Cover

Praise for
the Fate’s Thread series

AMAZON EDITORS’ BEST BOOK OF JUNE 2024—SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

“The tastiest treat for fantasy lovers. Following the perfect drama between two sneaky immortals, The God and the Gumiho glows with its supernatural antics and sumptuous world.”

—Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

“Korean folklore, murder mystery, and a quirky love/hate story combine in this highly entertaining novel. The God and the Gumiho is one of a kind!”

—Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters and Blackthorn & Grim series

“Enchanting fantasy…With an intoxicating mix of action, mystery, and deliciously angsty romance, this reads like the most bingeable K-drama. Readers will be riveted.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“This spellbinding dive into the supernatural realms of South Korea seamlessly blends Korean mythology with contemporary urban fantasy…. [Sophie] Kim’s adult debut marks her as a talent to watch. With its blend of romance, mystery, and supernatural intrigue, The God and the Gumiho is sure to enchant readers.”

—Booklist

“An action-filled contemporary fantasy based in Korean mythology, featuring morally gray characters and a little heat.”

—Library Journal (starred review)

By Sophie Kim

Fate’s Thread

The God and the Gumiho

The God and the Gwisin

Talons

Last of the Talons

Wrath of the Talon

Reign of the Talon

Dedication

For my mother.

Mom, I look up to you more

than astrologers look up at the stars.

Epigraph

The ship on which Theseus sailed with the youths and returned in safety, the thirty-oared galley, was preserved by the Athenians down to the time of Demetrius Phalereus. They took away the old timbers from time to time, and put new and sound ones in their places, so that the vessel became a standing illustration for the philosophers in the mooted question of growth, some declaring that it remained the same, others that it was not the same vessel.

—Plutarch, Plutarch’s Lives

Author’s Note

Ahoy there!

I’m thrilled to see you’ve returned for another adventure. The perennially grumpy (and caffeine-deprived) Detective Seokga, as well as other characters both startlingly familiar and wonderfully new, eagerly await your boarding upon the SRC Flatliner. Monsters, magic, and mayhem await, along with a hearty dash of whodunit and, of course, romance.

So very much of it.

Yet before you step foot onto this esteemed cruise ship and are carried through the churning currents of the underworld’s river, please do humor me as I don my captain’s cap and commence my own twist on a safety briefing. After all, these waters can be tricky—even dangerous—if not properly navigated.