Member Reviews
The description of the book had me excited and I love a good literary mystery, but this one was just okay. It was fine, but not something I'll remember the next day.
The premise for this is definitely very intriguing and it took me a while to read - audio book after publication date.
The audio book gives you a much better feel of this book and the authors descriptions and just the whole vibe of the book was very atmospheric and usually right up my alley but I just kept putting this one down and forgetting to pick it back up.
This book is incredible! It creates an atmosphere throughout and I couldn't put it down. Sara is a fantastic writer and I can't wait to read more from her!
This was my first book by Sara Faring and I found her writing style very pleasant. I had no problem connecting to the characters or visualizing the story as it took place, this alone makes it a 5 star read for me. Then you add in the plot surrounded in mystery and intrigue and get an additional star! Sara has now made it onto my auto buy list!
This was a really weird story. It kept jumping around between timelines, characters and plots and I struggled to find the red thread connecting the whole thing. The characters were not very plastic, closer to cardboard cutouts than actual people. I had no idea who they were and what their personalities were like apart from a couple superficial traits mentioned. And the story did not really come to a conclusion that felt satisfying. Sadly, I was very disappointed.
This is one of my favorite books. Sara Faring is an amazing writer. I was captivated till the very end.
Slow paced to unravel the story which I understand that is the goal of a mystery novel but this was turtle paced. The twin sisters had very little personality that differed from each other. Having younger sisters who are twins from experience i can tell you they have such vastly different personalities.
This isn't a bad novel but it just wasn`t for me. I wasn`t invested in anyone.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Last week, my family and I spent Spring Break in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Being who I am, I brought a stack of books with me. You never know what mood I’ll be in, after all! I ended up picking up White Fox, figuring that a cabin surrounded by trees would be the perfect atmosphere for a thriller featuring a creepy forest. And I was totally correct!
We follow Manon and Tai, two sisters who are both dealing with the loss of their mother ten years ago in very different ways. Tai lives her life online and is constantly compared to her famous mother, who was an actress. Manon, on the other hand, tries to live her life as far from the limelight as possible, preferring the company of her precious notebook to other people. When they are invited back to the island where they used to live before their mother’s disappearance, they both choose to go for different reasons. Once there, however, they discover the lost script that their mother was working on and was thought to have disappeared with her. Rumors say that this script holds clues that might solve the mystery of what happened ten years ago, so the two sisters decide that they’re going to follow the trail, whatever the cost.
Y’all, the atmosphere and dark tone of this book was I M M A C U L A T E. By far my favorite aspect of this book, hands down! The creepiness of the forest surrounding the family home, the creepiness of the old family home itself, and just the overall feeling of danger made this such a thrilling read. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the story, even when not much was going on. Sara Faring is fantastic at building that necessary tension that takes a thriller/mystery from good to great! I will say that I thought the ending wrapped up a little too neatly. I could have done without the epilogue, as well, but I still enjoyed it!
I think Sara Faring did an excellent job creating her characters, as well. Both Manon and Tai are such complex characters with a lot of depth. Manon seems to suffer from anxiety and, though I can’t speak to the representation, I certainly felt her anxiety as the story continued. The way she describes how she’s feeling and how everything that is happening is impacting her felt so visceral and real! Tai had her own set of issues that kind of sneak up on you, which makes sense as she’s usually presenting a different version of herself to the world. I’m so happy that we get to see inside both of their heads because it just makes the story that much better.
Also, I kind of love the fact that the White Fox script and various articles are included in the book! I do love a bit of mixed media. Does that count as mixed media? I’m gonna say it is, lol.
Final thoughts: This is a taut, atmospheric, gem of a thriller! I was on the edge of my seat from page one and tore through this book. I loved the characters and all their layers that made them leap off the page. And I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the sprinkle of mixed media. If you like your thrillers to be a little dark with complex characters and a beautifully creepy atmosphere, I think you would enjoy White Fox!
I have tried reading this on multiple occasions yet I just can't connect with it. I suspect due to it being a Teen/ YA title. It does have a beautiful, stunning cover however and will certainly appeal to many.
Sisters Manon and Thais finally go back to their birthplace for their estranged father's funeral, only to find that their father left them a mysterious note- their mother who has been missing and assumed dead for the ten years the girls were exiled may still be alive. The sisters end up on a dangerous and dark scavenger hunt to find their mother, using clues from their mother's last unfinished script to get to the truth.
Ok, this review will be kinda short because I don't know what to say about this story, I was pretty confused while reading the book and now that I am finished I am still moderately confused as to what all happened in the story. This was very much a mystery, but at times I could not tell what was real and what was imaginary, transitions between scenes/thoughts seemed to not exist, what was present and what was past was mashed up...I am not even sure I could tell you all about what I read, but I will admit that I was interested in the outcome and pushed through my confusion to keep going. I can also say that this was 100% unique.
Side note, this is classified as a YA story and the two main characters are 17 and 18 years old, but nothing about them or who they are treated was YA. They were independent characters with basically no supervision, drinking and clubbing and going about their business as if they were adults. So if you are looking for a realistic representation of teens, this is not the correct place for that.
Two sisters, with opposite personalities seeking to uncover the truth about their families past. A thrilling and heartbreaking tale, with an ending that will haunt your dreams.
This eerie, twisty book has all of my favourite things: family secrets, a derelict and possibly haunted mansion, and complex sibling relationships. I’ve been slowly savouring my early copy and I had to pause in reading to draw this. Who is the mysterious white-haired woman? You will have to read the book and find out...
