Foxheart by Claire Legrand Book Review

Orphan. Thief. Witch.
Twelve-year-old Quicksilver dreams of becoming the greatest thief in the Star Lands. With her faithful dog and partner-in-crime Fox, she’s well on her way—even if that constantly lands them both in trouble. It’s a lonesome life, sleeping on rooftops and stealing food for dinner, but Quicksilver doesn’t mind. When you’re alone, no one can hurt you. Or abandon you.
But the seemingly peaceful Star Lands are full of danger. Witches still exist—although the powerful Wolf King and his seven wolves have been hunting them for years. Thankfully, his bloody work is almost complete. Soon the Star Lands will be safe, free of the witches and their dark magic.
Then one day a strange old woman and her scruffy dog arrive in Quicksilver’s town and perform extraordinary magic. Real magic—forbidden and dangerous. Magic Quicksilver is desperate to learn. With magic like that, she could steal anything her heart desires. She could even find her parents.
But the old woman is not what she seems, and soon Quicksilver has to decide—will she stay at home and remain a thief? Or will she embark upon the adventure of a lifetime and become a legend?

Hello Book Lovers!

Today’s review is on an enjoyable Middle Grade novel, Foxheart by Claire Legrand. This novel is a standalone which is refreshing since I usually get caught up in series haha. The novel also falls into the Fantasy genre which is naturally up my ally, so I definitely ended up enjoying it. See below for all my thoughts 🙂

Ownership: ARC borrowed from workplace  
Genre: Middle Grade; Fantasy 
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Published: 2016
Pages: 480
Price: $16.99 (hardcover);
Place: Amazon,  B & N, Book Depository, GoodReads, IndieBound

Foxheart by Claire Legrand follows the young and clever Quicksilver, a girl who was abandoned to an orphanage run by nuns. Quicksilver grows up with rebellion in her heart and the wish to be the greatest thief in the land. The world she knows has no magic, as the Wolf King has killed all the witches that used to live in the land and banned all magic. When she turns 12, she befriends a dog she names Fox & has gained a lot of skill as a thief. After one dangerous night at the orphanage, Quicksilver runs away to the nearby town of Willow-on-the-River where she meets Sly Boots whom she eventually befriends. One day they meet a strange old woman who drags them back through time where Quicksilver& Sly Boots learn of magic & the evil of the Wolf King. On a journey Quicksilver never wanted to go on, she must confront herself and her loyalties as her decisions will leave lasting effects in her own present-time world.

This novel had a bit of a slow start but definitely drew me in to the plot and characters. I enjoyed reading about Quicksilver and watching her grow up and encounter all her struggles. Legrand did a wonderful job of developing Quicksilver as a character. I loved seeing Quicksilver struggle with herself and her decisions as she somewhat unwillingly took on her quest in the past.  She definitely turned out to be a strong female MC and I really liked that she had qualities that I might not always enjoy in a MC. Legrand definitely made her into a believable character. While this novel had a lot of action, I’d definitely say that it was character driven. Without Quicksilver’s inner struggles and inner journey to find the person she wanted to be, this novel probably wouldn’t have been as enjoyable for me.

The world-building  for the novel wasn’t something terribly new in the Fantasy genre, but I still enjoyed the premise & it had plenty of unique qualities that I haven’t seen. I really enjoyed stepping back into a fantasy setting as I haven’t been reading as much fantasy lately.  I also enjoyed how Legrand set up Quicksilver’s journey and the mission she needed to fulfill to defeat the Wolf King. The actual mission itself definitely lent itself to action scenes and new settings within the novel.

Additionally, the multiple side characters (including the Wolf King) were interesting and aided in Quicksilver’s journey (both her inner one and the more physical one). My two favorite character relationships were Quicksilver & the old woman’s relationship and Quicksilver & Sly Boots’ relationship. Both explored friendship and loyalty in different ways and I enjoyed seeing how Quicksilver handled both relationships and her trust of both these characters.

In the end, this story had a bittersweet ending, but a fitting ending nevertheless. I definitely wished one or two things happened differently, but I completely understand why they happened the way they did. Plus, some stories need to have a bittersweet ending because that’s the how the story really would end in reality. I just always want everything to be happy & perfect at the end haha but no really this ending was great for this storyline and I completely understand why it had to happen that way. Just. All. The. Feels.

Overall, I ended up really enjoying this novel. It was a little long, but needed to be as a it was a standalone and I really did end up loving every page of the story. Legrand did a suburb job with this story and I’d recommend it to any fantasy readers (both YA or MG). It’s definitely worth checking out and delving into! Just be prepared for some feels! <3

Have you read Foxheart? Have you read a recent MG Fantasy novel? Let me know all your thoughts below! 

Happy Reading!

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