What do you think?
The Devoted
A stunning, page-turning love story of family and fate from the author of the acclaimed memoir, Inferno.
Eunha grows up in a quiet village in Hong Kong with little knowledge of the reputation of her father, a Dragon Head and leader of a criminal organisation infamous in the city. While her grandmother does her best to shield her from the violence that underpins their lives, Eunha only has her brother Solomon and their one permitted companion, a boy named Kai, for company.
But when Eunha marries into a supposedly respectable Hong Kong family, the veneer of her quiet life begins to crack. When her young son is kidnapped, she is cast back into the city’s criminal underground and into the orbit of Kai, now a Dragon Head himself. In this world love and loyalty are stalked by fear and betrayal. Will Eunha finally give in to the life she has strived so hard to rise above or was her future always fated?
The Devoted is a beautifully written, unforgettable debut novel of love, family and betrayal from an electric new voice in fiction.
Eunha grows up in a quiet village in Hong Kong with little knowledge of the reputation of her father, a Dragon Head and leader of a criminal organisation infamous in the city. While her grandmother does her best to shield her from the violence that underpins their lives, Eunha only has her brother Solomon and their one permitted companion, a boy named Kai, for company.
But when Eunha marries into a supposedly respectable Hong Kong family, the veneer of her quiet life begins to crack. When her young son is kidnapped, she is cast back into the city’s criminal underground and into the orbit of Kai, now a Dragon Head himself. In this world love and loyalty are stalked by fear and betrayal. Will Eunha finally give in to the life she has strived so hard to rise above or was her future always fated?
The Devoted is a beautifully written, unforgettable debut novel of love, family and betrayal from an electric new voice in fiction.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
July 10, 2026
if i had to choose whether to give in to a life of crime or enjoy a normal existence with my family, i'd probably go with the latter. but then no one writes books about me
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
(review to come)
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
(review to come)
September 26, 2026
⭐️ 4 ⭐️ The Devoted very much so echos The Godfather. It is an emotionally rich literary debut that focuses on the lives of Eunha and Solomon who live in a sheltered village of Hong Kong with their grandmother. Their father is an active crime member of the Dragon Head gang group, with an expectation that Solomon will one day inherit the position when its his time. Eunha tries to sway away from the criminal lifestyle and eventually marries a man she doesn't love. She eventually becomes a mother to a baby boy named Minsuk, who later on is kidnapped and this pushes Eunha to re-enter the world she wanted to leave behind. The novel alternates between now and then giving us a broader sense of her life and the events that lead up to the abduction.
What really pulled me in was the cover of this book because by looking at it, I was seeing and feeling the danger, its darkness and the title especially, The Devoted, suggested something more psychological.
I was informed by a friend that this is less of a crime/thriller novel and more of a literary, melancholic story of motherhood, identity and love. So I've adjusted my expectations and I ended up really enjoying the story. This is a story of the sorrows of the heart. It tenderly emphasized that a mother’s devotion can be both positive and destructive. That a mother’s love can sometimes become a personal imprisonment and liberation at the same time. The title of this book is quite fitting to the themes it covered and ‘the devoted’ is deliberately ambiguous and can be interpreted in so many different ways. It’s quite a tragic tale about roads not taken and certain events that shape our lives.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books | Washington Square Press and the author, Catherine Cho for an ARC.
Publication: July 14, 2026
What really pulled me in was the cover of this book because by looking at it, I was seeing and feeling the danger, its darkness and the title especially, The Devoted, suggested something more psychological.
I was informed by a friend that this is less of a crime/thriller novel and more of a literary, melancholic story of motherhood, identity and love. So I've adjusted my expectations and I ended up really enjoying the story. This is a story of the sorrows of the heart. It tenderly emphasized that a mother’s devotion can be both positive and destructive. That a mother’s love can sometimes become a personal imprisonment and liberation at the same time. The title of this book is quite fitting to the themes it covered and ‘the devoted’ is deliberately ambiguous and can be interpreted in so many different ways. It’s quite a tragic tale about roads not taken and certain events that shape our lives.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books | Washington Square Press and the author, Catherine Cho for an ARC.
Publication: July 14, 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Oh boy… this one is a bit of a mixed bag for me.
The story itself isn’t bad at all. It’s actually quite a sad and emotional one, centered around family, loss and the long shadow of a life tied to a criminal organization.
We follow Eunha, whose father is a Dragon Head in the Triads, and we see her life unfold through both past and present timelines. I did like that structure, it gave a fuller picture of her upbringing and how everything connects.
But… I kept waiting for something more to happen.
The first chapters were fine, and I thought we were building toward something intense, but the story stays very linear and just follows Eunha’s perspective as she tells her story. It felt more like being told what happened rather than experiencing it.
I think part of it is also expectations. I went in thinking this would have more suspense or thriller elements, but it leans much more toward literary fiction and character driven storytelling.
There were moments that caught my attention, especially toward the last 10% when things finally started to come together, and I’ll admit that part had me more engaged.
Also… Kai… yeah... dude, I had a bit of hope. HAD -.-. That’s all I’m saying...
Overall, not a bad book at all, just not what I was expecting, and it didn’t fully work for me.
⭐ 3.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.
https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...
The story itself isn’t bad at all. It’s actually quite a sad and emotional one, centered around family, loss and the long shadow of a life tied to a criminal organization.
We follow Eunha, whose father is a Dragon Head in the Triads, and we see her life unfold through both past and present timelines. I did like that structure, it gave a fuller picture of her upbringing and how everything connects.
But… I kept waiting for something more to happen.
The first chapters were fine, and I thought we were building toward something intense, but the story stays very linear and just follows Eunha’s perspective as she tells her story. It felt more like being told what happened rather than experiencing it.
I think part of it is also expectations. I went in thinking this would have more suspense or thriller elements, but it leans much more toward literary fiction and character driven storytelling.
There were moments that caught my attention, especially toward the last 10% when things finally started to come together, and I’ll admit that part had me more engaged.
Also… Kai… yeah... dude, I had a bit of hope. HAD -.-. That’s all I’m saying...
Overall, not a bad book at all, just not what I was expecting, and it didn’t fully work for me.
⭐ 3.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.
https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...
July 20, 2026
3.5-4⭐️ My biggest advice— go into this book knowing it’s predominantly literary fiction with just an air of mystery, and I think you will be very pleasantly surprised. While this story features warring Dragon Heads (faction heads of an organized crime syndicate), so much of this story centers around the central character of Eunha, whose whole world centers around the mob, and the power it strips her of, as the men in the family seemingly negotiate the world around them.
When her young son is kidnapped, we see just how tight the strings bind her to the world of Dragons, and just how hard she’ll work to break free. A powerful debut about loyalty to family, a mother’s love, and the bonds that threaten to destroy them. With lyrical prose and peeks into the gritty street life of Hong Kong, Catherine Cho offers a dynamic look into the world of organized crime through the lens of the innocent.
🎧 I read this book primarily via audiobook, narrated by Rosa Escoda. Her gorgeous narration lent itself well to Cho’s writing style. Given the amount of characters and details, particularly in the first half of the story, I think an immersive read, combining the print with the audiobook, would make for the best reading experience.
I am so happy to have buddy read this with Shakila @booksansthemes over the weekend. It makes for an engaging group read as there is a lot to parse out.
Read if you like:
▪️slow burn x quick pace
▪️bingy
▪️character driven
▪️atmospheric
▪️Hong Kong setting
▪️waring mobs
Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥
Thank you Atria Books for the advanced copy.
When her young son is kidnapped, we see just how tight the strings bind her to the world of Dragons, and just how hard she’ll work to break free. A powerful debut about loyalty to family, a mother’s love, and the bonds that threaten to destroy them. With lyrical prose and peeks into the gritty street life of Hong Kong, Catherine Cho offers a dynamic look into the world of organized crime through the lens of the innocent.
🎧 I read this book primarily via audiobook, narrated by Rosa Escoda. Her gorgeous narration lent itself well to Cho’s writing style. Given the amount of characters and details, particularly in the first half of the story, I think an immersive read, combining the print with the audiobook, would make for the best reading experience.
