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The Final Death of Namjoo Han
Not yet published
Expected 27 Apr 27From the author of Ocean’s Godori and Teo’s Durumi comes a standalone contemporary fantasy set in a Korean bathhouse afterlife, following a resident who won’t let anything—even her own deaths—stop her from trying to escape.
Namjoo Han is on a she’s died over a hundred times and isn’t looking to slow down anytime soon. She’s determined to break out of Sonamu, a circle of the afterlife that’s a sprawling Korean bathhouse, because she has unfinished business in the above-world. But Sonamu has been intricately designed to keep people in, and it doles painful deaths to anyone who challenges its labyrinth.
Enlisting the help of other Sonamu residents, who have shadowed pasts of their own, and the circle’s enigmatic new grim reaper, Namjoo soon discovers that the key to getting out may require far more than evading deadly traps, solving elaborate puzzles, and slaying mythological beasts.
Inspired by the video game Hades, and with elements of Spirited Away and Dante’s Inferno, The Final Death of Namjoo Han will transport readers to hell and back as Namjoo tries to outplay death itself.
Namjoo Han is on a she’s died over a hundred times and isn’t looking to slow down anytime soon. She’s determined to break out of Sonamu, a circle of the afterlife that’s a sprawling Korean bathhouse, because she has unfinished business in the above-world. But Sonamu has been intricately designed to keep people in, and it doles painful deaths to anyone who challenges its labyrinth.
Enlisting the help of other Sonamu residents, who have shadowed pasts of their own, and the circle’s enigmatic new grim reaper, Namjoo soon discovers that the key to getting out may require far more than evading deadly traps, solving elaborate puzzles, and slaying mythological beasts.
Inspired by the video game Hades, and with elements of Spirited Away and Dante’s Inferno, The Final Death of Namjoo Han will transport readers to hell and back as Namjoo tries to outplay death itself.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 27, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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June 26, 2026"Inspired by the video game Hades, and with elements of Spirited Away and Dante's Inferno". You mean a book written just for me? Well ok, just take all my money then.
August 16, 2026
I loved this book!
This is the first book I've read from Elaine U. Cho, thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
The book is about a woman in the afterlife, who is spending eternity in a korean bathhouse. She continues trying to "get out" so she can re-enter the living world and seek revenge. The description of the afterlife sounds quite lovely and relaxing, unless you're the main character trying to force her way out. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the description of the labyrinth rooms and the puzzles to solve to "progress." Reminds me of video games like Legend of Zelda where you are solving puzzles to advance, with the risk of imminent death always near. the tie-in to movies was also fun.
I also liked having the grim reaper character be humanized, along with the concepts of circles and levels which are dependent on how you lived your life.
The main themes are revenge and atonement, and i think they're tackled fairly well here, although perhaps there could have been a little more background shared about how Namjoo and a certain someone else got into the profession that landed Namjoo in the bathhouse level.
All in all, I loved the book and could actually see subsequent books about other levels/circles.
This is the first book I've read from Elaine U. Cho, thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
The book is about a woman in the afterlife, who is spending eternity in a korean bathhouse. She continues trying to "get out" so she can re-enter the living world and seek revenge. The description of the afterlife sounds quite lovely and relaxing, unless you're the main character trying to force her way out. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the description of the labyrinth rooms and the puzzles to solve to "progress." Reminds me of video games like Legend of Zelda where you are solving puzzles to advance, with the risk of imminent death always near. the tie-in to movies was also fun.
I also liked having the grim reaper character be humanized, along with the concepts of circles and levels which are dependent on how you lived your life.
The main themes are revenge and atonement, and i think they're tackled fairly well here, although perhaps there could have been a little more background shared about how Namjoo and a certain someone else got into the profession that landed Namjoo in the bathhouse level.
All in all, I loved the book and could actually see subsequent books about other levels/circles.
September 13, 2026
4.5 stars!
I'll admit that the primary reason I requested this was because I traveled to Korea for the first time this summer, and this is set in a circle of the afterlife designed to mimic a jjimjilbang (Korean sauna). I am always a sucker for fantasies that are heavily influenced by cultures outside North America, and I loved all the references to Korean food, folklore/mythology, and of course the jjimjilbang setting here. Cho did a wonderful job of infusing Korean culture throughout the book and immersing the reader in that setting.
