Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

*Spoiler free*

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.

A seemingly doomed friendship, maybe something more. Miyoung, a gumiho must feed on the energy of men to survive. Jihoon, a boy who sees her nine tails and who Miyoung leaves alive. I have seen so much love for this book online, since before it even came out (which is when I started to want to read it). I sounded like such a fascinating, alluring story, and I was very eager to see what I thought about it. Trigger warnings: death of a family member, grief, blood

All the love for this book is extremely well earned. This book has a story that is so easy to fall into and so easy to fall in love with. It felt vibrant, like purpleish red that some cherries are. I know that’s such a weird way to explain it. Here’s an even weirder way: it felt kind of like the way the color purple would taste. Alright, let’s move on before I get even weirder.

I kind of just want to hug every single character in this book; they all seem like they could use one. Even the terrifying ones that would probably plot to kill me. Miyoung tries to put up the strongest walls, but she desperately craves love and friendship and closeness. Jihoon is awkward and a little weird, but an all around great guy. He likes gaming, he’s got a smile that gets him out of trouble, and his fears are hidden behind his easy demeanor. Somin was such a great friend, fierce, protective, and a solid presences when needed. Changwang was so, so sweet. He’s shy and awkward, but I love him so much.

I really loved the relationships of this book. Both Jihoon and Miyoung have had hard and hard times with relationships. It’s about them discovering friendship and love and even familial relationships. Through them, they learn more about themselves and the fears they carry. They aided character development in such a cool way, but they were also just so amazing by themselves. I always love friendships, budding friendships, long term friendships, romantic relationships, familial relationships, and this book was full of all of them and more.

I also really, really loved the world, magic, and monsters of this book. It was so easy to become captivated with this world. It was so vibrant and I felt like I was just wide-eyed about it throughout the book. It makes me want to yes, over and over again because it’s just that fascinating.

With the plot, I was easily tugged along with it. I liked the mystery, the angst, and everything it holds. Though, I felt like there were times that it stalled. I felt like something incredibly urgent would need to be done, but action wouldn’t come about right away. A conversation would happen or not happen, and it left me feeling frustrated. While I felt kind of frustrated at times, I can see how this worked well. These are teens going through these urgent times. Sometimes they don’t have all the answers and sometimes the urgent action that needs to be taken is those conversations or that silence. It felt realistic, as well as kind of frustrating.

I also loved how this book was set up. It was set up to create this captivating world, with these characters that are so easy to fall in love with, but there’s a seed planted for something more. Towards the end, I started thinking about the sequel and how it would play out, because it seemed like things were winding down. But I absolutely loved how everything was built. This book created so many things I fell in love with, while also planting the seed for expansion. It was incredibly clever and amazingly done.

All in all, I loved Wicked Fox. The writing pulled me in, the characters captured my heart, and everything about the world fascinating me. It’s an all around incredible book.

You can add Wicked Fox on Goodreads and order a copy of your own!