The Last Rhee Witch and the Nine-Tailed Fox
by Jenna Lee-Yun
Intermediate, Middle School    Disney-Hyperion    272 pp.
5/25    9781368100984    $17.99

In this page-turning sequel to The Last Rhee Witch (rev. 7/24), it’s been six months since Seattle tween Ronnie Miller discovered she was a witch during summer camp and helped free her deceased mother’s ghost from a wrathful witch hunter. Now Ronnie and her friends return to Rhee Manor for winter break camp. Danger still lurks in the forest-covered estate, this time in the form of a ravenous gumiho (Korean fox spirit) who promises that Ronnie’s mother can be reanimated if the girl feeds it enough gi (life force). Soon, campers fall ill, one by one, with a strange freezing disease, and Ronnie and her friends must solve the problem before things turn lethal. Horror elements mix with fraught emotions when Ronnie has to decide whether she values her friendships more than her mother’s potential reanimation. A sudden spirit possession provides yet another twist and opportunity for our protagonist to develop additional empathy and compassion for others. A gripping read, with occasional lighter moments (a snowball fight; making ice sculptures) amidst the suspenseful supernatural drama.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.