Wicked Fox (Gumiho Series, book 1)

By Kat Cho

Blurb: 

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.

Review: 

I received this book in a past FairyLoot box some point last year. It did seem interesting at the time but because I spent most of last year in a reading slump, I never got a chance to read this amazing book. I'm so pleased I've read it eventually and especially this year because book 2 is coming out pretty sharpish, which I can't wait to read.

So I started this book just as I felt myself slipping into a reading slump, I also needed this book for my transfiguration OWL so it worked out perfectly. I'm also pleased that it pulled me out of the reading slump.

This book is about a girl who transforms into a Gumiho at every full moon to feed on the Gi of bad people. She feeds of bad people because she wished she never had to feed but has found out the hard way if she doesn't feed she will die.

On one full moon when Miyoung is new to the area, she is feeding when she is disturbed and we meet Jihoon. I'm not going to go into too much detail about their meeting because it is a great read from start to finish and we revisit this scene quite a few times throughout the book.

There is a lot of food descriptions mentioned throughout this book that may make you start to crave Korean food. I'm now wanting to try Korean food thanks to this book as I've never tried it and this book made it sound amazing. Obviously as a vegetarian it will be without the meat for me.

A thing I liked about this book was the insight to the past every now and then after certain events between Miyoung and Jihoon. We later discover these are an actual persons memories and someone we meet in the book. This just makes it that bit more interesting.

The friendship between the two main characters develops a hell of a lot throughout this book and the trust between them develops a lot. At times Miyoung does get on my nerves because she only does things that her mother would like but then I guess with a mother like Yena I suppose you would. It's quite upsetting at times though because she's never truly had a friend and any mistake that Miyoung makes Yena covers up, which sort of ruins the life experience of making mistakes. Life must be difficult for Miyoung and I honestly don't know how she doesn't suffer with mental health problems.

Jihoon on the other hand is quite a shy character but always goes out of his way to protect his friends and the ones he loves. He is a great example of what a friend should be like, he is always there when you need him, even if you think you don't need him. He is extremely close to his grandmother due to his mother leaving him. At times you can tell that he has a lot of hate and anger in his body but he deals with it quite well.

The characters within this book are just perfect and I feel that the contrast between the two personalities and how they came together is just perfect. I wouldn't really change anything about them, the only problem is Miyoung gets on my nerves at times but I feel it's quite necessary for her personality as she has a lot to deal with.

This story revolves around trusting others even in difficult times, things happen for a reason and you have to trust your gut instinct even though other people are against what you think. You only live for yourself and no one else. That sounds really selfish but you can only decide on things that benefit you and if they end up being pointless or not what you expected then it is a lesson learnt.

There is quite a lot of action within this book, including food. It was well planned out and I felt like the setting was just perfect. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes slow romance and great friendships. There is also a touch of humour within this book too which keeps it interesting just that bit more. It is fast-paced for sure too and well worth the read just to enjoy a different county and the aspects of it.

Favourite Character: Jihoon

Read: 21/04/20 - 29/04/20

5 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie