Special thanks to Montlake for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nine Tailed (Realm of the Four Kingdoms #1)
Publisher: Montlake
Pub Date: 1 August 2024
Genre: Adult Romance Fantasy
Panda Rating:
(3 pandas)
📖 SYNOPSIS
An enemy on her tails, an innocent at her side, and a dangerous power within her that could destroy them all. Jayci Lee melds Korean folklore with modern Americana in this fiery new series.
In a race to stop an ancient evil from destroying the worlds as they know them, Sunny comes to a startling, heartbreaking if she chooses love—everything will burn.
Sunny Cho aspires to be the dullest, least interesting person in any given room, which can be challenging for a nine-tailed fox spirit. So she drifts from city to city—staying clear of any and all attachment—and keeps her fox buried deep inside her. It is better this way. She would rather live as half of herself than risk losing control of her terrible powers.
Ethan Lee, a friend she left behind eight years ago, is a brilliant and distractingly hot PI. When he tracks her down and asks her to help him find his brother’s murderer, Sunny knows her uneventful life is about to be turned upside down.
Traversing the mortal realm and the world of gods, Sunny and Ethan discover their quest is much more dire than mere vengeance, and their friendship might be…more. An ancient evil is stirring, and Sunny is faced with an impossible save the worlds from annihilation or claim the love fated by the heavens.
⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Blood, violent deaths of family members (recounted), murder, gore, on-page sex


TL;DR: I love romance and fantasy, but until now, I don’t think I’ve read a book inspired by Asian mythology that isn’t in the YA category. So, I was very excited about getting my hands on a copy of Nine Tailed, and while there were elements I enjoyed a lot, I admit that not all of it worked for me. The world-building inspired by Korean mythology was fantastical and I also loved that the author’s enthusiasm for the mythology and characters came through in the writing. I also think the romance and interplay between the MCs will be favoured by those who love Maas and JLA’s romance fantasies and this will be most enjoyed by those who loved their books.
Read More »