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holdenkillfield's review
4.0
The dedication of this book (For every girl who wants revenge) screams volumes. I like that it does not end in a period as I believe it signifies that revenge is not one and done and that it is a continued cycle of a lifetime for every instance that one has felt from childhood into adulthood. I connected and related to this visceral story of rage against the injustices of public violence perpetuated by men and enjoyed the intensity of Elle and her coven. This retelling of Macbeth was well done, especially highlighting the psychological torture of all the characters and providing the female characters with all the traits of strength, ambition, and rage that traditional Shakespeare plays would deem them as unstable, shrews, and weak. Elle and her coven are none of those things and this story is not only empowering but a cautionary tale of when you pick the wrong girl.
laurenkara's review
5.0
holy
SHIT
i don't even know what to say rn ??? JUST GOD THE WRITING??? it was so poetic and jilted and i want to drown in it!!!!!! this book is so important???? i'll try and be more coherent soon but omg i loved this so so much! it's definitely not an easy read, it's dark and twisted and unapologetic but it's a book we need.
thank you netgalley & the publishers for providing me a copy with this book in exchange for an honest review
cw: rape (off page/flashbacks), suicide, transphobia (challenged), violence, death -- for a more detailed list: https://www.hannahcapin.com/foulisfair
SHIT
i don't even know what to say rn ??? JUST GOD THE WRITING??? it was so poetic and jilted and i want to drown in it!!!!!! this book is so important???? i'll try and be more coherent soon but omg i loved this so so much! it's definitely not an easy read, it's dark and twisted and unapologetic but it's a book we need.
thank you netgalley & the publishers for providing me a copy with this book in exchange for an honest review
cw: rape (off page/flashbacks), suicide, transphobia (challenged), violence, death -- for a more detailed list: https://www.hannahcapin.com/foulisfair
indigoivee's review
5.0
Holy fuck.
Times two.
Jade is a fucking icon, a legend and my all-time hero. The way she refused to let what happened to her ruin her life and instead channel all that anger and hatred into revenge to ruin their lives was absolutely insane in the best way. There were so many great elements in this novel that I felt were so perfectly depicted and touched on that I was left speechless for the most part, turning each page for more. The drama? The angst? The retribution? The undying sisterhood? The romance? The betrayal? It was everything and so much more.
Because I fucking devoured Miss Hannah Capin’s previous book, I just had to read this one too. The way I inhaled every word of this magnificently written and plot-encompassing book in less than 24 hours was because it had me in a tight chokehold till the bitter end. Wow. Everyone needs to read this fucking wonderful feminist and women’s-voice retelling of Macbeth. It made me not only appreciate classics but women’s literature even more.
Favourite quote: ““Luck’s a whore. She fucks us all eventually.””
Times two.
Jade is a fucking icon, a legend and my all-time hero. The way she refused to let what happened to her ruin her life and instead channel all that anger and hatred into revenge to ruin their lives was absolutely insane in the best way. There were so many great elements in this novel that I felt were so perfectly depicted and touched on that I was left speechless for the most part, turning each page for more. The drama? The angst? The retribution? The undying sisterhood? The romance? The betrayal? It was everything and so much more.
Because I fucking devoured Miss Hannah Capin’s previous book, I just had to read this one too. The way I inhaled every word of this magnificently written and plot-encompassing book in less than 24 hours was because it had me in a tight chokehold till the bitter end. Wow. Everyone needs to read this fucking wonderful feminist and women’s-voice retelling of Macbeth. It made me not only appreciate classics but women’s literature even more.
Favourite quote: ““Luck’s a whore. She fucks us all eventually.””
oliviarose_xox's review against another edition
2.0
Not too sure how I feel about this one. While I did enjoy the story to a degree I found it rather hard to like or sympathise with any of the characters. Reading a rather dark themed book is hard when 'insta contour' is mentioned and brings you right out of it.
jessicatina94's review
2.0
The premise of this book really caught my attention which is of course what made me pick this up in the first place.
I was overall disappointed with what I read, the writing style is very unusual. The main character ‘Jade’, flicks between past and present almost within the same sentence. The language and dialogue between the characters is at times incredibly boring and lacks any common sense. Seriously, is that what 16 year old rich, pretentious kids are actually like to each other?
And I also can’t quite believe that all these murders are taking place and WHERE ARE THE PARENTS also THE TEACHERS DON’T CARE.... nobody seems to even interview Jade, even though the murders started happening literally ONE DAY after she starts at St Andrews.
Maybe I am just completely lacking imagination, but everything just seemed extremely unbelievable considering the highly sensitive topic from which this book begins; there are 16 year olds driving around murdering each other and nobody gives a hoot.
And whilst I am talking about the topic (TW: sexual abuse, drugs, alcohol, murder, bullying, self harm), promoting that a 16 year old girl would not report this horrific incident to the police, even after she has told her apparently loving parents is just outrageous. THE PARENTS SHOULD HAVE DEALT WITH THIS WITH A LOT MORE SENSITIVITY. I pray that no young person (honestly people of any age) read this book and come to the conclusion that not reporting a sexual/ physical assault is okay, because literally every character in this book seemed to turn a blind eye to the assaults that were taking place and no one took what happened Jade seriously.
