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.
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*
Reading updates
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Started reading
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25 May, 2020:
Finished reading
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25 May, 2020:
Reviewed