Evocative & spellbinding historical fantasy mystery rich in lore and empathy. Slow and immersive, beautifully written. A standout for mystery collections.

“The Fox Wife” by Yangsze Choo is a beautifully written historical fiction that draws upon Chinese folklore surrounding fox spirits. Set in early 1900s Manchuria during the waning days of the Qing dynasty, the novel weaves together the stories of two intriguing characters: Snow, a fox who seeks vengeance for her lost child, and Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to discern the truth. As they navigate myths, misconceptions, and intersecting paths, the novel explores themes of identity, love, and ancient folktales.

What a beautiful, mythical tale. There is a gentle telling that Yangsze Choo lends this story filled with folklore, culture, and emotions. Snow is a fox whose transformed beauty charms all who come into contact with her. She is on a quest to find the person responsible for a horrendous crime and journeys far, encountering new and old friends along the way. Snow's plight and the conflicts of being a woman, culturally and from the time period, that she encounters are upsetting and she handles the situations powerfully and confidently. While a lot of the time her personality was harsh and focused on her mission, I enjoyed watching the slow revealing of her character to making friends, enjoying the little things, and finding love. I was charmed not only by her story, but by several other characters whose roles were impactful in the story. This was a fun look at the myth of foxes, the magic people hold, and the power of relationships, good and bad.

A complex, dual POV story rich in Lore and History that will gave you turning the page as quickly as you can! The narrator here is also the author, which I feel gives it something extra special. I absolutely loved the story, even though it broke my heart at times, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Womens lit, mysteries, or historical fiction

"The Fox Wife" by Yangsze Choo unfolds at a leisurely pace, so it takes a while to get into the heart of the story. She really takes her time to introduce the characters by “showing” with her words and revealing bits of the folklore as we get immersed into a mystical murder mystery.

The story unveils from the perspectives of Snow, a clever and headstrong fox spirit, and Bao, an older, thoughtful, and intuitive detective. Their contrasting voices offer unique insights into the unfolding events. I listened to the audiobook version – narrated by the author herself – and I really loved the depth that she brought to the tale. UGH, she’s such an amazing storyteller! Choo's elegant prose paints a captivating picture of early 20th century Manchuria, steeped in Asian folklore and alive with interesting characters. She weaves in elements of history so seamlessly that the reader won’t even realize they’re not just reading a cozy fictional piece about grief, love, and fate.

Overall, I thought the book was a good blend of character-driven narrative, historical fiction, and magical realism. I, too, became enchanted and a little obsessed. I love Choo’s style of bringing everything back into full circle at the end of her stories... If you compare this story to her other works, it may sing a different tune, but alone, the narrative remains engaging, filled with wit, emotion, and entertains with a touch of magical realism.

The story is alternately narrated in the first person by Snow, a beautiful fox/woman who is seeking revenge against the man who is responsible for her daughter’s death In order to get close to this man, Snow becomes the maidservant to the matriarch whose family is cursed by the untimely deaths of their sons. Unexpectedly, two other foxes become involved with the family, creating difficulties for Snow in fulfilling her plans for revenge. In the meantime, a parallel story is told in third person about Bao, an elder detective who has the ability to detect the truth and is working to solve the murder of a young woman thought to be involved with foxes.
I listened to the audio version of this book which was read by the author and this definitely enhanced the story for me. The author knows her characters well so voice inflections and character development were superb. The story started very slowly in my opinion but the way everything came together towards the end made me elevate my rating to five stars. I really liked the Chinese folklore around foxes and the alternating but parallel stories about Snow and Bao. While I suspected that the stories would eventually come together, I didn’t anticipate all the surprises and connections between the characters. Overall, the story was very entertaining and enjoyable, especially to listen to. I would encourage readers (and listeners) to stick with the book as the characters and connections are developed by this talented author.

4/4.5 stars! This is a story of ancient Chinese fox spirits surviving in the ever-modernizing world around them, a mother bent on revenge, lost love, found love, and a bit of mystery. A great book! Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to listen to this ARC.

Read by the author, this is a beautiful tale of Chinese lore mixed with a murder and detective story. The narration is delicate and precise and make you feel like a welcomed witness to the unfolding events. It begins with a young woman (fox) who child has been killed and her desire to track down the man responsible. She has been tracking his movements but always seems to be one step behind. A young boy (human) is assigned a playmate after his old nanny is sent away. He is a sickly child, the second son of the family. He and his playmate make a pretend shrine to the fox god in a bush in the yard. His name is Bao and from his illnesses has developed the ability to sense when people are lying. Bao becomes a detective and is call in to find out the identity of a young woman found frozen on the doorstep of a restaurant.
Though the two characters are in no way connected, they appear to be searching and following the same paths.
This is a beautiful blend of detective story and the folklore of foxes in Chinese society.Foxes are able to portray themselves as human and are very charming and persuasive. Is it a fox appearing as human who is leaving behind a trail of women frozen in the snow?
readers who enjoy the folklore of the orient and a good detective story will love this book.

