📱 eARC

🌟 4.75

"She would rather hurt than heal."

"She was starting to suspect that healing was a myth. There was only the bent arrow of loss that traveled its turbulent path forward until it could be lived with and observed, but still quivered at will. A domesticated grief. Maybe that was all there ever was."

"A lighthouse calling nothing to shore."

Though there were a couple moments of confusing wording or overly wordy phrases, that's my only criticism of this book. I loved it. It was so marvelously stitched together, and the themes of grief, release, revenge, hunger, were gorgeous. I love both necromancy and books about grief & familial love, and this had all of them in spades.

There was a small romantic subplot, but it was far from the focus of the book, which was a big relief as I wasn't expecting a romance-heavy story given Soojin and Mirae are the focus. Mark still added a nice depth to it, though, helping to flesh the story out more.

The descriptions in this book were so incredibly vivid I had no issue at all picturing the story. It was so lifelike it felt more like watching than reading at times.

Jihyun Yun absolutely nailed it with her YA debut, and I definitely look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Yun for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun starts off extremely dark from the prologue. You see, Mirae Han, the eldest sister of the Han family drowned. Before the reader has time to process this information, she proclaims that she hears her younger sister, Soojin Han, calling out for her. Rather than resting, Mirae decides to wait until her sister does something drastic.

The next chapter opens with Soojin reviving her dead pet rat, Milkis, who once belonged to her mother. From this introduction, we see that in order to revive the dead the women in Soojin's family need a healthy part of the body to revive a creature smaller than the length of their arms. Any bigger and they could face potential deadly side effects (such as literally rotting from the inside out--fun, right?).

Her dad sees her getting ready to do revive Milkis, and another aspect of Soojin's life is revealed: not only has her sister been dead for almost a year, but their mother passed away seven years ago in a car crash. Her dad and her aren't close (it's apparent through the stiff way they interact, and that he goes into the city to work and returns home on the weekend), and he warns her not to get caught reviving the rat. Though it's gross, the reader can quickly see how her ancestral magic works. Milkis is revived and back to normal.

As Soojin becomes more lonely, she relives in the past. She goes through her sister's things and finds a tooth from Mirae from when they were kids. Unable to resist the temptation, Soojin uses this tooth to bring her sister back to life.

At first, everything seems normal. Soojin and Mirae stay up all night and talk. When their dad is home, Mirae is in their seasonal Bed and Breakfast cottage. when he''s gone, Mirae is spending each day cooking and taking care of Soojin like an older sister would.

However, Mirae grows tired of being trapped inside. Instead, she longs to be outside in the world again. At the same time, she remembers what she was in the process of unraveling right before she died. She uncovered secrets that revealed that her mother's car crash maybe wasn't accidental like she previously thought.

Because of this, she grows hungry and restless for revenge on those who hid away the truth of her mother's accident.

Strong rains descend on the town and with it comes strange and unnatural deaths. With each one, Soojin realizes that her sister isn't the girl she thought she knew.

This book is dark and gruesome. The descriptions of death and the revival process are described meticulously as if I were actually there witnessing this process. While these scenes are gory, they aren't so gruesome to say this is a book for adults. In fact, I think the age recommendation of ages fourteen and up is perfect because Soojin and Mirae are both teenagers themselves.

Outside of the gore, the most fascinating part of this book was that it wasn't like your typical ghost story. Mirae is alive, yes brought back to life, but she is all flesh and commiting these gruesome deaths. Mark Moon, a supporting character whose family owns the pet cemetery, learns about a mul-gwishin, or a water ghost from his mother. The way that the ghost story is described and fits Mirae's motives. Learning about this Korean ghost story ultimately provides the solution to helping Mirae once and for all.

One of the aspects that made this book difficult to read was the switch between the differnt POVs. The whole book is written in third person, but it switches between the characters. This was hard to distinguish who was perceiving what until it outwardly stated who was present. For example, Soojin and Mirae both have their own POVs, but then there are characters like Mark, the sherrif, and characters in the past. Overall, at best, this was confusing regarding the different POVs until a name or a clue about the character was given. At worst, it made me go back and reread certain sections to try and figure out what was going on (essentially taking me out of the story).

Additionally, the book goes back to the first member who had the reviving gift throughout the book. While it explains the gift and its limitations, I found these moments jarring to the overall storyline. I feel like these moments could've been the prologue itself to add more suspense to how the descendants would use this gift in the modern world.

While that was accomplished throughout its various interruptions of the plot, it added to the overall confusion of the different POVs because it took me out of reading the main plot and go back to the limitations of the gift (which were explained quite a few times as well. Example: Soojin telling Mark that she can't bring back creatures over a certain size or else they're not completely whole and has the possibility to physically destroy the reviver).

