There are no spoilers in this review.
I had heard a lot about Wicked Fox before it was released. Around the blogosphere and on bookish communities, many people were praising, ecstatic or really, really looking forward to reading this book and, naturally, I wondered what all the fuss was about. If the synopsis made me curious, if my heart screamed to see a Korean-mythology-inspired-YA fantasy, still, just like any other hyped book out there, I was nervous and expectant… and I was surprised in such a lovely way by the wonderful gem that Wicked Fox is.
A million thanks to Penguin Random House International for inviting me to take part in this international blog tour and for sending me a free review copy of the book. This did not, in any way, influence my thoughts and rating.
A STORY BASED ON KOREAN MYTHOLOGY
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The story of Wicked Fox is inspired by Korean mythology and the tale of the gumiho, a fox with nine tails feeding on human flesh and energy to survive. I wasn’t too familiar with this tale and I absolutely loved that the story was so heavily inspired by it all. The world-building was definitely one of the strong suits of this book, woven perfectly into the story without overwhelming us. From the fantasy elements taken from the gumiho tale, to the vibrant setting of Seoul, its life, its crowded streets and dark alleys, its stunning views and its delicious-sounding food, Kat Cho managed to create a wonderful world I loved visiting. Inserted into the story, we got some wonderful moments of storytelling, short chapters more focused on the gumiho tale itself and its history until today, until it finally links itself together with the story we are reading. I loved this.
A GREAT CAST OF CHARACTERS, GROWING ALONG WITH THE STORY
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Wicked Fox had a wonderful cast of characters I quickly grew fond of. Told from two different point of view, we get to hear Miyoung as well as Jihoon’s story and I loved both narratives so much.
Miyoung was a wonderful main character, strong, bold and determined, yet also with her own weaknesses. I had such a great time seeing her grow as the story went along, seeing her opening herself up to new people in her life slowly but surely, slowly discovering her own strengths and weaknesses and most of it all, standing up for what she believed in and for the ones she loves.
Jihoon was a great character as well and I quickly grew fond of him as he tried to gain Miyoung’s friendship, slowly but surely. He made me smile more than once and I loved it.
The relationship between the two was such a refreshing, slow-burning romance. It starts out slowly, from strangers to friends to more and it seemed so rightfully developed, in time and coherent with all the action happening all around, I really appreciated that.
Wicked Fox also manages to give us great, important and complex family relationships, something I am always yearning for in my stories and something I was looking forward to, here. Miyoung had such a complex relationship with her mother, willing to please her and to be strong for her, but also not agreeing with her at all times, and dreading her, as well. Yearning for her mother’s approval and love, yet also yearning to take her own personal path. Jihoon’s relationship with his halmeoni (grandmother) was also such a big part of the story and most likely one of my favorites, too. I loved how protective, wise and incredible his halmeoni was and I loved their interactions so much.
Aside, we also get a, if a little less developed, still interesting cast of friends surrounding Jihoon, offering lighter moments that made me smile.
OVERALL
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Wicked Fox was certainly an action-packed book and despite its length, I did not have a second to get bored. The unexpected twists and turns had me gasping and emotional at times and, all along, I was hoping for all of these characters to be okay. If you’re looking for a wonderfully unique ya fantasy, I’d definitely recommend Wicked Fox!
Final rating: 4 drops!
Trigger warnings: parental abuse, bullying, violence, blood, scenes at the hospital, drinking, death, loss of a loved one
Diversity: cast of Korean characters.
Kat Cho, Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1), Published on June 25th, 2019 by G.P Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, isbn: 9781984814715.
? All buying links for the book
Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret–she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.
But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead–her gumiho soul–in the process.
Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl–he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He’s drawn to her anyway.
With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.
Did you read Wicked Fox? Do you want to?
Do you know some other books inspired by Korean mythology? What are some of the latest highly entertaining books you’ve read? I’d love to hear from you in comments!
Hello friends! As this blog post publishes, I am still on hiatus and on holidays, until Sunday, July 7th. I won’t be replying to comments or anything else until that date. Thank you for stopping by and see you soon! x
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OMG! Korean Mythology? Don’t say more! I NEED TO READ IT. Amazing Review, honey ?
Ahhh yes you should, it was a lovely read 🙂 thank you so much! <3
This sounds like a fantastic read. I love books with important and complex family relationships and slow-burn romance. Plus, I’m interested in the Seoul setting! A book I love that’s inspired by Korean mythology is Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee.