I loved this author’s previous book The Night Tiger, so I wanted to read this one, of course, then I saw that the author herselfvis narrating the audio - even more perfect … and don’t you just love it when a book lives up to high expectations?
Fox Wife was a joy to read - I felt myself transported through time and space and rooting for the main character Snow. Her grief and sorrow as well the journey she is on had me invested and I wanted her luck to turn - especially since she had an incredible sense of integrity despite having been given great power.
Fox Wife has an amazing and enchanting blend of genres historical fiction with a solid historical setting, just the right amount of fantasy or magical realism, and a compelling mystery, add to all that an engaging cast of characters and this was perfection. I loved reading and listening to this one ! I highly recommend giving this one a try - I was mesmerized!

Many years ago, I spent a year working in Hangzhou, China, which is roughly halfway between northern and southern China. I was told that it was considered “the South” since it was located south of the Yellow River. However, when the water froze in the winter, it felt positively arctic to this Californian! During my time there, I wanted to see the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in the far north of China. However, after seeing the sub-freezing temperature forecasts, I decided I to stay put in the “South.”
I’ve always regretted not experiencing the Ice and Snow Festival, so it was a lovely surprise when I discovered that Yangsze Choo’s newest book is set in wintery 20th century Manchuria! I loved the setting – the harsh winter of northern China pervades the novel, and this particular time and place was new to me historically speaking.

The Fox Wife brings Chinese folklore to life with its tale of a fox woman seeking revenge for her lost child, and a detective close on her heels. Snow (the fox wife) and Bao (the detective) narrate the novel in alternating chapters. Snow and Bao become involved with a large cast of characters and additional rumors of the supernatural as both protagonists edge closer to their respective targets. For all that this is a mystery, the pace is always a saunter and never breaks into a sprint. I wish The Fox Wife had managed to build up some more momentum. However, I found the clever and mischievous Snow and her fellow foxes charming as characters and felt that the audiobook was really well performed.

So long as they know not to expect a page turner, I think a number of my friends will also enjoy The Fox Wife, with its terrific premise, setting and folklore-inspired characters. Thank you to Henry Holt and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies of the e-book and audiobook.

REVIEW: Chinese historical mystery / folklore

Thank you #partner @macmillan.audio for my #gifted audiobook.

The Fox Wife
Yangsze Choo

"Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi, or life force, but nothing could be further from the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . ."

📖 1908: Snow is a mother seeking vengeance for her lost child, trailing a murderer from northern China to Japan. Hot on Snow's heels, detective Bao is determined to solve the murder of a courtesan, found frozen in a doorway. Navigating the myths and misconceptions of fox spirits, both Snow and Bao will encounter old friends and new foes, as more deaths occur.

💭 Blending a suspenseful historical mystery with an enchanting fairytale, The Fox Wife is an enthralling, multilayered novel of revenge, love, and second chances. Choo's writing is gorgeous, providing rich imagery and atmosphere, making this the perfect book to cozy up with on a cold winter day. ❄️

🎧 I'm always a bit hesitant to see an author narrating their own novel. I'm often of the mind that authors should leave the narration to the trained professionals (with the exception being memoirs).. Well friends... If Yangsze Choo ever quits writing, she could easily slip into the role of narrator. What a wonderful, impressive performance! Her voice was such a pleasure to listen to.

I have always enjoyed how Choo tells a story. She has a gentle writing style with focus on her cultural history and folktales. The Fox Wife is no different and I am so happy that I read this novel. I have always been interested in tales of fox spirits and how it is that the people of that time viewed and the beliefs and stories that were told about them.

Weaving the tale of a lost child, love, and the greediness of men and how that affected the foxes living at the time was intriguing, as was the intersecting paths that led to the final conclusion. I really enjoyed the narration and thought that our FMC had a fiery spirit and was willing to set out on her own to retrieve the justice she sought for her child. Battling lecherous and grabby hands of men young and old, serving her old lady faithfully, and acknowledging when she fell short in certain ways made me like her even more.

