The Devoted

by Catherine Cho

In this emotionally transportive literary debut about family and fate, a young Korean woman whose father is a leader in an infamous crime organization becomes entrenched in the dangerous world she once sought to escape.

Raised in Hong Kong by their Korean grandmother in a quiet village, Eunha and her brother Solomon live a sheltered life. Their father is a Dragon Head, a leader within the infamous criminal organization of the Triads. While their beloved grandmother does her best to shield the children from the constant hum of violence and fear that surrounds their father and his world, Eunha only has Solomon and their one permitted companion, a boy named Kai, for company.

But as Eunha grows up and marries into a supposedly respectable Hong Kong family, the veneer of her careful life begins to crack. When her young son is kidnapped, she is cast into the city’s criminal underground and back into the orbit of Kai, now a Dragon Head himself.

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 at once a sweeping family drama, a moving account of forbidden love, and a story about a woman’s determination to choose her own destiny.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Dozelina 666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Mai H.]

ANHPI TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Washington Square Press

[Quilted.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Elena L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being children of the Dragon Head - a leader within the infamous criminal organization of the Triads - Eunha and her brother Solomon live a sheltered life. When her son disappears, she digs into something deeper than the appearance.

For a premise about a Korean family in Hong Kong, surprisingly the story doesn't focus on dissecting either Korean roots or HK setting. The story, on the other hand, allows a glimpse of the dynamics in modern day mafia, which is heavily centered around power and betrayal. Going through loss and addiction, there's plenty of messiness in this family drama in which characters desire to make their own fate. Yet, I was expecting more tension and emotional investment and what feels like an intentional attempt of exploration of the criminal world reads like a slow narrative that flows like episodes (the transitions between timelines could have been smoother). I read this with a steady anticipation, waiting for the moment.

This is not to say that there aren't some emotional moments and one might appreciate the texture that comes from the characterization. Perhaps I wished for a more weighty exposure (of the events and characters) and despite of the lack of deeper attachment, the last 50 pages drew me in and there was hope for a longer commitment. Also, this is a book that will reward readers looking for an engaging prose.

THE DEVOTED provides unique lens into family in the mafia world. Even if the attempts missed the mark for me, I enjoyed Cho's memoir INFERNO and would read more of this author.

[ I received an ARC from the publisher - Atria books . All opinions are my own ]

[Jada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Atria Books, Washington Square Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review.

Eunha grew up with her brother, Solomon, under the care of her grandmother and an ajusshi who works for her father. Her grandmother worked hard to shelter them from the darkness that their father surrounds himself with as a leader of the Triads, a dangerous criminal organization. Once Ajusshi's nephew, Kai, comes to stay with the family, the three become close friends.

All grown up, Eunha marries a well off businessman and has a son. But after her son is kidnapped, she's thrust into the darkness that her grandmother fought to keep her away from.

Alternating from Eunha's childhood to the present, The Devoted is an emotional family drama about love, fate, secrets, and finding your inner strength.

I was expecting more of a thriller, but The Devoted is told through Eunha's eyes, keeping most of the inner workings of the criminal organizations hidden. Even during the kidnapping at the beginning, I felt like I was watching helplessly as the men in Eunha's life worked to find her son.

The pieces of Eunha's quiet childhood scattered throughout the story gave off a reflective feeling. The prose and imagery were beautifully done, leaving me with a melancholy aftertaste. I loved the exploration of identity: being Korean in a foreign land, running from the dark parts of your family, and being a woman performing different roles for the men in her life.

Eunha's journey is beautiful, tragic, and filled with strength and love.

[Madeline Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! The Devoted was a very intriguing read, both while reading the plot and the book itself. However, it was not what I was anticipating. I think that this lowered its overall rating. I had different expectations about the themes and where the plot was going to go. When starting the book, I had the idea it was going to lean more into the mafia/crime organization portion of the story.

This book did fly by. It was honestly a breath of fresh air for a fiction book of this type to have such short chapters that absolutely breeze by. The story moved along. I was not as enthralled with the story as I wish I could have been though. Some parts of the book were absolutely heartbreaking though.

Catherine Cho had impeccable writing styles. Even though this one was not my total favorite, I will definitely be on the lookout for this author's books.

Thank you NetGalley, Washington Square Press, & Catherine Cho for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Devoted is released on July 14, 2026!

[Willy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eunha, a young Korean woman married to a respectable Chinese businessman, lives in a Hong Kong ocean-view apartment as a proper tai tai (a wealthy, married woman of leisure). She has a helper to care for her three-year-old son, Minsuk, and plenty of time to play tennis and gossip with her friends at the exclusive Palm Club. But when Minsuk is snatched off a busy street, Eunha is pulled back into the criminal underworld she has worked so hard to avoid. Could the kidnapping be tied to her brother Solomon’s role as a Dragon Head within the Chinese Triad syndicate that controls so much of Hong Kong? As her well-ordered life begins to spiral out of control, Eunha also gets caught in the orbit of Kai, a childhood friend who had been a favorite of her Dragon Head father and who, too, has achieved success in the Triad. Can Eunha find the strength to resist Kai’s allure and chart a new and different course for herself? Alternating between Eunha’s sheltered childhood in a remote village and her troubled present, memoirist Cho’s (Inferno) elegant, introspective fiction debut is a haunting and emotional tale about family love, loyalty, betrayal, and vengeance.

[Britney Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC copy in return for my honest review and opinion.

I enjoyed this read and it kept my interest throughout.