supaanhanh 's review for:

The God and the Gwisin by Sophie Kim

4.0

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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

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Thirty-three years after the events of 'The God and the Gumiho', Seokga is reinstated to the pantheon of the gods, working on himself with mandatory therapy and still desperately searching for the reincarnation of Hani. But the red thread of fate, which appeared signaling her reincarnation, leads him to the Underworld, onboard a luxury ship cruising down the river of the dead. But Hani is no more, instead the woman at the end of the red thread is Yoo Kisa, a former shaman whose untimely death traps her onboard the SRC Flatliner, working off a significant karmic debt racked up in her past life. She has no recollection of her previous life, nor does she remember Seokga, who seems disappointed that Kisa couldn’t be any different from his lost love. But when the Heavenly Emperor, Hwanin, is murdered aboard the cruise ship, they find themselves working together to solve the murder before the cruise ends. 

 

The story poses an interesting philosophical question using the Ship of Theseus as an analogy. As the original components of the ship are exchanged, is it still the same ship? Is Hani still Hani, even though she is now called Kisa? 

 

This book was far more lighthearted and comical compared to its predecessor. It follows Seokga and Kisa as they attempt to solve a murder aboard and decide what they mean to each other. There’s a new dynamic between Seokga and Kisa because while Seokga is the same as he was before, still grumpy and intolerant of others, Kisa is a wholly new individual despite her connection to her past life as Hani, who she has no recollection of and who she refuses to be just to appease Seokga chasing Hani’s ghost. In the end, Kisa decides for herself the answer to the Ship of Theseus, standing firmly on who she is and Seokga finds himself falling in love all over again and together they both bring about their own happy ending. 

 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!