Gods & Comics

by Kat Cho

Seventeen-year-old junior class vice president Grace Bak has her entire future all mapped out with plans to become a doctor like her parents. But the weight of Grace’s own daunting expectations lead to debilitating panic attacks that have made her a virtual outcast at school even to her longtime friend and crush. To make matters worse, her grandmother and only real support system has just died. Halmoni was the glue that kept Grace’s little family together, especially after she and her dad lost her mother to cancer when Grace was too little to have many memories of her. To cope with the grief of another loss, Grace starts a webcomic inspired by the Korean myths her halmeoni used to tell her as a child.

In the webcomic, Sun God, Grace spins the tale of Korean god Haemosu and his love Yuhwa, but with a twist —the two gods are trapped in the bodies of teenagers and worst of all cursed to attend high school. Grace never expected her comic to go viral, but it has, and more astonishingly, the fandom has also somehow conjured the real Haemosu and now it’s up to Grace to get him back home. Except when she starts to fall for Hae, sending him home is the last thing she wants to do. More troubling, Hae isn’t the only god to suddenly reappear. Hae’s sworn enemy has also been brought to the mortal realm and is set on destroying Hae all while infecting humanity with a deadly disease. As an epic battle between gods loom, Hae is without his powers, so it may fall to Grace to fight back against a vengeful god hellbent on punishing anyone who gets in his way.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Romance, Contemporary

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 21, 2026

About the author

Kat Cho (she/her) 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 loves to incorporate her Korean heritage in her writing, especially if it involves describing food. She likes anything that encourages nerding out, including reading, K-dramas, K-pop and anime. She currently spends her free time trying to figure out what kind of puppy to adopt. Kat is the New York Times and international bestselling author of the YA contemporary fantasy duology Wicked Fox and Vicious Spirits (Putnam/Penguin). As well as the K-Pop webcomic, Free Hexel, and the YA romcom, Once Upon a K-Prom (Disney).

Find her online at: KatChoWrites.com

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***I'm not on Goodreads that much, but if you have any questions you can always reach out to me through my website***

Reviews

[tiana ♡]

pre-read notes:
ARC received for this book! The description sounds sooo cool and intriguing 👀🩵

[carthi ♡]

⋆˙⟡ — 26/06/2025: ˙⊹

i know next to nothing about this book, but its written by kat cho (yesss!!!), w two worlds-esque (OMG OMG THIS IS INSANE!!), and will release next year??? so yeah im sat and no one can get me to leave unless they get me a copy asap (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ (looking at you penguin random house, prettyy please 🥺🥺)

[Shahana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I needed right now. I genuinely devoured this in one sitting and immediately knew it was a 5 star read. If this is the energy 2026 releases are bringing, we are about to be FED.

I loved how the story blended grief, anxiety, and ambition with Korean mythology and fandom culture. Grace felt so real to me. Her pressure to succeed, her panic attacks, and that feeling of being completely lost in life hit harder than I expected. The webtoon element was such a clever way to explore both creativity and coping, especially with how it connects to her halmeoni and the stories she grew up with.

The mythology was one of my favorite parts. Learning about Korean gods through this story felt natural and engaging rather than info-heavy. And Hae? Absolute favorite. No notes. His dynamic with Grace was soft, emotional, and genuinely swoony in that very K-drama way. The whole book reminded me so much of dramas like W and Bride of the Water God, and I loved every second of that vibe.

Every character felt thoughtfully written, the pacing was tight, and the emotional beats really landed. This was funny, heartfelt, dramatic, and comforting all at once. Truly a chef’s kiss read, and one I already know I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher.

I chased after this book, thinking it'd be a bit more plot-heavy, but instead, it's very simplistic. Confusing a bit, too.

Girl creates comic of God(s). God exists but is personified as her version. She is confused at first, but accepts the fact that her 'talent'? comic? can create the gods to come and exist.

I think I would have liked the story more if there was a deeper plot with the gods besides the water god wanting to kill the sun god. Like, more villains? More... something? There are also some plot lines that don't exactly get forgotten about, they just kind of exist in the background and don't really come to a conclusion (the smallpox, the racism with her 'friend' and his friends, how she can bring these gods to exist in the first place). I don't know if this is meant to be a start of a series, but it gives you thought that maybe it can be something more.

Cute, but that's all it can give.

[☽｡⋆ Naidah ₊˚ෆ]

I NEED TO READ THIS!! This sounds so ‘W’ coded (it’s a kdrama)

[Fanna]

K-drama meets romantasy through a webtoon!

