A review by karaklos
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
4.0
The Fox Wife took me by surprise. I’m not a folklore/fantasy reader and was very surprised to find myself being enchanted by the foxes in this story. Choo portrays the three foxes in such a human way that I bought into their characters right away. The story is also a mystery and the chapters alternate between Snow the fox and Bao, a detective who is trying to solve a mystery. I enjoyed the two different perspectives and the lore behind foxes.
Taking place in Manchuria in the early 1900s, the setting and historical elements were written well. I was captivated by the Huang family curse and the idea of the thousand year journey. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the characters and the margin notes.
Snow kept referring to her past with the foxes Shiro and Kuro without laying out the backstory. I thought this might be the second book in a series and I was missing key details. By the end, I realized Choo was doing this purposely but I wanted to know their story.
This was a slower read for me. While I enjoyed it, it wasn’t a book that I could propel through. Also, after the search for Bektu Nikan throughout the whole book, his conclusion was anticlimactic.
Thank you to Goodreads for this ARC. I was a Goodreads giveaway winner.
Taking place in Manchuria in the early 1900s, the setting and historical elements were written well. I was captivated by the Huang family curse and the idea of the thousand year journey. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the characters and the margin notes.
Snow kept referring to her past with the foxes Shiro and Kuro without laying out the backstory. I thought this might be the second book in a series and I was missing key details. By the end, I realized Choo was doing this purposely but I wanted to know their story.
This was a slower read for me. While I enjoyed it, it wasn’t a book that I could propel through. Also, after the search for Bektu Nikan throughout the whole book, his conclusion was anticlimactic.
Thank you to Goodreads for this ARC. I was a Goodreads giveaway winner.