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Every now and then, you stumble upon a story that creates an atmosphere so refreshing, exciting, and raw. It's a niche and unique world that completely consumes you, drowning you in its presence. For days and weeks, it becomes the only thing on your mind, and you hopelessly wish to be back within its pages. I fell in love with this book almost instantly. In fact, by the time I finished reading the back cover in the bookstore, I had already given it my heart. It quickly became everything I had always wanted, without me even realizing what I was looking for.
The writing style is distinct. It's filled with excitement, fast-paced, and highly descriptive. I adored it. It's yet another quality that enhances the ambiance this book offers. At times, this style supports the setting so well that it feels as if you're swimming along with the characters, experiencing the adrenaline rush coursing through their veins. It works almost perfectly.
The characters initially capture you with a childlike quasi-innocence that inevitably transforms into full-on rebellious behavior. While this may seem like a cliché, it has never been so captivating (at least for me). FOXFIRE proudly develops a devious and misandric personality, and their punk fearlessness is something I immediately and hopelessly found myself siding with, especially against the never-ending stream of sexist, perverted, and disgusting men they encounter.
Undoubtedly, the main core of this story's appeal and awesomeness lies in the fact that it focuses on a girl gang in a time and place where such a thing was unheard of, let alone imagined. The situations these teenage girls are put into serve as a gritty reminder of what life is truly like for women in a sexualized society, both then and now. The things women and girls have to endure are scarring, disgusting, and unfair. Some may never even be discussed, but they undoubtedly happen regularly, even if unconsciously.
The sexism, double standards, and constant oversexualization still present in our society truly make me sick. Honestly, I found FOXFIRE to be a perfect outlet for all the violent, frustrated, and twisted Vendetta fantasies that I can't help but envision whenever I hear about sexual assault or harassment. (Okay, so maybe that wasn't the author's direct intention, but it's definitely effective.)
On a less intense physical note, this story also closely follows the birth, life, and death of a friendship (and almost a sibling relationship) and love (sometimes hate) among a group of outcasts. I couldn't help but fall in love with this aspect as well. And although it playfully (and sometimes painfully) hints at something more (ffs, I shipped it so hard), it's enough to know that, despite their lives being constantly in danger, this group of misfit girls successfully banded together to survive and thrive, not only to be feared but also to be recognized and respected. And that's pretty significant.
This book is a beautiful and eerily inspirational narrative of a world that was likely a reality at some point but was never told. Now, here it is, a vulnerable and intimate account of this group of outcast troublemaking punks trying to survive in a society that seems to be against them.
It was truly an amazing read, and I will undoubtedly pick it up again in the future. I'm still in the high of its climax, almost a full day after putting it down, and I'll naturally be going through its withdrawal in the upcoming week. Yay.
The writing style is distinct. It's filled with excitement, fast-paced, and highly descriptive. I adored it. It's yet another quality that enhances the ambiance this book offers. At times, this style supports the setting so well that it feels as if you're swimming along with the characters, experiencing the adrenaline rush coursing through their veins. It works almost perfectly.
The characters initially capture you with a childlike quasi-innocence that inevitably transforms into full-on rebellious behavior. While this may seem like a cliché, it has never been so captivating (at least for me). FOXFIRE proudly develops a devious and misandric personality, and their punk fearlessness is something I immediately and hopelessly found myself siding with, especially against the never-ending stream of sexist, perverted, and disgusting men they encounter.
Undoubtedly, the main core of this story's appeal and awesomeness lies in the fact that it focuses on a girl gang in a time and place where such a thing was unheard of, let alone imagined. The situations these teenage girls are put into serve as a gritty reminder of what life is truly like for women in a sexualized society, both then and now. The things women and girls have to endure are scarring, disgusting, and unfair. Some may never even be discussed, but they undoubtedly happen regularly, even if unconsciously.
The sexism, double standards, and constant oversexualization still present in our society truly make me sick. Honestly, I found FOXFIRE to be a perfect outlet for all the violent, frustrated, and twisted Vendetta fantasies that I can't help but envision whenever I hear about sexual assault or harassment. (Okay, so maybe that wasn't the author's direct intention, but it's definitely effective.)
On a less intense physical note, this story also closely follows the birth, life, and death of a friendship (and almost a sibling relationship) and love (sometimes hate) among a group of outcasts. I couldn't help but fall in love with this aspect as well. And although it playfully (and sometimes painfully) hints at something more (ffs, I shipped it so hard), it's enough to know that, despite their lives being constantly in danger, this group of misfit girls successfully banded together to survive and thrive, not only to be feared but also to be recognized and respected. And that's pretty significant.
This book is a beautiful and eerily inspirational narrative of a world that was likely a reality at some point but was never told. Now, here it is, a vulnerable and intimate account of this group of outcast troublemaking punks trying to survive in a society that seems to be against them.
It was truly an amazing read, and I will undoubtedly pick it up again in the future. I'm still in the high of its climax, almost a full day after putting it down, and I'll naturally be going through its withdrawal in the upcoming week. Yay.