I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have NO WORDS!!! I'M REELING!!!! THIS BOOK RUINED ME FOR ANY OTHERS! SEOKGA AND HANI JUST STOLE MY HEART AND LEFT! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?????? WAIT A YEAR FOR BOOK 2???? WHYYYYY 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I'll try to write an informative and helpful review, I promise, but I just had to vent a little, too...

The God and the Gumiho is an AMAZING story, inspired by Korean mythology and set in South Korea. /Can you see my heart eyes as I wrote this sentence? Can you feel my heart racing?/ It's told by two POVs, of Seokga's and Hani's.

Seokga is the fallen God, with striking emerald eyes and a striking physique *coughs and swallows* He's also quite grumpy; but he's effortlessly funny while being grumpy. He hates everything except coffee--which is sort of relatable some days... He doesn't feel like he needs manners, which can lead to some seriously funny situations, but he's a very smart and very knowledgeable character. Sure, some dots he refuses to connect because HOT AND EMOTIONAL REASONS, but I just love how competent he is. Did I mention that he's hilariously grumpy? And hot?! I'd be fangirling, too, if I saw him. I may have a thing from grumpy yet soft on the inside characters, who can blame me?!

Hani is our wicked Gumiho who has chosen to leave her glorious days of Gumiho-ing behind. By Gumiho-ing, I mean the whole killing men and eating their livers. *in case you don't know what a Gumiho is!* The funny thing is that it's not because she has had a change of heart, but it's because she's still too full. She's not a villain, but she's not an innocent, either, and I FREAKING LOVED HER! I loved how she perceived reality, how she didn't shy from her nature, and how she didn't apologize for being what and who she is. She didn't make the moral choices all the time lmao, but her choices made sense given her nature and circumstances.

I loved Seokga. I loved Hani. And I loved their character development. Across the story, both of them changed, and by the end, they were different versions of themselves.

The worldbuilding?! I mean, CAN YOU SEE MY HEART EYES?! The author has retold some myths from Korean mythology and weaved the story with Korean words. She did explain them but not in a lecture/wikipedia sort of way. It was so seamlessly woven with the storyline; I have to say, kudos to the author, this was masterfully done!

The plot had its twists and turns. Since we had a crime mystery to solve, too, the author kept us guessing one way or another. I really enjoyed the mystery/detective aspect! PLEASE MORE SUPERNATURAL DETECTIVE STORIES!

Have I said that I LOVE THIS BOOK WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL? Because I did. I'm so, so, so utterly in love with this book that I don't know what to do with myself right now. Everything else pales in comparison, and I do type this despite my other ARCs that are glaring at me...

5 stars aren't enough for this book. It's phenomenal!

It's a pick for a monthly box, and I can only say, RENEW, RENEW, RENEW!

I unfortunately could not get attached to this book. I read it but the pay off was not as satisfying.

When it comes to this book's writing, I was laughing along to the plethora of jokes and sarcastic moments and loved the beautiful imagery the author engraved in the book.

But, I was disconnected throughout it's entirety. It was a bit hard for me to pick it up again after I had a reading break, or I had to remind myself the details.

Although, it wasn't for me, I appreciate the numerous Korean mythology elements and I would love to know more about the myths.

The author helped the reader get involved in the doings of the characters so easily in the city and I appreciate the short chapters but also the dual POV.

Reading this book made for an interesting experience because it was like watching a K-drama but in reading. I hope this makes sense, but it was great and I enjoyed it a lot! And not only was it really like watching a K-drama (but with less time expenditure, because usually they have episodes that are at least 1 hour long, and they usually have not less than 12 episodes, sure there are exceptions, but the general lines are like that) but it reminded me strongly of a drama I watched this Autumn: Tale of the Nine Tailed, because these two are quite similar, especially in their strong suit: we see a beautiful variety of creatures from Korean folklore, but while the drama is more on the horror side (light horror, but still a lot of the creatures we see are malevolent, and the first part of the series is creepy too) the book is more on the light side, we have a lot of creatures that are not “good” but we also see others that are more well-disposed towards human, or at least, not malevolent. And if toward the end of the book things become a tad more creepy and tense, the general atmosphere is more… lighthearted. Maybe this is not the right word here, but the book as a whole has a more upbeat vibe than the Tv show.