Anyway, some parts were fun but overall I was glad to finish it (and I only did that because I’d paid money for this book).
I’m going to go read some 5 star reviews and see what I’m missing....
I was overall disappointed with what I read, the writing style is very unusual. The main character ‘Jade’, flicks between past and present almost within the same sentence. The language and dialogue between the characters is at times incredibly boring and lacks any common sense. Seriously, is that what 16 year old rich, pretentious kids are actually like to each other?
And I also can’t quite believe that all these murders are taking place and WHERE ARE THE PARENTS also THE TEACHERS DON’T CARE.... nobody seems to even interview Jade, even though the murders started happening literally ONE DAY after she starts at St Andrews.
Maybe I am just completely lacking imagination, but everything just seemed extremely unbelievable considering the highly sensitive topic from which this book begins; there are 16 year olds driving around murdering each other and nobody gives a hoot.
And whilst I am talking about the topic (TW: sexual abuse, drugs, alcohol, murder, bullying, self harm), promoting that a 16 year old girl would not report this horrific incident to the police, even after she has told her apparently loving parents is just outrageous. THE PARENTS SHOULD HAVE DEALT WITH THIS WITH A LOT MORE SENSITIVITY. I pray that no young person (honestly people of any age) read this book and come to the conclusion that not reporting a sexual/ physical assault is okay, because literally every character in this book seemed to turn a blind eye to the assaults that were taking place and no one took what happened Jade seriously.
Anyway, some parts were fun but overall I was glad to finish it (and I only did that because I’d paid money for this book).
I’m going to go read some 5 star reviews and see what I’m missing....
samrushingbooks's review
4.0
Whew, this book was intense. I didn't necessarily like the ruthless, manipulative, and violent revenge-filled main character, but then again, I was never exactly a fan of Lady Macbeth either. But there was just something so completely compelling about this book. Even when I didn't like so many of the characters, I just couldn't put the story down. It was so easy to read 100 pages in a sitting.
li22ie's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ana_kp's review
3.0
This is a revenge fantasy through and through. The writing is raw and poetic and ruthless and doesn't shy away at all from the ugly and bitter truths. It has a message to convey and it does so unapologetically.
When people call this a retelling of Macbeth, it's true. The imagery is heavy and the story follows nearly the same plotline as well. Though the dialogues are very unrealistic even for rich and privileged 16 year old kids who live off their parents money, which brought me out of the story.
I kept feeling very detached yet struck while reading it - a strange duality owing to the theme of the story and its contrasting writing style. Either way, it is an important story, a power and revenge fantasy mixed into one.
It just wasn't for me.
2¾
When people call this a retelling of Macbeth, it's true. The imagery is heavy and the story follows nearly the same plotline as well. Though the dialogues are very unrealistic even for rich and privileged 16 year old kids who live off their parents money, which brought me out of the story.
I kept feeling very detached yet struck while reading it - a strange duality owing to the theme of the story and its contrasting writing style. Either way, it is an important story, a power and revenge fantasy mixed into one.
It just wasn't for me.
2¾
gayathiri_rajendran's review
2.0
I honestly didn't know what I was getting into when I started this book. I was mainly captivated by the cover. Foul Is Fair is basically a book centered on revenge. It's about a high school girl getting revenge on 4 boys for drugging her and raping her at a party.
Elle Jade Khanjara attends a St. Andrew's Prep Party when she turns 16. However, things don't go well and she is now a survivor of assault. Elle now takes the name of Jade and transfers schools to get her revenge and she is backed up by her coven of friends. The writing style was very unique and like nothing I'd read before. It took me a while to get used to it with too many similes and metaphors which sort of bogged me down.
A lot of things that happened in the book seemed far-fetched and unbelievable. I found it very hard to believe girls who are in high school were responsible for some of the grisliest murders and not even one slip up or clue was left behind making them some sort of professional murderers. It just seemed impossible. Some scenes felt over the top like how the main character becomes the "queen" of the school in just under a day. It was difficult to connect to any of the characters and they felt a bit underdeveloped, especially Jade's friend group.
The idea for the plot was so good but the execution wasn't there. It got lost along the way. This book wasn't for me and I was actually looking forward to this.
Elle Jade Khanjara attends a St. Andrew's Prep Party when she turns 16. However, things don't go well and she is now a survivor of assault. Elle now takes the name of Jade and transfers schools to get her revenge and she is backed up by her coven of friends. The writing style was very unique and like nothing I'd read before. It took me a while to get used to it with too many similes and metaphors which sort of bogged me down.
A lot of things that happened in the book seemed far-fetched and unbelievable. I found it very hard to believe girls who are in high school were responsible for some of the grisliest murders and not even one slip up or clue was left behind making them some sort of professional murderers. It just seemed impossible. Some scenes felt over the top like how the main character becomes the "queen" of the school in just under a day. It was difficult to connect to any of the characters and they felt a bit underdeveloped, especially Jade's friend group.
The idea for the plot was so good but the execution wasn't there. It got lost along the way. This book wasn't for me and I was actually looking forward to this.