I certainly wanted to like "Foul is Fair" more than I did. I found the plot and the characters to be uninteresting. I wish I had liked it more but it just didn't click for me.

This is a hard book to review because on the one hand, I couldn't put it down. I was so engrossed in the story and I had to know what was going to happen next. But on the other hand, I hated the writing style and I never really got to know the characters.

I was initially interested in this book because I love adaptations of Shakespeare and this an reimagining of Macbeth. And it was honestly a pretty faithful rendition. I loved all the nods to the original work and I appreciated that pretty much beat for beat, this followed the story of Macbeth.

I think where it falls short for me is the staccato writing style and being held at arm's length for the entirety of the story. All that being said, I'd still give it 3.5 or 4 stars because I literally couldn't put it down and read in basically one sitting.

Five brilliant bloody stars. I love a good female empowering book. I always recommend Hannah Capin when someone asks for contemporary books with strong females.

Capin’s debut knocked my socks off, so I had high expectations for her sophomore novel, which were met and surpassed. The writing style in FOUL IS FAIR makes the plot more illusive than the straight murder mystery of THE DEAD QUEENS CLUB, demonstrating Capin’s range and versatility. Readers beware that this book references sexual assault and rape, and feature extensive violence. This is a dark revenge fantasy with deep inspirational ties to that Scottish play. By continuing her streak of loose adaptations, Capin proves her depth of knowledge in her ability to twist it into a modern setting and story while keeping the heart of her inspiration IP.

Very excellent retelling and reimagining of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was always my favorite character in the play and to see her as the main character was great. I loved the way her interactions with the boys and Macbeth was used to drive her plot for revenge against what was done to her. Her friends also played the part of the 3 witches that foretell Macbeth’s demise in the play which I liked a lot. It was a great book that talked a lot about sexual assault and taking back your power a part from getting revenge.

Foul is Fair is not the typical book for me. I have to be honest and say at the beginning, I really didn’t think the style of how the book was written was for me. I did go into it mostly blind and was going off of the premise Netgalley promoted by saying it was “Kill Bill meets Cruel Intentions” . I did not know it was a retelling of Macbeth until I was about half way through it. Once I was into the story of Elle/Jade and her coven, I was pretty hooked, mainly by the revenge aspect of the story. I was so proud of Elle/Jade and her taking back her life while getting revenge. The writing was almost like a fantastic dream, which I thought was what would happen at the end. Overall I did enjoy the story and am glad I stuck with it. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately, I didn't see the warning before I started to read this. I couldn't start it and it was such an interesting concept. Thank you for the early opportunity though!

"They picked the wrong girl." Did they ever! Elizabeth Jade Khanjara, or Elle as she prefers to be called, and her best friends Jenny, Summer, and Mads, are untouchable - until Elle's sweet sixteen when she is gang raped at a party. Instead of going into hiding, she vows revenge. She cuts her hair, dyes it black (the exact shade is called "revenge"), changes the name she goes by to her middle name, Jade, and enrolls at the high school the boys attend. She and her friends then put their plan into action, and the school is never going to be the same.

This was a hard book to read at times, I'm not gonna lie. It was harsh and raw and dealt with some very real issues. Yes, the revenge went way too far, but you kind of get why they go the route they do. It's a revenge fantasy, pure and simple.

4/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

I started this book, not knowing it was more fantasy driven (witches etc). I read a few chapters before I knew that this was not the book for me. I am unable to provide feedback, because I did not finish the whole novel.

I can remember the day I received the email from a publisher (@wednesdaybooks) - having worked with them on new releases in the YA genre, they had sent me many amazing reads. This one was different from the books I normally read, as it was classified as a YA thriller. There was violence, off-the-page-SA, and did I mention violence? I didn't know if I was strong enough to read it at the time. It was February 2020, and my family was so sick at the time (we all know what happened next). So the book sat on the shelf. 

When I went to the library with my son, I had to pass through the YA section. I just happened to catch this book sitting on the shelf, and I remembered having it as an ARC. I checked it out (I love a physical book vs ebook option!) and dove in.