Comparison aside, this was a really nice book. It is fast-paced and I was intrigued by it, so much so that I devoured it. To be completely honest, around 70% (given or taken) my interest dwindled a bit, even if I can’t really say why, there wasn’t a real reason (if not maybe that we get in the “resolution” part of the story, and it is quite predictable, but not in a bad way), but still, once I was there I just had to keep going and see how things would end so… not bad, not bad at all. And up to that point, I was totally into it!
And there are a lot of things to appreciate in there!

As I was saying before, we have quite the rich world-building. This book is, essentially, an urban-fantasy, and it has its usual pros and cons: the characters usually are the strong suits, the plot is fast-paced, and the world-building is not the priority. And it is true for this one, too, but still, we see a lot of different beings from Korean folklore, there are so many different people/creatures who inhabit these pages. It was beautiful. And interesting, even more so because I am ignorant about all that, and it was nice seeing something new!
I think this was what I appreciated the most in this book. But this is not the only good thing. I really enjoyed the characters, too, and their banter. It helped move the story along, keep the pace up, and keep things funny, as much as it was possible with the plot, that became more complicated and… dark the more it progressed.

Here we have a “hate to love” relationship, and it was well developed. I appreciated it, and this gives us some really nice scenes and banter. It is a really nice book to take a break with, I enjoyed it, a lot, and I was really surprised at how similar the experience was to watching a K-drama. It was so similar that it made me hungry! When I watch a K-drama I am constantly hungry, because they are always eating! (And I know that it sounds strange when an Italian says that, but still… it’s true!). And it was the same with this book. But I am not complaining!

i'm so sorry i had such high expectations for this book and all it did was disappoint. i could not engage with the writing at all and it felt unnecessarily dragging. hani and seokga went from hating each other to loving each other in the span of a second. i felt like i was missing some chapter of their story but no it was just really really abrupt and not well developed at all.

Couldn’t put it down! Loved how the language felt very pastel-y so it contrasted nicely with the dark, grim story. Also the ending was perfect imho! Thank you very much for the arc.

When I started reading this book, I had no idea what to expect. And that turned out to be a good thing, because oh my god, The God and the Gumiho surprised me in the best possible way. Set in 1992, in a supernatural South Korea, this is the story of Seokga, a fallen god and Hani, the legendary Scarlet Fox. The two team up when a demon starts terrorising their city. Their team-up leads to a most wonderful dynamic. The two dislike each other at the start; like really dislike each other, and through this dislike, comes through, some incredible banter.

I will not lie, I was shipping Hani and Seokga right from the start. Even if they were not getting along, the chemistry between them was intense and clearly visible. And truly, you will start loving them together quickly.

The world building in this was sooo good too; it felt like I was being immersed in an action-packed K-drama, with elements of Korean mythology incorporated within. Sophie Kim's writing was truly beautiful and really pulls you into this story, grounding you in this world. And the way things were described in this really feels like you're living every event of the book as it happens. Like you're right there with the characters.

As for the ending? I'm speechless. I was not expecting *that* to happen. And truly, my heart is broken. I am gonna need some time to recover. But the final chapter of the book leaves you with a certain degree of hope and after reading that, I simply cannot wait for Book 2! I know it's going to be as amazing as this one was.

If you don't already have this preordered, then do it now. The God and the Gumiho is an incredibly fantasy tale that will render you speechless when you finish (and I mean, speechless in a good way).

I really thought I was going to love this book but unfortunately, it did not happen. The first hundred pages were promising, with good witty conversations and the glimpse of a very intriguing plot. I did also really like Hani at the beginning, from the first chapter I had a good feeling with her — and not with Seokga. The plot had a lot of potential but I felt like it progressively vanished to put the two main characters and their romance at the forefront. I did not believe in that romance at all. The characters had more chemistry platonically that romantically, if that makes sense. I thought the romance came out of absolutely nowhere, especially with both characters disliking each other quite a lot — or so I thought. It was insta-lovey. This novel did not need this forced romance and it would have been way better without it. I was really engaged in the plot and its mystery but the romance slowly disconnected me from it. And that’s a shame for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down.