The premise of the book — a young woman with a violent past has been doggedly trying to escape the puzzle-like labyrinth of the jjimjilbang to return to life for initially unknown reasons — was a lesser attraction at first, but the plot grew on me as I kept reading. (And I could not stop reading: I read this in basically a single setting in a single day. The book is slower-paced at the beginning, but it's extremely character-driven and I simply couldn't put it down.) Over the course of the book, we learn bits and pieces of Namjoo's past in brief flashbacks, and see her begin to process that trauma in her conversations with three new additions to the jjimjilbang. Those are jeoseung saja (Korean grim reaper) Mori, whose initial annoyance with Namjoo evolves into a slow burn romance; flashy, charismatic hustler Dante; and Asal, a former coworker from Namjoo's life on earth.
Final Death has action (so many puzzles and Korean mythological creatures to overcome!), healing from trauma, friendship, slow-burn romance, and several unexpected twists towards the end. I enjoyed this a ton and will be seeking out Cho's previous work to read more!
I'll admit that the primary reason I requested this was because I traveled to Korea for the first time this summer, and this is set in a circle of the afterlife designed to mimic a jjimjilbang (Korean sauna). I am always a sucker for fantasies that are heavily influenced by cultures outside North America, and I loved all the references to Korean food, folklore/mythology, and of course the jjimjilbang setting here. Cho did a wonderful job of infusing Korean culture throughout the book and immersing the reader in that setting.
The premise of the book — a young woman with a violent past has been doggedly trying to escape the puzzle-like labyrinth of the jjimjilbang to return to life for initially unknown reasons — was a lesser attraction at first, but the plot grew on me as I kept reading. (And I could not stop reading: I read this in basically a single setting in a single day. The book is slower-paced at the beginning, but it's extremely character-driven and I simply couldn't put it down.) Over the course of the book, we learn bits and pieces of Namjoo's past in brief flashbacks, and see her begin to process that trauma in her conversations with three new additions to the jjimjilbang. Those are jeoseung saja (Korean grim reaper) Mori, whose initial annoyance with Namjoo evolves into a slow burn romance; flashy, charismatic hustler Dante; and Asal, a former coworker from Namjoo's life on earth.
Final Death has action (so many puzzles and Korean mythological creatures to overcome!), healing from trauma, friendship, slow-burn romance, and several unexpected twists towards the end. I enjoyed this a ton and will be seeking out Cho's previous work to read more!
September 5, 2026
As a fan of Ocean’s Godori, I was thrilled to find another book by the same author coming out. Better yet, a book that deals with a setting that will always fascinate not only me but most people - the afterlife.
Namjoo has died hundreds of times trying to find her way out of the maze like afterlife she finds herself in, which happens to take the shape of a Korean style bathhouse. So far it has been the same routine, find one of the exit doors and make her way through the rooms on the other side, going through as many as she can before she ends up dead and with the guardian reaper returning her back to death to start all over once again. But everything changes when the reaper she expected is replaced with another, one named Mori. Suddenly the rooms no longer hold the same order she had grown used to. Worse yet, she finds herself befriending one of the other departed within the afterlife itself when all she wants is to return to living, though her reason why is a mystery to even her.
I did enjoy this book. The atmosphere felt like a combination between Spirited Away, The Good Place,the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and a hint of K-Pop Demon Hunters thrown in for kicks. I enjoyed the addition of the Korean mythology with the monsters we see through the different trials along with learning piece by piece Namjoo’s story and what drives her after all this time to keep trying to escape.
Namjoo isn’t a perfect character, but a lot of it comes down to the trauma she has faced in her life before the bathhouse. You can see how she made herself grow a hard shell to protect her heart, to see why she doesn’t want to get close to anyone because the last person she was close to betrayed her. She is very much a fighter that she doesn’t fully seem to grasp that she’s grown closer to Dante as a friend or that she might care for Mori until these things have been thrown at her.
