Do you ever get completely obsessed with a K-Drama or TV show that you have to finish the entire series in one sitting? Well…that was me with this book. Wicked Fox was 432 pages of nonstop action and excitement with the classic components of any must-watch Korean drama. I only wish that this book could be turned into an actual show so I could watch every scene play out in real life. 🦊💜 The storyline was engaging, the characters were endearing, and every single page kept me at the edge of my seat. This book was easily one of my most highly anticipated releases for this year, and it’s safe to say that it did not disappoint at all!
WICKED FOX by Kat Cho
PUBLISHED BY G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House)
GENRES: Fantasy
PAGES: 432
ADD TO GOODREADS // BOOK DEPOSITORY // PREORDER
A fresh and 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 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.
Content/Trigger Warnings: death of a family member, bullying, grieving
Book Review ✏️
Wicked Fox follows the life of 18-year old Gu Miyoung who is secretly a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. The concept is somewhat similar to sirens from Greek mythology, but the legend of the gumiho comes from Korean folklore. One day, Miyoung saves a human boy, Ahn Jihoon, from a goblin in the forest, and in doing so, she loses her fox bead which contains her gumiho soul. Together, they form an unlikely friendship to help reunite Miyoung with her immortal life. 😍 The story itself gave me such throwback feels to one of my favorite K-Dramas, High School! Love On. And after finishing this book, I’m in more of a mood now to eat some tteokbokki and completely immerse myself in a K-Drama marathon.
Kat Cho’s writing was captivating from beginning to end. ✨ There really wasn’t a dull moment throughout the entire story—everything was action-packed and fast-paced. At the same time, the plotline was nicely balanced with little snippets explaining the tale of the Gumiho between every few chapters, serving as a refreshing breather between the enticing drama. Reading the book actually felt like watching a Korean drama play out. Kat Cho’s majestic writing makes it easy to visualize the illuminated nightlife of Seoul and the everyday conversations between the characters. You can smell Jihoon’s grandma’s cooking within her restaurant, and you can picture the daily life of the high schoolers.
Throughout the book, there were so many cultural references that made my smol Asian heart so happy!! 🥰 Finding each one felt like stumbling across a familiar friend or being reminded of a nostalgic memory. From the characters’ everyday usage of the Korean language to pop culture references of artists or songs, I felt so seen as an Asian American. There was one scene where the characters stumble into a noraebang, or karaoke lounge, and play the song Love Battery. It’s a popular trot song for karaoke, but I especially fell in love with it after my favorite girl group (Stan GFriend!!) covered it on a variety show. Another example of an Easter egg is the mention of banana milk. 🍌🥛
While there is romance within the story, it didn’t overpower the plotline or any of the other key components. 💘 It flowed naturally as the characters grew closer together. We see Miyoung and Jihoon lean on each other as they open up to one another about their personal family struggles, and it complemented their own personal growth as characters which made it all the more enjoyable to watch unfold.
If you’re a fan of K-Dramas or K-Pop, this book is a must read for you!! And if you’re not, I’d still highly recommend giving it a try. The magical fantasy elements and the enticing storyline makes the book un-put-downable, and you don’t want to miss out on this fantastic read. I was so so excited to read this book (checkout my unboxing video of the promo box), and I can’t wait for this book to be shared with the rest of the world!
Character Mood Boards 📸
As a quick disclaimer, all photos for these mood boards were taken from Pexels and Unsplash which are my favorite go-to’s for free stock images. 💫 If you like these aesthetics, please check out my rainbow mood boards for Small Town Hearts and If I’m Being Honest!
G U . M I Y O U N G
A H N . J I H O O N
D A Y
N I G H T
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kat Cho used to hide books under the bathroom sink and then sneak in there to read after bedtime. Her parents pretended not to know. This helped when she decided to write a dinosaur time-travel novel at the tender age of nine. Sadly, that book was not published. She currently lives and works in NYC and spends her free time trying to figure out what kind of puppy to adopt.
Find Kat Cho on Twitter and Goodreads!
Be sure to check out the full blog tour schedule to see all the amazing reviews, interviews, creatives, and guest posts! 🌙
WEEK ONE
- June 3: Reverie and Ink – Creative Instagram Picture
- June 4: Read by Tiffany – Review + Creative
- June 5: NovelKnight Book – Author Guest Post: How did your personal experiences influence writing Wicked Fox?
- June 6: Read Forevermore – Creative Instagram Picture
- June 7: Moonlight Rendezvous – Review + Playlist
WEEK TWO
- June 10: The Book’s Buzz – Creative Instagram Picture + Blog Content
- June 11: Xenatine – Creative Instagram Picture
- June 12: Mike the Fanboy – Listicle: Favorite Fox Characters in Movies and TV + potential background on the fox myth
- June 13: Vicky Who Reads – Wicked Fox Phone Wallpapers
- June 14: Forevermint – Creative Instagram Picture
WEEK THREE
- June 17: Beverage and Book – Creative Instagram Picture + Playlist
- June 18: A Court of Crowns and Quills – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
- June 19: The Fandom – Author Q&A
- June 20: A Novel Escape – Creative Instagram Picture
- June 21: Hollywood News Source – Listicle: Kdramas to Binge After Finishing Wicked Fox
WEEK FOUR
- June 24: Amber After Glow Reads – Creative Instagram Picture
- June 25: High Lit – Review + Author Guest Post: If you were born as a Gumiho, would you see it as a blessing or a curse?
- June 26: That is Mari – Creative Instagram Picture
- June 27: Folded Pages Distillery – Review
- June 28: Bookwormgram – Creative Instagram Picture
Are you excited for Wicked Fox?
Which was your favorite mood board?
Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest
Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest
Read By Tiffany 
I keep hearing amazing things about this book & you’ve got me even more hyped for it now 😍
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YES!! I’m so glad 🥰 I hope you get to read it sometime soon because it was a really enjoyable read.
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Oh my goshhh it sounds so GOOD and plus the cover is gorgeous and I’m looking for some Asian fantasies to read…excuse my babbling *runs off to add to TBR* And the romance sounds like something I’d adore!! 😍😍
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YESSSS If you need an Asian fantasy to read, this one is the right pick!! It’s not *too* heavy (like in comparison to The Poppy War) and was just so much like a Korean Drama which made it so fun!!
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You are the QUEEN of aesthetics, honestly I am just so so very much in love with all of these, I couldn’t even just pick one and they do such a great job at complementing your awesome review and making me want to read this book right this very second ahhhhhhh. This sounds like such a great read!! Wonderful post ❤ ❤
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MARIE YOU FLATTER ME!! (I think my personal favorite is the light pink one for Miyoung) 💖 I really hope that you read this book sometime!! It’s got a nice balance of everything though some plot twists are a little dramatic in good ole Kdrama fashion, but I thought it was still such a fun read. *hugs* Thank you for reading my review + liking the mood boards!!
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Wicked Fox is one of my antipcated books of the year, and oh I love the Night mood board, it’s literally so black as my heart
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LOLOL That’s so funny to say but also very relatable 🖤🖤🖤 I’m really glad that you liked my mood boards, and I can’t wait for you to read the book!!
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I’ve been low-key excited about this book for a while, but your review has definitely amped up the anticipation! (Especially because I now know what the books actually about and am not just basing my excitement on the cover 😂)
I love your moodboards, they’re so beautiful and I kind of just want to stare at them forever 😂😍
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YES CHANA!! If you’re a fan of Kpop, Kdramas, anything Asian or like any fantasy contemporary, this is a great book to pick up!
I’m so glad that you like my moodboards too because I had so much fun making them~~ They’re some of my favorite posts to make!
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I have so much love for this post KSJDFKJ also I’m getting a copy of this book from Penguin too and I’m SO SO EXCITED!!! I love your aesthetics so much, naturally, and also I’m so hyped to read about gumiho!! I don’t know a lot about the nine-tailed foxes but they’ve always seemed so amazing and cool and I’ve basically only seen them in the webtoon Super Secret (which you should read). ALSO WE NEED TO GO TO A KARAOKE BAR SOMEDAY
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AND I HAVE SO MUCH LOVE FOR YOU!!! and YES I’m so happy that you’re getting a copy from them 💖 YOU GO GIRL!!
and afdksjflasfkals thank you for liking my aesthetics!! i have so much fun making them. and omg i’ve been in a manga phase lately so maybe i should try a webtoon…👀 also YES ASIANS ROCK AT KARAOKE TOO
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Wait please please please try a webtoon… you will LITERALLY LOVE THEM. I have so many recommendations just hit me UP any single time you like!! Specifically East asian ones though are True Beauty, Lookism, and Super Secret! They are AMAZING.
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This is such a wonderful review, Tiffany. I am definitely hyped for this one now. I haven’t watched much Korean dramas but I think I would still enjoy this 😃 And loved your mood boards. They are so good. How do you even do it 🙈
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Thank you so so much Sim!! I hope you enjoy it too 🥰 and it makes me so happy to hear that you love my mood boards. I’m actually going to be making a tutorial post sometime soon!!
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As always, your moodboards are absolutely stunning ♥ My favourite one has to be the night one, even if they are all great! Wicked Fox is also one of my most anticipated novels of the year, and I’m even more excited to read it after reading your review. It does sounds so incredible, I can’t wait to read it!
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AWW thank you Noemie!! I love the night one. It was the first one I made of the set 🥰 I think my favorite is Gu Miyoung’s but that’s also because I love the color pink! I’m so excited for you to read Wicked Fox, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts~
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The cultural references sound amazing! Love the mood boards ❤
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I hope you read it sometime!! and thank you ❤️ I loved making them!
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this book sounds wonderful!! i always love folklore/mythical retelling so i think i’ll love this one. anyway, great review! ❤
p.s. banana milk is the BEST. now i'm craving for some haha
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ahhh tiff!! i have high hopes that you’ll like this one 🥰 i really enjoyed it (and omg so relatable…i’ve been craving banana milk for the past WEEK)
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I’m so happy you loved this book, Tiff!!! Your review was so good and convinced me even more that I’ll fall in love with this book. (I love hearing that there’s romance but it didn’t overpower the book lmao!) And I’m so glad to hear the Asian rep meant a lot to you as well ❤ I loved your beautiful character aesthetics too!!
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I can’t wait for you to read this book!! and I’m so excited and ready to hear your thoughts 💜 and yes omg it wasn’t too dramatic or crazy with the romance, but it just gave such strong k-drama feels. I’m also so so so happy that you like the aesthetics you aesthetic queen 🌟
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Okay, I was already over-the-moon excited for this book, and your excellent review only made me want to read it more! *insert grabby hands here* Also, can I just say that you make THE BEST mood boards ever? True fact.
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YES!! I’m so excited THAT YOU’RE EXCITED!! This is like literally a KDrama but IN A BOOK 😱 and Thank you Kat!! That makes me so so happy to hear because I love making mood boards~
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I will always have a soft spot for kdramas 🙂
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I’ve been really looking forward to this book, so I’m excited to see enthusiastic reviews rolling in. Can’t wait to read this!!
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I can’t wait for you to read it!! It was such a great read, and it goes by like watching a good movie 🥰
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Ahhh what an amazing review, and I am so excited to read this book! Also you’re the queen of mood boards
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Ahh Kal that’s so so sweet of you to say ❤️I’m so glad that you like them because I love making them~
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