Even though this dealt with a triggering topic, I think that Choo handled it well and portrayed a grieving and angry mother in an understandable manner.

What a wonderful amalgamation of genres to mesmerize the reader:
Mystery: Bao is the investigator who tracks down clues to discover who is murdering girls.
Magical Realism: shapeshifters and mythology abound in this lyrical text.
Horror: casual brutality against women, murder, strangulation, kidnapping, conning, abuse, … and on and on.

And through it all, the hero, Ah San, pursues justice for her own kidnapped and murdered child.

The triangle of voices, Ah San, a woman seeking vengeance, and those of Bao and Taktan, circle a hidden truth. A cosmic joining of fate.

Bao and Taktan, elderly figures, adopt a pattern of storytelling that is like that of our own grandparents. Their story begins one way, and then each quickly takes a u-turn into their childhood memories. Separated in childhood, social class stunted their love story, but this magical story brings them together again fifty years later.

Bao and Taktan’s story almost reminds me of Love in the Time of Cholera.

As for vengeance, the author wields two swords - one for Ah San seeking the man who killed her child, and one for the reader who witnesses the horrors visited upon women. And while this is a story of revenge, it is steeped in so much beauty that one is seduced by the magic and poetry of the language.

The Fox Wife was a well written book by Yangsze Choo. It was the second book that I had the opportunity to read by her. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by the author herself. It was a book that portrayed magical elements, some elements of fantasy, a mystery that was woven throughout the story and even some romance. The Fox Wife took place in Manchuria during the early 1900’s. To my dismay, I found The Fox Wife to be extremely slow. It was hard to get into the crux of the story and follow all the characters. For those reasons, I was disappointed that I didn’t like it more than I did.

There were two main characters in The Fox Wife. Snow was a Huxian or a “supernatural, shape shifting being derived from a Fox and often depicted as female”. In Chinese mythology, a huxian was also known as a Fox fairy and was regarded in high esteem across northern China. Snow transformed into a woman and found employment as a maid to an elderly woman. Snow accompanied the woman to Japan and then back. As Snow moved across Manchuria, she had one thing on her mind. Snow was determined to seek out a way to avenge her daughter’s death that occurred two years prior. She was looking for the photographer who had commissioned a hunter to take her daughter’s life to secure her beautiful white fur coat.

Bao was getting on in years. He was still working as a detective even though many thought he should stop. Bao had a very unique inborn talent. From a very young age, Bao was easily able to distinguish between when a person was telling a lie and when the truth was being told. This ability helped Bao enormously in his role as a detective. Bao had also always been curious about foxes and fox spirits. His curiosity stemmed back to an old nursemaid that took care of Bao when he was a young boy. Bao had been sequestered to investigate a death of a young woman who was found at the door of a restaurant frozen to death. No one seemed to know her identity. She was dressed as a courtesan but with no coat in the cold winter weather of Manchuria. As Bao interrogated various people along his way, many mentioned a woman looking for a photographer. Bao was determined to find this woman. What would happen when his path crossed with the woman he sought?

The Fox Wife was not my favorite novel by Yangsze Choo. I felt that it was both too long and extremely slow. Perhaps others will find it more enjoyable than I did. There were parts that I enjoyed, however. I really liked the parts when Bao was young. His friendship with the daughter of a local neighbor was one of my favorite parts in the book. I really enjoyed how their relationship developed despite their class differences. The Fox Wife was about revenge, solving murders, hunting fox spirits, Asian folklore and mythology and all with a touch of fantasy. Even though this was not my all time favorite of Yangsze Choo I will recommend it if you enjoy elements of magical realism and fantasy. It was well written but very slow as I have already mentioned.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Fox Wife is not a typical detective story; at least not the kind I typically read. The story takes place in Mongolia and is about Bao, a detective, on a mission to find out a dead girl’s identity, and Snow (one of her many names) who is seeking vengeance for her daughter’s death.

There are many secrets, stories, and rumors about fox spirits, shadowless men, ghosts, and spirits intertwined along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Fox Wife.

Folklore and mystery combine for a glorious tale of murder, political intrigue and love. The plot twists in the middle of the story. The narrator is delightful.

