Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for this advanced copy! You can pick up Call Forth a Fox on April 2, 2024.

While I'm intrigued by the premise of this book, I found I wasn't in the mood for a fantasy story with a 15-year-old protagonist. Even in the first 30 pages or so that I read, Ro just felt too childish to me, and I couldn't enjoy my experience in her head. This story definitely sounds appealing to a younger audience, especially to someone who enjoys fairytale retelling and magical forests. Fans of younger YA will hopefully enjoy the character interactions and continue on with the story. I just found that I wasn't part of that audience.

If cottagecore and high stakes fantasy had a baby! There were so many feelings that this little novella invoked, from cozy to suspense, calmness to chaos. An absolutely stunning piece of work from Grabo. The relationship between Ro and Eirwyn as sisters had so many peaks and valleys but it was explored so beautifully by the end. Collette and Brend were characters that I wasn't sure of in the beginning but by the end of this novella, I was aching for more of their stories. Will definitely be reading more from Grabo and a huge thank you to Grabo & NetGalley for allowing me to read this work!

Call Forth a Fox was a magical experience with charming characters, using winter as a brilliant backdrop for such a bleak story that breaks through to hope just in time for spring. The twists in this book were great, and had me reading well into the night.

I found Ro to be such an intriguing main character; her love of the forest and distaste for village life felt perfect for a story about faeries. I loved watching her grow and discover who she truly is as the story progressed, both in heritage and love.

On the flipside, I do feel like the pacing was a little slow and dragged out. The final confrontation scene felt five pages too long, with constant back and forth. I also wished we got more of Eirwyn, as we’re constantly told about the sisters’ bond rather than witnessing it in action. Also, I can’t lie, the girls’ mother being gone for the majority of the story felt like a cop-out. I know her being there would answer a lot of the questions the girls had, but still.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, though I wish it went a bit more in-depth with the world and characters. It felt like everything sort of overshadowed each other, with the romance being on the backburner for the faerie realm which was put on the backburner for whatever Ro and Brend had going on.

I’ll absolutely read a sequel if there ever is one, as I adore the world and the characters and need to know more! It’s the kind of open-ended conclusion that just leaves me wanting, but also satisfied, which a lot of books struggle to pull off as well as Grabo did here.

First of all, this cover!! I think this book has a great premise and the story was wset in such a beautiful setting. If you enjoy the woods, foraging and fearies, this book has done a great job creating that magic. It's also sapphic, has some commentary on grief and a complex sister relationship. However, all those things felt oversimplified to me. It really lacked any depth in those themes and also in chatacters. Additionally, I found the plot to be very repetitive. It telt like the whole story was just characters going to the woods, coming back to the house, then going to the woods, and so on. The writing was nice but read quite young and overall, it just wasn't memorable for me. This was a little bit disappointing to me but I do recommend checking it out for yourself if it sounds like something you'd enjoy!!

There are only a few books I consider my go-to stories when I want to lose myself in another world. Markelle Grabo's debut, Call Forth a Fox, is undoubtedly one of these treasures. It's incredibly atmospheric and whimsical, brimming with characters who instantly feel like your new best friends. As a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, the novel stays loyal to the enchanting elements that make fairytales universally captivating, weaving a narrative rich in magic, curses, adventure, nature, loyalty, and love.

I hesitate to delve into the details of the plot because the journey of discovery is one of the book's most compelling features. It is a fairytale after all. So, I want every reader to experience this tale unfold as I did. What I can say, however, is that Call Forth a Fox is an amazing story and a remarkable debut by Markelle Grabo. It felt like it took my hand and guided me through to the last page, only to leave me yearning to return and spend more time with the characters.

This is a story I'll definitely reread at least once each season because I'm sure it will resonate differently each time. Whether it's the warmth of summer or the introspection of winter, each reading will definitely offer a new and unique experience. For that Call Forth a Fox deserves 5 golden stars from me.

4.5 ⭐️

This was such a fun, cozy YA fairy tale fantasy read, which was a welcome change of pace from the high fantasy books. The writing was fantastic, and I was hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed the LGBTQ+ representation. I am not familiar with the Red Rose fairy tale and if I was, maybe this would have hit that 5⭐️ mark for me.

**WARNING: Slight spoilers ahead**

Ro is a 15 year old living in a cottage in the woods with her slightly older sister, Erywin, while their mother is off in a bigger town trying to make them some extra money for the winter. Ro spends her time in the woods foraging for food while her sister takes care of market trips and cooking. Ro has always felt like an outsider and has preferred to stay isolated to the woods.

One day, Ro encounters a fox in the woods and she can swear the fox is acknowledging and even bowing to her. Then, shortly after that, she sees a bear chasing her new fox friend and intervenes to save the fox. When Erywin shoots the bear with an arrow to stop the bear from attacking Ro, the bear turns into a boy named Brend with no memories who they take in and nurse back to health.

