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A review by onthesamepage
The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I know most people are loving this book, and maybe I just read it at the wrong time or something, but in theory I should've really enjoyed this. I love chaotic evil characters because they are fun to read about. Instead, I was bored and this book took me 10 days to finish because I would skip my usual reading time and rewatch episodes on Netflix instead.
The book is too long for what it is, and a smaller page count and a tighter plot would've served it better. Hani and Seogka interact in the way kids do when they're intent on getting on each other's nerves. Also, I know both of them have done bad things in the past, but if I'm only seeing them act morally grey at worst, I'm not really going to buy into the whole "they are so evil" bit. It doesn't help that Hani's reaction to a couple of murdered and mutilated people is, "It is disconcerting to see this carnage. She's killed, yes, ripped out livers—but this is...different.", when she has killed 500 men and eaten their livers.
There are parts in the text that make it clear that the book is supposed to be comedic, but it didn't hit that way for me. I do think I'm going to be in the minority, and that most people will end up enjoying this, but if you start reading this and wonder if something is wrong with you because you're not enjoying this, then at least know you're not alone.
I know most people are loving this book, and maybe I just read it at the wrong time or something, but in theory I should've really enjoyed this. I love chaotic evil characters because they are fun to read about. Instead, I was bored and this book took me 10 days to finish because I would skip my usual reading time and rewatch episodes on Netflix instead.
The book is too long for what it is, and a smaller page count and a tighter plot would've served it better. Hani and Seogka interact in the way kids do when they're intent on getting on each other's nerves. Also, I know both of them have done bad things in the past, but if I'm only seeing them act morally grey at worst, I'm not really going to buy into the whole "they are so evil" bit. It doesn't help that Hani's reaction to a couple of murdered and mutilated people is, "It is disconcerting to see this carnage. She's killed, yes, ripped out livers—but this is...different.", when she has killed 500 men and eaten their livers.
There are parts in the text that make it clear that the book is supposed to be comedic, but it didn't hit that way for me. I do think I'm going to be in the minority, and that most people will end up enjoying this, but if you start reading this and wonder if something is wrong with you because you're not enjoying this, then at least know you're not alone.