4⭐️

I liked this book a lot! I thought it was creative and the writing style was easy to read yet lyrical, and well done for a YA audience. I would classify this as a horror for YA readers and a thriller for adult audiences, because it isn’t really scary but it does have some scenes with suspense and thrill, and has some gothic elements.
My biggest issue with the story was the pacing. Some parts dragged on a bit too long, so I did feel like this book could have been a little shorter than it was. This would have kept the energy higher and kept the pacing of the story consistent throughout the entirety of the book, because there were a few times I wanted to put the book down and take a break during slower points.
There were also some times where it was hard to tell which character’s POV the reader was reading from, as the book was written in third person. Some sections started with feminine pronouns rather than names and would leave the reader guessing if we were reading Soojin’s or Mirae’s pov for that section.

THE CHARACTERS
I thought the author did an incredible job with the characters and I saw a lot of growth and development in the writing. I don’t think the reader is meant to love Soojin or fully agree with her, which is nice for a YA audience to see someone making mistakes and learning/growing from them. Mark was a perfect complement to Soojin and brought a great different perspective to things. I thought his POVs were really nice because it did show differences in “reality” and caused the reader to question the narrator and question Soojin’s grip on reality throughout the book as she is blinded by her grief. This was really well done and thought provoking for the reader.
I loved Mirae and Bentley’s characters especially! I thought they both had a lot of depth and despite the lack of backstory, they were very developed and had a lot of emotion and impact through their personalities.

THEMES
The author incorporated the themes of water and weather really well into the story and utilized them to connect to Mirae’s mood or the process of grief that the characters were undergoing. I thought the symbolism was exceptional and that even a YA audience would pick up on it and enjoy it a lot.

QUOTES: THE CHARACTERS

“"I've given you so much grace." Meaning: I was so nice to you after your sister died. Why can't you be back to normal yet?”

“But today there was a perfect, calm certainty. There was no way forward other than with her sister, and for this reason alone, she knew she would not fail. Why else would her family have been afflicted with such a gift if not to salvage her at precisely this moment?”

“Even knowing her fate, she couldn't help but feel envious of the girl in this photograph, who contemplated which berry to eat first, unaware that within a year she would be dead. What a gift, to believe your life was a given.”

“In the pantheon of flowers, Soojin supposed, geraniums were not particularly beautiful. They were earthy and herbaceous in a vaguely off-putting way. The prickly stems needled her arms and caught on the fabric of her dress. She absolutely loved them.”

“But nothing truly traumatic had ever happened to Mark Moon. It was easy to be good under the right circumstances. His loving mother, his exuberantly jolly father, his raucous extended family who descended on Jade Acre every summer-alive, alive, all of them. His life was kind, everything arranged so he could retain his soft edges. A luxury neither she nor her sister had.
And now she truly saw him: his insecurity. A deep need to repair that unblemished facade, if only for himself.”

“No, actually, she said. A god saw Erigone's death, took pity on her, and raised her to be a star in the solar system.
It's called catasterizing, a placing among the stars. A human body becoming a celestial body.
Her gaze fell to the earth again. To the boy who was sometimes beautiful when he let down his guard, and to the nameless charring animal between them. But doesn't that sound nice, Bentley? To be able to put down everything you're shouldering and just be carried into the sky like that? You could watch everything happening below you, impartial because the stars don't feel anything. Not even their own burning.”

"What does it make me, Mark? That I can love somebody and still wish them pain, just so I'm not alone with mine?"
A soft rustling beside her, and a hand cupped her cheek.
"Human," he said, directing her face so she turned toward him. "It makes you human."

“You know, my relatives always used to call me that. Perfect. I used to think it was a compliment, but I understand what it actually means now. Perfect for daughters is self-effacing. Perfect means erasing your own needs in favor of another's. Perfect has made me so fucking tired."

This was extremely well written, and I really wanted to love it—but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. I found myself skimming through parts of the book; while it started out fast, the pacing slowed significantly. I also felt somewhat indifferent toward the characters—neither loving nor disliking them, which made it hard to stay emotionally invested.

