I was looking for an empowering feminist tale, but this was not the one. I know we have to suspend belief sometimes in fiction, but this book is wild and not in a good way.

Our protagonist is sexually assaulted on her 16 th birthday at a house party attended by boys from a different school.

She's planned her revenge within 24 hrs of being attacked.
Within 48 hrs she's transferred to the school the boys attend. Withing minutes of meeting the "queen bees" of the school (the popular girls) she's befriended them and been taken under their wing. If the girls are such bitches that she makes out, no way would they be interested so soon in the new girl.
She has one of the "golden" boys on her side within 5 hours of meeting him. I mean come on!

Her and her 3 friends are called the coven (cringe) This book is trying too hard to be quirky and edgy.

Wish I had a pound for every time wolves, kings, queens or flock girls were mentioned (what even are flock girls?)

This had the potential to be good, but was executed badly. It's like bad fan fiction you would have found on Live Journal back in the day.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Twisted tale of revenge, Elle sweet sixteen at a party, raped! Not by one but a whole pack from that day forward Elle becomes Jade and revenge one by one is dealt.
This book is page turning, gripping with descriptions so vivid your almost there feeling how Jade feels.
Revenge takes the form of death death for each pack member involved in the rape, from mixing the drink, passing the drink to that awful white room where bruises were caused that changed a girl forever.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I've tried getting into this novel a few times over the years, but for some reason something about it just isn't grabbing me - which is odd considering I love me a YA thriller and I love Macbeth. I have a feeling Hannah Capin's writing and I just don't gel, so I have to officially DNF this one.

⭐ I loved the empowering concept.
⭐ An interesting retelling of Macbeth.
⭐ Powerful, complex characters that stay with you.
⭐ Perfect for fans of anti heroines stories and dark tales.
☆ I found it dragged in the middle a bit too much for me.

Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin is a modern re-telling of MacBeth, told from the point of view of Jade, in the role of Lady MacBeth.  

16 year old Jade is date raped at a party by four teenagers, and the next day she is out for revenge, along with her three friends, whom she calls her coven.

This is a bloody tale, set in present day LA, with rich families involved, not all of whom are involved in legal activities.  I enjoyed the version, with overtones of magic, but this isn't a fantasy novel.

It's a YA book, but there is drugs, sex, drinking and murder, so just be warned!

 Foul is Fair  was published on 16th January 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Hannah Capin on her  website .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Penguin Random House Children .

Judging from a lot of reviews, this is a book that really divides opinion, which isn’t surprising, as I can’t decide what I think about it myself!

The good points:
It’s very well-written, with a rather unusual style, and parts that feel almost poetic in places
It’s based on Macbeth!
It’s definitely a page-turner and, unusually for me these days I’m afraid, I didn’t skip ahead at all
The revenge is gory, bloody, horrible – and extremely deserved
It tears open a world of privilege where the rich and well-connected, especially rich and well-connected men, act without consequence and don’t care who they hurt in the process
It reminded me a bit of ‘Heathers’ (still an excellent film!)

The bad points:
Everyone is extremely rich and extremely spoilt and so I didn’t warm to anyone
It was very, very far-fetched in places (but then, so is the idea that a young woman won’t be blamed if she’s attacked by wealthy, well-connected men)
There are some troubling aspects such as Jade not telling her parents about the attack, but I can see why the author chose for her not to do this, as part of the point of the narrative is that she won’t be believed if she reports them, and, even if she is, they won’t get the punishment they deserve

There have been so many horrible, high-profile cases like this, particularly in the US, where a young man’s future is held in higher regard and given more weight than a young girl’s trauma. For example, there’s the Brock Turner case, where a lighter sentence was allegedly given to a man convicted of the sexual assault and attempted rape of an unconscious woman (or, as his father called it, ‘twenty minutes of action’), because a prison sentence would have ‘a severe impact’ and ‘adverse collateral consequences’ on Turner.

So there is definitely something rewarding about a book where a young woman and her friends take control like this, and the perpetrators find themselves as the victims. But, for me, it was too difficult to relate to the women, and the way they lived. They could only get revenge because they too were privileged, which felt a bit contradictory.
That said, it’s a satisfying read, and a very interesting idea for a novel. And the writing pushes it from a 3.5 star to a four star read for me.

Another DNF. The premise was intruding - a feminist revenge story based on a reimagining of Macbeth, however, another one I just didn't like. The tone was so over the top in its attempt at brutality and complexity. The characters were all awful, even the victim was a horrible person. No one deserves what happened to her but her attitude and her appalling friends made it very hard to have any sympathy for her. I can completely understand where she was coming from. I read the first 100 pages but the whole thing was so ridiculous I have no interest in any more.

