Wicked Fox

Book Title: Wicked Fox

Author: Helen Oyeyemi

Series: Gumiho #1

Date Started: August 9th 2020

Date Completed: August 13th 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

Wicked Fox was a lot of fun. To start with, I really enjoyed reading a fantasy novel set in Korea with strong ties to Korean mythology; I mean that's enough for me, I'm sold. As expected, there were a lot more Young Adult influences mixed in there too which I wasn't as much of a fan of, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book altogether.

The book feels like a well-written fanfiction - which I don't mean as a critique but rather a heads up on the genre and direction of play. And not an obnoxious one either because we all love some indulgent angsty flirting every now and then. I wasn't mad about the initial high school drama situation (it's just not my thing) but once the adventure/mystery side kicked in I fell into it and read the last two-thirds of the book in a day.

There was a good balance of myth and modernisation for an urban fantasy as well; it didn't feel like the real folklore was shoved into the gaps of contemporary society or vice versa. And I loved - loved - the Korean culture and that Cho was happy to fill the text with the Korean names and titles etc. I really like it when books do that, firstly because it really immerses you in the world, but also because it's gently educational! I'm an intermediate Korean speaker and there were new slang words and food names and mythological creatures that I'd never come across before which made the whole experience all the richer. I also think Cho does a good job of leaving hints and/or explanations for readers who won't know what the names refer to so it's accessible for all.

Something that I've thought about since finishing the book are the relationships; there are some really interesting ones. And I like that Cho allows there to be complicated dynamics between characters, but still puts care into distinguishing what's manipulation and what's a human mistake. Look, contemporary romance-based stories just aren't my jam, and I think in part because I have bad associations with unhealthy relationships (romantic and otherwise) being romanticised in some books I read as a teenager. Cho gets the balance and tone exactly right, and that's so good to read.

It was so nice to read something like this, and I hope it opens the way for more fiction in this vein (not everything has to be set in the US or a medieval-style English magic school (despite popular belief, we really don't have that many of them)). Wicked Fox was very enjoyable and I might pick up the sequel if I'm feeling in the mood for it, though I will also commend Cho for writing a story that wraps itself up perfectly well on its own.