#Review: WICKED FOX by Kat Cho

WICKED FOX

Author: Kat Cho
Series: Gumiho #1
Source: ARC via Publisher; Purchased from Audible
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Summary:
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.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

This could have been better but was bogged down by random things. There also was a neat bow to tie it all up and then the epilogue decided to open it back up? This felt like three things in one and none of those things was done to the extent that I wanted them to be.

There are a lot of really great elements in this one: new(ish) immortal being, romance, drama, and supernatural problems. But none of them seemed to work really well together. I wanted there to be more cohesion in the story but it felt as though there were 3-4 "acts" in this that didn't really flow into one another.

I just wanted a bit more out of this one than what we got. The first quarter was really interesting but then it started to go a bit downhill from there. It felt overstuffed, which is usually fine for the first book in a series, but this felt like a standalone with a "but actually!" at the end. I was bored by 60% but wanted to finish because this was the first book I'd read in a while so I didn't want to stop my flow. But it was just meh.

I liked the setting of Seoul and the incorporation of South Korean mythology - two things I haven't read a lot of in books. I definitely enjoyed the "this is how Gumiho came about" stories that were strewn throughout. Putting this mythology in present day was also really interesting because it wasn't like a lot of those tropes where there are a big group of mythological creatures/people together to face issues - Miyoung was basically on her own.

The first half was definitely better than the second, there were great K-drama elements in this, and I liked the mythology mixed into present day. Take all that with a grain of salt as you make your decision as to reading this one!