[Book Review] Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Synopsis (from Goodreads) :

A fresh and 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 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.

My rating :

4.3/5 stars.

My review :

Damn, this is a good book.

First of all, let me begin with the cover. That is definitely a piece of art and it represents the main characters well. (The boy on the cover is in my fictional boyfriend list. Welcome to the club, brother.) Though I wish the artist could emphasize on Gumiho’s tails on the cover. Nonetheless, a perfect cover! Super in love with it!

Let’s get serious now. The plot did arouse curiosity from time to time which encouraged me to keep on reading to find out more. I loved how the author exposed Gumiho’s history and divided the chapters to do so. I especially loved the settings in this book, though it mainly set in Seoul, South Korea, hence the theme. As I meandered through, I was exposed to the world of magic and spiritual beliefs and of course, some aspects that could make a story strong; betrayal, family relationships, friendship, and some romance. The family relationships in this book were relatable and extremely heart felt. Don’t let me begin with the friendship in this book, as it’s phenomenal and I’ll be needing some extra space and time to talk about it pretty much endlessly. And I loved the main couple in this book, though I might consider Jihoon as my boyfriend instead of Miyoung’s.

Anyway.

The story was a bit fast paced, which is fine for me. I wouldn’t like it if I couldn’t get any positive outcome from time to time. However, the world buildings in this book weren’t fully impressive. I wish they could be firm and made the story strongly built. This is just an opinion that I want to point out as I solemnly think that’s what this book is lacking.

If you’re someone who watches k-dramas, then you might actually love this! But if you’re like me who doesn’t watch k-dramas that much, you can consider reading this and judge it yourself. Overall, the plot was fine for me, and I’m hoping to see some growth in the next book. I’m always in for more world buildings!

The characters in this book were amiable but I wouldn’t say extremely lovable just yet. (Do not be fooled by my statement of making Jihoon my fictional boyfriend. I mean, that boy had potential. He really did.) Miyoung was an attractive character with her charms and beauty and of course, her very own secret identity. I loved her, but she definitely deserved some character growths. As the main female character, I was expecting to see Miyoung shine with those abilities of hers and be a girl who could inspire other teenage girls to be strong in handling their emotions and difficult tests in life. Nevertheless, I couldn’t see myself not liking Miyoung and hopefully, the sequel could give her some spotlight! As for other characters, Jihoon was someone that I liked if that isn’t obvious already. It would be greatly appreciated to have him stronger in dealing with his emotions. Some other characters in this book were all interesting and there was this one character who caught my attention – Junu. Damn, that guy was something else, haha!

What I loved about this story the most is the author’s writing style. The writing style was beautifully exposed, which was a great attempt in making the story astonishingly captivating. The dialogues in this book would surely be missed; they were hilarious and poetic. No doubt, the writing style deserves all the stars in the world.

To wrap this up, Wicked Fox was a pleasant read and I’m glad I’ve read it. I definitely look forward for the sequel to find out more about the beautiful world of Gumiho (WHAT’S WITH THE ENDING OH GOD).

My final rating for this book will be 4.3 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended!