The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is a historical fantasy set in early 1900s Manchuria featuring shape-changing fox spirits.

I followed along in my physical advanced reader copy while listening to the audiobook which I borrowed from my local library. The author narrates this, and while I really liked her inflection--you can tell she's a born storyteller--we don't really get much differences in the way of character voices, which made things a little confusing for me at times.

The book started out a little on the slow side, but once I was about 25% in I was solidly in for the ride. In fact, I inhaled this book in one day. If you're a fan of literary historical fiction or magical realism, you might really dig this.

We follow two point-of-view characters: the eponymous "Fox Wife" and a private investigator close to retirement. There's a lot of exploration on how women were treated in Manchuria at the time and there are various religious elements sprinkled throughout.

I'm a big fan of folklore in general, and fox spirits are a part of East Asian mythology I don't know much about. This book definitely opened my eyes and I'll definitely be reading more about it.

Alternating between Bao, a private investigator trying to find out what happened to an unidentified dead woman, and Snow, a fox spirit who is trying to get revenge for her daughter, this novel dives into the fox folklore in China and two people's quests for truth.

I loved the Night Tiger by this author so I was really excited for this one. However, I was not drawn in the same way I was there. I'm not sure if it was just the characters or the way the story was told, but I was just missing the magic that I found in the Night Tiger. I think perhaps it took too long for Bao and Snow's storylines to overlap/catch up so it felt like two different stories for a while.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Found the book to be very slow. I was hopeful it would draw me in. I don't need action packed adventure but there was not enough for me to find interesting enough to rate this book higher.

The Fox Wife

I really liked this one! I started with the e-book, but about 3/4s of the way through I purchased the audiobook, started over, and finished it that way. I loved the narrator.

The pacing is a little slow and rambling, in a way that works really well with the themes of grief and revenge. Snow, the main character, lost her daughter and has spent the years afterwards methodically working towards revenge against the man who was responsible for the death. The way that snow has retreated into careful planning and relentless pursuit of revenge as she avoids her own grief, hunting for an actionable way forward after her loss. The ending fizzles out a little bit as her rage softens and her grief starts to really have room to be felt.

The secondary plotline, about a detective named Bao and his lost childhood love, weaves into the main plot in ways both surprising and predicable at turns, serving as a kind of backbone to trellis Snow's story.

A fun read!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Steeped in Asian folklore this book felt like a fairy tale with its beautiful writing but the story was a little to slow for me. This story follows a few different POVs Bao a detective who can sniff out the truth as he investigates a murder of a young girl. We also follow Snow a woman who is trying to avenge the death of her child. The best part of this book were the foxes I really enjoyed the lore of the foxes throughout the book. The writing in this book was really descriptive and beautiful but the plot was so slow. This really made me struggle with this book I would find myself losing interest and having to force myself to go back. I really enjoyed the balance of historical fiction and fantasy in this book it felt real even with the fantastical elements. While this wasn’t a favorite for me I would be interested in reading more from this author as I really enjoyed the writing style. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I love this book and the way the author approached the nine-tailed fox myth. I'm always intrigued by the variations in this myth and fascinated by the way storytellers weave in their own interpretations and elaborations. I especially loved the historical elements and the theme of vengeance. Incredible book!

What a beautiful surprise. This is the first Yangsze Choo I've picked up so I had little frame of reference going in. I am familiar with Chinese folklore about foxes and thought I knew exactly what to expect, I was wrong to assume. This is an incredibly crafted historical fiction that introduced me to a time period I know little about in China, the early 1900s. It is also a revenge story with several interwoven mysteries and magical realism is mixed into the entire narrative. I am eager to pick up Yangsze Choo's debut after reading this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in return for a fair and honest review.

I was thoroughly enthralled by this story, finding myself in the skilled hands of a master storyteller. With deliberate pacing and captivating prose, the author skillfully transported me into the narrative, painting vivid images in my mind's eye. Each turn of the page was a delight, as the elegant tale unfolded with grace and finesse. At times, I found myself anticipating the next plot development, a testament to the author's adept storytelling abilities. It was akin to relishing a beloved folk tale retold by a seasoned raconteur or savoring a cherished melody performed by a musician who has dedicated their life to perfecting it. In fact, I was fortunate enough to experience the added pleasure of simultaneously reading the book while listening to the author's narration, which only enhanced the overall enchanting experience. Simply put, it was truly a wonderful read.

Yangsze Choo’s THE FOX WIFE is a gorgeously written story that reads part mystery, part myth, part memoir…

Bao, an older widower who is known as a fixer is called to investigate a young woman’s mysterious death. His quest for answers leads him north, following witnesses as he attempts to discern truth from tales. At the heart are also the eternal questions of love and loss, life and meaning and purpose.

Definitely a book to savor and to read again and again.

Yangsze Choo caught my attention when I read the Night Tiger and was blown away by it. The Fox Wife has some of the same magic in terms of beautifully written and engaging characters. It suffered a bit from slow pacing. Considering the character of the detective and the mystery elements involved in the story, there wasn't a ton of action or movement to propel the plot. Not a terrible read, may hold appeal for those that enjoy more character driven stories

I really enjoyed Yangze Choo's previous novel, The Night Tiger, so I jumped at the chance to read The Fox Wife.

