A review by enchantedfiction
The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic

4.0

*More like 3.5/5 stars*

The Foxhole Court follows Neil, a high school senior with a dark past. His efforts to leave the past behind come to an abrupt stop when an old friend steps into his path and, without realizing who he really is, encourages him to continue to play Exy in college for their team, the Palmetto Foxes. A team of misfits and behavior problems, the Foxes are ranked as one of the worst teams in the NCAA, but having that type of attention is something Neil isn't sure he can risk. But running has been his life for so long, and he just wants something he can call home, even if it's just for a little while.

I enjoyed listening to The Foxhole Court on Audible. Neil is a likable character, somehow harnessing some hope and positiveness after all of the lying, running, and antics he's been exposed to throughout his life. I liked the other Foxes as well, though I wish we had seen a little bit more of them throughout the story, but I also understand that the character the story follows has trust issues and doesn't tend to get close to people. Exy was actually relatively easy to follow, which is interesting because the rules were never truly explained to the reader. I enjoyed having that element in the story since it kind of broke up the drama that surrounded the Foxes.

The only thing I didn't really understand was the relationship between Neil and Kevin. I figured that since Neil knew Kevin from the past, he would try and get into Kevin's good graces and be friends again, but they just kept butting heads and it seemed like Neil didn't really choose to continue Exy to be near Kevin like the synopsis suggested. We do see Neil stand up for Kevin which was the only gesture that he had any positive feelings towards Kevin which was nice, but it wasn't quite what I expected based on the synopsis.

I also really liked the progression of the story, but it left on such a weird note. It felt like there should have been at least another chapter to kind of wrap things up, but it just ended very abruptly. Luckily the other books are out because I can continue without a long wait, but honestly if I had read this when it came out and had to wait for book 2, I probably would knock off a star. It makes me think that the entire story will be over by the time the Exy season is over, so I just wish that there had been a better breaking point for the end of this book, like a school vacation or something.

I would recommend The Foxhole Court even though it's not something I would normally pick up and read. It has a good cast of characters, easy readability, and kind of a mystery to what will happen next.