For the second book review this month, I’ll be reviewing Kay MacLeod’s The Carnelian Fox. Honestly, I don’t remember how I came across this book, but it showed up on my Twitter account and I looked into it. After downloading the sample on my kindle, I fell in love with the idea and characters, promptly ordering a physical copy before I finished the sample.
The Carnelian Fox is a LitRPG novel that follows Sam Wentworth as she receives her first GEM, a genetically enhanced monster, a flame fox cub she names Finn. As a huge Pokemon fan, I loved the idea of GEMs and the unique twist in this story. A GEM had an animal species and a unique typing, sometimes gaining a second one when they evolved. With this setup, there are a wide variety of GEMs one could have, and ones that are introduced through the story. Though I loved Finn the most, I did enjoy the variety of Sam’s team. Honestly, I want a plush of Finn because foxes are one of my favorite creatures and I loved the way he was described in the book. I also enjoyed her other GEMs and the unique way each ended up in her care.
On her journey, Sam comes across different challenges to become a fully licensed Prime, and the variety kept the journey fresh and entertaining. Instead of having to battle every time to earn points towards being a Prime, there were unique challenges, such as obstacle courses, races, and obedience trials. I loved that there were different types of Primes, from fashion, battle, rescue, etc. which really aided in the world-building. Not every Prime was trying to accomplish the same task, i.e. being the very best battler.
The story was very plot-driven and not very predictable, which I appreciated. There were a few plot twists that swerved the story into a different direction than what I was expecting. Not to spoil anything, there was just one plot point I wasn’t thrilled about in the last portion of the book, but it didn’t lessen my reading experience.
My only major criticism was how the last forty or so pages went by really fast, when they could have taken their time with the huge events that were supposed to be taking place. If some extra time was taken to expand on those events, they would have had a bigger impact instead of rushing from one item to the next, blurring by leaving some confusion.
As of this review, I haven’t heard any news on book two, but I’m hoping there will be a book two. After the end of book one, I have to know what happens to Sam and her team.
Overall: 4.5 capsules out of 5
Kaylen Azalea Grimm 
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