Wicked Fox is an interesting take on a story as old as time. Think Romeo and Juliet, but with a fantasy twist. This book is part love story, part mystery, part thriller, and all interesting.
The characters in this novel are straight-forward and easy to remember. Miyoung is a girl who is half human and half fantastical creature that feeds on other’s life force. She uses her abilities, or need to feed, to right the wrongs of those who have previously been harmed or killed by the nefarious acts of others. Jihoon is a teenage boy who makes the mistake of being in her path during a full moon when she must feed. Through a series of misadventures, the two end up linked and the story takes off from there.
The plot line is fast-paced and even though the novel is longer in page count, you’ll find yourself moving pretty quickly through it. The chapters are short which makes for easy pick up and put down reading. While the overall feel of the book is a little dark magic-esque, younger readers could probably grasp the story line and be able to follow pretty easily.
The only drawback to this book was its lack of a glossary. The majority of the book is set in Seoul. A lot of Korean language terms are used throughout the book. While you can glean the meaning of the majority from the context, I would have greatly benefited from a glossary to assure I was understanding the terms or for more descriptive content. I found myself heading to Google translate a lot to ascertain what a term meant or to verify my contextual guesses.
Overall a good book with an imaginative take on forbidden love, forgiveness, and the power of friendship.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Penguin
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 1 religious exclamation; 7 mild obscenities; 2 scatological words;1 anatomical term.
Violence/Gore: Multiple references to murder without detail; multiple instances, including up to 8 page instances of graphical murder/death by magical means; dog is thrown against tree; two instances of pushing and shoving; multiple minor cuts, scrapes, bruises; two instances of characters being slammed against wall by others; six verbal threats of death or bodily harm; four instances of adults slapping children; teens throw sticky paste at another; instances of bullying via food being thrown; magic forces character to break own hand; recall of attempted murder by drowning.
Sex/Nudity: Characters walk arm-in-arm or with arms around shoulders; three kisses; two hand-holds; two instances of characters holding each other for a “moment”.
Mature Subject Matter:
Abandonment, death of family member, child abuse, divorce, infidelity.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Adults and teens drink and smoke cigarettes.