I truly believe in the end Namjoo didn’t fully understand herself why she kept needing to try to return to the living and part of me wished she had learned to move on, to accept her place in the afterlife for her sake and those of the people who cared for her. But I think it was the first time she did something for herself and that alone makes it worth it, even if my heart breaks every time she ends up dying.
This is very much a slow burn romance and even then that is second to the story and Namjoo’s mission to get out, which I personally love. Sometimes I don’t need the romance to be the main factor in the book.
I think my main complaint about this book is the fact we don’t really get a wider sense of the rooms that Namjoo travels through. It felt lacking to me because we really only showed us in detail about four or five. It should have felt as limitless as it did Namjoo. I honestly thought maybe there was only four rooms top and didn’t fully understand why she was struggling with it until the book came out was told us otherwise. I think adding to the dread of it, of adding info about some of the other rooms even in limited detail would have helped some.
Now for the big twists of the book - I think there should have been more hints about Dante and maybe a bit more darkness to Mori. Mori just seemed overly grumpy. He did do some dark things a few times, but not enough to get it into your head he was a bad person and that’s why he’s a reaper now. And Dante’s reveal was something I kinda guessed at but it didn’t feel as rewarding as I would have hopped. If Namjoo or her Asal had gotten a sudden feel of deja vu or saw the similarities a bit more (it’s hinted at once but doesn’t come up again after) I think the impact could have been harder. Specifically going into more detail about Dante’s dad as well would have helped. As it was it mostly just said he’s a bad person and left there.
Overall I really did enjoy this book. I tore through it, I just think wish some of things that happen in this book had a bigger pay off.
Namjoo has died hundreds of times trying to find her way out of the maze like afterlife she finds herself in, which happens to take the shape of a Korean style bathhouse. So far it has been the same routine, find one of the exit doors and make her way through the rooms on the other side, going through as many as she can before she ends up dead and with the guardian reaper returning her back to death to start all over once again. But everything changes when the reaper she expected is replaced with another, one named Mori. Suddenly the rooms no longer hold the same order she had grown used to. Worse yet, she finds herself befriending one of the other departed within the afterlife itself when all she wants is to return to living, though her reason why is a mystery to even her.
I did enjoy this book. The atmosphere felt like a combination between Spirited Away, The Good Place,the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and a hint of K-Pop Demon Hunters thrown in for kicks. I enjoyed the addition of the Korean mythology with the monsters we see through the different trials along with learning piece by piece Namjoo’s story and what drives her after all this time to keep trying to escape.
Namjoo isn’t a perfect character, but a lot of it comes down to the trauma she has faced in her life before the bathhouse. You can see how she made herself grow a hard shell to protect her heart, to see why she doesn’t want to get close to anyone because the last person she was close to betrayed her. She is very much a fighter that she doesn’t fully seem to grasp that she’s grown closer to Dante as a friend or that she might care for Mori until these things have been thrown at her.
I truly believe in the end Namjoo didn’t fully understand herself why she kept needing to try to return to the living and part of me wished she had learned to move on, to accept her place in the afterlife for her sake and those of the people who cared for her. But I think it was the first time she did something for herself and that alone makes it worth it, even if my heart breaks every time she ends up dying.
This is very much a slow burn romance and even then that is second to the story and Namjoo’s mission to get out, which I personally love. Sometimes I don’t need the romance to be the main factor in the book.
I think my main complaint about this book is the fact we don’t really get a wider sense of the rooms that Namjoo travels through. It felt lacking to me because we really only showed us in detail about four or five. It should have felt as limitless as it did Namjoo. I honestly thought maybe there was only four rooms top and didn’t fully understand why she was struggling with it until the book came out was told us otherwise. I think adding to the dread of it, of adding info about some of the other rooms even in limited detail would have helped some.
