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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Sophie Kim’s *The God and the Gwisin* is a hauntingly beautiful triumph—a cosmic romance steeped in Korean mythology that swept me from the first page to the last. Aboard a ghostly cruise down the river of the dead, Seokga (a heartbroken god hunting his lost love’s reincarnation) collides with Yoo Kisa (a sharp-witted *gwisin* with no memory of him), sparking electric tension as they’re forced to solve the Heavenly Emperor’s murder before the voyage ends. Kim masterfully balances wry humor (Kisa’s modern ghostly sarcasm vs. Seokga’s divine dramatics) with profound themes: the weight of reincarnation, the scars of past lives, and subtle, resonant parallels to mental health struggles—particularly the crushing pressures echoing Korea’s K-pop industry. While the murder mystery serves more as a catalyst than a complex puzzle, it perfectly drives Seokga and Kisa’s achingly tender evolution from reluctant allies to soul-deep partners, exploring how trust can heal even celestial wounds. Kim’s prose dazzles—lyrical yet punchy, eerie yet warm—and though the climax resolves a touch neatly, the emotional payoff lingers like a dream. **4.5 stars** for its rare blend of whimsy and wisdom; a gem for lovers of mythic love stories where healing feels as vital as the HEA. 🤍✨*“Seokga’s yearning, Kisa’s wit, and that river of stars—perfection.”*
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This sequel to The God and the Gumiho is so perfect. Seokga is back and after the events in the first book, he is trying to find his fated love again. Except this time Hani is not Hani anymore. Seokga works to reunite with his lost soulmate on a cruise ship in the underworld and this reincarnated version of her soul, Yoo Kisa, does not remember him.
Not only is Seokga trying to reconnect with Kisa and find the bond that had him falling for Hani, but we have another mystery to solve. This time it’s a murder mystery on the cruise! I love that Sophie Kim is able to take some known story plots, mash them up with Korean mythology, especially the afterlife in this case, and craft a beautiful love story out of it. We get a few other recurring cast members in this one and we learn a bit more about Seokga and his family history.
There were some great twists and turns to the mystery and while I did suspect the ultimate killer, I did not suspect just how heinous their plot truly was. And we again get left on such a climactic cliffhanger, that I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the announcement of a book 3!
Thank you to @delreybooks and @netgalley for the eARC.
Not only is Seokga trying to reconnect with Kisa and find the bond that had him falling for Hani, but we have another mystery to solve. This time it’s a murder mystery on the cruise! I love that Sophie Kim is able to take some known story plots, mash them up with Korean mythology, especially the afterlife in this case, and craft a beautiful love story out of it. We get a few other recurring cast members in this one and we learn a bit more about Seokga and his family history.
There were some great twists and turns to the mystery and while I did suspect the ultimate killer, I did not suspect just how heinous their plot truly was. And we again get left on such a climactic cliffhanger, that I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the announcement of a book 3!
Thank you to @delreybooks and @netgalley for the eARC.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.25 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC.
Part two of Sophie Kim’s Fates Thread duology takes place 33 years after the end of The God and the Gumiho. If you’ve not read book 1 yet, head off to read that before you do anything else; it’s a fantastic Korean-inspired contemporary fantasy.
Like part one, this is a murder mystery that follows Yoo Kisa (Hani’s reincarnated soul) and Seokga as they race against the clock to solve another world-changing murder. Like last time, we have a cast of fun side characters and get a wonderful glimpse into Korean mythology.
Seokga is the standout star of this book, we get to see his development as a person and how much love, Hani, and his family mean to him. Yoo Kisa is smart and strong, with a beautiful, caring side for those who are suffering around her.
While the romance made my heart flutter and the plot and world were great fun, I did miss Hani. We were missing the mischievous spark of the Gumiho, the banter and the female rage she depicted. I did love the way Sophie approached the topic of rebirth, but don’t go in expecting a replica of Hani, Yoo Kisa is very much her own person.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am so in love with this duology.
Starting right where we left off at the end of The God and the Gumiho, this beautiful, emotional and simply hilarious novel brings us straight to Seokga and the reincarnation of his lost love Hani, Kisa. And then, as quickly as we meet her, Kisa dies. But Seokga doesn't know this--and spends the next seven years desperately trying to find her, somewhere fate's thread attempts to lead him. At the insistence of his therapist and joined by his brother, the Emperor Hwanin, Seokga is reluctantly dragged to the Death God's realm for a vacation cruise. And it is here, of all places, that he finally reunites with the new woman who is both so different and yet alarmingly reminiscent of his gumiho. But she doesn't remember the god who loved her, and she is decidedly not Hani.