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Copy...Interesting Korean Ya Urban fantasy read and I am will there be more comic illustrations and oooh verry much westerner readers will need an author's note on the Korean mythology involved.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is so much fun

[Nicole Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Gods & Comics” by Kat Cho is a fast, heartfelt YA urban fantasy that combines Korean mythology, fandom culture, and the messy weight of grief into a story that feels both comforting and ambitious. Kat Cho takes a clever premise and wraps it in webtoons, gods in high school bodies, and the pressure of growing up when you’re already stretched too thin.

Seventeen-year-old Grace Bak has her life planned out: elite grades, medical school, success. But after the death of her halmeoni, who was the one person who truly supported her creative side, that plan starts to crumble under anxiety, panic attacks, and grief she refuses to confront. As an outlet, Grace creates a webtoon inspired by the Korean myths her grandmother once told her, reimagining the sun god Haemosu and his tragic love Yuhwa as modern-day teenagers. When the comic goes viral, something impossible happens: the gods come to life.

The mythology is one of the story’s biggest strengths. Cho introduces Korean gods and legends in a way that feels natural rather than heavy-handed, bringing them seamlessly into a contemporary setting. The idea that modern fandom and storytelling function as a form of worship is especially compelling, as is the notion that creativity itself holds power. Hae who is Grace’s version of the sun god is a standout character: gentle, supportive, and undeniably swoony, with a soft, K-drama–esque dynamic that makes his slow-burn romance with Grace genuinely sweet and emotionally grounding.

Emotionally, the book shines brightest in its quieter moments. Grace’s struggle with grief, anxiety, and impossible expectations feels painfully real, especially in how she bottles everything up. Her relationship with her grandmother lingers beautifully through the story, and the webtoon becomes both a coping mechanism and a bridge between past and present. The story is funny, tender, and often comforting, even when dealing with heavy themes like loss, bullying, overachieving, and casual racism.

The plot is fairly straightforward, centering on a single primary antagonist, and several intriguing threads, such as the deeper rules behind summoning gods, certain social conflicts, and some mythological backstory, are touched on but not fully explored. Some characters can feel a bit underdeveloped, and the story occasionally leans more toward vibes and emotion than complex worldbuilding. I wanted more from the worldbuilding because I thought that was the best part of the story.

Still, the pacing is tight, the emotional beats land, and the second half raises the stakes with more action and mythological tension. It’s a book that’s easy to devour in one sitting, leaving behind warmth, a little heartbreak, and a lot of fondness for its characters.

Overall, “Gods & Comics” is a cozy, emotionally driven YA fantasy that explores Korean mythology mixed with webtoon culture and heartfelt explorations of grief and ambition. While it doesn’t dig as deeply into its world or conflicts as it could, it delivers a sincere, swoony, and comforting read; this book is perfect for fans of K-dramas, soft romances, and stories about finding yourself through creativity.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: 3.5 stars

This is my secon book by Kat Cho and it was a solid read as I finished it in one sitting.

Grace created a webtoon, depicting Korean gods, Haemosu (Hae), the sun god and his love, the daughter of the water god, Yuhwa trapped in teen bodies and forced to attend high school as a form of dealing with her grief due to her grandmother’s passing. The webtoon went viral and somehow, the characters came to life including the baddie! Will they be able to defeat the baddie with Grace’s help?

The plot is pretty cool and unique and I was so looking forward to this one but I didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The worldbuilding - this is portrayed in a modern world with Grace in high school but there wasn’t much history to provide on the god’s end except the occasional myths it would touch on…it felt too simplistic at times and certain plot lines that got developed were glossed over. The plot was straightforward as there was only one baddie, the water god wanting to get rid of the sun god with Grace in the middle of it.

The characters felt one dimensional at times and are going through the motions given that there is a lack of depth. Grace is depicted as this over-achiever who is organized and struggles to stick up for herself. She also deals with micro-aggressions in the form of racism from some of her classmates but is also grieving for her grandmother’s passing a couple of months ago and has bottled things up. The themes of peer pressure, bullying, grief and peer pressure were brought up but never really explored in depth which made me struggle to relate to the characters. I do love Grace’s friendship with Zoe, her best friend who is very supportive of her. Even though they are total opposites.

I did like the slow burn romance between Grace and Hae and his support throughout the book for her. It was nice to see how he understands the way she is yet never judges her for it and tries to occasionally bring it up in a thoughtful way to make her understand. Their interactions are thoughtful and sweet with some tender moments thrown in.

