THE GHOST BRIDE is one of my favorite books of all time, so when I found out that Yangsze Choo was writing yet another fantasy novel bordering on magical realism that was steeped in Asian folklore, I was super excited. And THE FOX WIFE did not disappoint: set in both Japan and China, it deftly weaves together two storylines: Bao, a man who was supposed to die, except that one of his kindly servants said a prayer for him that changed his life, and Snow/Yuki, a fox woman who is posing as a servant while looking for a man.
This had everything-- drama, romance, revenge, and magic. For a while, I was wondering how the two stories would converge, and I was very pleased with how they did. The pacing in this book is definitely a lot slower than it was in GHOST BRIDE, which felt more like what you might expect from a romantasy. This book, on the other hand, felt literary and almost plodding: it took a while to get where it was going to go, and you really got the sense that you were going on a lengthy journey alongside these characters, for better or for worse.
If you are okay with a slow-burn plot and prefer your fantasy novels to be primarily character driven, with strong female characters and not too much romance, you'll enjoy this book. I hope they make a movie of it: it would make a great animated movie or limited series.
Can't wait to see what this author writes next.
4 out of 5 stars
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