My favorite aspect of this book was the bits and pieces of Korean folktales and culture throughout the book. Not only were these pieces important to the plot, but it added important context for the family dynamics of Soojin and Mirae. As the older sister, Mirae is expeted to take care of both her younger sister and father after her mother's death. Their father avoids discussing elements such as womanhood (having your first menstrual cycle) and dating because those were topics that their mother would've shared. So, she is forced to mature fast in all aspects of her life--something that haunts her even in death.

Also, the author depicts the racism that Soojin and her family face in this small town, which was both raw and powerful. That, alone, added a layer to the plot that made the grief in this book more realistic due to the isolation that Soojin faces both from the town and her own family.

My favorite character was actually Mirae. As an older sister myself, I somewhat related to her situation. Granted, if I was ever in the same situation of losing my mother at a young age, I wouldn't expect having to be perfect in the sake of taking care of my family. My little sister, yes, but not to the extent that Mirae took care of her sister (almost like a mother). Though, as a sister too, I couldn't fault Soojin for wanting to bring her sister back. The bond of being sisters was an essential aspect of this book and was highly relatable.

I, too, would bring back my sister if my grief was as bad as Soojin's, so I can't fault her for going against her family's rules.

Overall, this book was a fantastic read despite its sometimes confusing POV switches. I found myself devouring this book to figure out what was going on. Thus, I'm giving this book four and a half out of five stars.

If you are a fan of YA horror, emotional complexity between family members, or Korean folklore, I highly recommend this dark and tragic story.

This story is going to stick with me for a long time. It’s misty, creepy, and atmospheric, and the idyllic seaside PNW small town setting is the PERFECT backdrop. The Korean (American) culture and mythology were really fascinating to read about. If you’ve ever experienced intense grief, this will probably hit a lot harder for you. I’m not a “horror” reader at all, but I wanted to try something new. This book was just a liiiitle too scary for my liking to rate it higher, but I’m a total wimp with this stuff so take that with a grain of salt!

Looking at the reviews, I definitely think this novel will work for others, but it wasn't for me, unfortunately.

I was hoping for more horror and dark fantasy, but this was more melodrama than anything. This novel focused more on characters' feelings and emotions. I wasn't a huge fan of the extremely slow pacing either, or how I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be set in our present day or an alternate world that mirrored the present day.

Honestly, I'm just really disappointed that I wasn't moved at all by the story, as so many other reviewers were moved.

I love anything to do with necromancy, but after Soojin's sister was resurrected, Soojin's magical powers took a backseat to the drama. I wish her powers featured more in the story.

To end on a positive note, I did love how the author wove her culture and heritage into the storyline. We learn about death, grief, and loss as seen through a Korean American teenager and her family.

I also liked how Soojin was, at heart, a morally grey character. Right and wrong are blurred through her actions. But then again, if you've ever experienced grief as a teen, or even as an adult, it's not difficult to understand her actions. Grieving isn't black and white, and I really liked how this novel emphasized that point.

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc.

And the River Drags Her Down follows Soojin after she uses her family gift of resurrection to bring her sister back to life after she was mysteriously drowned. With the help of her childhood friend, Mark, they help Mirae readjust to life and all is well until Mirae becomes restless and hungry for revenge. Soojin must wade through her guilt and grief to do what is best for her sister.

This was a really deep, meaningful, and haunting book. The horror elements were top notch. It was a very slow descent and drawn out SO well. The body horror was amazing and so chilling. It was incredibly atmospheric and perfect for the fall season. There were some slower parts but it was overall still very engaging. I really enjoyed the magic system. It was so fascinating and I loved that it was passed down to each generation. It was super unique and interesting.

Soojin was a great main character. She has a lot of grief and anger bottled up and her arc was so well done. I loved that she slowly started to heal. Her friendship with Mark was so sweet and special. And her relationship with Mirae was so lovely. The sisterhood in this book is so strong and well described. Their love for each other leapt off the page. Mirae was such an intriguing character and I loved that we got to see what she got up to when Soojin wasn’t looking. It was very eerie and her revenge soaked scenes were great.

If you love haunting tales with sisterhood, grief, and top notch body horror, I’d definitely recommend checking this out!

Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc!

3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars! Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC.

What a poignant story of responsibility, love, grief, and letting go.

What happens if you have the power to resurrect what was dead? Who can stop you?

I loved the scenes of the sisters, before and after Mirae is resurrected. I greatly appreciated how visible and obviously Korean culture was portrayed, and how the mythology of the book was tightly woven into that. Seeing how Mark and Soojin resolved their past to learn to lean on and care for one another was so sweet. I also really admire how the author wrote the tangled storylines across different characters and tied it well at the end with how everything and everyone was connected.

The occasional flashback to Soojin and Mirae's ancestor and the chicken was very foreboding, but one thing I wish was different was that resurrected!Mirae was more horrific than she was. I expected there to be more horror based on the book description and in some of her later scenes, it was more along the lines of what I expected her to be.

