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ethias's review against another edition
5.0
Loved every goddamn second of this please inject the rest into my brain
(It should be noted to those considering reading this, there’s a lot of ableist, homophobic, and otherwise harmful language in this book.)
(It should be noted to those considering reading this, there’s a lot of ableist, homophobic, and otherwise harmful language in this book.)
answ3r1sn0where's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
not gonna lie didn’t think my brain would go from “wow these guys are assholes” to “okay they all kinda have their own issues they need to work through and they live in my head rent-free now”.
it took a while to get going but the set-up was clearly needed for proper context heading into TRK. i do think some bits went over my head though cause I Have Touble Reading Between The Lines Sometimes. but yeah. s’decent.
it took a while to get going but the set-up was clearly needed for proper context heading into TRK. i do think some bits went over my head though cause I Have Touble Reading Between The Lines Sometimes. but yeah. s’decent.
teereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I just... what even happened? I feel like I missed something because I was kind of confused for a lot of this book. I can definitely appreciate what was trying to be done here, and I like how unique this story is. I mean, it centers around a made-up sport, after all. It's a sports and mafia story of sorts. It's the first book in a series, but not enough happened to really hold my attention. I really wanted to like this one. I saw so many good things being said about it, but I seem to have fallen for the hype. I guess this one just wasn't for me. I couldn't vibe with it.
j_menendezz's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
suvoroch's review against another edition
4.0
Having read the whole ‘All for the Game’ trilogy (which actually became my favourite one), I can assure that ‘The Foxhole Court’ is the weakest part of it. The review is gonna contain some spoiler-free aspects that I personally noticed and highlighted while reading the series. It can be helpful in order to identify whether to start or continue reading the trilogy.
The whole book can be considered as a very long and unnecessary introduction that is overloaded with too many details. For instance, we are introduced to all the characters (which are more than 10 people) and plots at once, which makes it extremely difficult to memorise the information that can later be important to analyse the heroes and their actions/personality. In short, some details become simply forgotten due to the fact that you have not even memorised a character’s name yet, but you already know some details about their background and personal life in general that later can mean something and lead the plot. However, it is crucial to mention and give a credit to the author for putting the list with the characters’ full names, jersey numbers, and positions at the end of the book which really helps not to get too confused.
Another point that is important to take into consideration is the fact that the main character does too many dumb, frivolous, and confusing actions which are explained differently every time. However, here we may say that it is extremely interesting to analyse these actions and draw the parallels with the character’s background and current life in order to understand why he suddenly decided to draw a target on his back and change the whole lifestyle. No matter how interesting it may seem to analyse and guess, the real answer is not given which makes us only wonder whether our personal analysis made sense or not. Talking about other characters, it can be said that they actually made me very curious (especially Andrew). I like that we slowly find out more and more about each of them along with the main character (but again, it is mostly seen in the next books). In general, I liked the heroes, and they were one of the reasons why I did not give up on a trilogy after the first part, even though some of the actions, especially Neil’s ones, made me really mad.
Continuing the topic with the characters, I would like to mention that I really liked the humour of the book and the heroes’ interactions with each other. Some dialogues may be a bit cringy though, but the heroes’ whole communications, little inside jokes and conversations really gave the series a special atmosphere, voice to the characters, and a huge potential for a found family trope.
Now moving on to the topic of LGBT representation because it feels like it is important to mention one aspect here. This trilogy was recommended to me as a ‘gay drama’; therefore, I was really excited to meet the gay characters. In the first book we are introduced to only one openly gay hero who has one quality of a stereotypical LGBT person who always cheats and flirts with everyone, while actually being in a relationship. To be honest, this character is one of my favourite ones, but at first this thing with a typical and the most popular stereotype made me not only disappointed, but also really worried for the representation in general and the future main ship. But I want to assure you in advance, that my concerns were wrong, and the main couple and other LGBT characters do not show any more signs of stereotypical features.
One more problem, that I personally faced while reading ‘The Foxhole Court’, is the fact that plot twists didn’t affect me at all (however, in the next books they became more interesting and thrilling). I guess, it can be explained by the fact that we were introduced to everyone at once, and readers didn’t have enough time to have some sort of connection with the characters and their stories in order to feel sympathy or the whole significance. Additionally, while reading the first book I really thought I knew where it was going with some plots and moments; therefore, the book seemed too predictable for me. However, the next books literally told me to hold their beers and shut up because I literally didn’t guess the majority of the plot twists that I made up. In short, a trilogy definitely becomes more exciting later.
To be honest, other things that can be said are closely connected to reader’s personal preferences. Author’s writing style and language, descriptions of particular things, the number and the length of chapters, mafia trope, sport theme - all these topics cannot be fairy discussed as they are more about likes and dislikes, rather than the detailed analysis. Personally, I didn’t like the mafia trope, simply because I am not into this theme, but the sport theme, which I thought I wouldn’t like, actually surprised me and became one of the most likeable aspects in the whole trilogy. Additionally, many moments and details in the book might be unrealistic, questionable, and contradictory, however, I personally do not care about these things too much because a) it is fiction and b) it is never that deep. But again, it is always up to a reader.