I am so happy to have buddy read this with Shakila @booksansthemes over the weekend. It makes for an engaging group read as there is a lot to parse out.
Read if you like:
▪️slow burn x quick pace
▪️bingy
▪️character driven
▪️atmospheric
▪️Hong Kong setting
▪️waring mobs
Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥
Thank you Atria Books for the advanced copy.
August 27, 2026
As those who follow my reviews probably know by now, I can be somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to the depiction of Hong Kong (both the city and its culture) in certain mediums of entertainment (such as movies and TV shows, for instance), but especially in books. Given Hong Kong’s literary bona fides as the former home base for some of the greatest authors in the Chinese-speaking world (Jin Yong, Ni Kuang, and Eileen Chang immediately come to mind), it has always saddened me to see the dearth of books set in or about HK that actually appear in the mainstream literary market (I’m referring mostly to fictional works here). The books that do make it are usually written from an expat perspective (which of course makes sense given the city’s colonial roots) and oftentimes, I feel, lean too heavily into depicting the glamorous, fast-paced “cosmopolitan international city” side of HK rather than the ordinary, somewhat gritty and definitely less glamorous side that I’m more familiar with. Though perhaps, with HK’s unique position as a city perpetually undergoing an identity crisis, I probably should not be so surprised by the disparate depictions that can vary widely based on one’s perspective.
Within this context, I found Catherine Cho’s novel The Devoted quite refreshing in that it is told from an expat perspective (the experience of a Korean family in Hong Kong), yet it also leans heavily into the side of Hong Kong that most mainstream audiences in the English-speaking world probably would not be familiar with: the dark, gritty world of HK’s infamous triad societies. Granted, we ordinary folks likely wouldn’t be familiar with the inner workings of these triad societies either, but for those of us who grew up on a steady diet of HK movies and TV series (especially in the decades when the triads were actively involved in the HK film industry), the triad society concept definitely wouldn’t be a foreign one. Indeed, as I was reading Cho’s novel, I could picture the world she was writing about quite vividly: scenes from all those famous triad movies I grew up watching -- A Better Tomorrow, Election, Infernal Affairs, the Young and Dangerous franchise, to name few -- would come flooding back into my mind, but at the same time, it also made me curious to see what Cho’s version of the triad society would look like. I say this because majority of the time, stories about the triads (whether movies, TV shows, or books) center on the male members of these organized crime groups – women were usually periphery characters who were either victims of the triads’ activities or passive partners expected to stand by their men no matter the cost. Cho’s story, however, goes in a slightly different direction in that she centers the narrative around a young Korean woman, Eunha, whose father and brother are both Dragon Heads (triad society leaders). Despite attempts to shield Eunha from this criminal underworld, including having her marry into a respectable family, it’s impossible for her not to be impacted in some way due to her family’s infamous connections. Caught between two very different worlds, Eunha struggles to reconcile the various roles she is meant to play -- daughter, sister, wife, mother -- while trying to navigate the complexities of a past that is inextricably tangled with her future. I appreciate how Cho decided to center Eunha’s struggle as the driving force for the main tension in the story (as opposed to the experiences of the men whom the triad societies usually revolve around), yet at the same time, she does not skimp on the details about the triad lifestyle and activities. This made for both a unique and atmospheric read.
As mentioned earlier, I had initially picked this one up purely for the Hong Kong setting, but in all honesty, knowing that the story would be told from the expat perspective gave me pause in that I thought this would go the way that most expat narratives usually do: a glamorized version that doesn’t reveal much of the “real” Hong Kong. But to my pleasant surprise and delight, that definitely wasn’t the case here, as Cho actually gives us plenty of glimpses into the “old” Hong Kong that I know and love. Some of the nostalgia-inducing details that I noticed in the story (in no particular order): the New Territories, fishing villages, horse races at Happy Valley, the ferry, Victoria harbor, neon signs, Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Stanley, street hawkers and food stalls, cha chaan tengs, the “other” family on the mainland, KTV, 5-10-15 drinking game, Lan Kwai Fong night life, dark alleyways, the Peninsula hotel, Lane Crawford, tai tais, night markets, Sandy Lam, the monsoon weather, typhoon season, dim sum restaurants, tiny apartments in buildings with doormen, jade medallions, the Peak, Kowloon, fortune tellers and soothsayers, trams and buses, egg tarts and milk tea (I could go on but I will stop here, as this list is already way too long).
For me, this was a nostalgic read that I ended up enjoying due to my familiarity with the setting, but I understand this may not necessarily be the case for others, so I would suggest doing your research before deciding whether to pick this one up. One thing I will say is that for a story about triads, this is actually pretty tame, especially when compared to the HK triad-themed movies of the old days. Most of the violence (which there isn’t much of in the first place) happens off the page so those who are concerned with reading about gory scenes don’t have to worry. If anything, read this one for the historical and cultural aspects, which were particularly well done in my opinion.
Received ARC from Washington Square Press via NetGalley.
Within this context, I found Catherine Cho’s novel The Devoted quite refreshing in that it is told from an expat perspective (the experience of a Korean family in Hong Kong), yet it also leans heavily into the side of Hong Kong that most mainstream audiences in the English-speaking world probably would not be familiar with: the dark, gritty world of HK’s infamous triad societies. Granted, we ordinary folks likely wouldn’t be familiar with the inner workings of these triad societies either, but for those of us who grew up on a steady diet of HK movies and TV series (especially in the decades when the triads were actively involved in the HK film industry), the triad society concept definitely wouldn’t be a foreign one. Indeed, as I was reading Cho’s novel, I could picture the world she was writing about quite vividly: scenes from all those famous triad movies I grew up watching -- A Better Tomorrow, Election, Infernal Affairs, the Young and Dangerous franchise, to name few -- would come flooding back into my mind, but at the same time, it also made me curious to see what Cho’s version of the triad society would look like. I say this because majority of the time, stories about the triads (whether movies, TV shows, or books) center on the male members of these organized crime groups – women were usually periphery characters who were either victims of the triads’ activities or passive partners expected to stand by their men no matter the cost. Cho’s story, however, goes in a slightly different direction in that she centers the narrative around a young Korean woman, Eunha, whose father and brother are both Dragon Heads (triad society leaders). Despite attempts to shield Eunha from this criminal underworld, including having her marry into a respectable family, it’s impossible for her not to be impacted in some way due to her family’s infamous connections. Caught between two very different worlds, Eunha struggles to reconcile the various roles she is meant to play -- daughter, sister, wife, mother -- while trying to navigate the complexities of a past that is inextricably tangled with her future. I appreciate how Cho decided to center Eunha’s struggle as the driving force for the main tension in the story (as opposed to the experiences of the men whom the triad societies usually revolve around), yet at the same time, she does not skimp on the details about the triad lifestyle and activities. This made for both a unique and atmospheric read.
As mentioned earlier, I had initially picked this one up purely for the Hong Kong setting, but in all honesty, knowing that the story would be told from the expat perspective gave me pause in that I thought this would go the way that most expat narratives usually do: a glamorized version that doesn’t reveal much of the “real” Hong Kong. But to my pleasant surprise and delight, that definitely wasn’t the case here, as Cho actually gives us plenty of glimpses into the “old” Hong Kong that I know and love. Some of the nostalgia-inducing details that I noticed in the story (in no particular order): the New Territories, fishing villages, horse races at Happy Valley, the ferry, Victoria harbor, neon signs, Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Stanley, street hawkers and food stalls, cha chaan tengs, the “other” family on the mainland, KTV, 5-10-15 drinking game, Lan Kwai Fong night life, dark alleyways, the Peninsula hotel, Lane Crawford, tai tais, night markets, Sandy Lam, the monsoon weather, typhoon season, dim sum restaurants, tiny apartments in buildings with doormen, jade medallions, the Peak, Kowloon, fortune tellers and soothsayers, trams and buses, egg tarts and milk tea (I could go on but I will stop here, as this list is already way too long).