A cute enemies to lovers romance with a half baked murder mystery and a lot of banter. Enjoyable enough while reading, but feels like the kind of book I will forget about very quickly. The prose was fine but nothing special - I'll always hate present tense but I also always get used to it after starting. I liked that it was set in the 90s, and Hani was a fun character. Seokga was fine, but seemed more like a god of grumpiness than trickery.

Recommended for readers who like character focused books and grumpy/sunshine romances. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Let me start this review by saying that this is one of my most anticipated releases of the year, especially after seeing all the raving reviews from early readers. Two cunning immortals who hate each other having to team up to solve a mystery while deceiving each other and then they fall in love? I was hooked. Sadly, I find this book highly disappointing and didn’t deliver in all the aspects that it promised well.

First of all, this book reads like a fanfiction. And while usually I have no qualms with that, especially if it’s enjoyable to read, it is not the case for this book. It was tedious and unnecessary, and it didn’t fit the tone of the story. There are plenty of dialogues that are extremely difficult to read, because there are too many unnecessary descriptions that, instead of giving the reader a good picture of the situation, make the entire thing hard to read. Not to mention how much they talk that could’ve been cut because it didn’t add up anything except for the headaches I have to suffer.

The romance aspect of this book, which I was hoping would be the savior of the book, is done so poorly. I said it to my friends before, but it developed faster than instant ramen and jumped from point A to point Z so quickly that it felt like they were teleporting into romance instead of having it developed organically. They went from annoying and hating each other to suddenly 100% tolerating in a span of one paragraph, and then from that to “oh I think I have romantic feelings for you” due to the magic of the one-bed trope (which isn’t done well too in this case). And then the next chapter, they kiss and suddenly they’re madly in love... I kept questioning myself if I missed a chapter or two, but I didn’t.

And the plot... my last thread of hope for this book. Even that wasn’t enough to make me keep reading because all I could think about was when this book would end, which was why I decided to dnf. It was somewhat interesting, but then it gets boring and I simply don’t care anymore.

All in all, I am very disappointed that this book didn’t deliver like I want it to, and I am happy if people enjoyed it, but this book isn’t for me at all and if our tastes are similar, then there’s a chance you won’t like this as much either.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!

This was a fun, cute, heartbreaking read! I loved the characters so much, especially Seokga. I adored the ending and I thought it was very clever. The worldbuilding was incredible, I loved reading about all the different creatures.

The morally grey main characters had so much character growth and those final few chapters wrecked me! It was fast-paced and exciting, and I absolutely loved the witty banter back and forth between Seokga and Hani.

I highly recommend this, it’s a gem of a book and I know this is going to be a top read of the year!

***I received this advanced copy for free provided by NetGalley and I'm leaving this review voluntarily. ***

I have absolutely no words. Not only this is now my favorite ARC but also it stands in between on my favorite books.
The first korean folklore book I ever read and I'm glad because this was a great surprise, specially as I'm such a fan of korean culture and here I had the opportunity to even dig deeper into their folklore stories.
The plot was brilliantly wrote and the character development was so smooth you can't even track down when they start to change which is an amazing experience as you feel you're growing with them. I have no doubts that Hani and Seokga are my favorite couple now, the way they tease each other, I laughed so so so much from the coffee first incident moment until when they roll down the mountain, they're like big children with funny fights I think I marked 500 parts on the book 🤣🤣
Their story was lovely to see develop and I'm just slightly sad that in the end it didn't have further development but who knows.. maybe another book would come ..?? 👀🥰
I completely recommend this book, so so worthy and I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to have it as an ARC. 🤍

In "The God and the Gumiho," the first book of the enchanting contemporary fantasy series, Fate's Thread, Sophie Kim weaves a spellbinding tale of gods, demons, and the unlikely alliance between a fallen trickster god and a coffee-slinging, shapeshifting fox.
Kim Hani, once feared as the Scarlet Fox, spends her days blending into the mortal world, working at a café trying to avoid a certain aggravating customer. Seokga, a trickster god banished from the heavens, spends his days hunting demons and finding new ways to provoke the Scarlet Fox. When a powerful demon breaks free from the underworld, and the Scarlet Fox resurfaces before vanishing mysteriously, Hani is determined to outwit Seokga at every turn, even infiltrating his investigation with her own cunning tricks. But as they clash in a battle of wits and wills, sparks begin to fly, and they find themselves drawn to each other. "The God and the Gumiho" is a delightful blend of magic, humor, and romance. Sophie Kim's storytelling is vibrant and captivating, drawing readers into a world where gods walk among mortals and nothing is quite as it seems. The chemistry between Hani and Seokga crackles with tension, and their banter is both witty and endearing. As they embark on a quest to stop the demon and unravel the mysteries of their own pasts, readers are taken on a thrilling ride full of twists and surprises.