This story unfolds as Ro finds a love interest in a local girl named Colette who also enjoys foraging in the woods, as the sisters try to help Brend break the curse of turning into a bear, and as they come to terms with the fact that there may in fact be faeries living in the forest - a fact that their recently deceased Pa had always try to tell them.

The story was cute, whimsical, and magical while also having enough action to keep everything paced well and containing plot twists that certainly took me by surprise! I am content with how it ended and am happy with it as a standalone book but would also welcome a sequel to find out what happens in with Ro, Colette, and Brend in Poppy with Ma.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Call Forth a Fox ended up being a book that I wanted to like more than I actually liked. it's not a bad book !!! I just have very tepid feelings about it. nothing ever felt very new or blew my mind, and the writing was good but not excellent.

that being said! the characters and plot premise were interesting. there's cool fairies in this book, and I loved seeing the more inhuman ones (v tired of the "sexy!human but with wings!" fairy trope). there's some fantasy politics, but mostly minor. there's a little bit of a mystery but ,,, honestly not really? or at least I was never interested enough in it to put any extra thought into solving it before the narrative did it for me lol

I gave this a three star because I am confident that some readers will love this book. like I said, there's nothing actually wrong with it, there's just nothing special either. there's a couple of kids cursed to become animals (a bear and a fox, respectively) and no one has any idea why, and our mc is finding out a lot of new things about herself while she tries to help both people. there's development and magic and a lovely sister relationship, but it was overall just okay.

I would also like to put in that the mc is canonically not-a-lesbian, by which I mean no one uses the word 'bisexual' (it's like, rural fantasy Scandinavia lol) but it's plainly stated that our mc has been previously interested in people of all genders. I also really loved how homonormative this world was.


queer rep - bisexual/queer mc, sapphic love interest
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc ✨

Call Forth a Fox is an imaginative reinterpretation of the fairytale "Snow White and Rose Red". There are still sisters named for roses and a mysterious enchanted bear, but now there is even more magic to delight in, more creatures and surprises in the woods, and a gutsy, queer protagonist that make this a must read for fantasy and fairytale lovers.

Firstly, thank Netgalley for the e-arc for review! Now here are my thoughts

Positives:
- Middle-grade whimsy captured well within an upper YA with Ava Reid-esque flowery prose
- the sapphic romance :)
- the magic, the folkloric quality, the whimsical dark forest & fae

Negatives:
- at times, the pacing felt really off, & same with the plot? I almost feel like this book could have just been a smaller novella.
- once I hit the halfway mark, I lost quite a bit of interest & found myself skimming through parts of the second half

3.75 stars rounded up to 4

With atmospheric writing, Grabo weaves a lovely tale of sisterhood and young love in this Rose Red retelling that includes curses, faeries, and fierce determination.

I love the relationship between Ro and her sister, and I liked the bi representation. The writing could have been tighter and it would have fixed some of the pacing issues. I didn't really understand why Ro made some of the choices she did, aside from her just being an inexperienced teenager. I think fans of Holly Black but make it queer will enjoy this.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

The strength of the book is capturing the essence of the woods- the magic, the beauty, the care nature gives to us and what care we need to give back to nature.

As a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, Grabo sets out to make it entirely there's which turns it into a quiet queer story of discovery when the bear that is attacking the fox turns into a boy and Ro has to remember all her father taught her.

The atmosphere from the cover and the title and description were wonderful to start, but it became a long trek through memories and faerie discoveries. If it was more tightly written I think I would have been swept up in the story.

This!!! Was so cute! We all know I absolutely love sapphic romance and this was such a uniquely “cruel prince-esq” fae read yet the way the author wrote things was still very different and refreshing! I loved our main characters love of the outside and foraging. Which is what leads her to try and save a fox from a bear, a bear who turns into a boy and claims she owes him. The magical world was intricate yet simple and it was easy to digest the entire time! I loved it.

Call Forth a Fox was a delighful read that takes you on a whimsical journey through the book. I felt as though I could clearly understand the characters and their motives from the beginning, and as they grew and evolved I felt more connected to them. The sister bond that is explored throughout the book was one of my favourite parts to read about as the characters grew closer and connected whilst making new discoveries. A few pieces of the plot were a bit predictable but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and would love to read more from this author in the future!