It really was, I hope you’ll give it a try 🙂
And thank you so much for the recommendation, I’ll have to check this one out 🙂
I think I want to read this one – sounds like a beautiful read.
YAY! This makes me so happy. I hope you’ll love it 🙂
Yay for the hype not being based on thin air, haha! Glad you enjoyed this book. It sounds different and good! x
Thank you so much my sweechie! It was a lovely read 🙂
YAASSS! I have been so looking forward to this book, can’t wait to read it!
I can’t wait for you to read it, I hope you will love it! Thank you so much 🙂
I’m really looking forward to reading this some time and I’m glad you enjoyed it 😀 It sounds fascinating.
It was a great read! I hope you’ll love it 😀
Thank you, Charlotte! 🙂
That’s good to know 😀 Thank you (:
Great review! I’m so looking forward to this book! I’m glad you enjoyed it so much! I read a lot of YA fantasy but I never heard of a book that is inspired by Korean Mythology. I’ve watched some K-dramas that is inspired by Gumiho mythology so I’m really excited to read this book.
Thank you so much, Raven! I hope you’ll give this one a try and will love it 😀
The characters and mythology sound incredible!
I loved both SO much. I hope you will too 😀
I have heard so many amazing things about Wicked Fox and I definitely want to read it! It just sounds like a book that I would completely adore. Great review Marie! 😀
Ahh, I hope that you will end up loving it 😀
Thank you so, so much Anna 😀
Great review! I’m really hoping to get to this one soon. It’s pretty high up on my TBR.
Thank you so much!! I hope you will enjoy it 🙂
Thank you!
I heard so much good stuff about this book and I am super hyped to read it. Mainly because A) the diverse rep and B) I love mythology no matter where it’s from (And I can thank Mr. Rick Riordan for that!) Great review, and it’s glad to know that you enjoyed it!
Ahhh yay! I hope that you will end up loving it thne 😀
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Amena <3
I’m already so hyped for this book and this has cemented it so much more. Love the review and I hope my library hurries up with their order!!
Ahh this makes me so, so happy. I hope your copy will arrive soon and that you will love it! 🙂
I keep seeing everyone talk about how wonderful this book is! It sounds like a really different fantasy! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
It was so unique and wonderful, I loved it 🙂 Thank you, Malka! <3
This does sound really unique! I have been on the fence about it, mostly because neither the whole humans-turn-animals and goblin things has ever really worked out for me. BUT the Korean mythology and the amazing family/relationship dynamics are really making me reconsider. Because it does sound pretty great! Thanks for the review, I think this one is definitely staying on my TBR!
Ahh, this makes me so, so happy. It’s such a lovely read and the characters and their dynamics made this story stand out for me, too. I hope you will read and love it, Shannon <3
Ah, so glad you enjoyed this, Marie! I’m so excited to read this book, and I have a feeling I’m going to love it as well. I’m really glad to hear it was a slowburn romance with the right amount of development!! Slowburns are excruciating to get through but also so much fun ? Great review!! <3
Ahh, I hope you’ll adore this book May, I have a feeling you really could, it was such a fun read and these characters were so great <3
Thank you so much! 🙂
AHHH I’m so glad you loved this one because it’s one of my highly anticipated reads ?I can’t wait for my copy to arrive *happy flails* Also that cover? Utter perfection.
Ahhh yay! I hope you will love it, Cait 😀
Ah, it’s so nice to see that this one did not disappoint! I’m so excited to read it, because it deals with Korean mythology! I’m personally not very familiar with this, so I’m quite curious! The tale of the gumiho sounds so interesting, and it’s lovely to hear that there are important, complex family relationships! Wonderful review! <3
Ahh, Kelly I can’t wait to hear what you think of this one. I loved the mythology behind the story and I found it incredibly refreshing and the cast of characters was fantastic, too! I hope you will love it. and thank you so much for your sweet words <3
Yayy! I was looking for reviews of this book as I am SO INTRIGUED by it and that’s it, you totally sold it for me. Great review, Marie! ❤
AHH my job here is done yay! This made my day <3 Thank you! I can't wait to hear what you think of it 🙂
Really like the sound of the world building and like the sound of characters as well. Glad it had plenty of twists. Definitely want to check this out! Great review!
Ahh yay! So happy to hear this, I hope you will love it 🙂
Thank you so much! <3