Now for the big twists of the book - I think there should have been more hints about Dante and maybe a bit more darkness to Mori. Mori just seemed overly grumpy. He did do some dark things a few times, but not enough to get it into your head he was a bad person and that’s why he’s a reaper now. And Dante’s reveal was something I kinda guessed at but it didn’t feel as rewarding as I would have hopped. If Namjoo or her Asal had gotten a sudden feel of deja vu or saw the similarities a bit more (it’s hinted at once but doesn’t come up again after) I think the impact could have been harder. Specifically going into more detail about Dante’s dad as well would have helped. As it was it mostly just said he’s a bad person and left there.
Overall I really did enjoy this book. I tore through it, I just think wish some of things that happen in this book had a bigger pay off.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC received via NetGalley
The Final Death of Namjoon Han follows the titular character on as she faces (sprints toward) her death. Over, and over, and over again. Perhaps the first thing a reader will feel when reading: confusion. Who is this Namjoo girl? How did she get here? Why is she here? and, more importantly, what the heck is she doing to die one hundred and thirty-two times before the book even starts?!
As the book progresses, seemingly out of place flashbacks (the first one happens less than 10 pages in) that attempt to give insight into life before death. This is likely a nod to the state of Namjoo’s own mind, and how facing the truth in a way that makes sense isn’t possible at the start of this story. As Namjoo dies more and more often, she begins to attract the attention of others within Sonamu. For better or worse, she’ll have to face them…but will she get what she wants in the end if she does?
Also… that ending *jaw on the floor* and now I must re read to trace the lines once more!
Cool ideas present throughout the text:
- Connection to Korean culture & mythology
- Kyudo, Japanese ceremonial archery & a fixation on orderliness
- Obligations
Vibes — aka, other media that this kinda feels like (Not the same as, to be clear, but rather if you enjoyed anything from this list, I think you’d like The Final Death of Namjoo Han):
- Katabasis by RF Kuang
- Severance (yes the show)
- Inception (specifically the snow scene)
- Parasite (the movie dir. by Bong Joon Ho)
Some ideas I’m sitting with after finishing:
- What’s my one decision that would lead to a string of others? And what would that lead to? Is it better to know where that splits?
- Who are you in relation to the people that hurt you? How about the people that you hurt?
- If you knew you had to spend an eternity doing *something,* would you do that something or try to break away?
- When it’s all said and done, what did my life mean?
Quotes — I have quite a few favs… but will update after book is published to avoid spoilers for now :)
Thank you NetGalley, Saga Press, and Elaine U. Cho for the copy!! Very excited for this one to come out and can't wait to discuss it with others when it's available. Question: Is this book being published in April due to the association with #4 and death....?
The Final Death of Namjoon Han follows the titular character on as she faces (sprints toward) her death. Over, and over, and over again. Perhaps the first thing a reader will feel when reading: confusion. Who is this Namjoo girl? How did she get here? Why is she here? and, more importantly, what the heck is she doing to die one hundred and thirty-two times before the book even starts?!
As the book progresses, seemingly out of place flashbacks (the first one happens less than 10 pages in) that attempt to give insight into life before death. This is likely a nod to the state of Namjoo’s own mind, and how facing the truth in a way that makes sense isn’t possible at the start of this story. As Namjoo dies more and more often, she begins to attract the attention of others within Sonamu. For better or worse, she’ll have to face them…but will she get what she wants in the end if she does?
Also… that ending *jaw on the floor* and now I must re read to trace the lines once more!
Cool ideas present throughout the text:
- Connection to Korean culture & mythology
- Kyudo, Japanese ceremonial archery & a fixation on orderliness
- Obligations
Vibes — aka, other media that this kinda feels like (Not the same as, to be clear, but rather if you enjoyed anything from this list, I think you’d like The Final Death of Namjoo Han):
- Katabasis by RF Kuang
- Severance (yes the show)
- Inception (specifically the snow scene)
- Parasite (the movie dir. by Bong Joon Ho)
Some ideas I’m sitting with after finishing:
- What’s my one decision that would lead to a string of others? And what would that lead to? Is it better to know where that splits?
- Who are you in relation to the people that hurt you? How about the people that you hurt?
- If you knew you had to spend an eternity doing *something,* would you do that something or try to break away?
- When it’s all said and done, what did my life mean?
