Review: Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Vicious Spirits is an amazing follow up to Wicked Fox. I am officially a person who buys all Kat Cho books.

Vicious Spirits focuses on Somin and Junu, expanding their narratives began in Wicked Fox, but ever fear we still get tons of Miyoung and Jihoon, including their POV's throughout. The book has the same fantastic structure, interspersing myth, and backstory with the main thrust of the narration, and the same focus on character relationships that drove the emotional thru line so poignantly.

There were a few things that didn't quite meet my experience reading Wicked Fox. If I gave half stars, this would probably be a 4.5. The romance didn't work quite as well for me; it seemed fast in a way that kept me from being fully immersed in the story in the same way I was with Miyoung and Jihoon. I also didn't get quite the level of incredible heady angst as I felt in Wicked Fox. The story has twists and surprises and drama, but I didn't feel quite as intoxicated on the drama and tension. The book is presented as a companion to Wicked Fox, but I am not actually sure the story could stand on its own without having read the first book, which isn't a negative just a neutral observation and an indication that I think you should read Wicked Fox first.

This is, of course, not to indicate that I didn't really like this book! My favorite part of Wicked Fox was still very much present in Vicious Spirits! I really continued to be incredibly impressed with the way Cho writes relationships, and I especially love that family relationships are so central to her stories. I love a YA that included adults, and I am especially in love with the inclusion of older people. I love all the little old ladies. I want a Kat Cho book of just 12 little old ladies being excellent. I loved the different kinds of relationships on display. The examination on how those who have died continue to impact the living (not just when ghosts start popping up everywhere), it is genuinely wonderful. I also really love the friendships in this book. It is outstanding to see a book that really delivers on bonds of friendship. So often, friendship is put on the back burner in a book or is only brought up when the plot needs an extra emotional stake to make sense, but this series gives friendship the page time I always crave.

I also really did love the plot of the second book! Even if I didn't find it quite as enthralling as book one, I did find it deeply interesting, and I was invested in what was going to happen to these characters. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think this book does an excellent job of expanding the world of the first book and also harkening back to what we learned in that book.

I completely recommend this series to anyone who is looking for a series that will grab you on page one and take you on the best angst-filled journey you didn't know you needed. I am unsure how to convey how much I like this series. It is a lot.

I am giving this 5 stars on Goodreads and The StoryGraph because I think it deserves it even if a few things weren’t exactly how I hoped!