“The Fox and The Devil” Is Unsettling and Captivating All At Once

Posted on by Amanda Kay Oaks

Generally speaking, I stay away from anything with the “horror” label. Yet I’ve always loved vampire stories, from my early days as an Amelia Atwater-Rhodes fan through my teenage Twilight era and beyond. So when I saw that Kiersten White, who impressed me with The House of Quiet, had a new sapphic romance about a vampire hunter’s daughter, I knew I’d brave the scares to read it.

Many thanks to Del Rey for the review copy of The Fox and the Devil, which came out Tuesday, March 10th. Let’s dig into my thoughts on this one.

The Fox and the Devil Synopsis

This book follows Anneke Van Helsing, daughter of the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing. Years after his murder, Anneke is determined to track down his killer, and she’s shaped her life as a detective around that quest. As she follows a series of gruesome crimes she’s confident are linked to the same killer, Anneke’s obsession deepens… and the killer’s own obsession with Anneke does, as well.

The Fox and the Devil Review

The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White Book Review
Photo by Amanda Kay Oaks

At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this one. It gets off to a bit of a slow start, but as the threads start coming together, things really pick up. The descriptions of the crime scenes Anneke investigates are pretty unsettling, as are some of the monsters she encounters. But for my part, the compelling story and engaging writing style made it so that I was able to focus on other things and not get too scared. It’s very much a vampire story, gothic horror vibe rather than a jump-scare soaked nightmare.

I could never predict where The Fox and the Devil would take me next. I love a surprising, twist-filled story, and I certainly found one here. It’s part horror, part sapphic love story, and part mystery. As Anneke encounters more information, things get more complicated rather than clearer, in the best way.

The story shifts over time and space in a way that some readers may find confusing. I had to occasionally flip back to the start of a chapter to confirm when and where we were. But I personally liked the nonlinear storytelling format for this book, and the way it sometimes plays around with point of view. This let us get a new perspective on things and help us settle into knowing different characters alongside Anneke.

Final Thoughts

Overall, The Fox and the Devil delivers a vampire story with a twist. The supernatural element adds another layer to a story that is, at its heart, about a young woman eager to prove herself to a world that rejects her for her gender. There are elements of found family and a bit of an unusual love story here, along with a gripping plot and well-rounded characters. I highly recommend this one to fans of Gothic stories, steampunk, and detective stories.

Related Reviews

I also reviewed White’s YA horror novel, The House of Quiet, which is a sort of X-Men meets Hunger Games delight.

WWRW March 11th

What We’re Reading Wednesday, March 11th

Posted on by Amanda Kay Oaks

Happy Wednesday, book friends! The last week has been a blur as I’ve been playing so much Pokemon Pokopia and also getting back into the swing of a busier period at work. So I haven’t made a ton of progress on my current reads, but I have been keeping a pretty consistent habit of reading in the mornings and evenings for at least a little while. We’ll take it.

The weather has been really nice here, with sunshine and higher temps. We’ll definitely be getting at least another few cold snaps before spring is truly in motion, but it’s been lovely to get outside a bit more while I can. Hopefully the wind dies down so I can read outside without my pages getting blown around! Anyway, let’s get into this week’s updates!

Recent Reads

I finished 0 books last week, but I did finally roll credits on Pokopia after well over 40 hours of gameplay.

Current Reads

WWRW Stack March 11th
Photo by Amanda Kay Oaks

I’ve made some good progress, but I’m still working on the same two books I was last week. I’ve gotten a good way into The Fox and the Devil*. It’s definitely a bit more horror than I typically lean into, but it’s not too much for me so far. I’m more than halfway through and very curious to see where it’s all going. With any luck, I’ll finish in the next few days and have my review ready to go.

Also about halfway into I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki. It’s not at all what I thought I’d be like, and I’m not sure I’m going to end up liking it. It’s a lot of direct transcripts from the author’s therapy sessions with little bits of reflection sprinkled in. And the therapy is very different to anything you’d get here in the U.S. It honestly makes me uncomfortable to read. But I’m curious enough to keep going, especially as it’s a fairly quick read.

Up Next & On to You

I’ve got work travel next week, so I’ll be loading my Kindle with eARCs and some manga for the road. What about you, book friends? What are you reading, and how is it going?