This book is yet another wild ride, similar to the first, taking the reader through both a beautiful second chance love story with a twist, and a murder mystery with divine consequences. Seokga and Kisa's love story is beautiful and new despite its undercurrent of lost love, and plagued by the question of whether Kisa and Hani are truly the same person--and if that distinction matters.
We're introduced to delightful characters, new and old alike, and insight into what has passed during the years between Hani's death and Kisa's reunion with Seokga. Tensions have risen, technology has changed, old grievances haven't. The story is a hilarious coming-to-terms with the passage of time and whether fate can be wrong, and I am so happy to have had the honor to get lost in its pages.
SO many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Starting right where we left off at the end of The God and the Gumiho, this beautiful, emotional and simply hilarious novel brings us straight to Seokga and the reincarnation of his lost love Hani, Kisa. And then, as quickly as we meet her, Kisa dies. But Seokga doesn't know this--and spends the next seven years desperately trying to find her, somewhere fate's thread attempts to lead him. At the insistence of his therapist and joined by his brother, the Emperor Hwanin, Seokga is reluctantly dragged to the Death God's realm for a vacation cruise. And it is here, of all places, that he finally reunites with the new woman who is both so different and yet alarmingly reminiscent of his gumiho. But she doesn't remember the god who loved her, and she is decidedly not Hani.
This book is yet another wild ride, similar to the first, taking the reader through both a beautiful second chance love story with a twist, and a murder mystery with divine consequences. Seokga and Kisa's love story is beautiful and new despite its undercurrent of lost love, and plagued by the question of whether Kisa and Hani are truly the same person--and if that distinction matters.
We're introduced to delightful characters, new and old alike, and insight into what has passed during the years between Hani's death and Kisa's reunion with Seokga. Tensions have risen, technology has changed, old grievances haven't. The story is a hilarious coming-to-terms with the passage of time and whether fate can be wrong, and I am so happy to have had the honor to get lost in its pages.
SO many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I enjoyed The God and the Gumiho so I was excited to read the sequel. I was curious how Kim was going to pull off a second chance romance with a huge reincarnation twist especially since Hani and Kisa’s personalities are so different. However, I do think Kim pulled it off especially with how she added Hani into the book. Other things I enjoyed were the red thread and how it wove itself into the story in some cute ways as well as the side characters were also great additions to the book. Also, those that know me know that I love to go on cruises, so I loved all of the cruise ship references.
I did enjoy their romance and I very much love to see a MMC yearn, however I felt the spice didn’t really work for me. They went from 0 to 100 in essentially one scene, which, in my opinion, also didn’t really make sense given Kisa’s inexperience. I felt the romance itself was more of a slow burn so the spice to me felt rushed and didn’t really fit the characters. With that being said, I could see the argument that because they are fated souls it makes sense.
Overall, I would say if you enjoyed the first book, you’ll likely enjoy this one too!
What to Expect
- Reincarnation
- Underworld cruise ship 🛳️
- Korean Mythology
- Fated souls
- Yearning
TWs: mentions of self-harm and suicide
Thank you to Sophie Kim and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for providing an ebook. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Sophie Kim’s The God and the Gwisin is a captivating blend of Korean mythology, romance, and mystery that keeps you emotionally invested from start to finish. I loved how the story explores Seokga’s journey—not just his search for his lost love, Hani, but also his deeper struggle with his own psychological wounds and growth, including his attempts at therapy.
Kisa and Hani are so completely opposite, but Kisa’s character really grew on me. While Hani is spontaneous, confident, sassy, easygoing, and well… morally grey, Kisa is an overachiever, rule abiding, super intelligent, insecure shaman.
The mystery aboard the underworld cruise ship was engaging, but I have to admit, I figured out the culprit a bit over halfway through, which slightly lessened the suspense for me. Still, the journey and character interactions more than made up for it, and the mythological world-building is beautifully done. This is the only reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars.
Overall, it’s a swoony, emotionally charged sequel that blends romance and mystery with Korean folklore in a unique way. I’m looking forward to what Sophie Kim writes next!
Kisa and Hani are so completely opposite, but Kisa’s character really grew on me. While Hani is spontaneous, confident, sassy, easygoing, and well… morally grey, Kisa is an overachiever, rule abiding, super intelligent, insecure shaman.
The mystery aboard the underworld cruise ship was engaging, but I have to admit, I figured out the culprit a bit over halfway through, which slightly lessened the suspense for me. Still, the journey and character interactions more than made up for it, and the mythological world-building is beautifully done. This is the only reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars.
Overall, it’s a swoony, emotionally charged sequel that blends romance and mystery with Korean folklore in a unique way. I’m looking forward to what Sophie Kim writes next!
! Spoilers ahead for The God and the Gumiho. !
