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paperdreamsblog's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a fun read! It starts off abit like a middle school read but quickly transfers to a more mature story as events unfold. One of my favourite scenes was near the end that S.M. Beiko created that made me feel all goosebumpy- loved it. I also LOVE that this is a fantasy book but it's set in Winnipeg, Manitoba! Theres not near enough fantasy books set in Canada- Canadian here :) But anyways, I really enjoyed this story and loved how it unfolded. I will definitely be reading the next!
rendz's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Full Review: https://readingwithrendz.wordpress.com/2017/11/11/scion-of-the-fox-review/
Well this was definitely an interesting read no doubt. It was a little bit of a roller coaster ride in terms of how I felt about it at times while reading, but overall it was a pretty fun read! With an added bonus that it’s set in Canada!
What I Liked
Characters
Roan: Our lovely chosen one. (As she so warmly names herself) Um…I actually have some mixed feelings about her. She was a very entertaining character to follow. She definitely wasn’t the perfect hero! She felt like giving up multiple times (she almost did), but like the good heroine she is, she pulled through. She made not so intelligent decisions, some of them more mind-boggling than others (more on that later). I wouldn’t label her as my fave character, but she was alright.
Sil: Sil was an interesting character to follow! She was the not fairy god mother but still the wise figure in Roans adventure. Wise and very sassy. I really enjoyed her banter with Roan as it made the book a whole lot more entertaining.
Eli: Very interesting. Very troublesome. Not exactly a villain but definitely possesses some evilish qualities. Not exactly the most romantic hero for Roan either (like they have issues)….but unless I read into it wrong he’s feeling something! (There wasn’t any romance in the book, I’m just pointing out from observation!)
Other characters…Roan had a great cast of friends by her side. Phae, Barton, Natti and more who helped her survive her journey. There were secondary characters that were less likeable, but that I liked to hate so I had fun following them too.
Setting:
Le duh! Set in Canada, specifically Winnipeg (a city I be never actually visited…I haven’t visited a lot of Canada FYI) The story takes places during the winter so the atmosphere really contrasts with Roan and makes her stand out! Where she burns bright with fire her surroundings are very cold, ominous and chilling. And then as the story melts into spring, her fire gets more intense and the big show down happens.
Magic System:
While I liked it, it was also kind of hard to wrap my head around. I liked the use of the elements and the Ancient system that passed down their powers from generation to generation. It was classic so I enjoyed it. What stumped me were the animal familiars. I didn’t have a problem with the Owls, Fox, Seal or Deer….what stumped me was the Rabbit, representative of the earth element. It was just funny to imagine because I see earth as a strong and fortifying element but envisioning cute little bunnies kind of threw me off (and it didn’t help that the people descending from this line looked jittery and scared). I don’t know, it just didn’t work for me. Otherwise, I really like the Magic and its ties to humanity and the villain.
What I Disliked
Predictive:
I saw a few things from a mile away, that were really no surprises or shocking revelations. I felt that the intensity of the novel was low, there weren’t any really OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG moments, but it wasn’t completely flat either. I think this was a little juvenile for me despite some of the more mature themes.
Trope Talking:
This book had some tropes in which I was like, whatever *shrug* But then the author goes and makes fun of the tropes within the book…in which I was like okay….? The obvious one is the Chosen One trope, ie Roan. She actually poked fun and makes jokes about being the Chosen one….and continues to do so throughout the story. It was funny at first, but then it gets annoying so I really could have done without it. The author does this with a few other tropes too: the white saviour w/ a diverse side cast and the old wise person, dead parents are some examples. It’s kind of like saying “these tropes kind of suck, but I’m going to use them anyways!”
Roan’s Idiot Mistake, for being an Idiot Chosen One:
I read about 400 pages of Roan trying to stop Eli from being evil. She helps him get through some intense struggle and y’all, they pull through. And then in the final chapter, she made the same damn choices as evil-Eli so now she is at risk of becoming evil! Was she not present for the earlier chapters of the book??? Did she not realize the consequences of her decision??? Apparently this book is a cycle, and we are going to get right back where we started.
Overall, I did enjoy most of the book. It was fun and magical. A little flat in some areas, but it was a solid read.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Recommend: I think this would work well with younger YA readers
Full Review: https://readingwithrendz.wordpress.com/2017/11/11/scion-of-the-fox-review/
Well this was definitely an interesting read no doubt. It was a little bit of a roller coaster ride in terms of how I felt about it at times while reading, but overall it was a pretty fun read! With an added bonus that it’s set in Canada!
What I Liked
Characters
Roan: Our lovely chosen one. (As she so warmly names herself) Um…I actually have some mixed feelings about her. She was a very entertaining character to follow. She definitely wasn’t the perfect hero! She felt like giving up multiple times (she almost did), but like the good heroine she is, she pulled through. She made not so intelligent decisions, some of them more mind-boggling than others (more on that later). I wouldn’t label her as my fave character, but she was alright.