A modern retelling of Lady Macbeth immediately grabbed my attention as I'm a huge Shakespeare nerd. This was vicious and brutal and completely incredible. Highly recommended.

I personally found this too gory for my taste (especially for a YA novel), but I probably should have done more research into the book before requesting it. I therefore didn't read much more than a third.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Not my type of book. A revenge plot, with some pretty twisted stuff in there. Missed the mark for me.

Audacious, brutal, darkly horrific and uncomfortable to read at times. Do be sure to read the other reviews to ensure this is the book for you. The Macbeth themes run throughout but with a gratingly evil modern twist. If you are a person with strong, pure morals, don't read this fantasy-revenge shockfest! Did I like it? I'm not sure?! Would I recommend it?! To a select few!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

You’ll get the inevitable people who call this book ‘preachy’ but the sad reality is is that the story contained in this book is all too common and all too real for today’s young people. However the author doesn’t let the book come across as a ‘cautionary tale’ or a ‘lesson’. It’s a timely, important story written as a revenge thriller with a very important message. Young people need to read stories like this and know their worth, and this story stealthily sends that message. Supremely readable too. The style and character’s voices are so vivid and real that you’ll feel like you’re spending time with your own friends. Great book.

A dark, twisted modern retelling of Shakespeare‘s Macbeth - the perspective of Jade (lady Macbeth) was a great touch. I loved the coven, the power of girls together to work together to punish those who wronged them is a strong message that I think will resonate with young adults who read this book.

Where do I begin with Foul is Fair? The premise of the story was one that had intrigued me wholeheartedly. A revenge thriller with a feministic twist. A classic retelling based upon Macbeth that became darker and darker the further you travelled through its pages. I want to include a trigger warning about the book before I go any further – It is a revenge tale after a sexual assault. The premise is one that I would have expected to grab me and hold me hostage but the preceding emotion it left me with is an uncontrollable anger – the narrative within the story could be quite dangerous.

It unfortunately, was not what I was expecting. I had hoped for a read that would leave me feeling empowered, a sense of strength pulsating from within but it fell flat, and the actions carried out were unnecessary and brutal. Foul Is Fair was written in such a way that the survival of sexual assault and trauma should be retaliated in actions that were wholly unhealthy and catapults the victim to a level that is on par with the perpetrator. This book was not enjoyable. The way in which sexual assault is handled by everyone close to Jade/Elle is quite frankly repulsive.

The one true thing that galls me the most. The one aspect I could not look past if I tried, is the fact that her parents were told about the assault and they did nothing. NOTHING. I mean as a parent isn’t it your job/responsibility to do what is best for your child whether they ask you not to do something or not. I would want the scum to put behind bars the minute I found out. The parents seem to be an influential aspect (definitely not a positive one) into why she takes this course of action over reporting it – they seem standoffish and there social standing being of more import than the serious situation slapping them about the face.

Just for one minute imagine a young adult reading this book and taking the very wrong decision not to report a serious sexual assault. She was a child and she was seriously let down but those that supposed to care for her.

Revenge as imagined in Foul Is Fair seems to be without consequence. Murder a bunch of people and not be afflicted with the human emotion of guilt or remorse…once again what does this say about the way she has been brought up? Revenge hardly ever benefits anyone. Murder is still murder. It hurts those around you, it maims you psychologically and this book just left bewildered and deeply angry.

I received a free ebook version of this book through Netgalley. Thankyou to both Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this! My review is still honest.

This book is totally unlike anything I've ever read before. It's dark and sad and empowering and disturbing. It's the inner feminist's secret revenge fantasy against all the horrible men that unfortunately exist in the world.
Foul is Fair follows Jade, a girl with 3 very close best friends who is drugged and raped at a party by 4 boys. Jade then moves to the perpetrator's school in order to ensure the deaths of all those involved in what happened to her.
This is the kind of story where you can't help but root for the main character, despite all the dark and disturbing stuff they are doing. I loved how amazingly clever, cruel and manipulative Jade was and I loved her strength in the face of horrible things that have happened to her. She's so unique in the YA genre. It's a new, original spin on the dark popular high school clique plot. The coven themselves were badass too, and there are some complex characters, particularly Mack. I loved the small aspects of LGBT representation too-one of Jade's coven is trans and there is a small LGBT romance rep.
I will say that this writing style is a little odd and hard to lose yourself in. It's a little stop-startand disjointed, but the story itself and the characters are great. It's just not really one that would be easy to binge read.

I really enjoyed this!

A modern-day version of Macbeth, this book includes great female characters and a fantastic revenge story with a little twisted humour thrown in for good measure!

This book wasnt for me. A group of girls set out to take revenge on a group of boys as they raped one of the girls. I didnt like the style of writing and think it would suit more of a younger age.