Quotes — I have quite a few favs… but will update after book is published to avoid spoilers for now :)
Thank you NetGalley, Saga Press, and Elaine U. Cho for the copy!! Very excited for this one to come out and can't wait to discuss it with others when it's available. Question: Is this book being published in April due to the association with #4 and death....?
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy.
DNF @ 40%
The Final Death of Namjoo Han follows Namjoon as she navigates the afterworld and tries to regain life. The book promises a mix of adventure with inspiration from Dante's inferno and Spirited Away.
The premise of this book really hooked me and I was absolutely drawn in by the literary and cinematic inspirations. Unfortunately, this book fell short for me in several aspects.
First Namjoo as a character feels very flat and —no pun intended—lifeless. She's simply unrelatable and not interesting as a person. I gravitated more toward Mori and Dante but they also weren't interesting enough to keep me engaged.
Second, despite promising the adventure of books with a lot more worldbuilding, the bathhouse didnt feel fleshed out and I felt like the author may be relying too much on the reader's imagination.
Third, the machinations of the bath house felt boring. The puzzles didnt seem to have any rhyme or reason, so it wasnt fun to just read about various ways Namjoon could die. I found myself yawning every time Namjoo tried a new corridor or room. The most enticing part of the story wasn't the adventure but the background behind all of.fhe characters. But I didnt get enough of that.
Lastly, while I appreciated the use of Korean and Japanese, I had to constantly stop to look up the meaning of the words because the aufhor didn't give any context and this broke the flow of my reading.
Overall, I felt like this book had a great premise but —not dissimilar to Namjoo's arrows—entirely missed the mark for me. It's disappointing because I really wanted to sink my teeth into the elements inspired by beloved classics, but beyond superficial references the plot fell short.
DNF @ 40%
The Final Death of Namjoo Han follows Namjoon as she navigates the afterworld and tries to regain life. The book promises a mix of adventure with inspiration from Dante's inferno and Spirited Away.
The premise of this book really hooked me and I was absolutely drawn in by the literary and cinematic inspirations. Unfortunately, this book fell short for me in several aspects.
First Namjoo as a character feels very flat and —no pun intended—lifeless. She's simply unrelatable and not interesting as a person. I gravitated more toward Mori and Dante but they also weren't interesting enough to keep me engaged.
Second, despite promising the adventure of books with a lot more worldbuilding, the bathhouse didnt feel fleshed out and I felt like the author may be relying too much on the reader's imagination.
Third, the machinations of the bath house felt boring. The puzzles didnt seem to have any rhyme or reason, so it wasnt fun to just read about various ways Namjoon could die. I found myself yawning every time Namjoo tried a new corridor or room. The most enticing part of the story wasn't the adventure but the background behind all of.fhe characters. But I didnt get enough of that.
Lastly, while I appreciated the use of Korean and Japanese, I had to constantly stop to look up the meaning of the words because the aufhor didn't give any context and this broke the flow of my reading.
Overall, I felt like this book had a great premise but —not dissimilar to Namjoo's arrows—entirely missed the mark for me. It's disappointing because I really wanted to sink my teeth into the elements inspired by beloved classics, but beyond superficial references the plot fell short.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A beautiful story about Asian culture, death, and finding meaning in life; even after life has ended.
Namjoo is dead and living in her own realm of the afterlife: a magical Korean bathhouse for people who were wronged during their lives on Earth. While the other residents have settled into the peace of their new existence, Namjoo is determined to find a way back to Earth. And she is willing to die another 135 times if that's what it takes to get there.
This book has the gritty, unsettling elements I loved in Kylie Lee Baker’s Japanese Gothic and Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zai, while also carrying the whimsical, melancholic atmosphere of a Studio Ghibli film. Somehow, those seemingly opposite qualities work beautifully together. The story explores complex trauma, grief, and forgiveness alongside found family, moments of minor gore, and of course a magical sauna. It is such a strange combination, but that strangeness is exactly what makes the book so memorable.
Asian culture is also woven deeply throughout the story, particularly through its Korean setting and Japanese weaponry. There were quite a few terms and cultural references I wasn't familiar with, and I found myself looking things up as I read. You absolutely don't have to do that to enjoy the story, but taking the time to learn about some of the references added another layer of magic to the experience.
