The God and The Gwisin Fate's Thread Book 2 by Sophie Kim Publication Date June 3rd, 2025

After Hani sacrifices herself to save the world Seokga spends the next twenty six years desperately waiting for her reincarnation. With no hope on the horizon he is absolutely ecstatic when one evening a Red Thread appears on his pinky, knowing this could only mean one thing he rushes off, following the thread, only for it to become a confusing tangled mess almost immediately. With hope filling him he spends the next seven years chasing the Red Thread to the very ends of the Earth. 

Yoo Risa is entirely sure she is hallucinating when a Red Thread appears on her pinky finger in 2018. It wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination if she was as an overworked OB at Seoul's Shamanic Hospital she knows she been pushed to her very limits, why else would she be testing her own mortality by sitting on the edge of the roof? As she contemplates how everything in her life has gone so very wrong up till this point something happens, she slips falling to her death at twenty-two, never knowing what the Red Thread means. 

In 2025 Seokga will find himself forced into a vacation on the SRC Flatline by his meddlesome brother Hwanin and his therapist Dr. Jang. Within minutes of stepping on the ship the Red Thread pulls taught, something it's never done before. He follows the line and finds the woman he's been looking for all of these years, Yoo Yisa, Hani's reincarnation stands in front of him. And while he is overjoyed at finding his soul mate his happiness lasts only hours as it becomes clear that Yisa has no memory of her life as Hani and just as Hwanin has convinced him to take is slow with Yisa, the worst possible thing happens; The Heavenly Emperor is murdered and The God of Death has charged Yisa and Seokga with tracking down his killer. With both of them confused about their feelings for each other finding Hwanin's killer is far easier said than done. 

This was just as adorable as book one, but I found it more mature (for a lack of a better word) than book one. Which I found was needed as this tackles some pretty heavy topics including suicide, familial issues, and a not so subtle swipe at the Idol industry (which i whole heartedly approve of). It needed a more serious tone than book one, what was amazing though is Kim was still able to keep this lighthearted and fun even while delving down these rabbit holes. 

One thing I think allowed this in particular is it is not Hani as the MC this time around. And I feel like readers may get upset about this, but honestly there's just no way Hani would have been able to be the person Seokga needed in this book no matter how much she loved him. What we find out about what Seokga has gone through since book one really solidifies that for me, especially the ending and when we find out who the murderer is. Seokga needed someone who was firmly grounded in logic and reason to get through this and Yisa is definitely that. What I loved though is Kim is able to keep some of the little things about Hani's personality from book one, which honestly couldn't have been an easy balance to strike but she does it absolutely beautifully. 

The mystery is predictable but in the best possible way. In all honesty I think it was meant to be. Who the murderer ends up being is such a betrayal for Seokga that it's painful (infuriating really) to read that I can see how it's not so much that they didn't know it's that they didn't want to admit it. This again seems like a difficult plot device to not just write but write it convincingly. 

New and old side characters were amazing. Baby Hwanin* has my heart and soul wrapped around his chubby little fingers. My theory is the Red Thread is somehow Hani, I stand by this until a plausible alternative presents itself. And omg that freaking ending WTH!? I just...I mean...a magazine article!? That's it!? That's the opening!? 

I highly recommend this series, Kim has once again done an excellent job of breathing new life into Korean mythology, which as she says at the beginning of the book has given me a plethora of creatures and gods to look up! And I am once again imploring someone to give us a KDrama. 

As always thanks to NetGalley and Delray for the eArc!