I love when books are narrated by the author and I loved a previous book I read by her so I was excited to listen to this. I love that this was a blending of genres, with the fox folklore and the murder mystery intertwined. The pacing did feel to be a little slow at times, but I think there was a certain whimsicality to the story that made it appropriate for that pace. I love Choo's writing and the way that she works with historical fiction and folklore and really combines them in a beautiful way. Would absolutely recommend this to anyone and she did a beautiful job narrating.

An absolutely delightful book - especially the audio version read by the author with perfect pathos, humor, and snark. Mythology, history, politics, and romance all woven into a perfect narrative I will be recommending far and wide.

This book is a beautiful blend of Chinese folklore and a fairly modern (1908) setting. This book had a lot of storylines working simultaneously but all centering around the concept of foxes. We have both spirits and mortals along with other folklore creatures that are mixed in as well.

I had to pay attention to the narrative as it progressed because the way it's structured wasn't what I'm used to, but I read on audiobook and I didn't have too much trouble following along as long as I was paying attention. The prose is beautiful and I loved the way the folklore was blended with the realities of the modern world. I am also less knowledgable of these elements of Chinese folklore, so I had fun learning more about them.

If you enjoy folklore retellings, this is a great choice.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Audiobooks read by the author are some of my favorites and this book is no exception! Yangsze Choo has a compelling voice that conveyed the atmosphere of the story very well.

This tale follows two characters, Snow (a maid) and Bao (a detective), through separate storylines that overlap from time to time. It is a murder mystery, a story of revenge, a love story, and ancient fox folklore all woven together.

I enjoyed the folklore and the mystery that unfolded throughout the book, but the revenge and love story aspects left me wishing for more.

I don’t want to spoil the reading experience but if you are a fan of historical fiction mixed with folk tales you should read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my review.

4.5 stars for this book so rounded to 5.

The fact that Yangsze Choo narrates this makes it even better. I loved learning about the Chinese Lore about Foxes and of course the historical and magical realism of this book. The murder mystery was astounding.

When a woman is found dead in the snow during winter, rumors start to flow that foxes are the reason she is murdered. These foxes are believed to transform into men and women and walk amongst humans. Bao, the detective who is known to sniff out the truth of the mystery is out to find out what happens.

We also follow the famous Chinese Medicine Shop. The mysteries just keep unfolding.

I couldn't get enough of this audiobook. Highly recommend.

First of all, having lived in China, I'm a lover of Chinese folklore based books. I am immediately taken back to the area and can reminisce on my time there. This takes place in 1908, Manchuria or NE China, where it is cold, desolate, snowy, and of course there are foxes.

We follow the life of Bao, a detective trying to find out the identity and reason of a woman found frozen in the snow. We also follow along another woman who enters a families home to become a wife and entering into a known curse that the family has had for generations, but perhaps things will change?

This has the beauty of the winter mood, mystical location, fantastical theories, cultural thoughts and history. Filled with ambiance.

The audiobook was well done and easy to pay attention and follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance ALC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.25/5 stars

Yangsze Choo is not only a wonderful author, but a wonderful narrator - such a wonderful book all around!

This story was truly something special - it was slow paced, but unique and captivating in a way that few stories are. The writing was exemplary, and the characters fascinating, and the atmosphere top notch. It's the kind of book that, granted, not a ton happens - but you're so enraptured by the storytelling that you get lost in the pages and just have a genuinely good time navigating the motivations and intersecting stories.

I really struggle to write a longer review because it was just such a unique read - the plot was interesting enough but what you get captured by is the lore, the intrigue, the characters and their stories and grief and (often) conflicting motivations. It spans a lifetime and countries and is just so rich you'll be mesmerized.

I really highly recommend this to anyone that wants a story with some stakes and action but really just something you can sink into, with characters you'll come to feel for (whether that be positive or negative) - beautiful storytelling by an author that truly and obviously has a passion for what they do.

