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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