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sophieamreacher's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Fantastic book. I loved the characters, the angst, the heartbreak, the relationships. I also loved the setting of Seoul with all the cultural references to the food, the customs, and the tv dramas. I love reading about other country’s mythology’s (especially fox spirits) so I adored learning about Korea and it’s mythology through this amazing book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Medical content, Murder, Sexism, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Animal death
kassidyreads's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Violence, Bullying, Chronic illness, and Medical content
Minor: Animal death
delandjessica's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse
No sexual content at all and almost no romanceghostlyprince's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Police brutality
In regards to police brutality we learn Miyoung's bio dad was a cop who attempted to kill her and her mother many years ago, not sure if this falls under police brutality but thought it was worth mentioningkitausu's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this! I will definitely be reading the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
lisa_m's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I feel like I keep repeating myself, but this was a book unlike anything I have read before. It's based on Korean mythology and the main story takes place in Seoul. I didn't know much about Korean culture or mythology but that only made this book more interesting.
I don't say this often but I think this book could have been longer. There are two parts and it could have easily been cut in half and made into two different books. The ending of the first half felt like a typical ending of a book in a series. I was surprise that it was in the middle.
The story was captivating and the only flaw in my opinion was the writing style of the author. I didn't feel truly immersed in the story ever though I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading the second book though and maybe she improved there. :)
I don't say this often but I think this book could have been longer. There are two parts and it could have easily been cut in half and made into two different books. The ending of the first half felt like a typical ending of a book in a series. I was surprise that it was in the middle.
The story was captivating and the only flaw in my opinion was the writing style of the author. I didn't feel truly immersed in the story ever though I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading the second book though and maybe she improved there. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Medical content, Murder, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
folded_between_pages_of_books's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, and Vomit
translove's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, Medical content, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
naomidanae's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, and Medical content
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Vomit
girlonbooks's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
🛵🛵🛵🛵 (four stars as rated in Jihoon's motor scooter)
Eighteen year old Miyoung is a gumiho - one of the fabled nine-tailed foxes that survive by consuming the energy of men. While searching the woods for a wicked predator on which to feed during her monthly full moon hunt, she stumbles upon a goblin attacking a boy of her same age named Jihoon. In a frantic move to save him Miyoung makes a fateful mistake, putting her own life very literally in the hands of Jihoon. In the wake of this traumatizing event, Miyoung struggles to distance herself from the boy who could ruin everything for her. After all, companionship is a risk she can't afford to take with goblins on the loose. Jihoon, however, isn't ready to give up on the girl who saved him so easily. While their fragile relationship blooms Miyoung and Jihoon are faced with a series of impossible decisions. And the outcome could cost one of them everything.
I have been trying to put my finger on exactly what about this book resonated with me so heavily and I think it comes down to Miyoung. We get to see so much conflict from our protagonist about who she is and what she does. I also love that Jihoon never misunderstands this about her. He makes no excuse for her actions and yet he is genuinely sympathetic to her lack of options. I think that's really special. Admittedly, though, this book does read like a bit of a soap opera at times. The back-and-forth between our MC's might give whiplash to those less experienced in angsty teen dramas. I for one, adored every bit of it and would go so far to say that - in this aspect at least - Wicked Fox may very well be one of the MOST realistic depictions of teenage emotions that I have read in my lifetime. Also, there is so much dang cuteness between our protagonists that it easily outweighs any and all possible faults. I am already working Vicious Spirits into my summer reading list!
I am completely new to the concept of the gumiho - though apparently there's a pokemon based on one and a Korean TV show called My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho that I low-key can't wait to watch. In any case, let me assure you that this book is a blast even with ZERO prior knowledge of Korean folklore. In fact, the story is interspersed with snippets of legend about the gumiho that are just brilliantly done so even the total novice can keep up. Pro tip: if you're like me and can't read a foreign language word without learning how to properly pronounce it, you may want to keep google at the ready for this one (or just watch this video of Kat Cho's Wicked Fox pronouncation guide) since several key Korean words are used to describe Miyoung and Jihoon's familial relationships especially. I truly respect and appreciate Kat Cho's decision not to translate certain words in an otherwise English text. It give us a far richer and more authentic experience of the characters and I also just think it's rad of her to expect her English speaking readers to learn a couple new words for a darn change! Incidentally, my favorite new word is "dubu" which means tofu in Korean and is also the name of Jihoon's fluffly little white dog. Because how cute is that!? I mean, COME ON…
"Night and darkness made a believer of everyone."
- Kat Cho, Wicked Fox
✨ Rep in this book: Korean cast of characters, own voices
✨ Content warnings for this book: violence, murder, blood, medical stuff, hospitalization, estrangement from a parent, death of a family member, violence toward an animal
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Animal cruelty