Wicked Fox

A teenage Korean girl is a werefox and she needs to consume gi/chi from men (killing them) in order to stay alive. But her new high school (in Seoul) has surprises for her. The basic plot is fairly stock & simple, but the complications are intriguing. While we follow her as we see her normal coping mechanism—rejection of all friendly overtures—collapse as she tries to live an inconspicuous dual life as a predator and student while a normal boy is drawn to her as he senses their familial similarities.

Normally, I’m not attracted to “teenage coming of age angst” stories, this one is surprisingly non-trite. The author, Kat Cho, does not pull any punches with the Korean milieu and intersperses sufficient Korean vocabulary (glossary show more in the back of the book) and social norms that I found myself intrigued by her descriptions of high school life (e.g. in America the children change classes—in Korea the teachers change classes) and the mandatory social protocols that grease interactions between genders, age groups and social classes.

And the description of the inner torment of creatures that have to deal with their physical need to kill and their moral need to justify that need is well worth the contemplation. And the few fight scenes are nicely done, too.

I’m definitely recommending this book to some teens I know. show less

Name: The Wicked Fox
Author: Kat Cho
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Supernatural, Drama, Mystery, Folklore, Asian
Rating: 4.6/5
Review:
//~You must be able to laugh at things, even at the sad scary stuff sometimes..///

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho is much more than just a novel from kworld, it is a mixture of fantasy and folklore. Gu Miyoung is an 18 year old half human, half gumiho (fox spirit) trying to live a life like an ordinary human under the strict supervision of her mother, Yena. But when there's superpowers involved, there will be slip-ups. After every such slip-ups, they move to a new city with a new identity.

On her first day in Seoul, Miyoung makes a huge mistake, a mistake that could cost her, her own life, she reveals her true identity in front show more of a human. While Miyoung was saving this human boy from a goblin, she loses her fox bead. Now, Miyoung must find a way to put the fox bead back inside her, or else she will endanger not only her own life, but of the human boy she saved. When fate strings those two strangers, a romance sparks between a supernatural creature and a human.

The writing style is mesmerizing and engaging. The plot twists gave me chills. Kat Cho has beautifully portrayed Miyoung's struggles to retain her human side while living a life devouring the energy of human. The characters are well developed, Yena, especially was a wonderful character. This book is an emotional roller-coaster. Can't wait to read the sequel of this both, Vicious Spirits.

For Further Reading:
1. Life and Death by Stephanie Meyer
2. Feathertide by Beth Cartwright
3. Circe by Madeline Miller show less

This was such a welcome break from faux-European fantasy that tends to dominate the market! I haven't watched K-dramas, so some of the applicable tropes may come across more obvious to other readers, but I thought this was a great unlikely allies/enemies to lovers story giving a contemporary twist to Korean folklore. The descriptions of food are so spot on, they had me craving things I've never even tried. I really enjoyed seeing how Miyoung's torn loyalties played out, and how she couldn't write off her mother as a monster. The distinction between being motivated by rage and revenge vs protection and love (even when not expressed overtly) was a powerful contrast. Junu was my surprise favorite character, I hope to see more of his show more roguish charm in future books. show less

I don't normally feel pushed to read paranormal books but this book was nice suprise. I found this to be such a fun read. I was not the biggest fan of the twilight but found this to be such a cool read. I really loved the the girl was the "creature" and also really enjoyed the fact the we got both lead characters POV. I adored the setting in this book as well. I also loved the lore and the myth of this book. I thought the pacing of this book towards the middle and the end could have been a little bit stronger but I will def be checking out the others books in the series.

CW: Deaths of family members. Loved ones sacrifice themselves to save others.

3.5 Stars

An enjoyable read. I love stories where the main character is ‘evil’ by nature but struggles internally with who they are. It adds a level of tension as their instincts and their conscience battle for supremacy. If Miyoung denied her natural feeding instincts, this would inevitably result in her own death. This added an extra dimension to the internal struggle: her life versus the lives of the people she feeds on. Her solution to this moral dilemma is to feed off the lives of people who have inflicted suffering on others. I thought Miyoung was a well developed character and I really liked that she was a bit prickly to begin with but softened as she show more allowed people to get closer to her. I enjoyed all the dynamics between the different characters, from the friendships through to the families. A good fantasy fiction. show less

Eh, this book was okay though I did expect more of it. I was so excited to have a novel following the story of a gumiho as it’s nothing I’ve ever read before. The main problem is that the first half of it was so slow and mostly just seemed to have a lot of teenage drama. The second half was better and at least succeeded in keeping my attention for the most part. The characters were alright (I liked Junu a good bit) though I wasn’t particularly invested in their story. Like honestly when Jihoon was dying I couldn’t have cared less. I wish that it had been more engaging but it just seemed very slow paced. Though I did enjoy all of the supernatural parts of it! In total I’d probably really give it 2.5 stars, but I enjoyed the show more ending enough to round up. show less

Well, this story was emotionally draining. You gotta know that upfront.

Good chemistry/banter between the two leads (2 months tho!?!) and morality, friendship/loneliness, and abandonment issues are baked into a loaf of delicious bread. However, toward the 300-mark the story began to feel so long, and the bread got stale.

I honestly enjoyed reading this before getting burnt out toward the end.
I think Jihoon brought a good point with not pinning all your love and hope into one person because when they are gone, where does that leave you?

With that being said, I don't know how Jihoon and Miyoung can still love each other. So much death and drama happened because those two fell in love.

I would read a spin-off about Juun/the dokkaebi, but I'm show more not sure if I want to continue Miyoung's journey.

SN: Gorgeous cover. Heads up! There is a Korean glossary at the end of the book, not that you'll really need it. I wish books would let you know that at the beginning of the book.

3.5 stars show less