Foul is Fair is a modern retelling of Macbeth. On the night of her 16th birthday, Elle attends a party with her friends where she is SA. With the help of her friends, she plots revenge by transferring to their school, rising to power and taking them out one by one. There’s a lot of blood, a lot of violence (not gory or graphic but still there) and a lot of emotions repressed as the plot continues.

If you are looking for sympathetic characters and a completely realistic plot, then this might not be the book for you. But knowing all this, I still found myself quickly turning the pages to see what would happen next. Watching the structure of Macbeth mix with Heathers and Cruel Intentions was very interesting to me!

This was a fast read that I could have read in one sitting (my kids prevent me from doing that anymore!)

I unfortunately have to give my honest opinion of this and say I didn’t like it and I DNFed it… I couldn’t connect at all and lost all interest to move forward. I can’t exactly pin point what didn’t work for me, perhaps the writing style.

Well, this was... very difficult to read. I have a hard time with characters who are not redeemable in any way, and that's exactly where this one felt it was going. Because of that, along with the difficult content, I've decided this is not a book for me, but I'm sure there are readers out there who will love it.

This book reminded me of a young adult version of Promising Young Woman. The topics of rape and violence are always hard to tackle, but the author did it in a very intriguing way. The plot is crazy, but that's the entire point of the book. Highly recommend, five stars.

I really enjoyed this book. It was the ultimate girls revenge book. I loved the story and characters.

High school parties are everywhere. And the Coven of four (Elle, Mads, Jenny, and Summer) are untouchable. So are the Golden Boys - a group of teammates from a nearby prep school. On the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen the Coven decides to crash the Golden Boys party. When Elle is chosen as their next target that night, the Coven comes together for revenge…and plots the demise of each boy involved. 

This is a revenge thriller novel provided to me via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book comes with content warning for: sexual assault, gang rape, slut shaming, suicide, transphobia (mentioned) and victim blaming

Foul is Fair is a feminist retelling of Macbeth. After Jade is gang raped at a party, she vows that she will bring down the boys who attacked her one by one. She, along with her coven of friends, infiltrates the school and begins to take down these boys and anyone who looked the other way while they did these horrific things.

Things I liked:
- Honestly, I'm a sucker for anti-heroes that refuse to take anything laying down. I especially love it when they'll stop at nothing and go hard on the revenge, and Jade is definitely that. She's unwilling to let what happened to her slide and go full out for revenge.

- The coven has a lovely friendship. They genuinely support each other and take care of each other, and are willing to go just as far as Jade to get revenge. 

Things I disliked:
- Like many of the reviewers, the writing style here is off-putting. Not only is it very much "tell, no show" it's also very repetitive. If I had to hear how many times that Jade was a "knife, she was that bitch" etc etc I thought my eyes would roll out of my head. WE GET IT!!! That, more so than the writing style, really killed this book for me. If we took out all the repetition from this book, it might actually be good (but would probably also be 50 pages shorter- also not a bad thing.)

- It's really unrealistic. I didn't so much mind this because obviously it's not going to be, but it can get really hard to believe sometimes. Like that people would be willing to murder their friends within the span of 2 weeks for a girl they barely know? Also that there could be this many murders in the span of a week in one friend group without that much suspicion? It just doesn't add up.  

-In the same vein, there's a lot of girl-on-girl judgement. Not just the slut shaming, but Jade puts down other girls for just existing and minding their business? I'm not sure how this can be a feminist retelling when in reality it's all about shaming other women for their choices. 

Final thoughts:
In all honesty, I'm not sure if I can recommend this book. The problems I had with it are so big that it makes you wonder why anyone would give this book a chance. But, if it interests you, give it a chance? I also tried the audiobook and that definitely helped.

God DAMN I LOVE THIS okay so sharp edged women are amazing and I loved this but pleAse be aware of triggers!!!

Whatever the heck I just read..... I loved it.  The ultimate revenge story, unbelievable but downright perfect.  If you love fantasy, are a girl and have been wronged, this is the best book ever.  Don't expect realistic revenge, but expect to be satisfied.

The premise sounded interesting. It seemed like a contemporary retelling of MacBeth. However, it was a hard read for me. There were many graphic images that made me uncomfortable.