Member Reviews
content warnings for sexual assault, rape culture, abuse and attempted suicide (handily these are listed in the book, but they bear repeating.)
this was a gritty, addictive title centering around female agency and reclaiming your girl power. i believe this is a retelling of sorts of macbeth, and it holds true in its darkness and despair and the themes of power and guilt. the storyline and characters are engaging, if a little predictable at times, and the female relationships in this book are what make it so special and compulsively readable. the writing is beautiful and poetic and weaves a captivating tale of revenge. i definitely enjoyed this one!
What an absolute gut punch of a book. Intense, heartbreaking, and even though I shouldn't, I cheered on Jade and her coven. The Macbeth references are clever too, as well too heavy handed or caught up in fitting the plot to the play. Just a powerhouse.
2.5 Stars
I think for me, this one gets filed under beautiful writing and a great story, but just not for me! Or at least, not for me right now. For a late 2020 read (I'm so sorry it has taken so long for me to read this, but you know, 2020!) it was a bit too much. But I can't even say how grateful I am for the detailed content warnings. They were absolutely appreciated and it really helped to prepare me for reading. I can absolutely see why there are so many great reviews and ratings for this book, and I might even come back to it one day when I can fully appreciate it because there are a lot of really good things about this book! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it!
What a book. I could not put this down once I picked it up. It's a glorious Macbeth retelling that just revels in the blood it spills. It does lose steam about 2/3 of the way through, but that doesn't stop it from going all out at the end.
I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Foul is Fair is, in a word, dark. Revenge and anger run fast and deep in this story. These girls are fierce and are not messing around. There are scenes of assault in the book that might be disturbing to readers.
5 out of 5 stars. Excellent read.
i absolutely LOVE a good revenge story....... and this one did not disappoint!!!!!
i love the premise: a feminist retelling of macbeth -- amazing, truly.
i feel like this book's emergence in the ya genre was just refreshing -- it was new and exciting and i never wanted to stop reading, which reminded me about how i USED to read ya.
i appreciate the existence of this book in ya, for sure.
As a girl who always loved The Craft, I was excited to read this book. I was not disappointed. It's a great revenge fantasy book for teenage girls and any girls to be honest.
Blood, intrigues, lots of blood, and delicious revenge. What a tremendous combination for an addictive, entertaining read.
I love it.
This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
A must read revenge novel. This book, was a great read. This is a modern day Macbeth retelling.
Elle and her friends rule the school. They are untouchable. On Elle's 16th birthday they decide to crash a St. Andrew's Prep party. The Wolf Pack of St. Andrew's set there sights on Elle and after drugging her drink and raping her she is out for revenge. She recreates herself and enrolls at St. Andrew's and starts plotting there downfall.
This revenge story doesn't apologize for going all the way and props to Hannah Capin for writing the novel in this way.
I love a Shakespeare re-telling and Foul is Fair is a fantastic interpretation of Macbeth. It's dark, witty and captivating. 16-year-old Elle's life changes forever when she is assaulted at a prep school party. She takes it into her hands and decides to exact revenge on everyone who was involved in the assault. I loved seeing her and her friends take charge and manipulate the boys into turning against each other. I loved the diversity of the characters and Capin's writing style. I loved how Capin took the story of Macbeth and used its elements and added in her own modern twists.
This book is dark and bloody. It's a violent revenge tale that won't be for everyone, but if you are like me and love a good, dark read, this one delivers.