I was very pleasantly surprised by The God and the Gumiho when I read it last month, so I was thrilled to get an arc of book 2 and read it relatively quickly after book 1. I basically had no other choice after that mean of an ending. But The God and the Gwisin throws much of the first book's formula overboard and introduces a new (old) main character, new character dynamics, and a new setting. It's a bold move by the author, but don't worry, it works.
After the end of book 1, Kim Hani not only reincarnated into a completely new life as Yoo Kisa, but also already died again and is now a gwisin, a ghost, working in the underworld. In the meantime, the no-longer-fallen trickster god Seokga was looking everywhere for his soulmate but couldn't find her, even though they are connected through the Red Thread of Fate. After a 33-year search (I still don't understand how the first book took place in the 90s), his therapist sends him on a ship that's navigating the waters of the underworld – for a vacation. There he finally meets his soulmate, but it's not the Hani he's been looking for, but Kisa. The question if these two are the same person plays a big part in the book, and it made the relationship with Seokga very interesting. Kisa doesn't possess any memories of her previous lives and has a totally different personality. When alive, she worked as a doctor in magical medicine and led a very academic-focused life to get there. She's intelligent and approaches everything in an analytical way, but she's also a caring friend. I liked her a lot and she fit well into the little group that consisted of: a shaman (dead), a fox (dead), a K-pop idol (dead), a trickster god (immortal), a baby (immortal). They are a merry band of characters and often unserious – I cackled over their smut book club –, but the book also doesn't fail to handle heavier themes well when necessary. I would definitely put trigger warnings for suicide and death, so be aware. Seokga's character exploration was hard to read as well, because it unpacked his traumatic past with his father. His character got a lot of depth in this book, and other gods got a bigger role as well. I'm not well versed in Korean mythology, so reading about the gods, creatures and realms was super interesting, just like in book 1.
The one thing I didn't like about this book was the whole mystery / investigation part. The reveal was so painfully obvious to me, because But no character thought the same way. The investigating lacked too, especially after Seokga was an actual detective in book 1. But I think you won't mind too much if you're mostly in for the characters and the romance. Seokga and Kisa's relationship was very nice, and I especially like that their bond wasn't a secret but clear from their first meeting. I could have done without the whole hearing-each-other-thoughts-part, because I didn't really see a reason for that.
The story wrapped up nicely this time and provided way more closure than the mean ending of book 1. The very last chapter did make room for a sequel though, so maybe Sophie Kim plans to write some more in the future. I would literally read anything set in this world.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
I was very pleasantly surprised by The God and the Gumiho when I read it last month, so I was thrilled to get an arc of book 2 and read it relatively quickly after book 1. I basically had no other choice after that mean of an ending. But The God and the Gwisin throws much of the first book's formula overboard and introduces a new (old) main character, new character dynamics, and a new setting. It's a bold move by the author, but don't worry, it works.
After the end of book 1, Kim Hani not only reincarnated into a completely new life as Yoo Kisa, but also already died again and is now a gwisin, a ghost, working in the underworld. In the meantime, the no-longer-fallen trickster god Seokga was looking everywhere for his soulmate but couldn't find her, even though they are connected through the Red Thread of Fate. After a 33-year search (I still don't understand how the first book took place in the 90s), his therapist sends him on a ship that's navigating the waters of the underworld – for a vacation. There he finally meets his soulmate, but it's not the Hani he's been looking for, but Kisa. The question if these two are the same person plays a big part in the book, and it made the relationship with Seokga very interesting. Kisa doesn't possess any memories of her previous lives and has a totally different personality. When alive, she worked as a doctor in magical medicine and led a very academic-focused life to get there. She's intelligent and approaches everything in an analytical way, but she's also a caring friend. I liked her a lot and she fit well into the little group that consisted of: a shaman (dead), a fox (dead), a K-pop idol (dead), a trickster god (immortal), a baby (immortal). They are a merry band of characters and often unserious – I cackled over their smut book club –, but the book also doesn't fail to handle heavier themes well when necessary. I would definitely put trigger warnings for suicide and death, so be aware. Seokga's character exploration was hard to read as well, because it unpacked his traumatic past with his father. His character got a lot of depth in this book, and other gods got a bigger role as well. I'm not well versed in Korean mythology, so reading about the gods, creatures and realms was super interesting, just like in book 1.
The one thing I didn't like about this book was the whole mystery / investigation part. The reveal was so painfully obvious to me, because
Spoiler
there is literally no other reason for Dr. Jang being a character in this book but for being a villain. As soon as she joined Seokga on the cruise, I knew she's not to be trusted.The story wrapped up nicely this time and provided way more closure than the mean ending of book 1. The very last chapter did make room for a sequel though, so maybe Sophie Kim plans to write some more in the future. I would literally read anything set in this world.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.