Wicked Fox

De: Kat Cho

Narrado por: Emily Woo Zeller

An 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 men. He's drawn to her anyway. When he finds her fox bead, he does not realize he holds her life in his hands.

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 and reignite a generations-old feud . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

*Includes a PDF of a glossary of Korean terms appearing in the audiobook

A little let down

I want to start off with the positive, it is a good lighthearted read suitable for young adults. I really wanted to like this book, I really enjoy Korean dramas and hoped that this had a similar feel. It just was really slow and a little boring but I kept listening because I just kept hoping it would get more interesting. I don’t know why but I feel like it fell a little short of expectations.

Inventive and interesting!

I read a lot of YA, and Kat Cho has created a truly different story with this book. It takes place in Korea, and the customs and culture that shine through were interesting and unusual. My only complaint about the audio book is that the narrator reads it in this whispering, breathless way - sort of annoying but by no means a show stopper.

Will read the next one!

Very much so enjoyed this novel. I loved how flawed the characters were and how they clearly grew. I enjoyed the love between all the characters and how the author underlined how important friendship is. The plot took me places I didn't expect quite a few times, which is always nice to be surprised! Great story telling that pulls no punches.

I also loved getting to learn more about Korean culture and folklore through this novel.

I will read the next one.

a bit cringey and frustrating at times

a good story but the drama can be frustrating. if you like korean drama then you would like this.

Pretty good, a little slow

I liked the story, and the characters were ok. The middle of the story was a bit slow, but the ending was awesome! The narrator was great. Disn't know it was a series. I'm preordering the 2nd book, because I can't not finish a story

Beautiful, elegant and superbly narrated

Wicked Fox is a sophisticated YA fantasy novel that turned out far, far better than I expected. Well-drawn characters, a plot with a number of unexpected twists and an absolutely fantastic narrator. Highly recommended.

I wanted to like it *spoiler alert*

I usually love stories set in Japan, Korea, and China. But the non-communicative emotional drama dragged out even past my limits for it. I stubbornly held out to the end, but felt wrung out. The use of the Christian man thinking that killing was justified and would save them upset me. I try to be open minded and enjoy stories with beliefs that are not my own, but wow that struck a wrong chord.

Sorry Ms. Cho. I tried. May your future books be better and find the right readers.

Slow but pretty good

Wicked Fox is pretty good. I really enjoyed it. It's filled with myth, danger, choices, trust, betrayal, friendship, heartbreak and romance. I love reading about mythology mixed with young adult fantasy. This one was fun. I like the story, the myth, and the characters, however it was slow for a while but overall it kept my interested. It was good in the beginning, slow in the middle and it picked back up in the end where I couldn’t stop. The narrator was good too.

Fun and sad

Although the pace is SLOW, if there is one thing Kat Cho does right it is the romance. The characters are really well developed and well thought out. Their personalities make sense for the entirety of the novel and there is a lot of character development. I loved to learn more about Korean mythology and the fox and other supernatural creatures. The world could be more vivid and the main characters could go to more places outside their houses and the hospital and the park, but I throughly enjoyed this one. Very easy to read, light and airy.

K-Dramas have now moved to paperbacks

First of all, this voice actor takes no prisoners. THE best vocally diverse performance I have ever heard. You know who's speaking from the first utterance.

As for the story, it's a K-drama through and through. And I'm alright with that.

From the complex family relationships and angsty love story to the less savory trope of school bullies who take their craft to the exteme, this is a K-drama 110% without being *too* predictable. Who the true villains were was one of the most appealing twists if you don't pay close attention to hints sprinkled in dialogue.

There is voice in the writing unique to each character, like the charming Jihoon joking his way though hell or Miyoung, a surprisingly warmhearted monster struggling not to melt the ice in her veins while she walks the thin line between keeping her shit together and suffering a massive breakdown. Their stress felt real.

I dissected everything I liked or critiqued on a Goodreads review, but I'll leave it shorter here.

Despite 79 chapters + a Mavel movie epilogue, I felt like one of my few critiques would be that the relationship between the leads develops too quickly, but only just a smidge. They were in this sweet spot where I was like, "Yeah! Shared childhood trauma handled terribly in different ways leading to bonding. Get it, Jihoon!" And then this sort-of-date proposal whacks us in the face before the angst train runs over what's left of us. Very in-genre, but with 79 chapters in already, why not slow down for a second, son?

I also had hoped that the girl characters would get together and bond with Jihoon having nothing to do with it because this could have given other characters more agency while developing Miyoung's humanity. (And having Jihoon begrudgingly befriend a mythical being vice versa like Junu would have been hilarious.)

Overall, I loved the world, the pacing of the action, the chemistry, and this thoroughly entertained me. If K-dramas are your thing, totally pick this up. if not, leave it alone. I'll admit I might be being a bit generous with the rating, but it hit me right in the feels. So, of course, I was really left with no choice.

I will definitely spend far too much on credits for the sequel even if it doesn't focus on the MCs.