REVIEW: Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books
for Young Readers

ISBN: 1984812343

Format: Hardback, E-Book

Release Date: 25th June 2019


Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N, Book Depository


Synopsis:

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.

Review:



**Thank you to PenguinTeen Canada for mailing me
a copy of the arc!**

This book was incredible!

Our story follows Miyoung, a girl who is also a gumiho, and her story as she rescues Jihoon and loses her fox bead - her gumiho soul - in the process. Soon she is forced to face the decision between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

I was very excited to receive an arc of this book. I'd seen it floating around twitter and after reading the synopsis I was hooked. I requested it as soon as I could and the day it arrived, I immediately started reading. (Also how beautiful is the book cover?)

Miyoung was a wonderful character. She moves to Seoul with her mother and joins a new school. She struggles to fit in and others at the school seem wary of her. Jihoon is the first to show an interest in her, and after she saves his life, he only becomes more interested in to finding out more about her. Miyoung is a gentle person and despite needing gi to survive, she doesn't take people's life's in a painful way, but rather a longer and painless way. Throughout the entire book she strives to do what she thinks is right even if she does make some mistakes along the way.

Jihoon was also a fantastic character. He isn't afraid of Miyoung or what he saw the night he was saved. Instead, he wants to learn more about her and wants to become her friend. He offers true friendship that she hasn't properly experienced before and wants to be there for her.

The storyline of this book was brilliantly written. I couldn't put this book down from start to finish and I never wanted it to come to an end. This has easily become one of my favourite fantasy books of the year!

I loved the Korean mythology that inspired this story. I really helped having small chapters entwined within the main story that explained more about the myths behind the gumiho. It really helped me understand Miyoung more and have a better understanding of the myth.

I am dying to read the sequel to this book and I cannot wait till its release. Kat Cho has written a truly wonderful story with beautifully written characters. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.