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cozysquib 's review for:
How the Fox Runs
by J.O. Ellis
How the Fox Runs by J.O. Ellis
It’s time to call it, Doc. Time of death: 10:06 p.m.
I really wanted to love this book and support an indie author, but unfortunately, I’m DNFing it at the 25% mark.
Please keep in mind that this is entirely a reflection of my personal tastes as a reader. I’m sharing why I chose not to continue, based on my experience with the first quarter of the book.
I picked this one up because it was labeled as fantasy. By 25%, I still hadn’t seen even a hint of a fantasy world. I double-checked the synopsis to see if I had misunderstood, but no, it promises a fantasy element that simply hadn’t materialized by the point I stopped. I didn’t pick up a fantasy book to read what felt like contemporary romance.
Even putting that aside, the execution didn’t work for me. The opening had promise, but it quickly started to fall flat. The dialogue felt clunky, with word choices that seemed more like written prose than natural conversation.
There’s also a weird, abrupt switch in Chapter 6 where use of the MMC’s last name suddenly changes to his first name. Under normal circumstances, this might not be a big deal, but given the power dynamic between the characters, the lack of explanation or context for this change made it feel jarring and out of place.
Then, when the MCs started showing romantic interest in each other, it felt completely unearned. There was no build-up or turning point to explain the shift in their feelings—it just happened, and I couldn’t buy into it.
Overall, the story felt disjointed and like it needed more refinement. But really, my biggest issue is that I picked this up expecting fantasy and got contemporary instead. I read across genres, but I choose them based on what I’m in the mood for. Getting the opposite of what I sought out is rarely going to work for me.
If you’ve read this and loved it, reach out and convince me to give it another shot. I’m not entirely opposed, but for now, this one didn’t land for me.
.
.
.
.
#joellis #howthefoxruns #bookrecommendations #bookreview #kindleunlimited #dnf
It’s time to call it, Doc. Time of death: 10:06 p.m.
I really wanted to love this book and support an indie author, but unfortunately, I’m DNFing it at the 25% mark.
Please keep in mind that this is entirely a reflection of my personal tastes as a reader. I’m sharing why I chose not to continue, based on my experience with the first quarter of the book.
I picked this one up because it was labeled as fantasy. By 25%, I still hadn’t seen even a hint of a fantasy world. I double-checked the synopsis to see if I had misunderstood, but no, it promises a fantasy element that simply hadn’t materialized by the point I stopped. I didn’t pick up a fantasy book to read what felt like contemporary romance.
Even putting that aside, the execution didn’t work for me. The opening had promise, but it quickly started to fall flat. The dialogue felt clunky, with word choices that seemed more like written prose than natural conversation.
There’s also a weird, abrupt switch in Chapter 6 where use of the MMC’s last name suddenly changes to his first name. Under normal circumstances, this might not be a big deal, but given the power dynamic between the characters, the lack of explanation or context for this change made it feel jarring and out of place.
Then, when the MCs started showing romantic interest in each other, it felt completely unearned. There was no build-up or turning point to explain the shift in their feelings—it just happened, and I couldn’t buy into it.
Overall, the story felt disjointed and like it needed more refinement. But really, my biggest issue is that I picked this up expecting fantasy and got contemporary instead. I read across genres, but I choose them based on what I’m in the mood for. Getting the opposite of what I sought out is rarely going to work for me.
If you’ve read this and loved it, reach out and convince me to give it another shot. I’m not entirely opposed, but for now, this one didn’t land for me.
.
.
.
.
#joellis #howthefoxruns #bookrecommendations #bookreview #kindleunlimited #dnf