I did not expect to enjoy this so much! The premise caught my eyes and I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint. This book has an engaging plot, dynamic characters, and great writing! It’s also very easy to read and perfect if you like My Demon or Alchemy of Souls, or just if you enjoy reading grumpy x sunshine! I can’t wait to read book 2!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'The God and the Gumiho' by Sophie Kim.

I wish I could say I full-heartedly adored this book but I didn't. I don't know why, the concept was absolutely up my alley but I just couldn't fall in love with it. I do highly recommend people give it a go because Sophie Kim is a talented author but this book wasn't for me.

This was a very easy, quick, and fun read with silly characters that are endearing in a surprising way. I really liked the way we get a good sense of who each character is from the moment they are introduced, and I thought the character growth was paced in a believable way for a boo0k this size.
Most of the plot was predictable, but I still enjoyed watching it unfold and finding out how Seokga and Hani would deal with things because they were so loveable. The banter between the characters was great; their romance was very, very sweet, I enjoyed watching their affection grow and seeing how they learned to navigate their feelings.
Overall, this book achieves what it wants to do in a satisfying way without being outstanding.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

4 stars: Overall, a sweet cozy love story about an unlikely pair who fight the forces of evil in a world where the creatures of Korean magical folklore are real.

What worked for me:
1. The characters - They were refreshing. Bold and powerful, they are not the “weak” type of good guys in a lot of stories. They are also not completely white/good either but both have their own streaks of gray mixed in. But it’s the type of grey that doesn’t feel wrong as you read it (which is how I love it to be done)
2. The Korean magical world - I could fully imagine this world the author painted. It was also really nice to see so many real Korean cultural references/terms/ items alive in the story.
3. Banter - The leads bicker and fight with each other constantly in the beginning and it was entertaining to read. Although the female could be a tad annoying, she was still able to stand and hold her own against the male, so her sometimes too bold/rudeness was excusable because of how it made her a force of nature for the male, rather than a meek stepping stone (which most all mortals are to him).
4. The end part of their relationship - Despite how quickly their relationship seemed to progress, I loved how they were with each other towards the end of the novel. It made me root for them to be together.

What didn’t work for me:

1. The narration perspective is 3rd but in the present tense, which I personally don’t like. Just feels too much like telling and not showing. But this is a personal pref and many ppl prob won’t mind it all all. That said, the author does use the style well and I was able to enjoy the book despite my personal preference.
2. As a Korean, I love seeing our words used in an English novel, but sometimes I didn’t see why the Korean form was used as opposed to plain English. Also sometimes some slang seemed awkwardly placed. While I loved it anyway, it did strike me as odd sometimes.
3. The love progression - In a short time the leads fall in love although they have known each other awhile which helps. But they fall so deep and so in love almost all of a sudden rather than gradually even despite that. I wish it would fleshed out more.
4. Predictable - The surprise twist and ending were predictable and played out how I thought they would. But it was still enjoyable to read anyway.

Oh my god this book just blew out all my expectations.
I wasn't expecting the romance, which was INCREDIBLE. Hate to love, written in such a fantastic way.
I loved the juxtaposition between the grump god and the annoying and hyper gumiho.
One of my favourite books this year so far. I NEED more!

Okay, I absolutely loved this story but also this book had no business being this funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

When reading this book, you get:
- magic
- monsters
- (Korean) mythology
- morally grey MCs (yes, both of them)

The story Sophie Kim crafted is fast-paced, addicting, and feels like a big hug. I fell in love with the characters instantly, and the last few chapters shattered my heart. The character growth was chef's kiss, the plot was plotting, the writing was original, and there isn't a single thing I would change upon first read.

I really-really-REALLY hope the series continues where it was left off in the Epilogue because I most definitely need more, and I need it now, thank you.

