Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~'s Reviews > The Foxhole Court

This novel is about Neil Josten.

✘ Freshmen at Palmetto State University.
✘ Hiding from his ruthless, crime boss father.
✘ Obsessed with Exy.
✘ Runs faster than you.

Generally when someone says "This book reads like fanfiction," that is not a compliment. It usually means one or more of the following things:

- The characters are unbelievable.
- The main character is a self-insert and/or they are the epitome of perfection.
- Typos. Grammatical Errors. Misspellings.
- The plot is nonexistent or poorly constructed.
- 50 Shades of Grey *cue scary music*

In this case, I don't mean to imply any of thee above.

When I say this book reads like fanfiction, I mean I read it the same way I used to read some of my all-time favorite fanfiction stories back in the day. With a joyful but ravenous intent.

It gave me that feeling I've had before where you're left staring at your computer screen wondering if maybe this anonymous author has portrayed truer versions of your favorites than their actual creators.

The main characters here are literally a pack of misfits & troubled individuals, and they're all absolute savages, which is perfectly fitting for such a wicked plot as this one.

I said "Oh my God" and "Jesus Christ" out loud more times than I care to count while reading this, it was just that entertaining.

Also I took a particular liking to the sport Sakavic created for her team, Exy, which plays like a mash-up between Soccer & Rugby with all the violence of Hockey.

It's interesting to try and imagine how the game plays out on a court & its brutality feels like a solid parallel to Neil's life, both on & off his team.

I also happen to find Neil's passion for it quite charming.

My only quip with this novel is the writing. It's not that good, folks.

It's not dreadful, but it lacks that polished consistency that comes from a professional editor.

Names were repeated too often in some sections, not enough in others. A couple confusing leaps between events here & there. Some cheesy dialogue that I can't imagine anyone saying in real life.

However, I'm definitely excited to find out more, as this installment is pretty short on answers about the overarching mystery that is Neil Josten. All in all, a strong, attention-getting debut.

Side note: Half-way through this I realized that if you squint the cover of this looks like 4 corn dogs about to be dipped in some corn dog-colored sauce...