Series: Fate's Thread

Swapping the streets of New Sinsi in the 90’s for a luxury cruise upon a crimson river in the underworld, the God and the Gwisin is part two of Sophie Kim’s Fate’s Thread duology. Serving as both the continuation and conclusion following the God and the Gumiho’s dramatic ending, like its reincarnated main character, this book is both similar yet notably different from its predecessor. Having prior knowledge that this book has a different focus and approach compared to the first book which I really enjoyed, this one unfortunately wasn’t quite my cup of tea despite having many positive highlights. Leaning heavier towards its fantasy romance elements, this book is a great followup for those who wanted more romance from the previous book albeit at the cost of its crossover appeal and blending of different genres. Note: As this is a review of a sequel book in a duology series, this review assumes prior reading or knowledge of the first book the God and the Gumiho. This review is only spoiler free for the God and the Gwisin, if you haven’t read the first book yet, please refer to my past review of it first. After the decisive and largely…

A tired and stiff fallen god and a mischievous gumiho that likes to annoy him form an unlikely buddy cop duo in a paranormal murder investigation involving demons, grim reapers, other gumihos, and more. Throw in the potential for the world to plunge into darkness, immortal sibling god rivalry, coffee culture, and you get the overall gist of the God and the Gumiho. Sophie Kim’s adult novel fantasy debut and the first half of a now finished duology, this book is an entertaining urban fantasy story perfectly suited for fans of paranormal kdrama series that deftly weaves together its fantasy romance with a well-plotted serial murder mystery that perfectly walks the line between being lighthearted and fun vs more serious and grave. Heavily inspired by Korean mythological folklore and legend, one of the best elements of this book is Kim’s clever use of these elements within the book’s mostly original story. While this book is sometimes classified as a retelling due to its use of preexisting folklore around Seokga the Trickster god (plus other numerous deities included) and the legend of the Gumiho, the book’s specific paranormal mystery story is largely an original work. I will be the first to…