Name: Wicked Fox
ISBN: 9781984812360

Kat Cho

After eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung, a nine-tailed fox surviving in modern-day Seoul by eating the souls of evil men, kills a murderous goblin to save Jihoon, she is forced to choose between her immortal life and his. Includes glossary.

Wicked Fox

No one in modern-day Seoul believes in the old fables anymore, which makes it the perfect place to for Gu Miyoung and her mother to hide in plain sight. Mihoung is a Gumiho, a nine-tailed fox, who must eat the souls of men to survive. She feeds every full moon-eating the souls of men who have committed crimes, but have evaded justice. Her life is upended when she kills a dokkaebi, a murderous goblin, in the forest just to save the life of a stupid boy. But after Miyoung saves Jihoon's life, the two develop a tenuous friendship that blooms into romance forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

Sarah Sammis

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho is a YA urban fantasy set in Seoul, South Korea. Gu Miyoung and her mother have moved here for the hunt. They are gumihos, or nine-tailed-foxes, and survive by eating the gi of men.

On her first night time hunt, Miyoung stumbles upon Ahn Jihoon who is being attacked by a goblin. She intervenes and saves him, but forfeits her bead — the physical embodiment of her soul and immortality.

Lots of familiar tropes here but nothing really unique or compelling.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comm...

Michaela Hudson

So the main reason why I picked up “Wicked Fox” was that my brain needed some relaxation from the last book I read. It was not necessarily good, but definitely did the job.

WF is about a gumiho who saved this one human boi, and of course, things went downhill from here. If it sounds familiar to you, then you probably have heard this one K-drama called My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. They’re basically the same thing, but this one has high school mean girls. There were witchcraft, mythical creatures, and Korean daily-culture references, which was great btw, but I just found it a bit lazy that the author just put a bunch of Korean words in the book and was not even bothered to explain most of them. She did make a glossary though, but isn’t it exhausting, lookìng up a word every two pages? 

For the plot, I think it has the potential, but unfortunately, the author went the safe way, by making super cliché. Dumb main characters being angsty, leaving is the best way, parents being either ridiculously over-protective or not being parents at all, high school mean girls (as I said above), etc. The plot-twist is either too predictable or likely to jump out of nowhere. There were explanations, but the way she handled them was not really satisfying. If Kat had tried to build up the tension instead of shoving this so-called twist shenanigan into my face, I could have been more intrigued. She also seasoned the book some gumiho tales here and there, which I thought was a nice addition, but then they stopped being actual tales and just blatant backstories. Looking back, the story is so lazily patched up. Yet I found it more enjoyable than I should have tho. It has the ~drame~. And Asian Magnus Bane… wait-

The writing isn’t too flowery or scenery-focused, and I assume Kat Cho probably wanted the readers to pay more attention to the story. For urban fantasy, this one was surprisingly easy to read, compared to series like The Raven Cycle or Shadowhunters Chronicles. For those whose mother tongue isn’t English (like me) but want to start reading English written books, this one makes a great beginner’s item. 

In conclusion, trashy cliché fantasy book with Korean rep. that was pleasant enough. Also, I would love to watch Wicked Fox K-Drama. 3 ⭐

akynn 

Estefany 

Esta es una combinación de drama coreano y fantasía. La mitología coreana sobre Gumiho, un zorro con nueve colas, y la historia son muy interesantes. 

Las relaciones entre los personajes de este libro son perfectas y me encantó la trama, especialmente la narrativa de Miyoung. La sinopsis sonaba a cliché. Pero, la entrega del concepto de gumiho y los giros de la trama fueron completamente únicos.😍
Me gustó mucho Wicked Fox y especialmente creo que los fanáticos del kdrama lo adorarán, también me encantó que, aunque es parte de una serie, se siente como una historia completa y no solo como una introducción. 

Estoy deseando leerme el segundo, que por cierto, me enamoré de la portada del segundo libro en Pinterest y por eso di con este primer libro jajaja.🙌

Colleen

2.5 Stars

*A story with some cool mythological aspects bogged down by angsty drama*


I’ve said before that I am a total sucker for mythology, and that it is one of the only things that can get me to read Young Adult books anymore. I’m particularly susceptible to less-covered mythologies. When I saw that Wicked Fox was based on Korean mythology, I jumped right in without giving the book a thorough vetting. If I had paid more attention to the description and the reviews, I would have seen that the other major inspiration for this book was kdramas. 

Here’s the thing: I hate soap operas. I HATE any and all senseless drama. So yes, I do have an impenetrable grudge against any show or movie or book whose main premise revolves around ridiculous scenarios cooked up for the soul purpose of ramping up the drama gimmicks. I hated it when I was a kid and my neighbor would make me watch her soaps whenever she babysat me. I hate it even more now. I pushed through Wicked Fox hoping it would get better. But after a cool start, the story got lost on the teenage wastelands of hormonal angst. And it wasn’t like the kdrama elements were subtle. The characters repeatedly discuss kdramas throughout the books going so far as to point out the overly-obvious parallels to their own story. It was cringe-worthy. 

