Review of The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

*The Fox Wife* by Yangsze Choo (2024). Published by Henry Holt and Co.

If you’re new here and found this blog through the mysterious powers of the Internet, welcome! My name is Ashley, and I’m a dedicated reader and movie watcher who thought to turn this website into a little digital archive of sorts. I was watching and reading so much that I wanted to keep track of it all, so I began blogging as a way to keep these books as memories somewhat forever.

That said, I recently fell into a period of unemployment, and this blog was a solace for me. Not only was it a way to make a little bit of money when there was nothing else coming my way really, but I found, after getting my finances in order, that I enjoyed sitting down to write blog posts when I had nothing else to do in my day.

If you like this review in the end, feel free to click around. This is my digital home, so I’m happy to have you here.

Intros aside, I’ve been wandering (at the time of typing this) my local library in search of some new reads. This blog post might come out much later due to the sheer amount of backlog I have, but in general I’ve been going to the library and seeing what the new fiction section has for me this time.

I found a copy of The Fox Wife and was intrigued by the title on the spine. I grabbed the book from the new fiction shelves, read the synopsis, and knew that I wanted to read it during my free time. I’ve been wanting to read more mythology based books in general, so this came at the perfect time in my life.

I got through the book over the course of four days, which is a bit slow for me. I tend to devour books if I’m really into them. I was into this book, but I simply took my time, which is okay, too, at the end of the day.

Let’s get into the blog post! I don’t want to bore you with the more mundane details of how we got here.

A nine tailed fox goes on a journey of revenge, while also being tracked by a detective.

This is a book that takes place a pivotal time in Chinese history. Millenia of dynastic rule is coming to a close in 1908, and people are ready for something new. But when a courtesan is randomly murdered and found in a doorway, her corpse frozen, one older detective, Bao, knows something is up.

There are whispers that this is the work of a fox. And as we see from the story, Bao grew up believing in the power of foxes because an older family member, even though his own mother didn’t believe in them. Bao also had a beloved childhood friend, one who he could’ve had a romantic connection with, but as we see later, fate works in funny ways.

In the present day, Bao is hired to figure out the woman’s identity. His journey is going to take him across the land, where one family has just hired a new servant named Snow. Pretty quickly from the narrative we learn that Snow is a nine tailed fox, and she’s looking for the person who killed her child.

But for now, she’s posing as a servant. Her family has no idea what she actually is, even though they have some suspicions because their luck (most of their sons die before 24) has suddenly changed with her arrival. One of the sons is getting involved with the resistance though, leading all of them to a new journey to Japan.

As all of this unfolds, Snow comes across some old acquaintances she would’ve rather not see again. They’re fellow foxes, and the three of them in one place is going to draw some attention. At the same time, Bao is coming across evidence of her existence, and wants to know where she took a ship to.

Even with the alternating perspectives, this is a novel that really keeps you on your toes. There is some violence, although a handful is implied here and there, and characters are going to die. Life wasn’t all pretty and roses back then, especially when it comes to the myths being alive in this story.

While Bao’s story was interesting, I was more interested in Snow and her taste for revenge. Maybe it’s my interest in female characters that are willing to do whatever it takes for revenge sometimes, but I was quite curious throughout to see where her story ended up.

Overall Thoughts

The writing in this one is really good! I was surprised, as this was my first experience with Choo’s work, but I think I’m interested enough in picking up one of her books down the road. First I need to get through my massive to read list, so that might be awhile. I wish we had infinite lifespans to read books.

Anyways, the blend between mythology and history works really well in this book. Bao is the character who seemed a little less underdeveloped to me, but it works in the plot. We don’t need to know more about him as a nuanced character beyond what we get, as he serves his purpose in this story.

I would recommend this book in the end! If you’re interested in mythology and/or historical fiction, this is a pretty solid read. I don’t know if you’d love it if you weren’t into those though, so tread carefully perhaps.

Follow me below on Instagram and Goodreads for more.