Review: Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1) by Kat Cho

 Hi Readers,

Did everyone have a nice Labor Day weekend and get some stuff done?  I definitely did.  I enjoyed my bonus day off by reading most of the day.  The book?  Wicked Fox by Kat Cho.  This one has been on my TBR for a while and I will even admit I purchased it twice.  I initially picked it up on the Kindle on sale, but I hadn't quite gotten the hang of reading on the e-reader yet, so when I saw it in BOTM as an add-on I went ahead and added it.  And then it did sat on the bookshelf of shame for a couple of years and now I'm disappointed in myself for letting it sit for so long.

 

Let's get into it.

Wicked Fox was so good that I found myself devouring and finishing it in a day.  I didn't want to put it down.  How I have I not seen more about this book?  This book is full of Korean folklore and Korean vocabulary (there is a glossary at the back of the book to help).  The story focuses on Gu Miyoung, a gumiho or nine-tailed fox who has to feed on the souls of men to survive.  When she comes across Ahn Jihoon being attacked by a goblin in the forest, she intervenes and saves his life.  During the fight with the goblin, her fox bead is released, which is terrifying to Miyoung because if someone else possesses her fox bead they can control her.  The loss of her fox bead is the main catalyst in the story for Miyoung.  She needs to protect the bead and find out how to put it back so no one can get ahold of it.  

When Jihoon comes across Miyoung in school, he befriends her and shows it what it is like to have a friend she can trust.  Not only does he know her secret, but he is also willing to trust that she wouldn't do anything to hurt him.  This is something that Miyoung has never encountered and through the course of the story she discovers how friendship can help her feel less alone and happier.

I don't think my summary above really does this story justice.  I was entranced by the story-telling and the interactions between Miyoung and Jihoon and immediately ordered the follow-up, Vicious Spirits, which is going to skip its way up the TBR to be an immediate read.  I need to see where the second book takes the story and how these characters continue to develop.  I can't wait to get into it!

Next time: Vicious Spirits (Gumiho #2) by Kat Cho!

Kattie