I appreciated of course, although it did make some of the other plotlines feel a bit rushed. And while I understand that the main characters are meant to be soulmates, their relationship still felt like it progressed too fast.

That said, I still enjoyed the book overall—it was the perfect read during my hectic week.

Absolutely loved this book. One of my friends highly recommended the first one. Read it so fast and patiently waited for God and the Gwisin. Loki coded please give these books a try.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.