Where should I start...Foul Is Fair is a mashup (in a good way) of Macbeth, Heathers and Mean Girls all in one revenge story. Elle (Jade as she will be known going forward) and her friends Jenny, Mads, and Summer are the queens of their school so on Elle’s sixteenth birthday they decide to dress up and go crash a party thrown by the prep schools elite. Things go bad for Elle and the next morning she swears revenge on all involved and Jade is born. She changes her appearance and her name and plots to take down the boys involved using “poor innocent Mack” as the fall guy. As the plan progresses, with the help of her friends, and the “mighty” fall, things begin to spiral more and more out of control. Even with the tough subject matter, both in the event that started it all and Jade’s revenge, this is a good book that holds your attention through the entire story. You root for Jade even as things go from bad to worse and the boys pay for their deed. You feel bad for Mack who seems to be innocent despite all his guilty feelings until you learn more about the prep school boys and what happened the Friday night. For a YA book this is a hard core revenge story and one that I highly recommend. 4/5 stars
I was not sure what to expect when I began reading “ Foul is Fair” by Hannah Capin but I was pleasantly surprised. I recall reading Macbeth in high school, but I could definitely not recall it today if asked. Either way, I was certainly intrigued by the plot. This book gave me Mean Girls vibes but super twisty and dark. The writing style was great. The characters were well developed. I love a good revenge plot, and this definitely exceeded my expectations. A small warning. This book is dark and does have a few trigger warnings including death, blood, sexual assault, and attempted suicide. Overall, I enjoyed “ Foul is Fair” and look forward to reading whatever this author releases next.
This book deals with some heavy topics and something that a lot of women have been through. Capin created a character who you root for and want to follow around for the whole book. Capin deals with sexual assault and rape culture in a way that made me want to keep reading. I loved this book.
Wednesday Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Foul is Fair. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.
The facts of this story are simple: Jade, Jenny, Mads, and Summer crash a private school party, where the unthinkable happens to Jade. Her first instinct is to get her revenge against all of the boys involved, so she sets forth a plan with help from her parents and her friends. Will the desire to exact justice destroy many lives in the process?
Foul is Fair received many positive reviews, but I was not a fan of the novel. I am all for strong, female characters that are determined to right the wrongs in the world, but Jade is so bent on revenge that she comes off one-sided. This book is about the aftermath of an attack, leading the author to treat the precipitating event with broad strokes, which I did appreciate. This book reminded me more of the movie The Craft, than it did of Macbeth, which other reviewers referenced. With pure revenge overwhelming the plot, Foul is Fair is not a book that I would recommend to other readers.
I received a free copy from NetGalley. This book came with a trigger warning. After being raped at a party Jade sets out to kill or have killed every boy that played a part in that night with the help of her coven friends. Revenge killings take place in about two weeks time without any adults playing a role. This is a dark and terrifying idea that surviving rape should be addressed in this way.
this was really well done, the characters were great and I think that the topics were handled really well. I look forward to more from the author and can't wait to see what comes next.
I knew from the very beginning of the book this would be one I would enjoy the whole way through. While the dramatic "plot twist" or hurtful moment was easy to point out, it didn't change the fact that the ending was one I did not see coming. The characters are well written and while they might not be easy to love they are definitely easy to relate to and understand. The plot and underlying society issues that are addressed are well thought out and executed. It may cause triggers for some, just a heads up, but it is done in such an in your face way that it is hard not to want the "heroine" to win in the end. I enjoyed the writing style and how the story flowed. It wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, rightfully so. Speaking in third person, or remembering in third person, was a nice touch that seemed to have a more removed feel to the events. I personally think it suited the story.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good revenge story and doesn't mind an ending that isn't happily ever after.
I didn't like the writing style of this book. The way the narrator spoke was choppy and hard to follow. This was not a book I would buy for someone else
Elle is part of the glittering crowd, beautiful and untouchable, or so they believe. One night, Elle and her friends crash a St. Andrews Prep party and everything changes. The golden boys, the ones revered at St. Andrews, chose Elle as their next target that night. Afterwards, Elle swears revenge. Step one: transfer to their school. Step two: take them down one by one by using Mack, an ambitious boy with a longing for power. Elle will show them just how dark revenge can be.
FOUL IS FAIR is such a creative spin on Macbeth. I love that it centers Elle, her story, her anger, and her vengeance. This is a tale of revenge fantasy and the intensity will have you speeding through the chapters.
Given the source material, the cast of secondary characters is fairly lengthy. I found myself frequently mixing up some of the boys and sometimes having a hard time distinguishing which person in Elle's coven is which. However, as Elle takes each boy out, this does become easier because the options narrow.
While I love the unique take, there are areas where the willing suspension of disbelief is stretched a little thin. Some of the scenarios don't seem entirely plausible given it's a contemporary setting.
FOUL IS FAIR is ideal for readers who enjoyed Robin Talley's AS I DESCENDED and don't mind their stories a little bloody.