That said, it’s a story that thoughtfully explores themes of family, grief, and loss, with a unique touch of necromancy woven in. The topics are dark, raw, and very human—if that makes sense.

Don’t let my personal experience dissuade you from picking this up—there’s a lot here that others may deeply connect with.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgallery for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lyrical, haunting, and deeply atmospheric. Jihyun Yun weaves myth, memory, and grief into a mesmerizing tale that lingers long after the final page. Some pacing lulls aside, the poetic prose and emotional depth make this a powerful debut.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC of And the River Drags Her Down in exchange for an honest review.


All of the women in Soojin’s family have the power to resurrect the dead, usually small creatures. But when Soo’s sister, Mirae dies after an accident, Soo is determined to bring her back one way or another. Will Mirae be the same sister that Soo loved so dearly? Or is there something more sinister under the surface?

Listen, this book stressed me tf OUT.

Almost all of the character make some seriously WILD choices and their actions bewildered me. Their grief and lack of healing makes for some unfortunate choices for everyone, and the fall out is intense. It was nice to have a character like Mark, who was really the only sane one, to kind of even things out.

Some descriptions were a bit gory, so if that’s a trigger for you proceed with caution. The pacing sometimes felt a bit off, but overall this is a well done YA horror/supernatural story.

At its core, And the River Drags Her Down is a story of sisterhood, grief, and the feelings that arise from grief.

Soojin is a strong lead character - complicated, full of personality and feelings and thoughts, trying to make sense of a life without her mother and sister in her life. Loss is a powerful generator of emotion, and its tendrils lead Soojin to make a decision that affects much more than herself.

I really enjoyed the pacing - there was wonderful juxtaposition of focus between Soojin and her interactions with others and the supernatural elements, weaving a strong narrative that is satisfyingly tied up at the end.

What I Enjoyed:
- Korean supernatural folklore and cultural elements
- strong, complicated characters who are real people with diverse personalities
- maintained suspense of supernatural happenings
- a realistic look at the effects of grief

My favorite book experience: when I finish reading a book and IMMEDIATELY want to pick it up and start all over again. That's exactly how And the River Drags Her Down felt to me. This book is so many things. A version of a haunting, yes, but the layers beneath that are what truly made it a beautiful experience. Hauntings aren't always about ghost stories as Jihyun Yun reminds us here, but are sometimes about grief, pain, vengeance, isolation, and expectation.

Soojin and Mirae are both endlessly faceted characters. Flawed and broken, but growing and evolving- sometimes even when they don't want to, and sometimes even though it hurts for them to do so. They're easy to connect to and characters I found myself quickly drawn to. The girls both do what they think is best in the name of trying to heal, and isn't that really all any of us are doing?

While this book does have some horror elements, this is not a book ABOUT that horror. There are also beautiful connections to ancestral tradition, family, and the ways we can lose ourselves in the heartbreak that those things can bring.

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Jihyun Yun for this complimentary copy.))

Heavy read, so beware of the triggers. Beautifully sad book, though, for a horror story. I liked it. Moved slowly, but definitely built that tension. Loved the characters.

When I hear "necromancy," I don’t think twice.

The heroine lost her mother, and now her sister too. She knows resurrecting the dead is forbidden, but what can you do when grief won’t let go and living becomes harder each day? They say they understand, and that’s when she makes her decision, she will bring her loved one back. But will it really be her sister? And what sacrifice will it take?

I didn’t plan to cry, but this story really got to me…

The chapters are told both from the heroine’s perspective and from her deceased sister’s, which was especially hard to read.

There is also a romantic subplot, slow, subtle, and not overwhelming, but the main theme is family. The rs the otherwise heavy grief and darkness of the story.

The book is atmospheric: a small town, dark forest, elements of nature, ancestral voices, resurrection.

I barely made it to the end, I was just sobbing...

