Wicked Fox

Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret--she's a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt. But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead--her gumiho soul--in the process. Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl--he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He's drawn to her anyway. With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

Wicked Fox  by Kat Cho - release date June 25, 2019

This book pulls you into the its lore from the first scene. The predator stalking prey feel was reminiscent of some vampire novels that I love. But even with this beginning, the novel made itself distinct by incorporating other characters who helped to give the plot life. I loved being drawn into the fairytales of South Korea, because I never would have been exposed to all of the fascinating creatures without this book!

The most prominent character in this book was obviously Miyoung, the gumiho. One of my favorite parts about how she was portrayed was that through her the readers were able to be introduced to many other significant characters, especially her mother, who turns out to have a very intriguing back story. Miyoung's character arc throughout this book is incredible and it allows the reader to see her internal struggle and how she chooses to rebel against her nature in order to help others. She couldn't have done this though without the help of Jihoon, who despite his charm is simply just a human boy who happens to be the reason that Miyoung lost her fox bead, which for all intensive purposes is her soul. This interesting dynamic puts Miyoung and Jihoon in league with each other even though it might seem like they have more reasons to be at odds with each other at first. And, with a plot like this it is not hard to see why readers will be rooting for them the whole way.

I really loved the way this book was written, it had just enough of a fantasy feel but still held to real life aspects of it. This combination made for a thrilling story line! My only complaint would be that even though Nara was brought back into the plot later in the story the way she was put aside and then brought in felt a little abrupt, even though this piece of the story wound up adding so much depth and even a few explanations to the situation that Miyoung and Jihoon got themselves into.

Definately 5 /5 stars!!! I tore through this novel in 2 days! For those who read Shadow of the Fox, this book had a similar vibe (no wonder they both have fox in their title) but took its own twist on the folklore. The ending left me so satisfied until the epilogue upended everything so I know there will be a sequel if not an entire series to follow!

~Alyse

Reviewed on June 23, 2019

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The Evil Queen

Far, far away, in the realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is the norm and fairy tales are real. Except, fairy tales aren’t based on myths and legends of the past—they are prophecies of the future.  Raised in the mortal realm, Everly Morrow has no idea she’s a real-life fairy-tale princess—until she manifests an ability to commune with mirrors.  Look. See… What will one peek hurt?  Soon, a horrifying truth is revealed. She is fated to be Snow White’s greatest enemy, the Evil Queen.  With powers beyond her imagination or control, Everly returns to the land of her birth. There, she meets Roth Charmaine, the supposed Prince Charming. Their attraction is undeniable, but their relationship is doomed. As the prophecy unfolds, Everly faces one betrayal after another, and giving in to her dark side proves more tempting every day. Can she resist, or will she become the queen—and villain—she was born to be?  The battle between good and evil is on.

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter - release date June 25, 2019

When I started this, I expected it to be another villain backstory, where you get their past and see how they turn bad and all the heartbreaking details (like in Heartless by Marissa Meyer - extremely sad and extremely excellent) but The Evil Queen was much more than the average Snow White tale.

Everly Morrow has noticed throughout her whole life that everyone from people to animals naturally seem to not like her.  This begins to start making sense when Everly discovers that her mother was born in another realm and believes that Everly is fated to become the Evil Queen in the Snow White fairy tale!!  When Everly gets to Enchantia, she meets some other characters from her tale, one of which is Prince Roth AKA Prince Charming (so it seems).  Their chemistry is apparent immediately and has readers rooting for them through the entire book, despite the issue that Everly is supposed to be the Evil Queen and Prince Charming is supposed to fall in love with Snow White.  But don't worry, it's not a love triangle!  I absolutely loved the romance in this book; I put it on my Goodreads shelf labeled "extremely best love interests" (not grammatically correct, but whatever) and I was on the edge of my seat with each development.  This is a book I wanted to yell yes!! at (but couldn't since I was in public LOL).

I really liked how complex the characters are and how they all fit differently into the prophecy; it wasn't a black and white, basic Snow White story.  I loved the theme of sisterhood and I loved Hartley and Truly.  I also liked how it showed EVERYTHING.  Sometimes I see jokes like "How come you never see main characters use the bathroom?  Are they all super humans who never have to go?" but in this novel not only do the characters do that, but they also shower/bathe AND Everly packs a backpack of "necessities" to bring into Enchantia (including canned soup and tampons).  One thing I didn't like was sometimes Everly's inner dialog was awkward and didn't make sense, and other times I feel like she tried to use slang to 'try to connect with the youth' but it was outdated and a little weird.  Also, I wish the map was a little more advanced.  I LOVE when ARCs come with maps, but I feel like this one could have included a little more detail!

5 out of 5 stars!! I totally cried a bunch but I'm not going to say when because spoilers!!  Definitely would recommend (cry with me) and it took me two sittings to read the whole novel.  To be fair, I finished it on a plane ride, but it really is a super fast read.

-Taylor

Reviewed on June 22, 2019

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The Beholder

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come. But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all. From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

The Beholder by Anna Bright - release date June 4, 2019

I went into this book having no idea what to expect, but oh my gosh I can't tell you how much I loved the entire thing. This book drew me in. Between the characters and the intriguing plot, I tore through it with ease. My heart was pounding with anticipation throughout all 400 plus pages!

This book follows Selah, Seneschal-elect, during her journey to foreign lands after her "smother" booted her from her homeland. If readers take nothing else from this book its that oh boy can a journey across the world really change a person. Selah went from being a quiet shy girl to a woman who is determined to defend those she loves and stick it out for a cause she believes in. This progression in her character leads her to befriend her English guard on her first stop. Bear is a significant part of the story, but it felt abrupt when the storyline shifted gears and brought Selah to Norge. The author makes up for this, though, by filling the second stop in Selah's journey with authenticity and adventure brought on by her second suiter, Torden. Torden was able to draw out a new side of Selah. With him by her side, she was able to explore a new part of her and it was fascinating to watch this transition. 

As with every ARC, this book would definitely benefit from a map. The only other part that I found difficult to comprehend at first was how the fairytale world coexisted where America should be with old Europe. Along with this, certain aspects of the religious component of the book that felt forced. These were really only minor parts of a much bigger, more spectacular story. Probably my favorite part of this book was how fairytales were vaguely woven into the bigger story and how the author was able to weave so many different cultures into one storyline!

This book was 5/5 star material! I devoured it in 4 days and could read huge chunks of the story in a single sitting. I would have finished it all without ever getting up if I could have put the rest of my life on hold for a few hours. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out because it is a confirmed doulogy, which means so much is going to go down in the next book!

~ Alyse :)

Reviewed on June 3, 2019