In conclusion, I can assure that the next books are much more interesting and full of actions than this one, and that is why you definitely need to give this series a try and do not stop after a quite boring ‘introduction’. However, before recommending this trilogy to anyone, it is extremely crucial to mention trigger warnings that can be easily found online. The next books contain more heavy topics and scenes, and I want to make sure everyone is aware of it before reading them.
Stay safe and good luck with the reading!
The whole book can be considered as a very long and unnecessary introduction that is overloaded with too many details. For instance, we are introduced to all the characters (which are more than 10 people) and plots at once, which makes it extremely difficult to memorise the information that can later be important to analyse the heroes and their actions/personality. In short, some details become simply forgotten due to the fact that you have not even memorised a character’s name yet, but you already know some details about their background and personal life in general that later can mean something and lead the plot. However, it is crucial to mention and give a credit to the author for putting the list with the characters’ full names, jersey numbers, and positions at the end of the book which really helps not to get too confused.
Another point that is important to take into consideration is the fact that the main character does too many dumb, frivolous, and confusing actions which are explained differently every time. However, here we may say that it is extremely interesting to analyse these actions and draw the parallels with the character’s background and current life in order to understand why he suddenly decided to draw a target on his back and change the whole lifestyle. No matter how interesting it may seem to analyse and guess, the real answer is not given which makes us only wonder whether our personal analysis made sense or not. Talking about other characters, it can be said that they actually made me very curious (especially Andrew). I like that we slowly find out more and more about each of them along with the main character (but again, it is mostly seen in the next books). In general, I liked the heroes, and they were one of the reasons why I did not give up on a trilogy after the first part, even though some of the actions, especially Neil’s ones, made me really mad.
Continuing the topic with the characters, I would like to mention that I really liked the humour of the book and the heroes’ interactions with each other. Some dialogues may be a bit cringy though, but the heroes’ whole communications, little inside jokes and conversations really gave the series a special atmosphere, voice to the characters, and a huge potential for a found family trope.
Now moving on to the topic of LGBT representation because it feels like it is important to mention one aspect here. This trilogy was recommended to me as a ‘gay drama’; therefore, I was really excited to meet the gay characters. In the first book we are introduced to only one openly gay hero who has one quality of a stereotypical LGBT person who always cheats and flirts with everyone, while actually being in a relationship. To be honest, this character is one of my favourite ones, but at first this thing with a typical and the most popular stereotype made me not only disappointed, but also really worried for the representation in general and the future main ship. But I want to assure you in advance, that my concerns were wrong, and the main couple and other LGBT characters do not show any more signs of stereotypical features.
One more problem, that I personally faced while reading ‘The Foxhole Court’, is the fact that plot twists didn’t affect me at all (however, in the next books they became more interesting and thrilling). I guess, it can be explained by the fact that we were introduced to everyone at once, and readers didn’t have enough time to have some sort of connection with the characters and their stories in order to feel sympathy or the whole significance. Additionally, while reading the first book I really thought I knew where it was going with some plots and moments; therefore, the book seemed too predictable for me. However, the next books literally told me to hold their beers and shut up because I literally didn’t guess the majority of the plot twists that I made up. In short, a trilogy definitely becomes more exciting later.
To be honest, other things that can be said are closely connected to reader’s personal preferences. Author’s writing style and language, descriptions of particular things, the number and the length of chapters, mafia trope, sport theme - all these topics cannot be fairy discussed as they are more about likes and dislikes, rather than the detailed analysis. Personally, I didn’t like the mafia trope, simply because I am not into this theme, but the sport theme, which I thought I wouldn’t like, actually surprised me and became one of the most likeable aspects in the whole trilogy. Additionally, many moments and details in the book might be unrealistic, questionable, and contradictory, however, I personally do not care about these things too much because a) it is fiction and b) it is never that deep. But again, it is always up to a reader.
In conclusion, I can assure that the next books are much more interesting and full of actions than this one, and that is why you definitely need to give this series a try and do not stop after a quite boring ‘introduction’. However, before recommending this trilogy to anyone, it is extremely crucial to mention trigger warnings that can be easily found online. The next books contain more heavy topics and scenes, and I want to make sure everyone is aware of it before reading them.
Stay safe and good luck with the reading!
msouders's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
malday's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed the book. I just feel like there is still so much to understand. I already have the rest of the series so I am going in quick.
noalrmall's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shiqingxuan34's review against another edition
1.0
worst thing ive read in a while.
apart from literally all the problems w the story, characters, dialogue etc.) and disgusting true problematic stuff (rape jokes, slurs, drugging, poor representation of mental illness, etc.) even the writing was awful.
why do people like this ???????
apart from literally all the problems w the story, characters, dialogue etc.) and disgusting true problematic stuff (rape jokes, slurs, drugging, poor representation of mental illness, etc.) even the writing was awful.
why do people like this ???????
kyracantread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25