For me, this was a nostalgic read that I ended up enjoying due to my familiarity with the setting, but I understand this may not necessarily be the case for others, so I would suggest doing your research before deciding whether to pick this one up. One thing I will say is that for a story about triads, this is actually pretty tame, especially when compared to the HK triad-themed movies of the old days. Most of the violence (which there isn’t much of in the first place) happens off the page so those who are concerned with reading about gory scenes don’t have to worry. If anything, read this one for the historical and cultural aspects, which were particularly well done in my opinion.
Received ARC from Washington Square Press via NetGalley.
February 12, 2026
The Devoted by Catherine Cho is definitely a cross between 3.5 and 4 stars. I'm leaning more towards 3.5.
What is interesting is that this book is about a daughter raised by a family who are a part of the Triads. I was expecting more intrigue, maybe a little violence, perhaps a little deeper dive into the modern day mafia of sorts. There are various mentions of families who make millions of things the West take for granted in their Amazon prime deliveries - curtain hooks, super glue, you get the idea. These are not just sweat shops, these are underground organizations who will hurt each other to ensure they're the ones making the most profit.
Instead, The Devoted is a very lush, slow book about Eunha, who is Korean and raised in Hong Kong. I'm not sure why Cho actually chose this approach. It didn't affect the storyline to have her not be Chinese. Regardless, I found the story slow, detached, and many times slightly bored with what could have been happening.
It's a story about being a mother, loving the wrong people, falling into a trap you can't get out. The Devoted is incredibly melancholic, dreary, and I wished there was more ooomph in the overall descriptions of Hong Kong.
Catherine Cho is a well written writer, and I do want to see what she writes next. Just wish this book kept me slightly more enthused.
What is interesting is that this book is about a daughter raised by a family who are a part of the Triads. I was expecting more intrigue, maybe a little violence, perhaps a little deeper dive into the modern day mafia of sorts. There are various mentions of families who make millions of things the West take for granted in their Amazon prime deliveries - curtain hooks, super glue, you get the idea. These are not just sweat shops, these are underground organizations who will hurt each other to ensure they're the ones making the most profit.
Instead, The Devoted is a very lush, slow book about Eunha, who is Korean and raised in Hong Kong. I'm not sure why Cho actually chose this approach. It didn't affect the storyline to have her not be Chinese. Regardless, I found the story slow, detached, and many times slightly bored with what could have been happening.
It's a story about being a mother, loving the wrong people, falling into a trap you can't get out. The Devoted is incredibly melancholic, dreary, and I wished there was more ooomph in the overall descriptions of Hong Kong.
Catherine Cho is a well written writer, and I do want to see what she writes next. Just wish this book kept me slightly more enthused.
August 11, 2026
3.75 stars
Description: A young Korean woman living in Hong Kong becomes entrenched in an infamous crime organization—and the dangerous world she once sought to escape.
Although the book wasn’t quite as dark as I initially expected from its description and opening chapters, I found myself completely engrossed in the storyline. Eunha is an interesting protagonist because, as she grows older, she becomes increasingly aware of the life her father—and eventually her brother—will lead. They are "Dragon Heads," very powerful men who strike terror into the hearts of even Eunha's in-laws. However, there is a contradictory naivety to her, as Eunha continues to believe what she wants to see rather than fully acknowledging the reality in front of her. As the chapters alternate between Eunha’s present and her childhood, it became clear to me as a reader how the story would unfold. However, knowing where things were headed didn’t lessen my enjoyment; I was pleasantly surprised by the evolution of Eunha’s character and where her journey ultimately took her.
A stunning debut, and I look forward to what Catherine Cho has on deck next.
Publication Date 14/07/26
Goodreads Review 11/08/26
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books | Washington Square Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Description: A young Korean woman living in Hong Kong becomes entrenched in an infamous crime organization—and the dangerous world she once sought to escape.
Although the book wasn’t quite as dark as I initially expected from its description and opening chapters, I found myself completely engrossed in the storyline. Eunha is an interesting protagonist because, as she grows older, she becomes increasingly aware of the life her father—and eventually her brother—will lead. They are "Dragon Heads," very powerful men who strike terror into the hearts of even Eunha's in-laws. However, there is a contradictory naivety to her, as Eunha continues to believe what she wants to see rather than fully acknowledging the reality in front of her. As the chapters alternate between Eunha’s present and her childhood, it became clear to me as a reader how the story would unfold. However, knowing where things were headed didn’t lessen my enjoyment; I was pleasantly surprised by the evolution of Eunha’s character and where her journey ultimately took her.
A stunning debut, and I look forward to what Catherine Cho has on deck next.
Publication Date 14/07/26
Goodreads Review 11/08/26
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books | Washington Square Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Did Not Finish
July 6, 2026DNF @ 69%
I came for the Mystery/Thriller aspects (the publisher's page also lists this as Crime), but this was more Women's Fiction than anything. So just a heads up if you were looking for something in the Mystery/Thriller/Crime genres.
The writing style is lyrical yet easy to read and that kept me going. I also liked that the characters were Korean immigrants living in Hong Kong. It was a unique POV that I haven't read before.
But other than that, this was a really slow novel. I stopped at more than halfway through the novel and I was still waiting for Eunha to actually get involved with the actual criminal underground. Most of this novel is Women's Fiction, focusing mainly on Eunha's life from her childhood to her arranged marriage to her yearning for "the one who got away" to her current life as a mother who has lost custody of her son.
Everything crime-related was relegated to the periphery of Eunha's life, which didn't make for an interesting read. A lot of the circumstances in her life was due to her father and brother's involvement with the criminal underground, but those weren't really shown on page. Anything exciting happened off-screen, so we're dealt with Eunha literally just living her life in Hong Kong.
Maybe Eunha actually gets involved with the criminals in the last 30% of the novel, but unfortunately, I didn't care enough to find out. Other than her son's kidnapping, nothing exciting really happened.
Thank you to Washington Square Press and NetGalley for this arc.
I came for the Mystery/Thriller aspects (the publisher's page also lists this as Crime), but this was more Women's Fiction than anything. So just a heads up if you were looking for something in the Mystery/Thriller/Crime genres.
The writing style is lyrical yet easy to read and that kept me going. I also liked that the characters were Korean immigrants living in Hong Kong. It was a unique POV that I haven't read before.
But other than that, this was a really slow novel. I stopped at more than halfway through the novel and I was still waiting for Eunha to actually get involved with the actual criminal underground. Most of this novel is Women's Fiction, focusing mainly on Eunha's life from her childhood to her arranged marriage to her yearning for "the one who got away" to her current life as a mother who has lost custody of her son.
Everything crime-related was relegated to the periphery of Eunha's life, which didn't make for an interesting read. A lot of the circumstances in her life was due to her father and brother's involvement with the criminal underground, but those weren't really shown on page. Anything exciting happened off-screen, so we're dealt with Eunha literally just living her life in Hong Kong.
Maybe Eunha actually gets involved with the criminals in the last 30% of the novel, but unfortunately, I didn't care enough to find out. Other than her son's kidnapping, nothing exciting really happened.
Thank you to Washington Square Press and NetGalley for this arc.
2026
February 2, 2026ANHPI TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Washington Square Press
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Washington Square Press
July 23, 2026
I received this for free from Goodreads and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
The Devoted contains themes of divided family loyalty, security versus freedom, maternal love, and revenge. This is the author's first novel.
Eunha grows up in a quiet village with her brother and grandma. One day her father sends a boy their age to stay with them. Eunha, Solomon, and Kai have a wonderful summer. Then the brother goes to England for school and Eunha's life gets more complicated. Her father is in the Triads and expects certain things of his children.
This book is told in two timelines, present day, starting with the kidnapping of her toddler son, and her childhood up to the present. It was interesting to see how we got to where we were. From the book description, I expected the book to focus on the kidnapping. But that's just a catalyst to an explosive ending.
The book wasn't perfect. At times, I felt too distant from the action, but that's because it's all told from Eunha's perspective. I felt like something was missing which kept me from giving that 5th star. But it is recommended and I'm looking forward to what this author does next.