My other annoyance is also the relationship between Hae and Yuhwa was never really explained well…and how Yuhwa only shows up in the later half of the book and only in intersecting moments! I get it, we want more focus on Hae and Grace but it would be nice if the supporting characters had more background to them.

Overall, it was a quick and fun read with a unique plot but forgettable characters with a fun nod to K-Dramas!

Thank you, Penguin Teen Canada for the physical arc of this book!

[Ricarda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been ages since I've last read something by Kat Cho. I apparently skipped all of her K-Pop stuff, but now she is back with Korean mythology and so I am back as well. It ended up being a perfectly fine YA urban fantasy novel, but I ultimately can't say that I have any strong feelings about this book. The idea of mixing ancient Korean mythology with a modern webtoon was pretty cool, but I think that more could have been made of that premise. And I say that with the knowledge that this book actually had a lot going on already. The story follows 17-year-old Grace Bak who recently started drawing and writing the webtoon Sun God. It's a way for her to cope with the passing of her grandmother who used to tell her myths and legends, but it also became popular very quickly. But Grace isn't only struggling with grief and the work on her webtoon, but also with school life and meeting the high expectations that she put on herself. And on top of all that the main character of her webtoon becomes real all of a sudden and now she also has to deal with the problems of the literal sun god Haemosu. Who happens to be in the form of a ridiculously handsome teenage boy, of course. I'll be honest: the high school drama was a big disconnect for me. I don't know what I did expect as this is clearly a YA novel, but there are still YA novels that hook me completely and that I love dearly, I swear. I'm sure that that whole setting will appeal more to actual teen readers and I'm glad that they will be able to read about a variety of important themes that are included in this book, from grief to bullying to performance pressure and overachieving to (casual) racism. There are no deep explorations of these themes, but it was nice that they were mentioned at all. There were even some ideas presented that I thought very interesting, like the thought that creation and creativity is basically magic or that modern fan culture isn't unlike the worship of gods. The second half of the story also picked up plot-wise for me. Grace is trying to get Haemosu back to his celestial kingdom and that part had more action and more mythology and higher stakes in general. Overall, it was a super quick read that didn't do anything wrong but that also didn't manage to win me over completely.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Polina ♆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I wasn't the intended audience for this book, and even though I usually enjoy teen stories, this one did not fully capture my interest.
My complete rating is 2.5.

It definitely had some appealing parts that I found interesting, and especially if you are a K-drama fan, you will enjoy them a lot. Besides that, I could not shake the feeling that something was missing. In particular, I would have enjoyed a deeper dive into the characters' personal problems, especially the ones of the protagonist, Grace. Her experience with grief was mentioned a couple of times; however, it seemed that it only scratched the surface of this important topic. I considered this a missed opportunity to delve deeper into the subject so that young people who decided to read this, and unfortunately, life has confronted them with such feelings, can feel understood, and in a way, as they are not alone in what they are feeling.

Also, I would have appreciated more information on how those webtoon characters get into our world. To this moment, I still don't have an explanation. Many things kept happening, and not a lot of them have been explained.

Besides this, the story is light and easy to read, especially for people who also enjoy webtoons and K-dramas. The characters are not that deep (or at least not deep enough for my preferences), but they are funny and interesting, and if this is something you aim for, you will like the book.
---
Thank you for the opportunity to have access to this advanced copy of the book.

[Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A thrilling read! Grace Bak has her life all planned out, she’s going to become a doctor like her parents. But the weight of her expectations have started to cause her panic attacks and that has made her an outcast at school even to her friend and crush. And then to make it worse her grandmother, her only support system, dies. She also lost her mother when she was little and she doesn’t have much memories of her. To cope she starts a webcomic inspired by the Korean myths her halmeoni told her as a child. In her comic Sun God, which tales the story of Haemosu and his love Yuhwa but with a twist. They are trapped as teenagers and have to attend high school. Now that her comic has gone viral the fandom has somehow conjured the real Haemosu now she has to send him home. But then she starts to fall for him sending him home is the last thing she wants to do. And worse Haemosu wasn’t the only one conjured his sworn enemy was too. And is set on destroying Haemosu and infecting humanity with a deadly disease. A battle between these two gods looms and without Haemosu having his powers it will fall to Grace to fight back against a god that is set on destroying everything. Can Grace succeed? Kat Cho weaves an epic story gods and mythology that was absolutely fantastic! I couldn’t put it down! A fast paced story that is funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, with plenty of cutesy moments!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