• A family gift or curse
• Loss of a loved one
• Friends to lovers
• Necromancy
• Small town
• Murder

🗓Pub Date: Oct 07 2025

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jihyun Yun’s “And the River Drags Her Down” is a haunting, lyrical meditation on grief, sisterhood, and the ancient, unrelenting pull of love that refuses to let go even when it should. Poised delicately between gothic horror and emotional realism, this YA debut blends bone-deep sorrow with eerie magic in a way that will leave you breathless, heartbroken, and deeply moved.

At the heart of the novel is Soojin Han, a Korean American teenager burdened with an inherited family secret: the women of her bloodline can bring the dead back to life, just not anything larger than the palm of a hand unless you want to experience disastrous negative effects. That rule is broken in the opening act, when Soojin resurrects her older sister, Mirae, who drowned in the river under mysterious circumstances. From there, the story unfolds into something far more complex than a simple resurrection tale. What Soojin brings back may look like Mirae, may even sound like Mirae—but something is deeply wrong.

Yun masterfully captures the unbearable weight of adolescent grief—how it distorts logic, skews memory, and tempts us with impossible bargains. Through vivid imagery and aching prose, she explores what happens when we try to outrun loss instead of facing it. The horror here isn’t just in the bone magic, in the reanimated creatures or Mirae’s unraveling humanity but it’s in the quiet, brutal honesty of mourning someone while they’re still standing in front of you.

The book alternates between Soojin, Mirae, and Soojin’s best friend Mark, with each voice adding depth to the unfolding tragedy. Soojin’s relationship with Mark, which is slow-building, soft, and believable, and helps ground the story in something human, even as the supernatural elements threaten to consume it. Meanwhile, the dynamic between the sisters is the emotional core: tender, complicated, and painfully real. Mirae is not a flat ghostly figure; she’s a fully fleshed person grappling with her own expectations, guilt, and the burdens of being the eldest daughter.

Cultural heritage plays a crucial role here, too. Korean myths and ancestral magic are woven seamlessly into the story, giving the book a sense of history and specificity that elevates it beyond typical genre fare. The result is a story that feels at once ancient and startlingly new. The resurrection magic that based in bone, blood, and consequence isn’t romanticized. It’s grotesque, wrong, and unforgettable. From a gut-wrenching scene involving a rat to the slow decay of Soojin’s own body, Yun makes sure we feel every cost.

While the story’s pacing might feel slow for some, particularly in the middle chapters, but that deliberate rhythm is essential to its impact. It’s a slow-burn descent—into grief, guilt, and the monstrous. And when things unravel, they really unravel. As Mirae begins to act on buried rage, and as Soojin’s body begins to betray her, the novel shifts from sorrowful to suspenseful, and then finally into something cathartic.

The ending is exquisite. It’s quiet, devastating, and healing. Closure doesn’t come neatly, but it does come. Each character finds a kind of peace, and readers are left with the sense that while grief may never fully disappear, it can transform. The metaphor of drowning as a symbol for grief, obligation, memory, and love is carried all the way through to the final page, leaving a lingering ache long after the last line.

If you’re looking for a YA novel that handles death with honesty, treats magic as metaphor, and delivers both terror and tenderness in equal measure, “And the River Drags Her Down” is a must-read. It's not an easy book, but it’s a necessary one.

Tragic, heartbreaking, and beautifully poetic, this book was a deep dive into grief and what it can do to someone who fears nothing in the face of getting their loved one back. It was slow, dark, gothic, but one I couldn't look away from, and which felt like it was written for the higher end of the YA spectrum. Really amazing overall, and one I loved every page of.

Really loved reading this book! I loved the concept and the plot and it was well done. I love reading about other cultures especially in this context. Thank you!

Rating: 4 out of 5
*Thank you to the author and publishers for the ARC!*

Trigger warnings: animal death, animal sacrifice, strangulation

- - - - - - - -

This was a well-executed debut novel in the young adult category! As someone on the older end of the YA spectrum, I often find some stories skew a bit too young for my taste, but this one struck a great balance—mature themes handled with emotional depth and nuance.