The Devoted contains themes of divided family loyalty, security versus freedom, maternal love, and revenge. This is the author's first novel.
Eunha grows up in a quiet village with her brother and grandma. One day her father sends a boy their age to stay with them. Eunha, Solomon, and Kai have a wonderful summer. Then the brother goes to England for school and Eunha's life gets more complicated. Her father is in the Triads and expects certain things of his children.
This book is told in two timelines, present day, starting with the kidnapping of her toddler son, and her childhood up to the present. It was interesting to see how we got to where we were. From the book description, I expected the book to focus on the kidnapping. But that's just a catalyst to an explosive ending.
The book wasn't perfect. At times, I felt too distant from the action, but that's because it's all told from Eunha's perspective. I felt like something was missing which kept me from giving that 5th star. But it is recommended and I'm looking forward to what this author does next.
September 3, 2026
The principal protagonist in The Devoted is Eunha. Eunha and her brother, Solomon, were raised by their strict grandmother. Their father was a Dragon Head within the Triads, an extremely powerful position within the criminal organization. While Eunha and Solomon were growing up, their contact with their father was limited. Their grandmother was determined to keep them from becoming part of that world.
Their isolation extended beyond their father, however. They had very little contact with other people, growing up in a world that was both sheltered and restrictive. The family was Korean, and being raised in Hong Kong was not always easy for them. Eventually, Eunha and Solomon were introduced to a new playmate, Kai, and the three became very close.
As Eunha grows older, she marries Philip. The marriage places her in a privileged position, but despite the wealth and security it provides, her heart remains as empty and isolated as it was during her childhood.
Then, tragically, Eunha’s toddler son is kidnapped, forcing her to turn to the dark world from which she had been so carefully shielded. By this point, Solomon has grown up to become a Dragon Head himself, just like their father. Kai also returns to their lives, bringing with him a complicated history that becomes increasingly important as the story unfolds.
Told through a dual timeline, The Devoted gradually reveals more about Eunha’s past, her relationship with Kai, and the difficult choices she has made. Her past and present eventually collide, and loyalty plays an important role throughout the story. This is also a love story - one that feels difficult and, for much of the book, almost hopeless.
Unfortunately, I never really connected with any of the characters, or even with much of the story itself. What did interest me, however, was the underlying idea of trying to escape a lifestyle that is seemingly part of your blood while simultaneously trying to forge your own path. Eunha spends much of her life attempting to separate herself from her family’s world, only to discover how difficult it can be to truly escape the legacy into which you were born.
For me, that conflict between family, loyalty, love, and the desire to create a life of your own was the most compelling aspect of The Devoted.
Many thanks to Washington Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Their isolation extended beyond their father, however. They had very little contact with other people, growing up in a world that was both sheltered and restrictive. The family was Korean, and being raised in Hong Kong was not always easy for them. Eventually, Eunha and Solomon were introduced to a new playmate, Kai, and the three became very close.
As Eunha grows older, she marries Philip. The marriage places her in a privileged position, but despite the wealth and security it provides, her heart remains as empty and isolated as it was during her childhood.
Then, tragically, Eunha’s toddler son is kidnapped, forcing her to turn to the dark world from which she had been so carefully shielded. By this point, Solomon has grown up to become a Dragon Head himself, just like their father. Kai also returns to their lives, bringing with him a complicated history that becomes increasingly important as the story unfolds.
Told through a dual timeline, The Devoted gradually reveals more about Eunha’s past, her relationship with Kai, and the difficult choices she has made. Her past and present eventually collide, and loyalty plays an important role throughout the story. This is also a love story - one that feels difficult and, for much of the book, almost hopeless.
Unfortunately, I never really connected with any of the characters, or even with much of the story itself. What did interest me, however, was the underlying idea of trying to escape a lifestyle that is seemingly part of your blood while simultaneously trying to forge your own path. Eunha spends much of her life attempting to separate herself from her family’s world, only to discover how difficult it can be to truly escape the legacy into which you were born.
For me, that conflict between family, loyalty, love, and the desire to create a life of your own was the most compelling aspect of The Devoted.
Many thanks to Washington Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
February 20, 2026
Okay so I read The Devoted a couple weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to sit down and actually write this because it deserves it.This story follows Eunha a young Korean woman raised in Hong Kong by her grandmother far away from her father’s violent world. Her father is a Dragon Head in the Triads and even though her grandmother does everything she can to shield Eunha and her brother Solomon from that life it’s always there in the background. Eunha grows up marries into what seems like a respectable Hong Kong family and tries to build something clean and separate from her past. But when her son is kidnapped she’s pulled straight back into the criminal underworld and back into the orbit of Kai her childhood friend who is now a Dragon Head himself. From there it becomes this intense story about family, loyalty, fate, forbidden love, and whether you can ever truly escape the blood you were born into.I read this around the same time I was reading Jade City and apparently I was just fully in my Chinese mafia era because I ate this up. I loved that it had that same criminal dynasty energy, the power struggles, the honor and violence, but it felt way more intimate and emotional. And the jade dragon theme was everythingggg I was Obsessed. Halfway through I genuinely thought this was going to land at a solid four stars for me. I was invested, I liked the writing, the tension was building but then the ending hit. The character development, especially for Eunha, completely sealed it. Watching her step into her own power and make choices instead of just reacting to the men and the world around her!?That’s what bumped it to five stars. It turned from a good crime family drama into something that actually felt powerfully personal.
Also I am still not over Kai. That’s all I’ll say.I’m honestly so happy I randomly got approved for this on NetGalley because it ended up being one of those surprise favorites. If you loved Jade City and want something with organized crime, complicated family loyalty, and emotional stakes I highly recommend.
Also I am still not over Kai. That’s all I’ll say.I’m honestly so happy I randomly got approved for this on NetGalley because it ended up being one of those surprise favorites. If you loved Jade City and want something with organized crime, complicated family loyalty, and emotional stakes I highly recommend.
Want to Read
June 7, 2026Can you be haunted by a book? If so, that's definitely me and Catherine Cho's memoir Inferno: A Memoir of Motherhood and Madness. So when I heard she was releasing a novel that has something to do with organized crime in Hong Kong, I couldn't add it to my TBR fast enough.
Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
July 13, 2026
The Devoted reminded me why I love fiction and those moments when a story mirrors parts your own life. Catherine Cho weaves between past and present of Eunha and follows her through sibling loyalty, trauma bonding, betrayal, and the strength. Cho also taps into something universal as the reader feels Eunha's loneliness, her simmering anger, and the drive for revenge that shapes her choices. The pacing starts fast, slows in the middle but finishes with intensity. I would recommend it for anyone who appreciates a character-driven story.
ARC provided by Washington Square Press/Atria via Edelweiss. Opinions and thoughts are my own.
ARC provided by Washington Square Press/Atria via Edelweiss. Opinions and thoughts are my own.
July 18, 2026
I had never really thought about underground criminal organization (mafia) in Hong Kong before reading this book. I find it interesting that all over the world and across cultures, thugs will be thugging and making their bucks with the blood of their minions. How much of the crap we buy off Amazon, WalMart, Shein and all those places are rooted in the criminal sector, washing their money under the guise of legitimate business.?
I found the story lyrical and sad and maddening as things came together. I wanted perhaps a little more revengeful violence than the quiet ending it delivered, but that is just my preference for the feminine rage trope. An overall interesting and thought provoking read
Thank you to Atria Books | Washington Square Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
I found the story lyrical and sad and maddening as things came together. I wanted perhaps a little more revengeful violence than the quiet ending it delivered, but that is just my preference for the feminine rage trope. An overall interesting and thought provoking read
Thank you to Atria Books | Washington Square Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
July 4, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC of “The Devoted”
This story has shifting timelines and typically those are hard for me to follow in books. However, the way this story is told you really are transported and you feel like Eunha is sitting beside you walking you through her life story.
The setting is described like a beautiful painting you hang on the wall. The food descriptions were amazing. This book really comes to life in the smallest and grandest of ways.
I really rooted for Eunha and the plot really had me hooked. I was invested in her journey and wanted to see her through it to the end. Her growth and awakening to make a choice and take control of her life was my favorite part.
