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Disclaimer: I always try to be honest and impartial in my reviews my goal is not to tear down a writers work but to offer my most humble constructive opinions. Be it negative or positive it’s meant to be taken as such, after all these are just my opinions so please take it with a grain of salt.
My overall impression I liked this book and honestly I hadn’t read the previous books in this series so I had no idea what to expect. That can be a double edge sword sometimes if the story is too involved, you would need to read the previous titles to catch up and understand what is going on. But in this case it wasn’t a concern which I loved that I could read Foxfire as a stand alone and not be at a loss. The premises intrigued me the world of Others, shape shifters was new for me. The idea of Others seemed too far dipped in fantasy and I wasn’t sure writer Kincy could pull it off but she did. In a urban setting in this case Japan, her descriptions each place Tavain went I could see myself there. As I was reading I noticed how attentive writer Kincy was I could tell she really liked Japan.
The Others in Japan exist in a secret world with rules and their own system, mythology, and ways to function in everyday life. As for for the characters Tavain I liked him and it was nice to read a story from a male protagonist prospective for once. Since YA is so saturated with female leads. Foxfire’s characters were well rounded and had their own distinctive personalities. Gwen the hot tempered red head ready for anything, was typically relegated to the role of the protective girlfriend. Tavin’s grandparents traditional and strict but it was obvious how much he was loved by them. Yukimi, his mother was my favorite character misunderstood on the surface rough and kick ass but beneath she was caring, and had a good heart.
Her fierce love for her son lead her to make the ultimate sacrifice more than once, that’s why I liked her. And the villain his yakuza grandfather wasn’t much of one there was potential for great malice but all the grey emotions clouded things up a lot which didn’t mean he didn’t try to scare Tavin. Those situations made for some gripping scenes. When you add to the mix the element of Tavin’s adoption it gives heart to the story and some thought provoking emotions are neatly addressed. It’s natural to wonder where you come from what are your people like, he’s curious and wants answers as he should. I loved that writer Kincy addresses all of these story arcs and still maintains the story’s balance while entertaining the reader.
What I didn’t like was the ending it felt like a cop out with the fast forward in time the time jump was big enough to leave me scratching my head. Left a few unanswered questions what happened between his yakuza grandfather and him? How did he get to the temple? Can be the temple fox Shizuka be trusted? If Yukimi was alive how did she survive? Too many unanswered questions I wished the ending was neater. For these reasons I couldn’t give Foxfire more than three and half stars the ending seemed rushed and the story suffered for it. Even so I enjoyed being in Tavain world for awhile. I would like to see some of the questions answered in the next book in this series.
3.5 / 5
- Title: Foxfire by Karen Kincy
- Series: Other (#3)
- Published: October 8, 2012
- Publisher: Flux Rating: 3.5 / 5
- Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
- Rating: 3.5 / 5
- Source: Netgalley
- Age group: 16 +
- Format: eBook / Paperback
- Pages: 312
- Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
- Add to Goodreads
One winter long ago, Tavian Kimura watched his mother–a kitsune, or Japanese fox-spirit–leave him in the snow for the dogs. But that’s a memory buried beneath eleven years, and he has lived most of his life in America with his adoptive family and his girlfriend, Gwen. Now he’s back. All it took was an invitation to spend New Year’s with his grandparents, and Tavian finds himself in Tokyo with Gwen by his side.
It should be a time of celebration, but it becomes a time of nightmares. A faceless ghost haunts Tavian, warning him that “she” is coming. A gang of inugami–fiercely loyal dog-spirits–wants him dead. Why? The inugami believe he strongly resembles one of their most hated enemies, a kitsune named Yukimi. Is Yukimi the mother who abandoned him? Tavian never knew her true name. He doesn’t even know his own true name, the key to a kitsune’s magic. And soon his untrained magic threatens to kill him, straining his half-human body. Tavian realizes that finding his mother might be the only way to find answers, before it’s too late.
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