Book Review | The God and the Gumiho

- Detective Seokga is a fallen trickster god trying to regain his brother's favor by killing troublesome supernatural creatures (AKA Unrulies).

- Hani is a gumiho who is secretly the infamous Scarlet Fox who binge ate hundreds of livers in 1888. Now she's living her life on the down low as a barista at a coffee shop.

However, one night, she slips up and kills two men. These murders draw the attention of Seokga, so she applies to become his assistant in an effort to redirect his trail.

The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim introduces an entertaining new urban fantasy inspired by Korean folklore and mythology.

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year, but it unfortunately fell short in some areas for me.

I think I was hoping for more of a clever cat and mouse game, but Hani is waaay too immature and obvious with her interest in the Scarlet Fox case and I'm astounded she made it so many years without getting caught.

For better or worse, the story’s tone leans heavily into the humor department, which made it difficult for me to feel a sense of stakes and danger for most of the novel. It wasn’t until the final quarter that things started getting more serious and I finally started caring for Hani as a character.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the incorporation of Korean mythology and the juicy family melodrama between the gods. Seokga's strained relationship with his brother and his search for redemption were actually some of the more interesting parts of the book for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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