Fun, bubbling over with creative ideas and with very much not goody-two-shoes protagonists at its center: "The God and the Gumiho" was a delightful quick read that does have its issues, but will surely win a lot of hearts.
The two protagonists are the titular God and Gumiho: fallen trickster god Seogka who now works as an investigator on Earth, responsible for solving crimes including otherworldly beings and sending them back to where they belong, and gumiho Hani. Hani is famous for being the deadliest fox to have ever lived, solely responsible for a massacre that took place a century ago, but she's living with a new identity to escape punishment for her terrible deeds. They don't like each other much, at least at first. Then Hani draws more attention to herself than she expected and decides to join the investigation of the very crimes she committed in order to get Seogka off her scent - and thus start the shenanigans.

"The God and the Gumiho" is a wild ride. All the characters involved are fun, the plot is interesting, and the pacing fast enough to make this a quick read. I think people that are more familiar with Korean mythology will have a lot more fun with it because the world building is of the sink or swim variety: We are thrown into a lake full of creature and place names with very vague, if at all existing, descriptions given while the author stands at the shore hoping we'll learn to swim on our own. I was mostly confused and decided to go on a quick wiki sidequest so I could at least picture all the people we meet throughout the adventure.
The writing itself is perfectly alright. It relies heavily on a particular kind of humour that didn't work for me, but that is entirely a me thing. The writing does shine in the more serious parts of the book, and especially the ending was really really REALLY well done.
The characters are a bit confusing, to be honest. For one, they are supposed to be very, very old. Centuries old. But they act like teenagers, especially Hani. They have the wit of teenagers, the humour of teenagers, yet I'm supposed to believe they are ancient creatures. They are also not really complex, though at least they do have good character development. I also felt like the things we were told about them didn't always fit the way they are presented throughout the story. For example, Hani is supposed to be the most cunning fox of them all, but some of her decisions are stupid as hell. There was no actual cunning involved.
I wasn't the biggest fan of their romance. I enjoyed it at the beginning, when they really were a quite good example of enemies to lovers - they truly did not like each other at all (even though the reasons given, especially his dislike of her, were kind of stupid). The development from enemies to lovers was really really quick though, and suddenly they are each other's greatest loves and all the nice slow-burn build up was gone.
The side characters were charming and if this does get a sequel, I hope it's a certain other fox lady's time to shine.

In the end, this is a middle of the road kind of read for me. I absolutely understand that I was not the target audience, and kdrama fans will probably eat this up. The humour didn't work for me, the characters were a bit onedimensional and didn't act their age nor their life experience, but the bones of the story were fantastic and it made me read up on South Korean mythology. I love it when a book inspires me to do that. So while this didn't turn out to be a memorable read for me, I am absolutely convinced it will have lots and lots of fans.

final rating: ★★★★★

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher Hodder and Stoughton for the e-arc

wahhhh everything about this book hit perfectly for me. nothing much these few days have stood out in particular for me even in this densely populated asian fantasy genre, but this korean urban fantasy hit the spot for me. everything from the setting to the lore to the characters and even the mystery behind it had be absorbed from start to finish.

(spoilers ahead!!)

let's start with the world. Iseung, basically the modern world is where the story is set, where creatures of korean mythology hide in plain sight. we meet our two main characters Hani, our Scarlet Fox gumiho who killed a lot in the past and went into hiding, and Seokga, a fallen god following a failed coup. i loved the different worlds, Okhwang which is basically the korean mount olympus, an underworld and a dark world. i didn't even mind stopping look up the different creatures. and the pacing was all excellent, the foreshadowing and build up on Somi's arc into a gumiho giving in to her cravings, the real identity of the eudosuksinni demon, even the obvious herring were written in a fast paced, yet still vivid manner that i commend Sophie Kim for.

both protagonists start off annoying, and we see the classic grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers thing going on immediately. while Hani's character growth focusses more on her choices of self preservation first, others later and shifts the other way around, i found Seokga's journey way more interesting in a young, angsty in annoying denial of his feelings and caring more about others than himself. the build up of their relationship was realistic, did not have the sizzling sexual tension i've come to expect from the trope right from the beginning, and was very satisfying to see unfold.

the ending of Hani actually dying was surprising. i thought, y'know, plot armour. but she died. and Seogka had to beg his brother (whom i would gladly throw off Okhwang) to let her reincarnate, and he waited *counts* TWENTY SIX years for her to be reborn. love the ending, but more please!