He had the suspicion she’d taste like lightning.”Ĭho somehow makes her dialogue and narration sound like the subtitles of a K-Drama while still letting it flow as natural American English. “He’d wondered if she would taste like rain. Here’s Jihoon remembering a K-Drama-worthy almost-kiss in a storm: Kat Cho has mentioned in interviews that she was inspired by Korean drama series, and you can feel it. Their romance is a slow burn, given both their abandonment issues (see Dan Scott Award below) and the fact that she could – you know – eat him, but it’s a slow burn that simmers. She shoves an umbrella at him on a rainy day because his human immune system needs it more than she does.

He sticks earbuds in her ears so she won’t have to overhear the school bullies gossip about her. (Let’s just say I can relate.) Jihoon’s determined (but never disrespectful) efforts to cheer Miyoung up and her brusque retorts made me smile more than once. I love “Grumpy/Sunshine” romances, especially when the grumpy one is a girl. Beneath her coldness and his charm, they are both lonely and need someone to trust. They don’t open up easily, either to the audience or to each other, but when they do, it’s worth it. Miyoung and Jihoon are very reserved people in their different ways. But can predator and prey ever be friends, let alone fall in love? Ahn Jihoon, the boy she rescued, is fascinated with her and her mythical world, and he wants to know more.

When she rescues an innocent teenager from a dokkaebi (a goblin-like monster) one night, however, that third rule goes out the window. She hunts by a strict set of rules: only prey on the wicked, kill as painlessly as possible, and never let anyone see her true self. Gu Miyoung is a gumiho, a shapeshifting fox spirit who needs to drain gi (life energy) from humans in order to survive. I like that Jihoon is slyly watching her over his shoulder while she glares at the viewer.

Miyoung looks just like she’s described, with the moon that gives her power right behind her. This cover is drawn a little like a graphic novel, and it’s as beautiful and sinister as the story itself. Talky Talk: Graceful Cross-Cultural BridgeĪnti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award For Awful Parenting

Gumiho kat cho