At its heart, this is a story about the things we carry with us after we've been hurt, the people who help us heal, and whether finding peace means letting go or finding our way back to what we lost.
Strange, haunting, whimsical, and unexpectedly tender, this was such a unique reading experience. I loved how it could be unsettling one moment and deeply comforting the next.
Namjoo is dead and living in her own realm of the afterlife: a magical Korean bathhouse for people who were wronged during their lives on Earth. While the other residents have settled into the peace of their new existence, Namjoo is determined to find a way back to Earth. And she is willing to die another 135 times if that's what it takes to get there.
This book has the gritty, unsettling elements I loved in Kylie Lee Baker’s Japanese Gothic and Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zai, while also carrying the whimsical, melancholic atmosphere of a Studio Ghibli film. Somehow, those seemingly opposite qualities work beautifully together. The story explores complex trauma, grief, and forgiveness alongside found family, moments of minor gore, and of course a magical sauna. It is such a strange combination, but that strangeness is exactly what makes the book so memorable.
Asian culture is also woven deeply throughout the story, particularly through its Korean setting and Japanese weaponry. There were quite a few terms and cultural references I wasn't familiar with, and I found myself looking things up as I read. You absolutely don't have to do that to enjoy the story, but taking the time to learn about some of the references added another layer of magic to the experience.
At its heart, this is a story about the things we carry with us after we've been hurt, the people who help us heal, and whether finding peace means letting go or finding our way back to what we lost.
Strange, haunting, whimsical, and unexpectedly tender, this was such a unique reading experience. I loved how it could be unsettling one moment and deeply comforting the next.
September 3, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Saga press for the ARC. Review left voluntarily.
3.5/5
I've had The Alliance series on my TBR for a bit now and picked out this book to see if this author's writing would work for me, and it does for the most part. There is a bit of romance in this and it didn't land well with me since it just seemed a smidge toxic? Idk, it is a relatively short book so it may have been better being more fleshed out.
Since the book was inspired by the game Hades, obviously there are gaming references, but these didn't land for me and felt out of place in the overall setting. But this was only about 1/4 of the way through so they didn't stick around long but this section did bring down the enjoyment until picking back up a little before halfway.
Those things aside, this was a really good read. I thought the "reward" for completing the dungeon was well done, and the payoff was straight fire. The multi-dimensional aspects made for a good thought experiment and I thought it was it was a fun spin on the Devine Comedy. The rules of the specific portion of hell were a little confusing but still, 10/10 would hang out in this circle of hell.
3.5/5
I've had The Alliance series on my TBR for a bit now and picked out this book to see if this author's writing would work for me, and it does for the most part. There is a bit of romance in this and it didn't land well with me since it just seemed a smidge toxic? Idk, it is a relatively short book so it may have been better being more fleshed out.
Since the book was inspired by the game Hades, obviously there are gaming references, but these didn't land for me and felt out of place in the overall setting. But this was only about 1/4 of the way through so they didn't stick around long but this section did bring down the enjoyment until picking back up a little before halfway.
Those things aside, this was a really good read. I thought the "reward" for completing the dungeon was well done, and the payoff was straight fire. The multi-dimensional aspects made for a good thought experiment and I thought it was it was a fun spin on the Devine Comedy. The rules of the specific portion of hell were a little confusing but still, 10/10 would hang out in this circle of hell.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all, thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free e-copy of The Final Death of Namjoo Han by Elaine U. Cho for review. I loved reading The Final Death so much, as it was a very original fantasy with an engaging and likeable protagonist in Namjoo. All that we know about Namjoo is that she is determined to escape her afterlife even if it means dying over a hundred times. I love how the mystery of what fuels that level of determination was fleshed out along with slowly adding a crew of characters to join her. The world-building was phenomenal, and the afterlife that encompassed our characters was vividly rendered. On top of it all, I appreciated the film references made by a character, especially the one concerning a piano! Overall, if you love fantasy, The Final Death of Namjoo Han will be at the top of the list concerning new reads next year.
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