I'm looking forward to Jihyun Yun's next works and would be interested in reading more from them!

Rating - 5 Stars

And the River Drags Her Down follows Soojin Han, who is struggling with the loss of her sister, Mirae. Soojin's family has the unique ability to revive things from the dead. She has never used her power to revive anything bigger than her hands. But when grief finally drives her to revive her sister, Soojin find that Mirae is changed. Can the sisters find a way forward together?

I loved this book a lot more than I thought I was going to. I don't typically read Young Adult books, but I was drawn to this one based off of the premise and beautiful cover. The prose was beautiful and aching. Every sentence felt steeped in a haunting beauty. The horror elements were also far more visceral than I expected, and I loved every minute of it.

The story as a whole felt like a bittersweet embrace. Following Soojin as she grappled with her grief and how to move forward was so so heart wrenching. I also loved Soojin's character development throughout the novel. She had believable flaws and acknowledged and grew from them in a realistic way.

I also loved how the author incorporated mythology into the story. Folk tale and fairy tale based work is some of my favorite stuff and this book contained much of that!

If you like Pet Sematary by Stephen King, korean mythology, or atmospheric reads, then check this book out!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - really liked it
🌶️ glimpses and kisses

I received a free eARC from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is my own honest opinion about the book.

Book Review: And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun
Release Date: 10/7/25

(These opinions are mine, if you don't agree, talk about that on your page)

*Spoilers Ahead*

What I loved:
The bond between the two sisters.
Such a unique storyline.

What I did not love:
Sister going off the deep end.
GR posted now. IG, FB & TT will post 9/12/25

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: violence, murder, death, grief, body horror

+ I was attracted to this book cover and thought this would be such a good read for spooky season, and I was right! I like the Korean representation. Soojin and her family is Korean along with her friend Mark and his family. It’s set in a small town, and Soojin’s family has a reputation for being cursed.

+ Soojin has lost her mom and her sister. Her grief is immeasurable and it’s changed her. It’s broken her family. But her family has an ancestor who had an interesting power, they could bring the dead back to life. I sympathized with Soojin, but I was also trying to warn her in my head that this was not the right path and sure enough she has to face the consequences for her actions.

+ Mirae, comes back to life but she is not herself. What is brought back to life is never the same, no matter how Soojin wanted to believe it was still her sister. And Mirae is out for revenge. There is a murder mystery that almost everyone in town except the perpetrators and Mirae know about, so she takes it on herself to carry our the revenge. The horror of her coming in forms of water was so good, scary and so creepy! There is a lot of body horror but I think that was needed to show how this wasn’t Mirae.

+ The way this book tackled grief and letting go of someone was really good. I cannot blame Soojin for what she did, but I wanted to shake some sense into her and tell her that bringing something back doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. Sometimes you have to let go. The story about her ancestor and the chicken they kept killing and reviving to survive hits hard! It’s a good lesson to learn.

~ Again, I was frustrated with Soojin. Her dad had every right to be so angry with her. And Mark, was such a big support to her, and yet she never listened to him either. So at times, it was just hard watching Soojin make this choice and see her be delusional about Mirae until it’s too late.

Final Thoughts:

This is a young adult horror story that tackles the theme of grief. It really is heartbreaking what happened to Soojin and her dad and this was her way of trying to bring one part of her happiness back. The horror elements are so good, if this was a horror film, I wouldn’t watch it because I’d be freaked out about with any water, and bathroom scenes! If you are looking for an emotional fall read with horror and paranormal elements, you might enjoy this one.

3.5 Stars!! This book was eerily heartbreaking, and just an overall emotional read! It held a lot of mystery within its pages and we see a journey of one sister doing what should be impossible. The overall premise of this book was well written but did slow down after about halfway through. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGallery for the eARC!
As the author states, this is a story of grief. A family suffering from the loss of a mother, a wife, and then years later the loss of a daughter, a sister. It speaks to how grief impacts the individual and the community around them. It even speaks to the dead's healing, an unlikely possibility in reality, but one that works in this narrative.
I really enjoyed this book. I found there to be a good mix of the supernatural element that added to this tale of grief and it didn't feel like too much. I appreciated the changes in perspective throughout the chapters, and never found myself confused. These shifts happened where they needed to, and added to this understanding of how each characters minds functioned. Each character was flawed in one way or another, and I found these flaws to help aid the plot along. Even the characters I was supposed to dislike I found myself feeling sympathy for.
An excellent read, and definitely something I'd highly recommend.

This was an intriguing YA horror that tackles the tough topic that is grief and how to move on once you lose a loved one. For anyone who has ever known loss, this could be a bit of a tough read. There is the topic of animal and human death and resurrection that may not be for everyone. This is in the horror / magical realism realm and I feel like she tells a story that is beautifully written to where you can feel the characters grief and anguish and understand why she does what she does. It does get a little slow in the middle and there’s a few things that drag out or aren’t really needed in the story so took away one star for that.