The ending was a-bit abrupt and could’ve used a few kore pages but I also understand the intention for sometimes taking this route for books.
As a debut this is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year and will probably stay with me for years to come.
This story has shifting timelines and typically those are hard for me to follow in books. However, the way this story is told you really are transported and you feel like Eunha is sitting beside you walking you through her life story.
The setting is described like a beautiful painting you hang on the wall. The food descriptions were amazing. This book really comes to life in the smallest and grandest of ways.
I really rooted for Eunha and the plot really had me hooked. I was invested in her journey and wanted to see her through it to the end. Her growth and awakening to make a choice and take control of her life was my favorite part.
The ending was a-bit abrupt and could’ve used a few kore pages but I also understand the intention for sometimes taking this route for books.
As a debut this is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year and will probably stay with me for years to come.
June 26, 2026
Thank you to Washington Square Press, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an eARC to read and review before publishing.
The Devoted by Catherine Cho is one that I wanted to love more than I did. It is definitely a strong debut and one I will recommend; however, I do wish some elements of the story had been more developed.
I do love that this story is primarily about Eunha and her growth as a character and person. As a woman who has always made herself smaller to fit into the life around her, Eunha is thrust onto a journey of self-discovery and embracing her power by events that are completely out of her control. Because of this, she shrinks further into herself before she is able to find the means and strength to do what must be done. The pay off is worth it in the end.
The element that was missing for me was the deep exploration of why it was so hard for Eunha and her family being Korean in Hong Kong. This aspect of her childhood and adult life was mentioned several times; however, I feel it was a missed opportunity to explain the significance of this further. I wanted more of Eunha's culture, especially the allusions to the elements of wind and embracing that wildness of nature. I also wanted more exploration of the lore of the Dragons: how they came to be, what made them so powerful, etc. I understand that this was a subplot; yet, it was a subplot that propelled most of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed The Devoted by Catherine Cho, and I do recommend it for those of you that are looking for a story of a woman stepping into her power and facing the challenges in life that are inherent to being a woman.
The Devoted by Catherine Cho is one that I wanted to love more than I did. It is definitely a strong debut and one I will recommend; however, I do wish some elements of the story had been more developed.
I do love that this story is primarily about Eunha and her growth as a character and person. As a woman who has always made herself smaller to fit into the life around her, Eunha is thrust onto a journey of self-discovery and embracing her power by events that are completely out of her control. Because of this, she shrinks further into herself before she is able to find the means and strength to do what must be done. The pay off is worth it in the end.
The element that was missing for me was the deep exploration of why it was so hard for Eunha and her family being Korean in Hong Kong. This aspect of her childhood and adult life was mentioned several times; however, I feel it was a missed opportunity to explain the significance of this further. I wanted more of Eunha's culture, especially the allusions to the elements of wind and embracing that wildness of nature. I also wanted more exploration of the lore of the Dragons: how they came to be, what made them so powerful, etc. I understand that this was a subplot; yet, it was a subplot that propelled most of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed The Devoted by Catherine Cho, and I do recommend it for those of you that are looking for a story of a woman stepping into her power and facing the challenges in life that are inherent to being a woman.
July 19, 2026
Superb - my ideal type of book. Transports you to a different world, Hong Kong in a landscape of criminal families of those trying to leave and those enmeshed in the power and the spoils. Part thriller, part family drama, lots left unspoken, deeply emotional.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Atria Books via NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 stars - This book was sad. The story follows Eunha, a Korean woman raised by her grandmother alongside her brother Solomon. Their lives are shaped by complex consequences stemming from their father being a well-known leader in a criminal organization. The novel highlights the family obligation, sacrifices, and the emotional loneliness that comes with being part of a criminally connected family. The author effectively captures the complexity of human nature - showing that people are not purely good or bad. Their actions don't always align with their values and can be shaped by other powerful forces such as cultural expectations, family duties and long-held secrets. I felt for Solomon and would love to have seen more of his character. The pacing was slow and picked up at the end, and overall it was an interesting and thought-provoking read.
3.5 stars - This book was sad. The story follows Eunha, a Korean woman raised by her grandmother alongside her brother Solomon. Their lives are shaped by complex consequences stemming from their father being a well-known leader in a criminal organization. The novel highlights the family obligation, sacrifices, and the emotional loneliness that comes with being part of a criminally connected family. The author effectively captures the complexity of human nature - showing that people are not purely good or bad. Their actions don't always align with their values and can be shaped by other powerful forces such as cultural expectations, family duties and long-held secrets. I felt for Solomon and would love to have seen more of his character. The pacing was slow and picked up at the end, and overall it was an interesting and thought-provoking read.
July 12, 2026
kind of like an incredibly mid version of the expatriates by janice y.k. lee meets pachinko by min jin lee
July 14, 2026
The best book of 2024. Even though it pubs today! Wong Kar-Wai and Mildred Pierce had a baby and this was it
July 18, 2026
Thank you to the publisher for inviting me to read an early copy.
The life you left is calling you back into its web.
Eunha, having left the crime world her father was once a part of in search of a more respectable life, is pulled back into it when her only son is kidnapped. Once again, she comes face to face with Kai, the young boy who lived with her family when they were children.
This was a very easy read. The short chapters and the way the protagonist moved through the story made it easy to fly through.
It wasn't an enjoyable read for me. I didn't connect with the story or the characters, so I found myself reading more to finish it than to really immerse myself in the story.
Thank you for the early copy, but this book just didn't do it for me.
The life you left is calling you back into its web.
Eunha, having left the crime world her father was once a part of in search of a more respectable life, is pulled back into it when her only son is kidnapped. Once again, she comes face to face with Kai, the young boy who lived with her family when they were children.
This was a very easy read. The short chapters and the way the protagonist moved through the story made it easy to fly through.
It wasn't an enjoyable read for me. I didn't connect with the story or the characters, so I found myself reading more to finish it than to really immerse myself in the story.
Thank you for the early copy, but this book just didn't do it for me.
September 17, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Washington Square Press for providing me with an ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
This book caught my attention because it is set in Hong Kong, but it also appealed to me because of the plot summary. I love a good mystery, and always want to find new authors to follow, so I figured I would check it out. However, it wasn’t quite what I had expected it to be. My expectations may have been too high, but here are my thoughts on this book.
It was really interesting to read about the experiences of Korean people living in Hong Kong. This is a diaspora community, but the story focuses on the story of one woman, Eunha. She comes from a family of gang members—her father was a leader in the Triads, a well-known criminal enterprise, and her brother Solomon seems primed to follow in his footsteps. Meanwhile, Eunha and Solomon are raised by their grandmother and protected from the gang life, but both siblings are pulled into the orbit of the Triads.
Cho’s writing is fantastic. Her style is both lyrical and easy to follow, and I loved how she wrote this. The characters have depth, there is a heavy sense of atmosphere, and there is no shortage of emotional conflict. The story is told only thought
The pace was a lot slower than I would have expected for a thriller, reading more to me like literary fiction than a thriller. This absolutely factored into my rating, because I typically like the fast-paced thrillers. Instead, this story takes a meandering look at Eunha’s life and experiences, both past and present. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to the Eunha’s past, to get a better understanding of what made her who she is and the factors that contributed to her present-day experiences. However, the book didn’t quite bring the same ever-growing tension that is found in a typical thriller, which speaks to the expectations that I brought to this read. I thought this would be a grittier read with more conflict.
Eunha is a tough woman, but wants to escape the life her family has been stuck in. However, the Triads aren’t done with her. As an adult, Eunha is married with a young son, although there are definitely cracks in the marriage. It also involves the cultural expectations that are often found in Asian cultures, since she is a Korean woman that has grown up in Hong Kong. She is expected to be a dutiful wife and take care of their son while he has freedom to do whatever he wants. When Eunha’s son is kidnapped one day, she is forced to rely on Kai, who she was raised with and is now a Dragon Head in the Triads himself.