Sil: Sil was an interesting character to follow! She was the not fairy god mother but still the wise figure in Roans adventure. Wise and very sassy. I really enjoyed her banter with Roan as it made the book a whole lot more entertaining.
Eli: Very interesting. Very troublesome. Not exactly a villain but definitely possesses some evilish qualities. Not exactly the most romantic hero for Roan either (like they have issues)….but unless I read into it wrong he’s feeling something! (There wasn’t any romance in the book, I’m just pointing out from observation!)
Other characters…Roan had a great cast of friends by her side. Phae, Barton, Natti and more who helped her survive her journey. There were secondary characters that were less likeable, but that I liked to hate so I had fun following them too.
Setting:
Le duh! Set in Canada, specifically Winnipeg (a city I be never actually visited…I haven’t visited a lot of Canada FYI) The story takes places during the winter so the atmosphere really contrasts with Roan and makes her stand out! Where she burns bright with fire her surroundings are very cold, ominous and chilling. And then as the story melts into spring, her fire gets more intense and the big show down happens.
Magic System:
While I liked it, it was also kind of hard to wrap my head around. I liked the use of the elements and the Ancient system that passed down their powers from generation to generation. It was classic so I enjoyed it. What stumped me were the animal familiars. I didn’t have a problem with the Owls, Fox, Seal or Deer….what stumped me was the Rabbit, representative of the earth element. It was just funny to imagine because I see earth as a strong and fortifying element but envisioning cute little bunnies kind of threw me off (and it didn’t help that the people descending from this line looked jittery and scared). I don’t know, it just didn’t work for me. Otherwise, I really like the Magic and its ties to humanity and the villain.
What I Disliked
Predictive:
I saw a few things from a mile away, that were really no surprises or shocking revelations. I felt that the intensity of the novel was low, there weren’t any really OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG moments, but it wasn’t completely flat either. I think this was a little juvenile for me despite some of the more mature themes.
Trope Talking:
This book had some tropes in which I was like, whatever *shrug* But then the author goes and makes fun of the tropes within the book…in which I was like okay….? The obvious one is the Chosen One trope, ie Roan. She actually poked fun and makes jokes about being the Chosen one….and continues to do so throughout the story. It was funny at first, but then it gets annoying so I really could have done without it. The author does this with a few other tropes too: the white saviour w/ a diverse side cast and the old wise person, dead parents are some examples. It’s kind of like saying “these tropes kind of suck, but I’m going to use them anyways!”
Roan’s Idiot Mistake, for being an Idiot Chosen One:
I read about 400 pages of Roan trying to stop Eli from being evil. She helps him get through some intense struggle and y’all, they pull through. And then in the final chapter, she made the same damn choices as evil-Eli so now she is at risk of becoming evil! Was she not present for the earlier chapters of the book??? Did she not realize the consequences of her decision??? Apparently this book is a cycle, and we are going to get right back where we started.
Overall, I did enjoy most of the book. It was fun and magical. A little flat in some areas, but it was a solid read.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Recommend: I think this would work well with younger YA readers
sydneystories's review against another edition
1.0
I try to read YA books, try to go out of my comfort zone, and all I pick out is crap. I'm not saying every Young Adult book is bad, I'm just saying this one really sucked. It spent a long time making sure you knew all the characters were in some way disabled or of some other culture than rich white people, but the rest of the book was all animal gods this and a 17 year old saving the world that. I think if you were like 13 you'd like it. I don't know why I try with YA books anymore, even fantasy ones.
leighsnerdlife's review against another edition
4.0
Scion of the Fox is Canadian YA urban fantasy. But it’s not the usual story set in Toronto or Vancouver - it’s in Winnipeg. I’ll admit, it was refreshing to read about somewhere different for once. As for the story itself, the world Beiko has built is certainly detailed and fascinating, but I feel like the execution could have used some cleaning up.
The flip between past-tense and present-tense, and then first-person and third was really off-putting - it constantly pulled me out of the story. Pacing was also a bit inconsistent, slowing down and then jumping ahead in a way that didn’t really suit the plot. This book is actually the first in a trilogy, and I have hope that the next book addresses some of these issues. It’s already out, so I plan on giving it a spin soon.
3.5/5
The flip between past-tense and present-tense, and then first-person and third was really off-putting - it constantly pulled me out of the story. Pacing was also a bit inconsistent, slowing down and then jumping ahead in a way that didn’t really suit the plot. This book is actually the first in a trilogy, and I have hope that the next book addresses some of these issues. It’s already out, so I plan on giving it a spin soon.
3.5/5
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