It may get a little spoilery below:

Soojin and her father react differently to the death of Mirae, similar to how Mirae, Soojin, and their father all differently react to their mother’s death. I love that it shows that grief shows up different for every person, even as they have the same loss.

Soojin is literally killing herself to keep her sister alive, but soon discovers it may not be for the right reasons. Her relationship with Mark Moon changes throughout the story and I feel like he is important to her story and understanding of the grief she feels.

Let’s all agree that Bentley and his dad are just not all good, but a part of me thinks Bentley is also a little misunderstood. I think he really did care for Mirae but things he did not tell her lost any trust she had in him.
Miraes revenge on those who harmed her and her mom over takes her in death and consumes her until she is taken away again by the river, closing out her grief and anger.

This story swept me away with its uniqueness. The plot felt unlike anything I’ve read before, and that’s exactly what made it so very special. I loved the Han girls and the depth of their sibling bond. It was tender and so beautifully written.

Mark was such a standout character, gentle and so caring. Even in the midst of heartbreaking loss and tragedy, I was moved by how Soojin and her father managed to find their way back to one another. That thread of resilience and reconnection gave the book so much heart.

This was very different from my usual reads, but I savored every moment. I’m always drawn to stories that carry deep emotional weight. This one was raw and filled with love in its many forms. I value books that represent grief because it gives me some comfort in knowing that the grief and sadness i live with every day is seen in some form.

I think Mirae should have played a much bigger role in the middle of the book - especially if she had more POV chapters. It was so easy to forget her quest for vengeance and the corruption of the town when we were tied down with Soojin’s rose colored glasses on. We’re allowed to forget for pretty much half the book that there was a conspiracy. The “eat the rich” / root out corruption was an afterthought - and perhaps that is the point, but also I feel like if Mirae was going to boil down to her vengeance, it should have felt more prevalent.

I will say though that the horror elements were awesome. The staging of the bodies, the creeping rot and water stains, awesome. I also really liked walking through the memories (definitely would have liked to see that earlier). And the climax in the drowning house was amazing, cathartic, and the perfect ending for Soojin and Mirae

I’m crying you are😭😭😭

I had remind myself over and over that this was YA.
This book follows and explores the grief between sisters. Would if you had the chance to bring your love one back, but they don’t come back the way you remember them, would you still do it? This slow burn gothic tales beautifully leads you through twist and turns. Sometimes the family bond is broken but it not forever.

This book was emotional! The sister bond is unbreakable and this book shows how even after loss you would do whatever you can to get your love one back. Definitely recommend reading trigger warnings before reading but overall was a well written book.

And The River Drags Her Down is a young adult horror story following a girl named Soojin who uses her ancestral magic to bring her sister Mirae back from the dead. However, when Mirae returns she is not the same.

First of all, I really liked the spooky and eerie atmosphere of this book - it makes it a perfect read for the fall. I also loved the unique way that this book explored sisterhood and grief. There were some moments where I felt a bit disconnected from the story, but for the most part I enjoyed it. I rated this a 3.5/5 stars and I would recommend this to others!

The women in Soojin's family have a secret; they can resurrect the dead. Whenever her family rat dies, Soojin can bury a piece of him and he will come back. But when her mother dies, then her sister, Soojin spirals. She isn't supposed to resurrect anything larger than a small creature, but she has a tooth from her sister, and very little left to lose.

This took me a little bit to get into for some reason, but once I did I was hooked. It was an eerie and enthralling tragic tale of grief and sisterhood and revenge. A perfect book for a rainy fall day.

I rated it 4/5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for the e-arc!

I’m not sure what I expected going into this, but I definitely didn’t expect it to be one of the most emotional books I’ve read. I saw the cool cover and YA horror and thought “that looks cool.” I don’t typically read horror but I’m so glad I decided to give this book a try because Soojin and Mirae are going to stick with me for a long time.

And the River Drags Her Down is a heavy story that explores grief and the actions taken when you’re angry and lonely. It is sad, poetic, depressing, isolating, relatable, and ever so slightly hopeful. Jihyun Yun has a beautiful way of writing. This story played out like a cinematic show in my head with its atmospheric tone.

Other than knowing the triggers, I think this book is best to read going in blind, letting the writing sweep you up in Soojin’s journey.

As stated earlier, I don’t read much horror, so I’m not sure how dark YA horror usually gets but to me this seemed very adult. Not sure if my teenage self could’ve handled this book very well.

I can’t wait for whatever Jihyun Yun releases next!

Wow! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! This book will leave you wanting for more and the characters and storyline stick with you long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and pick up this page-turner!