So many of the characters are morally gray, primarily Eunha, Solomon, and Kai. They are complex, well-developed characters and had very complex relationships with the rest of the characters. Despite Eunha’s desire to live a quiet life outside of the Triads, she isn’t able to rescue her son without assistance from Kai. The dynamic between the two of them has changed significantly since their childhood days, and there was sexual tension between them. Her dynamic with her husband and his family continues to buckle under the strain of the kidnapping and readers can see how class plays such a big role in the diaspora Korean community in Hong Kong. Eunha has become respectable through her marriage, although she and her husband don’t seem to have much of an emotional connection even after years of marriage.
Speaking of emotional connections, the slow-burn drama surrounding the family and Eunha left me feeling a bit distant from all the characters. Eunha is a fierce mama bear willing to go to any length to get her son back, but I never felt fully emotionally connected to anyone in the story. I did like and empathize with Eunha, but rather than feeling like I was right beside the characters in the story, there was a sense of distance. This was another disappointing aspect of my read.
Overall, this was a good read, although there were aspects that impacted my enjoyment and my rating. Cho has a real gift for creating realistic characters and her prose is beautiful to read. I liked how complex the characters were, making them feel even more realistic. There were two major factors that impacted my read. One was that the book was marketed as a thriller/mystery when it was more of a slow mosey through Eunha’s life and past. The other was how it always felt like the characters were at a distance which prevented me from getting fully emotionally invested and immersed in the story. Aside from that, the book was very atmospheric and a peek into a diaspora group I knew nothing about.
Bottom line: A good read that delves into themes of class, family dynamics, gender roles, and cultural expectations, but this book is slower paced and more of a family drama than a mystery/thriller.
This book caught my attention because it is set in Hong Kong, but it also appealed to me because of the plot summary. I love a good mystery, and always want to find new authors to follow, so I figured I would check it out. However, it wasn’t quite what I had expected it to be. My expectations may have been too high, but here are my thoughts on this book.
It was really interesting to read about the experiences of Korean people living in Hong Kong. This is a diaspora community, but the story focuses on the story of one woman, Eunha. She comes from a family of gang members—her father was a leader in the Triads, a well-known criminal enterprise, and her brother Solomon seems primed to follow in his footsteps. Meanwhile, Eunha and Solomon are raised by their grandmother and protected from the gang life, but both siblings are pulled into the orbit of the Triads.
Cho’s writing is fantastic. Her style is both lyrical and easy to follow, and I loved how she wrote this. The characters have depth, there is a heavy sense of atmosphere, and there is no shortage of emotional conflict. The story is told only thought
The pace was a lot slower than I would have expected for a thriller, reading more to me like literary fiction than a thriller. This absolutely factored into my rating, because I typically like the fast-paced thrillers. Instead, this story takes a meandering look at Eunha’s life and experiences, both past and present. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to the Eunha’s past, to get a better understanding of what made her who she is and the factors that contributed to her present-day experiences. However, the book didn’t quite bring the same ever-growing tension that is found in a typical thriller, which speaks to the expectations that I brought to this read. I thought this would be a grittier read with more conflict.
Eunha is a tough woman, but wants to escape the life her family has been stuck in. However, the Triads aren’t done with her. As an adult, Eunha is married with a young son, although there are definitely cracks in the marriage. It also involves the cultural expectations that are often found in Asian cultures, since she is a Korean woman that has grown up in Hong Kong. She is expected to be a dutiful wife and take care of their son while he has freedom to do whatever he wants. When Eunha’s son is kidnapped one day, she is forced to rely on Kai, who she was raised with and is now a Dragon Head in the Triads himself.
So many of the characters are morally gray, primarily Eunha, Solomon, and Kai. They are complex, well-developed characters and had very complex relationships with the rest of the characters. Despite Eunha’s desire to live a quiet life outside of the Triads, she isn’t able to rescue her son without assistance from Kai. The dynamic between the two of them has changed significantly since their childhood days, and there was sexual tension between them. Her dynamic with her husband and his family continues to buckle under the strain of the kidnapping and readers can see how class plays such a big role in the diaspora Korean community in Hong Kong. Eunha has become respectable through her marriage, although she and her husband don’t seem to have much of an emotional connection even after years of marriage.
Speaking of emotional connections, the slow-burn drama surrounding the family and Eunha left me feeling a bit distant from all the characters. Eunha is a fierce mama bear willing to go to any length to get her son back, but I never felt fully emotionally connected to anyone in the story. I did like and empathize with Eunha, but rather than feeling like I was right beside the characters in the story, there was a sense of distance. This was another disappointing aspect of my read.
Overall, this was a good read, although there were aspects that impacted my enjoyment and my rating. Cho has a real gift for creating realistic characters and her prose is beautiful to read. I liked how complex the characters were, making them feel even more realistic. There were two major factors that impacted my read. One was that the book was marketed as a thriller/mystery when it was more of a slow mosey through Eunha’s life and past. The other was how it always felt like the characters were at a distance which prevented me from getting fully emotionally invested and immersed in the story. Aside from that, the book was very atmospheric and a peek into a diaspora group I knew nothing about.
Bottom line: A good read that delves into themes of class, family dynamics, gender roles, and cultural expectations, but this book is slower paced and more of a family drama than a mystery/thriller.
July 23, 2026
The Devoted completely surprised me. Going into this book, I expected a mystery thriller, but what I found was something much deeper; a powerful exploration of family, sacrifice, legacy, and the impossible choices we sometimes make out of love and obligation.
Catherine Cho tells the story of Eunha, a woman raised in Hong Kong by her Korean grandmother after her mother is committed to an asylum. Her father is the Dragon Head of the Triads, the powerful leader of a Chinese criminal empire, and from a young age, Eunha grows up surrounded by a world of secrets, corruption, and danger.
Her brother Solomon is positioned as the heir to the family business, leaving Eunha to navigate what it means to be a daughter, a mother, and a woman constantly sacrificing pieces of herself for a family legacy that was never truly meant to belong to her.The story opens with Eunha’s son, Munsuk, being kidnapped and held for ransom. When he is unexpectedly returned after the payment is made, the lack of answers leaves Eunha questioning everything. From there, the novel moves between the present timeline and Eunha’s childhood, slowly unraveling the choices, betrayals, and sacrifices that shaped who she became.
This book was heartbreaking and, at times, incredibly frustrating; in the best possible way. Watching Eunha endure so much while trying to protect the people she loves was painful. She is a motherless daughter carrying the weight of generations before her, constantly putting her own happiness and instincts aside for the sake of family duty.
One of the things that stood out to me was how much this story reminded me of The Godfather. I found parallels between Eunha and Michael Corleone; the desire to escape the family business, the attempt to create a normal life, and the painful realization that the people around them may not truly have their best interests at heart. Like Michael, Eunha is ultimately forced to confront that power, loyalty, and control may be the only ways to protect what matters most.
The betrayals, secrets, schemes, and heartbreak kept me completely invested. What I loved most was that the mystery element didn’t follow the typical thriller formula. You don’t even fully realize you’re reading a mystery/thriller until much later in the story, and honestly, that’s what made it so refreshing. It felt less like a race to solve a puzzle and more like a beautifully layered character study slowly revealing itself.
The Devoted is contemporary fiction with a touch of mystery, but at its heart, it is a story about family, identity, and the sacrifices we make when loyalty becomes both our greatest strength and our greatest burden.
A beautifully written, emotional, and unforgettable read. Highly recommend.
Thank you Netgalley, for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Catherine Cho tells the story of Eunha, a woman raised in Hong Kong by her Korean grandmother after her mother is committed to an asylum. Her father is the Dragon Head of the Triads, the powerful leader of a Chinese criminal empire, and from a young age, Eunha grows up surrounded by a world of secrets, corruption, and danger.
Her brother Solomon is positioned as the heir to the family business, leaving Eunha to navigate what it means to be a daughter, a mother, and a woman constantly sacrificing pieces of herself for a family legacy that was never truly meant to belong to her.The story opens with Eunha’s son, Munsuk, being kidnapped and held for ransom. When he is unexpectedly returned after the payment is made, the lack of answers leaves Eunha questioning everything. From there, the novel moves between the present timeline and Eunha’s childhood, slowly unraveling the choices, betrayals, and sacrifices that shaped who she became.
