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crimsonnemesis 's review for:
The God and the Gumiho
by Sophie Kim
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like the book (i certainly loved the English book cover!), but in the end, I guess it just wasn't for me.
The book feels rather YA-ish and there's a noticable lack of world and character building. Both Seokga and Hani are rather one-dimensional characters and Seokga especially feels conspiciuously similar to Loki of MCU. Neither of those characters are your classic "good natured people" and this is fine - IF they had any noteworthy characterisation going on.
So without any depth to them, Hani is a self-centered, selfish person behaving like a 16 year old (i'm talking about her coffee making behaviour) and Seokga like a moody, broody, and utterly unlikable wannabe detective noir. or sth. He's supposed to be the god of deceit, yet he never deceives anyone but IS instead deceived and Hani is supposed to be a cunning gumiho yet is never cunning. At all.
Their love story happens............... suddenly for.......... reasons? I do not know how, when and why that suddenly within two days happens, but it does happen and suddenly they're all in for each other.
Sure.
Three days prior they hated each other and she deliberately fuckup of his coffee orders.
There are three to four noteworthy side characters, yet they have even less characterisation going on than the protagonists, which is a shame, because I would've loved to get to know them better.
The story itself is good enough actually; I liked reading about that (sans the whole love plot between Hani and Seokga and Seokga and whatever is going on with his brother) and is does entertain.
However, the book should've had a glossary of sorts. The setting is Korea and there are, of course, creatures from Korean mythology present. Some of them get explained a bit (Gumiho), some of them not at all, so it feels like it's expected you know all of it beforehand. That in itself would've been okay-ish if the author were Korean and the book a translated version, but she's either English or American. So she's just throwing out names and places and expects people to know them, be content with what little explanation there is given in the book or... look it up themselves I reckon.
Which, also, would've been fine if there weren't as many creatures, gods and places to keep track of.
The book feels rather YA-ish and there's a noticable lack of world and character building. Both Seokga and Hani are rather one-dimensional characters and Seokga especially feels conspiciuously similar to Loki of MCU. Neither of those characters are your classic "good natured people" and this is fine - IF they had any noteworthy characterisation going on.
So without any depth to them, Hani is a self-centered, selfish person behaving like a 16 year old (i'm talking about her coffee making behaviour) and Seokga like a moody, broody, and utterly unlikable wannabe detective noir. or sth. He's supposed to be the god of deceit, yet he never deceives anyone but IS instead deceived and Hani is supposed to be a cunning gumiho yet is never cunning. At all.
Their love story happens............... suddenly for.......... reasons? I do not know how, when and why that suddenly within two days happens, but it does happen and suddenly they're all in for each other.
Sure.
Three days prior they hated each other and she deliberately fuckup of his coffee orders.
There are three to four noteworthy side characters, yet they have even less characterisation going on than the protagonists, which is a shame, because I would've loved to get to know them better.
The story itself is good enough actually; I liked reading about that (sans the whole love plot between Hani and Seokga and Seokga and whatever is going on with his brother) and is does entertain.
However, the book should've had a glossary of sorts. The setting is Korea and there are, of course, creatures from Korean mythology present. Some of them get explained a bit (Gumiho), some of them not at all, so it feels like it's expected you know all of it beforehand. That in itself would've been okay-ish if the author were Korean and the book a translated version, but she's either English or American. So she's just throwing out names and places and expects people to know them, be content with what little explanation there is given in the book or... look it up themselves I reckon.
Which, also, would've been fine if there weren't as many creatures, gods and places to keep track of.