The Fox Wife is a great mix of historical fiction and fantasy. It feels like a fairy tale. Choo mixed fantasy elements into a real world setting seamlessly. I also enjoyed the multiple POVs which I don't often enjoy.

The cover of this book is what drew me to pick it up. It is as beautiful as the book is.

Set in the Early 1900s Manchuria, this book uses a quiet narrative to tell stories of local folklore. The storytelling is masterful as you meander through the intersection of the main characters and the foxes, & how their lives intertwine. The story felt like a leisurely stroll, but the pacing was enough to keep it going at the same time.

I'm excited to go into the author's prior works and give those a go as well.

This was a quiet, atmospheric novel that was part mystery, part fable. It was all about foxes, the Chinese folklore that surrounds these animals and their supernatural abilities such as shape shifting. The plot is told from two perspectives = a detective trying to solve a murder mystery and a companion to an elderly wealthy woman. This companion is also a fox living in human form.

I absolutely adored learning about the fox folklore. It was fascinating. It added an element of depth into the plot. The writing was also beautiful and lyrical. The author successfully created a charming yet otherworldly setting that seamlessly blended legend and magical realism.

My challenges while listening to this book lay in the many characters and challenges of keeping all of the characters straight. I remained confused for most of the story as to who was who. I also found the pacing off, which detracted from the suspense of the mysteries.

I didn’t care for the audiobook much. The narrator’s voice range was on the flatter side, which resulted in all of the character voices sounding the same. It was difficult to know who was saying what during dialogue segments. Adding to the confusion, there were no chapter headings so the listener wasn’t given any warning between character perspective changes. I found myself hopelessly lost numerous times during the story trying to understand what was happening.

I received an audiobook from MacMillan Audio on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested both the print arc and the audio and I'm so glad. I'm completely in love with Yangtze Choo's narration of this novel! Her voice is so warm and so rich and her diction is so precise that it's a joy to listen. It's a very rich complex story but at the same time I felt so at ease listening to this story, as if I was a child again, enjoying the simple pleasure of a master storyteller beginning with the words, 'let me tell you a story'--and inviting me to sit and listen and be entranced. Thank you!

I greatly enjoyed this! I appreciated the opportunity to explore Chinese folklore and the significance that mythical foxes hold. The story is told from two different POV's (Bao and Snow) and how they cope with different forms of love and loss they have both experienced.

This is a slow-pace, character driven novel.
I listened to the audiobook and greatly enjoyed Choo's narration. I found her voice to be quite calm and soothing

Potential Triggers: Death of child (not explicit.)

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am extremely dissappointed in the book. I loved the Night Tiger. This book is a FLOP. I did not enjoy the author’s narration. I did not enjoy this book. Waste of my time. Magical shape shifting foxes along with a boring, painful plot???? No thank you. I see this book barely selling based on word of mouth alone.

4.5 stars

I loved this book! I really liked The Night Tiger but this topped that for me. I loved the fox mythology, the historical setting in both China and Japan, the commentary on women in society, the love story...correction, the love stories, the mystery, and I whole-heartedly loved the characters. I am sad it's over. If the author saw fit to write more about our fox friends, I'd gobble it all up.

It's a long book, daunting for all but the most committed book clubs, and it is obviously chock full of Chinese and Japanese words that might trip up the readers without those languages. I highly recommend the audio option because this is one of the very few times the ideal reader is the author herself. Her narration is gorgeous!

The pace is slow and unrushed, the writing is wonderful, and the character development lends these charming characters even more charm and depth as the story progresses. This was truly just lovely.

I don’t know much about Manchuria at the turn of the 20th century, but I was immediately engrossed in Yangsze Choo’s Fox wife. Wow. What an incredible book. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, which I highly recommend. Her reading and pronunciation of Chinese and Japanese words was extremely helpful to someone who is not fluent or even really familiar with those languages and their anglicized spelling. Very fluid and pleasant.