This book was heartbreaking and, at times, incredibly frustrating; in the best possible way. Watching Eunha endure so much while trying to protect the people she loves was painful. She is a motherless daughter carrying the weight of generations before her, constantly putting her own happiness and instincts aside for the sake of family duty.
One of the things that stood out to me was how much this story reminded me of The Godfather. I found parallels between Eunha and Michael Corleone; the desire to escape the family business, the attempt to create a normal life, and the painful realization that the people around them may not truly have their best interests at heart. Like Michael, Eunha is ultimately forced to confront that power, loyalty, and control may be the only ways to protect what matters most.
The betrayals, secrets, schemes, and heartbreak kept me completely invested. What I loved most was that the mystery element didn’t follow the typical thriller formula. You don’t even fully realize you’re reading a mystery/thriller until much later in the story, and honestly, that’s what made it so refreshing. It felt less like a race to solve a puzzle and more like a beautifully layered character study slowly revealing itself.
The Devoted is contemporary fiction with a touch of mystery, but at its heart, it is a story about family, identity, and the sacrifices we make when loyalty becomes both our greatest strength and our greatest burden.
A beautifully written, emotional, and unforgettable read. Highly recommend.
Thank you Netgalley, for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
July 12, 2026
This mafia story fell pretty flat, but was a very quick read nevertheless.
Main character Eunha is the daughter and sister of Hong Kong based Triad bosses; she married into “regular” society and the story kicks off when her son is kidnapped due to the underworld entanglements of her family. Don’t expect much mafia action though - Eunha grows up completely sheltered and goes through life with blinkers on, so she seems to know less about the Triads than literally any other person on the street who either has access to the internet or, like, simply lives in HK.
I won’t go into too much detail about the plot so I don’t spoiler the entire thing, but basically, the problem with this book is that the main character is completely passive (and I don’t mean in a “intentionally kept passive for cultural reasons” way), she’s a NPC in her own life. I would say she’s very stupid, but I actually think this purely down to a quirk of the writing. It reminded me a ton of another debut I read this year, The Poet Empress; very different obviously in terms of genre and plot etc, but in that both books are written in first person but you’re never actually inside the protagonist’s head, leading to a completely detached reading experience. It’s all tell, tell, tell. You aren’t shown anything, you don’t feel anything, you never get the sense the protagonist has a single thought in their brain. So they end up seeming dumb, but it’s actually just faulty narration. I know BookTok for some reason can only read novels written in first person, so maybe that’s why these authors are doing it, but these are third person objective narrations (I almost said third person limited but you’re aren’t actually privy to the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings), pressed into a first person format, which changes the entire way you experience the story.
It was very easy to read and it was entertaining enough even if due to this faulty narration style none of the actions of the main character made a lick of sense, but the plot itself would’ve had a lot more potential with some changes to the writing style (or tbh I could just say the writing wasn’t very good, but you know. Debut.).
Main character Eunha is the daughter and sister of Hong Kong based Triad bosses; she married into “regular” society and the story kicks off when her son is kidnapped due to the underworld entanglements of her family. Don’t expect much mafia action though - Eunha grows up completely sheltered and goes through life with blinkers on, so she seems to know less about the Triads than literally any other person on the street who either has access to the internet or, like, simply lives in HK.
I won’t go into too much detail about the plot so I don’t spoiler the entire thing, but basically, the problem with this book is that the main character is completely passive (and I don’t mean in a “intentionally kept passive for cultural reasons” way), she’s a NPC in her own life. I would say she’s very stupid, but I actually think this purely down to a quirk of the writing. It reminded me a ton of another debut I read this year, The Poet Empress; very different obviously in terms of genre and plot etc, but in that both books are written in first person but you’re never actually inside the protagonist’s head, leading to a completely detached reading experience. It’s all tell, tell, tell. You aren’t shown anything, you don’t feel anything, you never get the sense the protagonist has a single thought in their brain. So they end up seeming dumb, but it’s actually just faulty narration. I know BookTok for some reason can only read novels written in first person, so maybe that’s why these authors are doing it, but these are third person objective narrations (I almost said third person limited but you’re aren’t actually privy to the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings), pressed into a first person format, which changes the entire way you experience the story.
It was very easy to read and it was entertaining enough even if due to this faulty narration style none of the actions of the main character made a lick of sense, but the plot itself would’ve had a lot more potential with some changes to the writing style (or tbh I could just say the writing wasn’t very good, but you know. Debut.).
July 16, 2026
The Devoted by Catherine Cho
Eunha and her brother Solomon grow up sheltered under the watch of their grandmother, who tries to shield them from the violence that surrounds their father. This protection is fragile as their father is a Dragon Head, a leader in the infamous criminal organization of the Triads. Their childhood companion and friend, Kai, is connected to their family and father in complex and complicated ways. This is a compelling family saga rife with secrets, entanglements, revenge, crime, power, and forbidden love. The pressure of involvement in the family business hangs over everyone and everything, creating a barrier between them and the outside world and becoming something no one can truly refuse.
Eunha’s father promised to separate her from the Triad life. But after her son is kidnapped, she realizes that her separation was never true freedom, it was only ever an illusion.
At its core, it’s a novel about inheritance - both emotional and political - the roles you are expected to assume, the path you are expected to stride and the mantle of power you are expected to bear. Compliance is demanded while defiance is punished, raising questions of whether it is possible to ever escape your heritage. Can love survive loyalty when betrayal is built into the structure of the family business? What does loyalty truly mean when it’s demanded rather than earned?
This is an exciting story filled with surprising twists that are both chilling and utterly engrossing. Long held secrets are gradually unraveled, creating mounting tension, intrigue and shocking revelations. Cho balances gritty realism with emotional intensity portraying family relationships with remarkable emotional complexity, adding literary depth to the exploration of love, loyalty, betrayal, grief and the ways these are shaped by power, strategy, and survival. The emotional stakes cannot be cleaved from the criminal stakes, giving the story a charged atmosphere where affection can become a vulnerability.
A compelling and immersive novel that is as much about family and identity as it is about crime and power.
Eunha and her brother Solomon grow up sheltered under the watch of their grandmother, who tries to shield them from the violence that surrounds their father. This protection is fragile as their father is a Dragon Head, a leader in the infamous criminal organization of the Triads. Their childhood companion and friend, Kai, is connected to their family and father in complex and complicated ways. This is a compelling family saga rife with secrets, entanglements, revenge, crime, power, and forbidden love. The pressure of involvement in the family business hangs over everyone and everything, creating a barrier between them and the outside world and becoming something no one can truly refuse.
Eunha’s father promised to separate her from the Triad life. But after her son is kidnapped, she realizes that her separation was never true freedom, it was only ever an illusion.
At its core, it’s a novel about inheritance - both emotional and political - the roles you are expected to assume, the path you are expected to stride and the mantle of power you are expected to bear. Compliance is demanded while defiance is punished, raising questions of whether it is possible to ever escape your heritage. Can love survive loyalty when betrayal is built into the structure of the family business? What does loyalty truly mean when it’s demanded rather than earned?
This is an exciting story filled with surprising twists that are both chilling and utterly engrossing. Long held secrets are gradually unraveled, creating mounting tension, intrigue and shocking revelations. Cho balances gritty realism with emotional intensity portraying family relationships with remarkable emotional complexity, adding literary depth to the exploration of love, loyalty, betrayal, grief and the ways these are shaped by power, strategy, and survival. The emotional stakes cannot be cleaved from the criminal stakes, giving the story a charged atmosphere where affection can become a vulnerability.
A compelling and immersive novel that is as much about family and identity as it is about crime and power.
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September 6, 2026Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy
The Devoted by Catherine Cho is a first person-POV dual timeline literary family drama.
I was sucked into this from the first page. I love a family drama that is full of mess and refuses to shy away from painful feelings and the fallout of the characters’ choices. There was so much angst and drama that felt real and nuanced instead of melodramatic and over-the-top. Catherine Cho’s ability to weave all of this while also crafting an overarching mystery has guaranteed that I will pick up her next book for sure.