There are two perspectives: a woman seeking revenge and an older detective on a mission to find a missing person.

I think I would have liked this more if I wasn't expecting a more exciting detective story. The writing is good but the story was quiet, meandering, and long. There were a couple of times I thought about setting it aside but I pressed on because I was ever hopeful that there would be a thrilling conclusion.

What saved this book from being forgotten in a stack of books or turning into a one-star hate read were the two main characters, Snow and Bao. I really liked them and weeks after finishing they stuck with me.

The Fox Wife is character-driven and slow and if I had been expecting that I think I would have liked it more. Despite my frustration with the plot, I fell in love with Snow and Bao and so it wound up being a solid three stars for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for a copy of this book in exchange for and honest review.

The Fox Wife was so much more than I ever could have imagined. This book pulls from the magic of Chinese folklore and the predictability of human behavior to create a beautiful story about foxes.

The Fox Wife is told from a dual POV. One point of view is from Snow- well she has many names- but we will call her Snow. Snow is on a mission to avenge her daughter, a fox cub that was murdered for the greed of man. In her journey Snow meets the matriarch of a medicine shop who Snow attaches herself to as a servant to use this position to further her revenge but soon finds that her and the matriarch are connected by more than just coincidence. They have interconnected fates. Which Foxes take very seriously.

The Second POV is a detective called Bao. Bao was blessed by a fox as a child and is now able to hear lies. After being hired to find the identity of a girl who died in a shop’s door, Bao is put on the trail of the foxes.


The Fox Wife isn’t even all that long but because of the pace, action, and interconnected characters it feels long. But in a good way. The story, while technically taking place in a brief amount of time is so action packed that you feel the weight of the story. It really helps you understand how tired Snow must be. The author was also able to personify foxes in this really beautiful and subtle way. When I heard it was a book about a women who turns into a fox, I was thinking like animorphs or something but this was beautifully executed.

There is also a subtle romance plot that you don’t see coming but end up so heartily rooting for by the end that I was certain my heart would break if they didn’t find their way to one another.

I just can’t recommend this book enough.

This was a great book! I very much enjoyed it and I look forward to reading the author’s next work! Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

The Fox Wife is a historical fantasy about a grieving mother on a quest for vengeance and a detective obsessed with fox spirits. This book balances heavier topics such as grief and morality with the whimsy and playful nature of its fox spirit characters.

Historical events were more of the background of this story, mostly because this book is not about these events. The Fox Wife is a slower story driven by its rich, distinct characters and their emotional pasts. I found Snow to be a really compelling main character. I love how almost every detail of the story eventually becomes relevant as the full picture of Snow’s past is revealed.

There is a tiny romance subplot that I found so satisfying. It was really appropriate that it didn’t take up much of the story but still captured my heart.

Another great book by Yangsze Choo!

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

he Fox Wife was such an interesting read. I love reimaginings of folktales. Choo writes so beautifully.

4.5 stars

The Fox Wife is a historical fantasy about a grieving mother on a quest for vengeance and a detective obsessed with fox spirits. This book balances heavier topics such as grief and morality with the whimsy and playful nature of its fox spirit characters.

Historical events and the tides of revolution whisper in the background of this story. However, much like the long-lived foxes, the book is not interested in these events. The Fox Wife is a slower story motivated by its rich, distinct characters and their emotional pasts. Snow is a really compelling main character. Her behavior and narration were uncannily fox-like which made for a really fun reading experience. I was less interested in Bao’s half of the story. I didn’t find him particularly interesting, however, his investigation into a mysterious death rumored to involve fox spirits leads to intriguing reveals related to the main story. I love how almost every detail of the story eventually becomes relevant as the full picture of Snow’s past is revealed.

There is a tiny romance subplot that I found so satisfying. I found it really appropriate that it didn’t take up much of the story but still captured my heart.

The Fox Wife is a quiet, lovely exploration of the myth of the fox spirit.

This took a little bit to get into, but once I did - I was hooked. It’s beautifully written with lush descriptions and takes place in Manchuria in 1908, where rumors of foxes who can transform into people have long been spoken of.
One such woman is seeking to avenge the death of her child, and we follow her on her journey, which is expertly interwoven with other characters’ lives.
Foxes are not the only magical elements in this story - there’s also tales of curses and a man who can hear lies. How they all come together, and the heartfelt joys and sadness throughout, is hauntingly and beautifully done.
I have another title by this author and I cannot wait to read it!

Yangsze Choo has outdone herself with this fascinating book. It's beyond her earlier (very good) books, The Night Tiger and The Ghost Bride. In the Fox Wife the reader is introduced to two separate stories. One about a female fox called, Snow, and another, about a boy called, Bao. The characters and their adventures are so eloquently described that they are very much alive in your mind.
If you love foxes, great mysteries and good detective stories then this is the book for you. Highly recommended.