The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox

Edmund Han

Great characters, great plot!

"Great characters, great plot. Really nothing more that you can ask for from a standalone fantasy novel! ["

March 2, 2026 Verified Purchase

bookdragonart3mis

Four Stars!

"This was my first experience with this author, and I was instantly captivated by the rich tapestry of Chinese mythology woven throughout the story. Asian fantasy has a special place in my heart! “The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox” was beautifully crafted, diving deep into themes of prejudice and moral complexity. It’s fascinating how what we often view as evil can have a glimmer of goodness, and how even the “heroic” can possess shadows. While I would have loved a bit more romance, what was there truly resonated with me. The intense hatred and loathing between the characters practically jumped off the page, making it all the more gratifying to witness their relationship evolve as they faced challenge after challenge in the Courts of Hell. I particularly enjoyed watching them, against all odds, come to respect and appreciate one another, gradually softening into something much deeper. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t help but wish it were a duology! I’d be thrilled to see that romance blossom even further! ["

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May 20, 2026

Briane S

Another amazing fantasy from Katrina Kwan

"Thanks to the publisher for the ARC copy (via netgalley) This is probably my favorite Katrina Kwan book so far! It was fast paced from the start and a bit more gory (not derogatory!) than her previous book. I loved all the trials through the rings of hell and how other chinese myths were interwoven throughout. There's a bit of romance but it doesn't feel like it's the main focus (also not derogatory, it progressed throughout the story and felt so natural and not rushed or forced.) . What really shined through for me, was the found family aspect. I loved watching the friendships developed not only between Yue and Sonam but with Wen and Sooah. I loved every page of it! ["

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May 6, 2026

Tammy

The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox

"📚The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox ✍🏻Katrina Kwan Blurb: From the author of The Last Dragon of the East comes a sweeping fantasy adventure with a dash of romance between a nine-tailed fox and the demon-hunter who captures her, banished to the underworld together and forced to form a reluctant alliance in order to escape the circles of Hell. Yue may be the last of her kind. At night, she stalks the streets of the capital city of Longhao, luring in unsuspecting victims with the mask of a beautiful woman, then consuming them in her true form of the nine-tailed fox. When she is captured by a powerful demon hunter named Sonam and banished to Hell, she manages one final act of dragging him—and two of his subordinates—down with her. Now trapped in an abyss with unimaginable terrors, they’ll need each other’s help to navigate Hell and bypass the gods who preside over each circle, each of whom presents the group with a unique and deadly challenge. Forced to depend on one another as they claw their way out of the underworld, both demon and demon hunter discover that there might be more to the other than meets the eye. My Thoughts: The story follows Yue, a dangerous and fascinating nine-tailed fox who lures victims through the streets of Longhao before meeting her match in demon hunter Sonam. When the two are dragged into Hell together, the adventure truly begins.. Yue and Sonam went from enemies to reluctant allies to friends to eventually caring for one another.Yue is a nine-tailed fox demon who eats humans, but she can take on the appearance of a human if she's wearing her magical porcelain mask. When demon-hunter Sonam manages to send her to Hell, Yue drags him down with her, along with two of his friends. The group must work together to navigate Hell’s courts if they want to survive and return to the living. I enjoyed this book and would recommend to others, add this to you TBR list. Thanks NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Author Katrina Kwan for the complimentary copy of "The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation. #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #KatrinaKwan #TheLegendoftheNine-TailedFox ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ["

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March 14, 2026

books.and.bad.ideas

Of Demons and Demon Hunters

"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩. 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘍𝘰𝘹. 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. Thank you to @katrinazkwan @simonandschuster and @netgalley for the opportunity to arc this amazing tale. The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by Katrina Kwan is a standalone fantasy book based in Chinese mythology that examines both perception and what truly defines evil. This book was an absolute blast for both the fantasy lover in me and the the mythology nerd who cannot get enough of various mythologies around the world. Chinese hell is both very like and unlike the Judeo-Christian model of hell (I think it's closer to Dante's interpretation of hell in his Inferno, but instead of tiers, it's more like courts, or palaces within palaces within palaces), but it still brings up the question of our definitions of evil and whether demons (in this case a jiuweihu, or nine-tailed fox) are inherently evil, or if they are manifestations of human suffering. Possibly what I enjoyed the most about this book, though it's hard to pick one thing, is Yue's characterization. Rather than simply being "evil"-- a man-eating nine-tailed fox spirit who seduces and lures in people through the beauty of her human visage-- Yue is complicated. She eats people, yes, but not the people she's accused of eating. Rather than a scourge, an irredeemable blight on human king, Yue is stuck between humanities interpretation of her existence, and who she is as a living, breathing creature. Soulless, yes, but not because she's a heartless monster. Yue, meaning moon, connects her intrinsically to the overarching narrative throughout the book of the legendary archer who fells the star gods to stop their cruelty. Without spoiling the plot, this is such a good addition to the enemies-to-lovers arc that makes it mean so much more than simply people who learn to get along despite their differences. It feels, by the end of the book, that there is a cosmic or divine hand (Fate, gods, whatever you want to ascribe it to) at work to bring Yue and Sonam together. Like I said in the previous paragraph, picking one feature about this book was hard enough, but even summarizing what makes this book just so satisfying to read is hard. It's a story of survival, of trauma, of religion and faith, of fate, of gods and monsters, and of love. It is a story that, at the end of the day, can be boiled down to the author's note at the beginning of the book: "At the end of the day, I think that's what everybody needs to hear. That we're worthy of love and forgiveness, despite the mistakes that have made us." ["

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February 24, 2026