Review of 'White Fox'

White Fox by Sara Faring is a young adult mystery, following two girls as they look for their missing mother ten years after her disappearance.

An exciting novel that is an unexpected thrill as it lures in the reader.

Slow & Steady

What Faring does very well with White Fox is the pacing. It is a steady journey for the reader, one that opens with the girls and builds up their personalities, reflecting on the loss of their mother. Their mother just vanished in the night without a word, and now the girls who have been living in America for years return home to their Mediterranean island, left with a clue that their mother may be alive.

There is much tension in the story not only surrounding the girls and how different they are, but also the idea of this mysterious script that went missing at the same time as their mother. However, what is more, is the fact that in his final days, their father claimed to have seen her standing in the woods that surround their home.

There is so much rising tension in the story to make it intriguing. Faring builds up the mysterious and chilling atmosphere not only by putting the characters on a volcanic island but also by her details and descriptions. White Fox is itself sounds mysterious, and the forest by their house, calling it the Delirium Forest, allows the eerie atmosphere to resonate off the pages.

Interludes

However, while Faring has a great atmosphere and steady pace, there are times when the story is less than engaging and times when it shines.

The interludes featuring pieces of the script are the most noteworthy aspects of the story. They paint a fantastical look at their mother’s life and the men in it. It is up to the girls to decipher the meaning of the text, and the reader is intrigued by it as well.

The script of White Fox is the most curious part of the storytelling because it gives the reader an idea of who their mother was and guided the girls on their journey to discover just who their mother was. They were too young to know her and now they are discovering they did not know her at all. Once again, this leads to a notable rise in tension and mystery, building up the eerie atmosphere.

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that Faring has a way with language and storytelling, and it was ingenious of her to reference her previous novel The Tenth Girl, but her characterization is lacking. Manon and Thaïs are wholly unlikable, making the reader unable to connect to them genuinely. Yes, the reader can sympathize with them, but overall, their dynamic, the built-up resentment between the two characters, and how they belittle one another takes sibling discord to another level. It just prevents the reader from really investing in them.

Nevertheless, they do grow as characters which the reader can appreciate, and coupled with the mystery, White Fox is a compelling narrative.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband and son and their two cats, Mr. J the Kitten and Nyx.