Wicked Fox - Kat Cho

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

This book is significant because I think it's the first book I've read about Korean characters, set in Korea. The whole book is steeped in Korean culture, both traditional and modern. I loved it! It was pretty much a k-drama in book form, but injected with the standard American YA format. It was very self-aware about how tropey it was, and I loved recognizing all of the k-drama tropes I've seen on screen so many times.

It's about an 18-year-old girl who is half gumiho, which is a woman who feasts on the gi of men in order to survive, and her nine fox tails come out during the full moon. MiYoung is always struggling against her gumiho instincts but gets a lot of pressure from her mom. One day she fights against a goblin to save a classmate's life, which makes her lose her gumiho bead, which she needs to get back. There's lots of folklore (luckily, the book gives background for people who are unfamiliar), shamans, danger, and some romance that I didn't even hate!

A lot of this book was fairly standard YA fantasy, but I loved the setting and all the parts of Korean culture it incorporated. Also reading about places I've been to, food I've eaten, and terms I know was so exciting, and would be a great way for someone unfamiliar with the country to learn a lot about it in a fun way. I thought it was engaging and fun!

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