Vicious Spirits

PROLOGUE

As with any tragedy, it came about because he loved.

When he was on the cusp of manhood, a young man met a girl. She was beautiful, desired by everyone in town, and unbeknownst to him desired by a powerful sansin.

However, despite the many scholars and noblemen offering their love, she chose the young man who was only the forgotten last son of a lower noble family. She professed her love for him, and they planned to marry.

In preparation for their marriage, he commissioned a ceramic vase that he would present to her.

He didn t know that, as he prepared his gift, she was preparing one of her own. For the girl he loved was not a girl at all. She was a fox, a gumiho, and she wished to become human for him. But she was tricked by the sansin who coveted her. He persuaded her to kill to gain mortality. One hundred livers devoured in one hundred days. It would allow her to take the gi of her victims energy that fuels all living things. She did not know that the world demanded balance. That if she took the souls of others, she was sacrificing her own.

The night before their wedding, she came to her young man.

He awoke to see her washed in the light of the moon.

He cringed in fear of her. For she wasn t human, but half woman half demon. Her nine tails wove around her as symbols of her true form, and her soul was shrouded in shadows.

He denied her love. The gi she d devoured fueled her despair, and the gumiho lashed out, killing him in a blind rage.

But that wasn t to be his end, because he awoke again. This time not as a man but as a beast. A dokkaebi. He was cursed by a shaman that served the sansin to roam the earth as an unnatural goblin.

In despair, he planned to kill the shaman who turned him. But before he could, she told him that because of his rejection, the gumiho had hired the shaman to curse the man to this dokkaebi form. And the shaman gave him a chance for

Kat Cho used to hide books under the bathroom sink and then sneak in there to read after bedtime. Her parents pretended not to know. This helped when she decided to write a dinosaur time-travel novel at the tender age of nine. Sadly, that book was not published. She currently lives and works in NYC and spends her free time trying to figure out what kind of puppy to adopt.

Praise for Vicious Spirits:

When danger lurks from beyond the grave, supporting characters find themselves in the limelight in this enthralling sequel to Wicked Fox. . .Once again Cho artfully balances Korean-inspired folktales, K-drama motifs, emotionally complex characters, and unpredictable plot twists. . . This folktale fantasy will not disappoint. Kirkus

Steeped in Korean folklore, this is a strong sequel . . . Alongside complex romantic relationships, this is also a story of friendship, family, found family, and what it means to stand up for others and to be able to depend upon others.   School Library Journal

Praise for Wicked Fox:
An Amazon Best Book July 2019
An Entertainment Weekly Summer Best Book Pick
A Refinery29 Summer Best Book Pick
A Junior Library Guild Pick

Vibrant debut novel . . . an utterly original take on the young-adult fantasy. Entertainment Weekly

A romantic and unique read bursting with lush atmosphere. BuzzFeed

This book is a delight from start to finish. It s everything I adore about the best Korean drama, mixed with a dash of urban fantasy. The chemistry between Miyoung and Jihoon kept me turning the pages into the wee hours of the night. Cho s prose and pacing are crisp, and the world is utterly transportive. Renée Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath & the Dawn

Full of heart and heat, Wicked Fox is the perfect summer read. If this charming yet emotionally charged novel doesn t win you over with the supernatural mystery or fraught family drama then the sweeping romance will. Tor.com
 
A fun read that should have YA enthusiasts hooked. Culturess

This is urban fantasy as readers have not seen it