#kiersten white

I've never loved like this...

The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White

i was charmed by this book from the start, because (as usual) i went in knowing nothing, having totally forgotten what prompted me to request the galley and having not re-read the description, and then the narrator introduced herself casually as Anneke Van Helsing and i was like, OH! this is a vampire story, and she doesn't know it. another win for my bad memory and my delight in having as little information as possible when reading. but even if you don't have adhd and you start this knowing what's up (which i guess you will be doing if you read it after reading this review, whoops), it's still a compelling story with a few pleasant surprises.

Anneke is a private detective in late 1800s Amsterdam, obsessed with the strange, ghostly, cold-smelling woman who murdered her father (THE Van Helsing). no one else believes her—not about the mysterious woman, and not about her father's death, which was ruled a suicide. this setup rides the line beautifully and skillfully between the misogyny of male police not believing a woman's story, and the dramatic irony of Anneke's ignorance of vampires. she thinks her father was mad; as she continues to investigate suspicious murders throughout the book, she keeps wondering how the victims were convinced to harm themselves, or hold still for their own murders, or witness the culprit and then not remember at all. this never crossed the line into frustrating, for me! i was kicking my feet the whole time tee-heeing about each thing brilliant Anneke just couldn't figure out. the rest of the ensemble cast she gathers around her, queer and mysterious and charming, were all wonderful too—but Anneke was the real star for me, i very much enjoyed spending so much time in her head as she worked things through.

i also very much enjoyed being in her head as she tried to sort out her feelings about the mysterious woman, Diavola, who keeps sending her letters fondly addressed to "Little Fox" and who occupies her dreams and whose eyes Anneke finds unforgettable. (i've been there, girl.) Diavola also periodically gets to narrate a chapter, which is a very fun switchup (no surprise, she's equally obsessed with Anneke). one of the true tests of a queer book, for me, is whether characters' identities feel naturally occurring; sometimes the author is trying too hard, shoehorning things in or blaring things too loudly in a way that feels forced. this book was not like that! White did a lovely job assembling a little family group of deviants (affectionate) who feel very right together.

the book did feel a little long to me, maybe because some chapters were glimpses into the near future, and i got impatient trying to make it to that future. but once i hit the point where the plot shifted from mystery to more of a thriller, i was so hooked that the last quarter of the story just flew by. overall it was a really enjoyable read, capably written, with a really refreshing folkloric base and an exciting ending!

the deets

how i read it: another NetGalley and Libby combo.

try this if you: dig a vampire book that's less modern media vamps and more European folklore, love a bisexual protagonist who is too busy being a detective for dalliances, or enjoy turn-of-the-century historical settings!

some lines i really liked: 1890s feminism

I'm imagining your laugh as I deliver the finale that both detectives agree they would certainly have caught Jack [the Ripper] had they only been put on the case. Meanwhile, while they were smoking and spinning tales of their observational prowess, I watched a young urchin pickpocket both of them. I might have encouraged the urchin to do it. Even I get bored.

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"When you put it that way, it sounds unreasonable." He slaps me on the shoulder like I'm one of his men. I always appreciate it when a detective sees me as a colleague and not some uncanny feminine invader. With one lingering look at the window, I exit the police station with Berend. Evening is descending with soft purple insistence.