Description
A sapphic fantasy adventure graphic novel inspired by the Korean folklore of Gumiho, the nine-tailed fox.
Kai has trained all her life in her father’s martial arts school. Though she is looked down upon for being a girl, she proves her courage when assassins launch a ruthless attack on her family. Yet Kai is the inheritor of a dark secret: each month she is transformed into a fox demon, and must hunt and kill a man so she can return to her life as a young woman. As the deaths mount and the townspeople start to voice their suspicions, Kai desperately searches for a way out.
Meanwhile, there is a mysterious girl who shares a secret bond with Kai, and whose love may be the key to breaking her curse . . .
Inspired by the ancient nine-tailed fox legends of Korea, The Fox Maidens is a searing, thrilling fantasy romance told in beautiful, striking graphic art.
Review
Set in Korea in the time of the Josean dynasty (1392-1910), where there was a real social class system.
Luckily for our main character, Kai, her father slayed the Gumiho and was elevated into the ruling Yangban class. The Gumiho was a nine-tailed fox that legend says could disguise itself as a beautiful women to lure unsuspecting suitors and then kill them to eat their livers.
Because of her father's position as commander of the Royal Legion, Kai has learned how to fight even the best male opponents and is revered by those who have come to know her.
But Kai had no idea what would happen when she came of age ... Could the legend of the Gumiho be closer to home than she could ever expect?
Filled with Korean folklore and terrific graphic details in the illustrations, I found this to be an engrossing book from start to finish and I highly recommend it to secondary students aged 13 to 16.
Reviewed by Rob