It was also, by and large, boring as all get out. A huge portion of this book is consumed by this ever agnsty we’re-so-attracted-to-each-other-but-our-romance-is-forbidden gimmick. We’re talking about a level of we-shouldn’t-but-we-will-anyway on par with Twilight. The only reason this book isn’t as trash-worthy as that vampire rubbish is that Wicked Fox doesn’t go for the romanticizing a toxic, abusive relationship thing.

Nevertheless, I could not stand Miyoung or Jihoon (or any of the characters actually) by the end of the book. Miyoung is supposedly badass, soul-sucking mythological shapeshifter. But she spends almost the entire book pining after her forbidden love and lashing out at people due to her overblown hormones. Loverboy Jihoon isn’t much better. The two of them duel their trust issues like Pokémon cards. Any time either character comes remotely close to doing something sensible, the other one combusts under their own Chernobyl of Angst and ruins everything. There are only so many times I can go through that pattern before I want to through the book across the room. (Side note: I would estimate the precise number of times before my patience is exhausted as exactly…. One.)

For the sake of the mythological aspect, I wish I could bump my rating up to three stars. But the mythology took a backseat to the drama aspects for large portions of this book, so I just can’t. I’m sure this book will appeal to a different audience, but you can count me out. I’m not saying this book is terrible. I’m saying it relies too heavily on things that I cannot stand. I am definitely not continuing with this series.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 2 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars

K. A. T. CHO

A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul. No one in modern-day Seoul believes in the old fables anymore, which makes it the perfect place to for Gu Miyoung and her mother to hide in plain sight. Mihoung is a Gumiho, a nine-tailed fox, who must eat the souls of men to survive. She feeds every full moon--eating the souls of men who have committed crimes, but have evaded justice. Her life is upended when she kills a dokkaebi, a murderous goblin, in the forest just to save the life of a stupid boy. But after Miyoung saves Jihoon's life, the two develop a tenuous friendship that blooms into romance forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

Jamieson

“Night and darkness made a believer of everyone.” 



I really liked the first half of this but then the plot became overstuffed and meandering. Kat Cho tried to pack too many events and themes and character moments into this, and it ended up leaving me unsatisfied. I wish she'd just shaved down this book and nailed it, and then saved some of the plot for the next book. I also HATE books that wrap-up and then introduce some random element that wasn't part of the first book as the sequel, and this is what the epilogue of this book did. 

I did enjoy the characters and their interactions quite a lot. The setting (Seoul) and the incorporation of South Korean mythology into this book was also something I liked a lot. The romance was a little insta-lovey but I enjoyed it nonetheless and thought they had a fun and cute dynamic. 

Full review to come. Actual rating 3.5 stars

Fran Gutiérrez

Actual Rating: 3.5

“Wicked Fox” is Kat Cho’s debut novel, and although you can clearly tell this is her debut, the book shines through its portrayal of culture, character relationships and urban fantasy concept. 
 
PROS:

1. Setting/Culture; It’s no secret that this book shines in it’s descriptions of modern day Seoul, Korean food, and overall Korean mythology. I really enjoyed reading about a non western setting, especially since I’ve realized that is where a lot of my reading comes from/takes place. I feel like I learned a lot about Korean relationships, customs, and of course, mythology. Not only was this book entertaining but it taught me about a culture I’m interested in, yet don’t know much about. I also really appreciated the glossary at the back which explained a few of the Korean words used in the book. 

2. Romance: This one is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I felt like the romance progressed too quickly during the first half of the book and then had too many plot points in the second half (I saw another review saying it gave them “whiplash”, I agree with that expression) However, Cho clearly did something right because I couldn’t stop myself from being invested and rooting for the romance. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever read but it was cute.

3. Character Focus: I LOVED that this was a YA, Character driven, urban fantasy. I rarely see character focused YA fantasy and I really appreciated that this was exactly that. There was a clear progression on Miyoung's part (not too sure about Jihoon though) and overall I enjoyed that most of this book was just teens living with teen struggles while trying to figure out the supernatural plot points in the background. More of that please. 

CONS:

1. Pacing: I feel like this is the part that needs the most work. A lot of plot points were introduced too late in my opinion, and a lot of important scenes were told and not shown. The chapters felt a little too short and frequent, the dialogue sometimes a bit too quick, and the scenes and moods changed too quickly. This is, in my opinion, the weakest part of the book. 