YA fantasy romance LITRPG
I received an advance review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Gods & Comics follows 17-year-old Grace Bak, who is an overachieving Junior in high school with high expectations for herself. Unfortunately, a side effect of her own high expectations is debilitating panic attacks that have made her a social pariah to the majority of her school. Her only real outlet to be herself is her anonymous web-comic “Sun God” that she created based on Korean myths her halmeoni told her as a child.
However, things take a turn when her characters from her web-comic show up in her life, because after it goes viral, people start believing in and worshipping the gods depicted in it. The gods are only half of what she has imagined them as, and she soon finds herself fighting against a spiteful god trying to infect Earth with smallpox.
I’ve really enjoyed this book. I know it's a bit under my age range, but it felt pretty authentic, and it was really interesting reading about the Korean myths and legends that I don’t know much about. In the end, it was a bit of a tearjerker, but it's definitely appropriate for teens and higher. There’s no spice, unless you're counting kissing (tame kissing) spice. It was a cool take on the LITRPG genre.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Nancy Paulsen Books and Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. It's a story of grief, self-doubt, and discovering your place in the world. It's coming of age in the most real, raw way. As someone who grew up with a lot of pressure (most of it self-imposed), I wish I had had a book like this to lean on and learn from.

The magic and fantasy of this book is unique but also familiar, and I loved seeing how it affected the real world. The juxtaposition of the high-stakes fantasy with the high stakes of Grace's own expectations was so powerful.

I won't get started on the ways that it was inaccurate about the medical field and medicine itself, but that did really throw me off a couple of times (ER doctors don't round, they do shift work, etc).

This was such a powerful, deep book of grief and growing up, and every teen needs a story like this in their lives!

[Raina Bridges · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I want to thank the author for the opportunity to receive an advance reader copy through the giveaway. I truly appreciate being able to read this early.

I want to be honest in my review: I made it about 20 chapters in, and unfortunately, I struggled to fully connect with the story. This isn’t a reflection of the writing itself—the cover is absolutely stunning, and I really wish I had been more pulled into the world.

I believe this came down to personal preference. Korean mythology isn’t something I’m very familiar with or typically drawn to, which likely affected my reading experience.

Please don’t let my review discourage you from picking this up. If you enjoy mythology—especially Korean mythology—or are looking for something unique, this book may be a great fit for you.

Thank you again to the author for the opportunity.

[Candace Mahieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️This story was undeniably adorable! It tackled a lot of tough topics, and I thought most discussions were honest and relatable. There were times it seemed a bit repetitive, and I hoped for discussions that would delve deeper, but that exploration only occurred in the final chapters. The main plot was really creative, and I particularly loved the incorporation of Korean mythology. Learning about the gods was my favorite part, and it was presented in a way that fit the story well. However, I felt that some subplots lacked full development, and I would have really liked to see a resolution for those as well. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Nancy Paulsen Books for the ARC!

[Mae B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

Starts off great but the MC quickly becomes a damsel in distress. The side characters are unique but not fleshed out well enough. The story seems to go awhile before we get to the end and all the conflicts are all quickly resolved. Wish it was a more balanced story with a FMC that gave us a bit more.

[Rosh (read in the A.M.) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟
I really struggled with this one. It felt like everything was taking place in a day dream with how unattached to everything I was. The writing was serviceable, the characters okay and the plot itself predictable in the worst way. I liked wicked gods from this author and came in expecting more of that vibe but this was such a letdown

[Kathei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I’d recommend this to everyone.

[Wandering Reader]

I received a copy of this book for free to read and review. These opinions are my own.

First off, I've decided not to leave a star rating. The copy I received was unedited, and while I tried to not let it affect my enjoyment, it did after a while because it wasn't just the normal grammatical errors. So I'm going to hold off on adding that piece of my review until after I get a chance to read the final product.

As for the story itself, it was in-line with what I expected. Only, it felt a little flat and missing some background. Like... Is the only reason the Gods came back to life because people were thinking about them again? Why was Hae losing his powers but not Yuhwa? Was Halmeoni's voice a hallucination due to stress or just how Grace coped with missing her? Also, as a lover of kdramas with a soft spot for 'W: Two Worlds Apart', I couldn't help comparing some of this book to that show.

Bottomline, I was hoping for something a little... more. Since this was an ARC, the final product may answer a few of these plot holes for me.

PS: While I appreciated the name drop for Habaek, I kept picturing Nam Joo-hyuk a la 'Bride of Habaek'.