The mafia aspects are definitely present, but this isn't a high-action story that involves a lot of chases and gun fights like in a lot of movies. The story itself is quieter and a lot more emotional as the stakes for Eunha are her son, Minsuk, and her ability to move forward after she had him taken from her by her sister-in-law and her husband divorces her. It's intimate and goes deeper into the kind of character who wouldn't be at the gun fight, but would be left to deal with that fallout. Eunha becomes more and more sympathetic as the book goes on because the world she grew up in is not one that she really wants to be part of, but it keeps finding ways to drag her back in.
The love story between Eunha and Kai had me really excited and I was a big fan of how it slowly built in the chapters that take place in the past. Kai and Eunha never had a chance to really try to get together as young people and I loved that they reached for each other in adulthood. Without giving anything away, the story is definitely not a romance and there are much broader themes that Catherine Cho was interested in telling, but I'd be open to seeing her write romance genre one day.
Content warning for mentions of kidnapping of small children and pregnancy
I would recommend this to fans of family dramas and readers looking for stories that deal with feeling like a fish out of water in the place and position you were born in
The Devoted by Catherine Cho is a first person-POV dual timeline literary family drama.
I was sucked into this from the first page. I love a family drama that is full of mess and refuses to shy away from painful feelings and the fallout of the characters’ choices. There was so much angst and drama that felt real and nuanced instead of melodramatic and over-the-top. Catherine Cho’s ability to weave all of this while also crafting an overarching mystery has guaranteed that I will pick up her next book for sure.
The mafia aspects are definitely present, but this isn't a high-action story that involves a lot of chases and gun fights like in a lot of movies. The story itself is quieter and a lot more emotional as the stakes for Eunha are her son, Minsuk, and her ability to move forward after she had him taken from her by her sister-in-law and her husband divorces her. It's intimate and goes deeper into the kind of character who wouldn't be at the gun fight, but would be left to deal with that fallout. Eunha becomes more and more sympathetic as the book goes on because the world she grew up in is not one that she really wants to be part of, but it keeps finding ways to drag her back in.
The love story between Eunha and Kai had me really excited and I was a big fan of how it slowly built in the chapters that take place in the past. Kai and Eunha never had a chance to really try to get together as young people and I loved that they reached for each other in adulthood. Without giving anything away, the story is definitely not a romance and there are much broader themes that Catherine Cho was interested in telling, but I'd be open to seeing her write romance genre one day.
Content warning for mentions of kidnapping of small children and pregnancy
I would recommend this to fans of family dramas and readers looking for stories that deal with feeling like a fish out of water in the place and position you were born in
September 13, 2026
This story starts out by spoiling one of the major outcomes of the novel. I was hooked from the start.
The story follows Eunha, a Korean girl being raised in Hong Kong along with her brother, Solomon, by their grandmother. They live a quite sheltered life and it becomes apparent why very quickly. Their father is a leader in organized crime, a Dragon Head with the Triads. Going back and forth between past and present, we follow Eunha and Solomon through their childhoods and adult life, filled with both love and tragedy.
As I said above, I was hooked on this story from the start. I needed to know what would happen next. It’s tough to describe without offering up spoilers, but I will say that I was on a work trip when I started this one and all I could think about was getting away to read more. I was almost happy my flight was delayed so I could keep reading.
A strong family drama that asks how far one would go to protect their family and can one really get away from their past. A solid debut, I can’t wait to read Catherine Cho’s next work.
I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review and I would like to thank NetGalley, Atria Books, Washington Square Press, and especially the author, Catherine Cho, for the opportunity.
The story follows Eunha, a Korean girl being raised in Hong Kong along with her brother, Solomon, by their grandmother. They live a quite sheltered life and it becomes apparent why very quickly. Their father is a leader in organized crime, a Dragon Head with the Triads. Going back and forth between past and present, we follow Eunha and Solomon through their childhoods and adult life, filled with both love and tragedy.
As I said above, I was hooked on this story from the start. I needed to know what would happen next. It’s tough to describe without offering up spoilers, but I will say that I was on a work trip when I started this one and all I could think about was getting away to read more. I was almost happy my flight was delayed so I could keep reading.
A strong family drama that asks how far one would go to protect their family and can one really get away from their past. A solid debut, I can’t wait to read Catherine Cho’s next work.
I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review and I would like to thank NetGalley, Atria Books, Washington Square Press, and especially the author, Catherine Cho, for the opportunity.
July 12, 2026
The pacing was slower at the start and picked up in the last 40%, but overall I found this to be an interesting and thought provoking read. I appreciated the multigenerational family story, and exploration of other cultures (in this case, Koreans living in China).
The story follows Eunha and Solomon, siblings whose lives are shaped by their father’s involvement in a criminal organization. The story leans into the theme of is your life is your own, or is it set out long before you’re even aware of it? It’s dual timeline as well. There is also a lot of blurring the lines of who is good and who is bad, who you want to connect and who you don’t. It had me questioning a lot how to feel when people make decisions for the people they care about. They might think it’s the best option, even if it causes harm.
The author had a lot of complex characters and emotions to balance, and it was done brilliantly. Catherine writes with such detail and emotion that I was drawn to keep reading, even if I didn’t always connect with the story.
I received this ARC from Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
The story follows Eunha and Solomon, siblings whose lives are shaped by their father’s involvement in a criminal organization. The story leans into the theme of is your life is your own, or is it set out long before you’re even aware of it? It’s dual timeline as well. There is also a lot of blurring the lines of who is good and who is bad, who you want to connect and who you don’t. It had me questioning a lot how to feel when people make decisions for the people they care about. They might think it’s the best option, even if it causes harm.
The author had a lot of complex characters and emotions to balance, and it was done brilliantly. Catherine writes with such detail and emotion that I was drawn to keep reading, even if I didn’t always connect with the story.
I received this ARC from Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
July 9, 2026
Eunha and her brother Solomon were raised in a small village by their Korean grandmother while their father was a Dragon Head, a leader of a criminal organization. The two are only allowed company with another young boy, Kai, who came to live with them for a time. As Eunha grows up, her father marries her into a respectable family in Hong Kong, but soon this facade is cracked as their son is kidnapped. Eunha has to go to her brother Solomon, who has replaced their father as a Dragon Head, and is convinced that it's fault that her son is kidnapped. As Eunha gets swept up in her despair, she eventually learns the truth to the world that she has been shielded from for so long.
This was okay, but I wanted it to be great. I wanted something more to happen in the story or for Eunha to finally do something really crazy in it. The main focus of the story talks about family and loss. I did really appreciate how the author utilized the different timelines going from present to the past - it was interweaved perfectly. I would have liked there to be more about what the Dragon Heads got up to and deeper into the criminal organization. I'm surprised the fact that Eunha was Korean didn't have any impact on the story once she was in China. I think this would have been an interesting way to add tensions in the story. I did enjoy the complexity of the characters showing that someone is not 100% good or bad - this was really explored with Kai's character. By the end, I felt bad for almost all of the characters. It is definitely an emotional story. I would rate this a 3-3.5 star book.
Thanks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Why did I read? Intrigued by the premise. Would I read again? Maybe - it was slow in the middle.
This was okay, but I wanted it to be great. I wanted something more to happen in the story or for Eunha to finally do something really crazy in it. The main focus of the story talks about family and loss. I did really appreciate how the author utilized the different timelines going from present to the past - it was interweaved perfectly. I would have liked there to be more about what the Dragon Heads got up to and deeper into the criminal organization. I'm surprised the fact that Eunha was Korean didn't have any impact on the story once she was in China. I think this would have been an interesting way to add tensions in the story. I did enjoy the complexity of the characters showing that someone is not 100% good or bad - this was really explored with Kai's character. By the end, I felt bad for almost all of the characters. It is definitely an emotional story. I would rate this a 3-3.5 star book.
Thanks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Why did I read? Intrigued by the premise. Would I read again? Maybe - it was slow in the middle.
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