Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin

*Spoiler free*

Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target. They picked the wrong girl. Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly. Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes.

I don’t even know how to start this introduction. I knew this was a book about revenge. I knew it was about angry girls. I knew it was Shakespeare retelling of sorts. I knew it was going to be really different from what I normally read, but I really wanted to give it a shot. There is are a lot of themes and instances in this book that can be really trigging. The author has a detailed list on her website, which I will link here.

I wasn’t expecting to fall so absolutely in love with this book. It’s unforgiving. It doesn’t let up at all. This is the kind of book that leaves you speechless. It’s so absolutely beautifully written. I feel like I couldn’t say anything about it that would do it justice. It’s the kind of good that takes your breath away.

The writing. Wow. It’s so incredibly amazing. It’s fast and it flows at a breakneck pace. It’s almost like poetry. There’s so much imagery, it’s almost like a story on its own. But it meshes with the reality so seamlessly that it creates such mindbending effect. It draws you in and allows you to experience the emotions on a new, more intense level. I haven’t read this Shakespeare play, but I feel like I sort of felt Shakespeare vibes in the writing? I dunno, but it was cool!

I can’t say too too much about the plot without spoiling. But I was so beautifully done. It’s filled with anger and revenge and girls taking what they deserve. It’s haunting and heartbreaking and it will stick with you. It’s filled with blood and violence and carefully crafted plots of vengeance. I was surprised at how fast this book gets to the violence. It doesn’t wait. It forges ahead with everything it has. It’s like it’s clamoring to get there, but it does it in such a meticulous and thought out way.

It was just really great to see female characters take no punches. They aren’t ashamed. They own everything they’re doing and everything will do. The aren’t afraid to be angry. They aren’t afraid to take what they want. Jade has so much emotion and she channels into her plot.

This book isn’t afraid to be exactly what it is. It’s bloody and it was revenge. It’s unapologetic. It doesn’t even think of apologizing. It’s written with such conviction and such bravery. It’s such so very good. It’s hard to find the words to explain how good it is and how it made me feel. Please, please, if you feel like you can handle it, read this book. It’s so worth it.

Foul Is Fair comes out February 4, 2020! You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy in the meantime!

Thank you for reading!