2. Jihoon’s arc: While I loved Jihoon as a character, his arc felt a bit muddled imo. I still love him though. 

3. Inmersion: I have to admit, I’m not sure if this was the writing style or the sometimes confusing personality of Miyoung, but it was hard for me to feel completely immersed in the character’s circumstances. It didn’t detract too much from the story personally, but I did notice that while reading. 

All in all, I really liked the book. I learned a lot, I was emotionally invested, and very entertained (It really does read like a drama!). There are definitely some things I would consider improving, but for a debut, Kat Cho really shows potential and I am actually very very excited to continue with Vicious Spirits and her upcoming romance novel. 


-----------------------
FULL REVIEW TO COME

Emelie

Isabela H 

This was an incredibly refreshing change from the typical YA fantasy, and I absolutely loved it. 
In the beginning, I had difficulties following along, but that was more due to my ignorance of Korean culture and mythology than the actual writing. Once I got into the swing of things, it was near impossible to put the book down - I just wanted to keep reading about these complex characters who were all dealing with impossible things, but at their hearts, were still teenagers who were learning about their world.
One of my biggest kudos definitely goes to the fact that there were other, more real themes woven into the narrative about the supernatural, which just added a whole other, impressively beautiful feel.

mevi

DNF'd at 71% or 304 pages. buddy read

I literally only had 45 minutes to finish this book but. I. Couldn't. Do. It. I felt like I was trying to walk through mud. I love kdramas but no translations, constant teenage melodrama, and the author didn't know how to make the story flow. It felt jumbled and it was hard to keep reading. I even put it on my to-do list to read 50 pages a day, and when I tried it took me over two hours to do so. 50 pages usually takes me maybe forty minutes.... so yeah.

Sandra Tammaru

A book filled with a mythology that isnt that well-known or over-used, original and intriguing plot and relateable characters! It was a fun read and something different from the usual books. Loved it!

Zahia Saeed 

3.5 stars.
Also, I picked and dropped this boom like 5 times from 2019 to 2020 before I finally was able to finish.
Worldbuilding ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters⭐⭐⭐
Pacing ⭐⭐
Themes⭐⭐⭐⭐

marie

Regina

it felt like i was watching an actual kdrama, i think i need to finish watching tale of the nine tailed!

Sophie 

4.5 ⭐️
This book was so good. I’m a sucker for some folklore especially in South Korea this was so informative and so action packed. I loved the main romance in it and the little hint to the next !!! The tears were streaming down my face in those last 100 pages. Highly recommend if you loved the K drama: my roommate is a Gumiho ;)

Raquel Silva

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. Last year I started studying korean through Talk to me in korean and watching a lot of k-dramas. What I liked the most about this book was recognizing things that I had learned or watched in those k-dramas.

Alexa Jade

Actual rating: 4.5 stars. 

Oh this was FANTASTIC holy shit.

Bryanna M

Asian readathon book #2 - not US-centric
Maybe closer to a 3.75 but honestly those points off is only because I had a hard time getting behind the romance - Miyoung is SO unlikeable and dry until near the end when she gets a little bit better. Jihoon makes up for her poor characterization a LOT though (I loved him!!). But the fantastical elements of this were really great and I loved exploring urban fantasy in a non-American setting - I feel like I learned a lot about Korean culture while reading this! Plus the plot was interesting and really blew my mind at the end. I'll definitely continue with the next book at some point!

An addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul. 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 men. He's drawn to her anyway. When he finds her fox bead, he does not realize he holds her life in his hands. 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 and reignite a generations-old feud . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

Morgan

I absolutely loved this book! It was so cool reading about the Korean fables and learning a little about their culture! Vicious Spirits is definitely on my TBR.

Sheila

The Kdrama influence was huge in this book, which is probably why I wasn't that into it - not that the story was bad, just that it would've been more entertaining as a serialized show. Decent twist at the end, but a bit too romance-driven for me.

Áróra Lind 

Lila Harrison

Maria

я в своей жизни смотрела только одну дораму. и ту не до конца. но эта книга очень на нее похожа своей, не знаю, манерой что ли. а также картонностью персонажей и примитивностью сюжета. довольно обидно.

Imane

It was a fun ride! It's a bit formulaic and I wasn't all that interested in the antagonistic powers of the story but I loved the interactions between the different characters, as well as the dialogues. It doesn't read like a debut novel, meaning that it doesn't fall into the trap of overwriting the story or using clumsy metaphors every three paragraphs to communicate that the table is red and that it's raining today. Overall it's solid and well-executed thematically, with a strong focus on family dynamics and on casual sexism with a lot of subtlety, which is definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the heavy-handed metaphors and manifesto I've had the misfortune of encountering lately lol. I'm hoping to see even more development for the side characters in the following books though and that it continues to build a modern story upon traditional folklore.

Wicked Fox

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