The story is rooted in Chinese folklore are the role foxes (and their human forms) play on the margins of society. You don’t have to know much about the time period or Chinese folklore to be wrapped up in the story and mysteries surrounding the foxes. An excellent read and one of my favourites this year!

I received a free audiobook copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

With alternating POVs, this work tells the story of Snow, a white fox spirit on a journey of revenge after the violent death of her daughter, and Bao, a private detective investigating the death of a woman that he believes to be related to foxes. While this story can meander a bit, the detailed description of the setting and culture of the time makes the characters shine. Yangsze Choo brings these to POVs together in a captivating way, giving greater depth to the already fascinating lore of foxes (and inclusive of male foxes!) . While the mythic nature of the foxes gives a fantastical nature to the work, the emotion of the characters is deeply felt.

Yangsze Choo also served as the narrator for the audiobook, and what a treat it was! There is something incredibly special in hearing an author read their work, and knowing Choo’s inflections and phrasing made the story come to life in an exciting way.


Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan audio for this ALC!

Set in Manchuria in the early 1900s, Snow, a mysterious fox woman, is looking for a photographer to avenge a murder.

On the other hand, a very successful detective named Bao is following a case of a woman who was found dead and people speculate that her death has to do with foxes. He has always been interested in foxes and someone suggests to him to look for the photographer Bektu Nikan who knows about those creatures.

The novel has a dual narrative, the first one is narrated from Snow’s perspective, and the second one which follows Bao is narrated in the third person.

Yangsze Choo’s storytelling is very immersive, she can take the reader to those mystical places full of traditional Chinese culture, history, and mythology.

I appreciate how the author gives an overview of the situation of other Asian countries during the Imperial Qing dynasty such as Japan, Korea, and Malay, creating a well-set and enthralling novel rich in history.

Yangsze Choo is not only a great storyteller but also an excellent audiobook narrator. After finishing reading The Fox Wife I noticed the audiobook was narrated by the author so I decided to listen to the novel starting all over, leveling up my reading experience and I ended up loving it even more. Also, the audiobook includes the author’s note that I missed in the digital ARC.

I highly recommend the book and audiobook. I read and loved as well The Ghost Bride so The Fox Wife was one of my most anticipated books. I thank Negalley, Henry Holt and Company and Macmillan audio for this e-ARC

Absolutely loved, loved LOVED this book so much. I knew I would based on the premise alone. I'll be adding this to my buy pre-orders ASAP. Probably I'll even use one of my audible credits as well because Yangsze Choo absolutely smashes narrating her own book. Hearing her words spoken in her voice was just *chefs kiss* The way the pronunciations just rolled off her tongue. Gah.

Besides all that, this was an absolutely enthralling story line. Beautifully crafter to pull you while being told in dual POV. I really loved how the two POVs were linear to the story until they ultimately met. The back in forth, and the peaks into their pasts at the same really kept me engaged the whole time.

I really don't think I can say enough about this book. Of these types of stories intrigue you and you love the Lore weaved in, this is one to pick up and fall for.

I don’t think there’s anything better than an author doing the narration for her own audiobook. Yangsze Choo did a fantastic job telling this story and I loved every second of it. I’ve been getting into Historical Fantasy a bit more and this was a captivating story centered around mythical fox creatures disguised as humans. Snow was my favorite character. She was witty, strong, and flawed. I liked her interactions with the other characters. The other POV we follow is Bao, an old detective who spends a lot of the book reflecting on his past. I felt like their stories connected in a seamless way and I love the way the mystery unfolded. And the unexpected romance was SO sweet! Definitely my favorite part. This was a slow burn read but I loved the payoff. Highly recommend if you like slow burn historical reads with magical elements.

I listened to an advanced audiobook copy on NetGalley for this one. It was SO so good. The characters are all full and interesting and lovable. The story is magical and heart warming. It's got a little mystery to it and a little romance. I want to get the hard copy when it comes out and read it again.