Set in early 1900s Manchuria in the final years of the Qing dynasty, The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo his novel revolves around Snow/ Ah San as she embarks on a journey to find the man responsible for the death of her daughter. Her grief and quest for revenge take her across Manchuria to Japan and back. In the course of her journey, she enchants many and also encounters others like herself - with whom she shares history and as the narrative progresses, it becomes evident that her quest is not hers alone. Her journey intersects with that of Bao, an aging detective investigating the mysterious death of a young courtesan found frozen to death in the doorway of a restaurant. Bao is a loner who has a special ability to discern when someone is lying - a gift that renders him a successful investigator. Bao is intrigued when his investigation leads him to stories about the same young woman who seems to be searching for a photographer – the same man connected to his case. Bao also comes to know about the sightings of a fox near his crime scene – an omen he believes to be significant on account of the ancient beliefs about foxes and fox spirits that have been instilled in him since his childhood. As the story progresses and we get to know more about Bao and Snow, the events and people that have shaped their lives, it is only a matter of time before Snow and Bao inevitably cross paths.

Beautifully written with elegant prose The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is a slow-paced character-driven novel with an element of mystery woven into a narrative. steeped in Chinese folklore, emotion, wit, and magical realism. The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Snow (in the first person) and Bao. The strength of this novel lies in its characterizations and the vivid, immersive setting that transports you to Snow’s world of shapeshifters, myth, and secrets. Snow is a captivating character. She is emotional yet clever, driven, and headstrong, and her endeavors often land her in a predicament. In contrast, Bao is a quiet dignified man with meticulous attention to detail, intuitive and analytical but whose beliefs and firsthand experiences allow him to see the bigger picture in terms of the people and cases her investigates. Each of the supporting characters is well thought out, and though it was a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters, at no point did I lose interest or find the narrative difficult to follow. I will say that the mystery element often takes a backseat to the other aspects of the novel and the final resolution to the mystery was a tad underwhelming but there is a lot to like about this story and the characters. Overall, I found this novel to be a fascinating read.

I enjoyed reading the Author’s note, where she briefly discusses the beliefs revolving around Fox Spirits, the historical setting of this novel and much more.

I paired my reading with the beautiful audio narration by the author for a memorable immersion reading experience. Given the slower pace of the novel, the audio narration certainly enhanced my overall reading experience. I would suggest pairing the audio with the book or keeping the book handy as relying solely on audio might render following the large cast of characters a bit difficult.

Many thanks to Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC and NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A lush read, full of foxes, legends and bad weather. Here a reader will encounter mysteries within mysteries, murders, shapeshifting, flirting with intent, beautiful women, men, sexy foxes (worth a second mention), as well as many dinners and lots of tea, often with vaguely threatening digressions by the dinner guests, and occasional objects thrown. I recommend you stay jacketed, or have a warm covering and a cup of hot tea nearby as you read. And . . . have something fluffy available to pet, as well.

*A sincere thank you to Yangsze Choo, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for and ARC to read and independently review.* #TheFoxWife #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance audio copy of The Fox Wife in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this story and the audio narration by the author Yangsze Choo. The Fox Wife follows dual perspectives, Snow, a wily and grieving mother on a revenge mission, and Bao, a former teacher turned detective with the ability to hear when people are lying. Bao is hired to discover the name of a courtesan who froze to death in a restaurant doorway, an investigation which puts him on the trail of fox spirit rumors and plunges him into memories of his childhood. Snow, who is often quite a hilarious character, finds herself working as a maid for the retired matriarch of a famous medicine shop while she hunts down a nefarious photographer.

Snow's narration is in first person, and, especially as read by the author, is often quite funny. Although driven by a past tragedy, Snow's outlook on the world of humans and foxes is generally cheeky and wry, making for an incredibly enjoyable story. Each chapter ends in a moment that leaves you wanting to know more, and as the chapters alternate between Bao and Snow, you find yourself swept up in this magical tale. Each character, even minor ones, are wonderfully developed and the story is rich with observations of the time period, the Thousand Year Journey and living a virtuous life, and the mythology and folklore concerning fox spirits. Overall, this book was utterly delightful.

Yangsze Choo's narration of her book "The Fox Wife" was as mesmerizing and lyrical as the story itself. This is a book not to be rushed through! While I did find it went a bit long and slow in places, the characters were so enjoyable that I was willing to give it a little extra time.

This novel was the perfect blend of spellbinding Chinese folklore with strong character development and threads of intrigue. After the discovery of a dead woman, found in the snow in the doorway of a local establishment, detective Bao is tasked with finding the culprit. Strangely, references to foxes keep creeping up in his investigation, bringing up questions about fox spirits and the ways they provoke and manipulate the humans around them. "The Fox Wife" is a great choice for fantasy lovers and those who are willing to sink into a quieter character-driven novel.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting a copy of this audiobook to me for advance review; all opinions in this review are honest and my own!