Review: the Fox's Mask
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 6, 2013
This novel was extremely well written, but I found that I had a difficult time getting engaged in the story. Once I finally got into it, it turned out to be a very intriguing story. Part of the issue that I found was that the crux of the story occurs in the last half. The first half of the story is a large amount of background information.Frost has an amazingly well developed cast of characters. Each one is ideally suited to their purpose in life. That said, not one single character is the "perfect" person. Each one is a real individual, with real strengths and real flaws. They all find themselves in social situations that you could run into in a normal day at home, school, or the office. These situations are heightened by the supernatural backdrop of the story, but they are still realistic interactions. The familial relationships within the story had me giggling. The main characters treat each other like a real pair of siblings would, and interact with their parents like a real family.I was also completely enthralled by the complex mythology of the kitsune that is the backdrop for this story. It is based in a fairly traditional Japanese setting. The characters also have traditional Japanese names. This all helps round out the story.Finally, this story was complete in and of itself. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely the potential for more to come after this story and I can't wait for the sequel, but I loved the fact that this story had an ending. It did not end like so many other books in a series, where the characters are basically being held suspended until the sequel is published.