Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho

 

From the blurb:  "Eighteen-year-old Lee Somin's heart is breaking. Her friends are grieving: Jihoon the loss of his beloved grandmother, and Miyoung the loss of her mother and her fox bead--her immortal gumiho soul. Somin, who is no stranger to loss, wants to help them pick up the pieces and move on with their lives, but neither seems to want her help. As Jihoon and Miyoung become more distant, Somin finds unexpected comfort in Junu, everyone's not-so-favorite dokkaebi. 

"But before Somin and Junu can discover what's truly between them, the group of friends discovers the supernatural world isn't quite done with them. Somin is seeing ghosts on the streets of Seoul, and Junu is visited by a reaper from his past. Turns out, Miyoung's lost fox bead has caused a tear between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The only way to repair the rift is to find Miyoung's bead or for Miyoung to pay with her life."

My thoughts:  Melody and I read Kat Cho's first book, Wicked Fox, last year and we both really enjoyed it, especially Jihoon and Miyoung and all the Korean mythology surrounding them. So when Vicious Spirits came out this year we knew we wanted to read it together. And it's such a great sequel! I still love Jihoon and Miyoung, but I really enjoyed getting to know Somin and Junu better. Somin is rebellious and feisty and very protective of her friends. Her verbal sparring matches with Junu made me smile. And Junu's history as a dokkaebi, or goblin, adds such an interesting layer to the story. When someone from his past returns to threaten him and his three friends...that's when the supernatural suspense really begins to build. Kudos to Kat Cho for writing such an entertaining and fun duology. And thanks, Melody, for suggesting we read these books in the first place. I'm very glad we did. Be sure to check out Melody's review of this one.

And happy reading!

Melody's questions:

Q. The mythological characters in this book are said to be immortal even though they can be killed through other means. Based on your opinions formed from this book, do you think it is a good thing to be immortal? 

A. None of the immortal characters in this book--Junu, the gumiho, the reaper--seem very happy with their immortality. The weight of all those years, and all the things they'd done in the past that they now regret, makes me think immortality is not all it's cracked up to be. It was the human characters in this book who seemed the most content with their lives.

Q. Which book of this duology is your favorite and why?

A. That's a hard question to answer, because I liked both books a lot. The first book is more about Jihoon and Miyoung, two characters I really love. And this one focuses more on Somin and Junu. I guess if I had to pick I'd say Vicious Spirits, but only because the ending of Wicked Fox leaves you hanging just a bit, and this book wraps everything up so happily.