This book was not what I was expecting. It was mysterious and enjoyable but I was hoping for some more creepy/scary vibes and it fell flat on this front. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite blow me away, but it was good for an afternoon of reading.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley.
It took me a very long time to read this book, as the beginning was rather frustrating to me. I liked the characters, but I didn't really understand them or their choices.
However, at a certain point (perhaps 25% of the way into the book?), I became entranced.
The two sisters, Manon and Thaïs, are attempting to deal with their grief over their loss of their mother. She disappeared ten years ago, and has been presumed dead. However, no one really knows. No one really knew their mother, Mireille Foix, either, so no one knows what she was capable of. Her past is a mystery, and as the sisters return to the island of their birth, they find they must confront her legacy.
When Mireille Foix disappeared, she was working on a manuscript for a screenplay, <i>White Fox</i>. It was supposed to be her best work, and one that would set the world on edge. But the screenplay was lost with Mireille. The daughters discover that it might still exist--somewhere--and it might have the answers they need about their mother.
Most celebrities are compelling, but Mireille was more compelling than most. Even ten years after she disappeared, her fans and friends remember her as unique, enchanting. They only knew parts of her though. Her daughters were too young to know her as anything other than their beautiful mother. And their father sent them away after their mother disappeared, so they never learned about her from him. What they don't know has hurt the girls, and what they learn may hurt them more.
This novel has a brilliant, Gothic, sense of history. The past is always influencing the present in this book. No one is what they seem, and no one is to be trusted--except for the sisters, perhaps each other.
Oof, this is a tough one to write a review for. The plot of this book sounded really amazing, the execution was confusing. Underdeveloped setting, typical message of a woman greatly misunderstood by the public (but it doesn't really do much to show who she actually was) and a second half I couldn't really make sense of or bring myself to care enough to try.
There's a lot of threads and they're all apparently really important but they don't really connect clearly. There's nods that the White Fox script isn't subtle, and yeah it's sort of boring and really over the top symbolism that's not that interesting.
The girls are interesting, but also don't really learn anything. Tai is obsessed with her phone and way too optimistic. Noni is cynical and condescending. I wanted them to find answers about their mother but it was all so convoluted the characters sort of get lost.. It opened new possibilities in the middle, but left too many unanswered.
I thought this book was really interesting. The dark turns it took all while keeping the suspense of what happened to Manon and Thaï's Mom was done very well. Each clue took the sisters deeper into their mother's world and what actually happened to her right before she disappeared. There were some events that I guessed but others that I did not see coming. I really liked the way the author integrated technology into this book. It was advanced in a way that really helped the plot come together, but overall didn't seem unrealistic. The advanced technology didn't seem out of place in this story and I really liked it. I am also really happy that the author included the actual scenes from White Fox. This helped with the immersion of the secrets and they were very interesting as well. Overall, the pacing for the book was really good. It held my interest and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. The intense scenes honestly had me on the edge of my seat and I thought it was great. The ending wasn't exactly what I expected, not that it was a bad thing, but there were just some details that weren't clear which left me with some unanswered questions. These unanswered questions will bother me and I just wish I had a little bit more closure.
The book took the perspective of both Manon and Thaï. Both girls were so different that I'm glad that each view was given. I really liked the dynamics between them. Growing up with a little sister that was very close in age to me, I felt like I could somewhat relate to them. When we were little, we were inseparable but then we grew apart a little only to come back to be best friends again. But no matter what, we were always there for each other. I felt like this was how Manon and Thaï worked and it was really good to see that dynamic. Even though you are family, it doesn't mean that it's easy. But in order to figure out their Mom's secret, they had to work together. This was probably my favorite part of the book. How on their own and together, they can solve the mystery. It's a story that unveils secrets that tears them apart, but also brings them together.
Final Thoughts
Overall, White Foxby Sara Faring was an intense, interesting read that kept me wanting more. While some events were predictable there was plenty that came as surprise to me. With a book full of twists and secrets, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I do wish I had a little bit more of closure at the end but at least some answers were solved. I really liked the dynamic between the sisters. It feed into the plot perfectly and really explored certain family ideals. I recommend this book if you like darker mysterious that will keep you flipping the pages to find out the answers.
Great story and loved the slight romance. Really enjoyed the characters and how the plot moved and how the characters changed throughout the book. I would read this author again.
It took me a little bit to get into this book, because there were so many parts (two narrators with multiple nicknames, a screenplay, and Boy) but once I got into it, I was hooked. (And everything comes together in the end 🙂 )
Noni and Tai’s voices are strong and each one is unique – so you don’t get them confused, which I really liked. The atmosphere is haunting, and there is a Gothic vibe, which I love! The island of Viloxin is so vibrant, it’s almost like it’s a character as well. The plotting is intricate, and the suspense builds, drawing the reader in with each new discovery the girls make.
I highly enjoyed this read and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a mysterious, spooky read! If you enjoyed The Companion, you’ll also enjoy this one.
The plot of the book made it seem interesting, but I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. White Fox tells the story of 2 sisters, bookish and reserved Manon and influencer Thais, who go back to the island where they grew up for a gala honoring their mother, an actress who disappeared when they were little. They try to find clues on who she was and what happened to her,
I wanted to read an interesting mystery, but although the writing was good, the characters seemed 2 dimensional to me and the White Fox script that they discover (written by their mom) just seemed like a dumb and pointless metaphor.
It was not my favorite book.
I don't read as much YA lit as I used to, but every now and then a story comes along that I cannot say no to. White Fox is an incredible saga. Highly recommend!