I was especially intrigued by the lore behind the resurrection power that Soojin and her sister inherited from their family. The supernatural elements felt fresh and well-integrated into the story’s emotional core. Soojin’s character development by the end of the novel was one of the highlights for me—it felt genuine and earned, rather than rushed or forced for the sake of wrapping things up. Her relationship with her father near the end, and seeing character growth from him as well, also added a touching layer of emotional resonance.

Seeing parts of the story through Mirae’s perspective was a nice touch, too. I think many older siblings will find her struggles incredibly relatable, particularly the burden of responsibility and unspoken expectations.

That said, the pacing in the middle did start to drag a bit for me—especially around the beach scenes with Mark. I found myself losing interest and had to put the book down a few times. (Granted, I really didn't care about Bentley lol).

While I understand the author’s intention showing Soojin navigating independence, I did find myself struggling to get to the next chapter.

Still, overall, this is a compelling YA thriller with paranormal elements and a lot of heart. It’s an great debut YA novel that explores grief, sisterhood, and healing. I think it could really resonate with readers who are dealing with loss—or who simply want a character-driven story with a supernatural twist.

Necromancy never goes as planned.

Manipulation of the natural progression of like has always been frowned upon so when Soojin decides to physically reanimating the corpse of her deceased older sister, things take a dark and disastrous turn. Soojin soon realizes that her sister is not who she was.

This story is almost poetic. It darkly beautiful and very well written. I enjoyed the references to Korean lore and descriptions of grief practices. This entire story is a immersive study in grief and loss. How that grief and loss effects you mentally and physically. Causing you to question reality and even your sanity. Leaving you to make a hard decisions that are so much more then just life or death.

This is true gothic writing. Eerie and thought provoking leaving you with a wonderful feeling of dread.

What I expected when requesting the ARC:
The cover and the tagline drew me in and was why I requested the ARC. I expected a fast paced story.

My thoughts after reading:
Although the first quarter of the book was slow, Jihyun Yun's writing was too beautiful to stop reading. As someone who lost a sister tragically and would do anything to have her back, this book was a bit much for me. But, I knew that going in. Having that perspective though made me feel every part of this book. The way she writes grief and shows how loss changes things was 10/10. The first part of the story was a lot more emotional and feelings-focused than I was expecting.

I had no expectations when it came to the magic aspect. I loved how we were introduced to the magic system and the costs that come with using it. It felt natural and did not feel like the author was just telling us so we had the information but rather it was actually part of the story.

Given this is a YA book, the horror aspect was appropriate for the audience but I would put it more in the suspense category for adults.

I just finished and will be posting a more in-depth review online in June. I'll update the link when that is posted.

A very raw heart wrenching gothic read. I’d consider it more a mystery read than a horror personally, but regardless it was emotional and well written. I truly think anyone, if they can handle the triggers, should read this.

I have to say, the cover of this book is beautiful!

I love a good horror story but sometimes horror can be a little too dark for me. This book sounds amazing and I was looking forward to reading it. However, due to the trigger warnings I unfortunately won’t be able to read this. I wish I could! But it’s too dark for me. I hope those you are able to read it enjoy it! And if you haven’t read it yet, definitely check out the trigger warnings before reading it.

Thank you NetGalley, Jihyun and Random House Children’s for the eARC!

Rating: ✨✨ ✨
Publication Date: October 7 2025

#AndtheRiverDragsHerDown #NetGalley.

Thank you netgalley, the publishing house, and author


A very slow start. It was so hard to push though.

But I did-and It was okay. This book deals with a lot of grief so beware.

Wow! Yun’s writing is both beautiful and haunting. This book broke my heart and then, thankfully, mended it.

Soojin is a senior in high school with the power to reanimate dead animals. After losing both her mother and sister in two separate tragic accidents her grief is overwhelming. She doesn’t listen to her mother’s former warnings and brings her sister back to life. Together but not quite the same as before, the sisters both must go on healing journeys and uncover sad truths about their family’s past.

Honestly, the beginning was a little bit of slow start for me. However, I believe this part was necessary to truly understand Soojin’s grief and her actions that stem from those emotions. About a third of the way through, I was hooked. I started to have so many questions, and I wanted answers.

