Wicked Fox (Gumiho, #1)

by Kat Cho

An addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.

Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret--she's a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.

But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead--her gumiho soul--in the process.

Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl--he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to men. He's drawn to her anyway. When he finds her fox bead, he does not realize he holds her life in his hands.

With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous and reignite a generations-old feud . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

• ISBN10: 1984812343
• ISBN13: 9781984812346
• Publish Date: 25 June 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 January 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: G.P.Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers'
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781984812346

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 4 Stars

! What a wonderful start to what i’m sure will be a wonderful series! Yes, the book has its flaws- but for me they didn’t matter much. This book is presented as a paranormal kdrama romance, and so I got exactly what I expected; I CAN, however, understand the reviewers who didn’t like this as much because they went into the book not realizing this & felt it became too reliant on romance when clearly they were expecting Korean Mythology on Steroids™️ or something.

I, too, was a bit let down that there was not moremoremore Korean mythology & folklore, but it definitely didn’t bother me enough to detract from enjoying the book! Especially because this was ONLY the first book of the trilogy! There is sooo much room for the moremoremore I want, so I’m giving the series the benefit of the doubt. You better bring it next time, Gumiho Trilogy!

The amount of mythology was not HUGE, but it WAS present the entire story, as the main character, Miyoung, is a (half) Gumiho, a half nine-tailed fox spirit/ half human who must feed on a man’s Gi (yes, until death, which she justifies by only feeding on men who have done horrific things. She does not WANT to kill, but she has to if she wants to survive) on the full moon to survive each month.

She meets a human boy precariously, through their dreams, Jihoon, and eventually they fall in love, realize they are soul mates, & have a kdramariffic experience you would expect from such. It was SU-PERB!

[littleread1]

Oh man, I have fallen in love with Korean culture, thanks to this book. The food, the society, the mythology ... so many heart-eyes. I think listening to this on audio would have been better, if only for the pronunciation of a few things, but I did see some familiar words I had heard before, so seeing them spelled out helped a bit with me making up my own pronunciations. And if you are sitting there thinking, "Well dummy, you have the internet, just Google," well friend, I would have had to put the book down to do that, wouldn't I? Therein lies the problem. I couldn't.

I appreciate Cho allowing us to get to know the characters, and not just telling us that this character's parent left when they were young so that is why they act this way, but allowing it to show through the actions and words and growth of everyone. Not just the main pair either, the side characters and family dynamics are so wonderfully complex that I wanted more scenes with all of them. Not that those scenes are lacking in quantity. I gather that family is a really big deal and respect is expected, and I really love it. This book was a delight and I wouldn't be surprised if this went from a library book to a "No honey, I've had this book for a while" book on my bookshelf. ;-)

**Shit, my husband follows my GR account ... *whistles to self*

[Chelsea]

While I did only give this 3 stars, I mostly enjoyed reading it and it was far from bad. Just a little disappointing.

What I liked

I really loved the characters. Jihoon and his friends were hilarious and felt like they were right out of a k-drama. I loved their dynamics and really wished we got to see the three of them interact more. Miyoung was really cool too. I loved how she hated when boys stood up for her and she had pretty strong morals for someone who is only half human. She tries so hard to be good even though she's forced to kill once a month. I also really love Jihoon's grandmother and the older lady that lived close to them. They were both so entertaining and I badly wished we could have more of them.

I love that the book took place in Seoul but I found myself forgetting that's where it took place. Nothing was really standing out to me that it was set in Korea and I wished the author had pushed it a little more.

What I didn't like

In the beginning of the book the author threw in a lot of Korean words and it felt forced and unnecessary. Maybe because I do know a little Korean and found it weird that the two were mixing like that? Either way I found it really awkward and I didn't like it. BUT moving forward in the book the author did it less. Just for titles of people which made a lot more sense. Also quick sidenote: for some reason it really bothered me that they kept spelling Miyoung with and without a hyphen? Is that on purpose or just bad editing? It didn't take away from reading the story but it kept bothering me.

The first half was easily a lot better than the last. Kat did so good building up the world and throwing in the folklore but then as we progressed it started falling flat. The plot got too messy and I don't think the story was very well thought out at that point. The stuff with Miyoung's dad and those shamans was weird and felt like it didn't fit since she hardly mentioned her dad until the end. Plus the shamans just disappeared without doing anything. I expect they'll return in later books but it was strange that they just vanished. The climax near the end felt rushed like it was just thrown together last minute and wasn't very satisfying to me.

While I do love some good romance, I don't think this book needed it. It was doing SO well when Miyoung was learning about having friends and I wished the author would have stuck with that. Or at least waited for the next book to play on the romance side a bit. It felt like their friendship was only beginning when the author pushed the romance on them.

I tried SO hard to love this book and I just feel disappointed now that I'm done. It was everything I love (Korea, mythology) and I was so hyped to read it. I do think I'll give the next book a try but I'll keep my expectations much lower this time.

[layawaydragon]

It was okay. I finished it. I didn’t guess the big reveals. It’s not really over, but I don’t know about continuing the series. I did like the second half more than the first, so maybe. It’ll depend on the synopsis. 

It’s good and I love the cover, but not great for me. Sorry.

>Slow.
>My favorite parts where the mythological stories between chapters
>Like the mythological creatures & integration 
>I love her living off of bad men & making the world a better place. I’d love her owning this instead of the guilty monster routine.
>Love all the complicated family relationships
>Emo, angsty, & tortured with tender moments, and betrayals, 


Remember how Elsa’s parents did the opposite of what the trolls said to do with the whole “conceal, don’t feel”, shtick? It’s like that, but there’s no Anna, no dad and Elsa’s mom is pure ice. Kristoff lives with a chef grandma instead of the trolls. He & Elsa alternate risking their lives and saving each other. Kristoff is in a trio of friends that can speak for themselves and skips off to game in cafes. 
 
So nothing like Frozen, but that’s how my fatigued brain works.