A sapphic twist on the classic fairytale of Snow White and Rose Red with fae, curses, and romance. Ro and her sister live together in a house that their father built in the woods. Growing up her father taught her to forage and gave her stories about faeries, from how to summon them to how to protect herself. Yet now that her father has passed and her mother has gone in search of a job, Ro and her sister live together just trying to survive the cold woods. One night Ro encounters a bear attacking a fox and she fights the bear to save the fox's life only to discover that the bear has turned into a boy after her sister shoots him with an arrow. The Bear boy has no memory ofwho he is or where he's come from, only that he knows Ro's name and that he has to kill the fox. Ro keeps finding herself drawn to the fox and to her surprise the fox turns into a girl named Colette. The closer Colette and Ro get the closer Ro begins to discover more secrets about the fae and the fact that Ro is the only person who can stop the deadly game between her precious fox and the strange bear that has come into her home. This is definitely a cozy fantasy that I think would make a great middle grade read. It's an easy read and it feels pretty young. I went into this thinking it would be a bit older and was hoping for a bit more, but it's a fairly simple story with an easy read and pace and I think younger readers would have a nice time with it. The story itself isn't bad it's just young and feels okay at best. I as hoping for a bit more magic and whimsy but overall it's just a cozy fairytale read, and the protagonist Ro might be a bit naive and kind of insufferable at points but I want to chalk it up to her being young and I feel like that's fine. Some things felt underdeveloped and aren't as fleshed out as I'd like but that's just me hoping for something more.

*Thanks Netgalley and Page Street Publishing, Page Street YA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

a wonderful fairytale retelling with a sweet lesbian romance!

it is a really nice book to read, full of creatures and mysteries and twists. the worldbuilding is amazing, i loved everything from the beginning to the end.

all the characters are awesome and so interesting. their bonds, relationships, dynamic.

I’m starting off by giving this a 3.5.

“Call Forth a Fox” was a whimsical story covered in snow and faerie magic. I personally have not heard of the Red Rose story so I couldn’t really relate to how this was a retelling. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable story to read. I loved the relationship between Ro and her sister Erywin. Usually in books the sisters are just side characters that don’t have any depth and are just there in name, but with Erywin, I loved all of the aspects that her character brought to the story.

The story it’s self, I found personally very well paced, with a few plot twists here and there to keep you engaged (although in retrospect if I was actively trying to think of how the plot would play out maybe some plot twist might have been more obvious, but I just wanted to read and see where the story would take me). In regards to the pacing, I liked how things were going on throughout the book and not just during the last 15% as many other books typically do.

The romance between Ro and Collette was sweet but at many times during the book I felt there was very obvious potential between her and Brend.

I felt that this story was halfway told through Ro’s memories and there was always a memory to explain what was going on or how she was feeling a certain way, which I didn’t really like.

Overall it was a nice read with caring characters that learn to grow and overcome their challenges throughout the book!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this E-ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Call Forth a Fox is a beautiful, atmospheric YA fantasy with queer characters that take you on a lovely journey.

Call Forth a Fox was such a fun read. I appreciated that the FMC was 15, filling the age gap between many MG and YA books. The romance was sweet and heartwarming, and the character development was splendid to experience. I loved the inclusion of fairytale aspects and fae and the sapphic retelling and collage of stories like Rose Red. The story was cozy and snowy, and I felt like I was right there with the characters. I enjoyed the writing style, though some parts felt stiff and repetitive. I will be recommending this gem of a book!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

I think this is a really lovely concept but the writing let it down for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters or the plot. There were a lot of things that felt over-explained and it felt like there was more telling than showing. I also found the dialogue really stilted.

There’s clearly an audience for this based on other reviews, but it unfortunately didn’t work for me

I loved this book. Do you like to read about Faeries, Curse, bargain and different realms? If Yes, this book is definitely for you.

Roisin and Eirwyn are two sisters. They are living in a cottage and they’re oblivion to secrets their parents kept from them. Going to forest is Ro’s hobby. She was out foraging and she saw a bear is attacking a red fox, she tried to protect the fox but the bear attacked her then and in an attempt to protect Ro, Eirwyn wounded Brent on shoulder with an arrow. As soon as her arrow reached to its destination, the bear turned into a boy. But when he was awake and his wound was nearly healed, he couldn’t remember anything about his transformation while the mystery of red fox made Ro curious. She went in search for her in the forest and from her command, she shown herself but a faerie appeared and warned her about crossing the realm twice without releasing. To solve the mystery of Brent’s transformation and red fox, Ro agrees to help him break the curse but as soon as she summons a faerie, the secrets from the past also unveils and maybe present cannot be changed. Will Ro be able to break Brent’s curse?

So many unthinkable things happens in plot and the plot twists were unpredictable. The writing is lyrical and engrossing. I liked the narrative. The characters are so good. The ending was jaw dropping. I loved the world building and the book has one trope, Found Family. If you had like to read about faerie realm, rituals, magic, blood, bargain, curse, sacrifice and family secrets, read this book.

Many Thanks to Author, Publisher and Netgalley.

For all my queer Holly Black fans, this one is for you. If you ever wanted a Sapphic retelling of the fairytale that predates snow white, Call Forth a Fox might melt your heart; it was a cozy read good for a fall night or rainstorm.