Yun weaved together multiple timelines masterfully, allowing readers to slowly piece together the truth. So many of the characters have painful backgrounds, and I shed tears for most of them. The feelings of grief, guilt, selfishness, etc. that the characters go through are such a core part of the human experience that I think many will find the characters relatable. Multiple times I read a line and thought, “I know exactly what they mean.” Resolution and peace felt impossible, and it was a relief to get there. At the end, I’m left with a pleasant tempered optimism for the characters.

I would recommend this book for readers who love that emotional experience and don’t shy away from heartbreaking stories. I would also recommend this book to readers who like to explore folklore from different cultures.

I will certainly read future works by Yun. Thank you NetGalley for letting me be an ARC reader for Yun’s debut young adult novel.

🐁

A very beautiful story about grief, guilt, the worth of revenge, and refusing to let go of either, all set in amazing and unique magical system.

It went very slow at first, with only a couple of events in 25% of the book. I couldn't wait to fully dive into the atmosphere, magic and possible twists and found none for a time. This sorted out further, becoming eventfull, and also deep and thoughts-provoking.

The FMC was childish and annoying, I loved to see her character develope in the end. Side characters shined, I'm glad we got to see their pows and enjoy thier company.

Absolutely loved everything Mirae. Her story, her pows, her part of the plot. She was the most bright, adequate, and lovable character with tragic life and was surrounded by intriguing magic.

Great little dives into the far past were right on their places, enjoyed each one.

A very slow start built up to a very strong by emotions, plot connections, and character development ending. I highly recommend going through the journey of this book, but be carefull with it's occuring sadness.

- - -
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wowowow my first ARC review?! Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, author Jihyun Yun, and Random House Children's Books for this advanced copy. Secondly, the cover?! ummm stunning 🤩

This book was not what I expected! & I say that in the most positive way. I wasn’t really sure what genre this was going to turn out to be (other than knowing it was considered YA) but there are some surprising elements of gothic horror in this! Some of the detailed scenes might be a bit much for some readers, but for me, they were tame haha.

The storyline was really intriguing— our main character, Soojin Han, possesses the ability to bring back creatures from the dead, and when one day, she can’t handle her grief anymore (also still reeling from her mom’s passing) , she resurrects her dead sister, Mirae, who drowned in nearby river that runs through their town.

At first, things are fine and Soojin and her best friend Mark, keep Mirae hidden (especially from their dad) and keep her entertained enough by taking her out at night, etc. But then strange incidents start occurring around the town— mysterious deaths and inexplicable cases of flooding in areas where flooding shouldn’t occur, etc. Mark believes these strange incidents are connected to Mirae’s resurrection, but Soojin is in denial. But she’ll have to come to terms with realizing what she brought back isn’t her sister.

This book illustrates the navigation of grief really well. When you have lost people who you were so close with, your perception of things change. A lot. It’s almost like you become blind to other harmful things around you while you’re trying to cope. Soojin missed her sister terribly and even though she was strictly instructed never to bring back anything bigger than the size of her hand (she would resurrect her pet rat several times), one day she just couldn’t take it anymore and attempted to bring her sister back. But because of her selfishness, this incident begins to cause harm to those around her, and Mirae herself.

The book ends with Soojin having to decide whether to keep her sister alive, or finally giving her rest. Even though there is the supernatural element in this book, the message of overcoming grief and healing is so so important and vital to continue a healthy life, long after a loved one has passed. It’s never easy, and I think this book emphasizes how important it is to have a balance between joy and grief in life. In my personal life, I’m very big on balance. In everything. It keeps me sane and keeps me moving. I’ve definitely had to deal with grief (who hasn’t) and while it can be incredibly hard to navigate, you learn the importance of balancing the good days and bad days. When you’re having those high moments in a season of grief, take those and don’t feel guilty. Enjoy the moments where you’re experiencing joy. & When you have those really low moments, take those too and FEEL. It’s ok to cry and to be joyful. Remind yourself that balance is healthy and necessary.

With all that said— yes of course I recommend this!