Foul is Fair

a razor-sharp revenge thriller for the #MeToo generation

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on Waterstones.com
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 16 Jan 2020 | Archive Date 1 Jan 2020

Talking about this book? Use #FoulisFair #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

A RAZOR-SHARP #METOO REVENGE THRILLER FOR THE NETFLIX GENERATION - PERFECT FOR FANS OF KILLING EVE AND TARANTINO.


In the morning I put on going-out makeup, and I go to Nailed It with a coffee so hot it burns my throat.

The old lady gives me new nails and looks at the bruises on my neck and the scratches across my face, but she doesn't say anything.

So I point at my hair, and I say, This color. You know what it's called?

She shakes her head: No.

I say, REVENGE.

Jade Khanjara and her three best friends rule their glittering LA circle. They decide how the party ends - every night but one. The night four boys spike Jade's drink, lock her in a room and brutally attack her. The night they try to ruin her.

But they chose the wrong girl. Certain that the boys will face no consequences, Jade and her friends take vengeance into their own hands. There's no mercy left: and now Jade won't rest until she gets bloody satisfaction . . .


A RAZOR-SHARP #METOO REVENGE THRILLER FOR THE NETFLIX GENERATION - PERFECT FOR FANS OF KILLING EVE AND TARANTINO.


In the morning I put on going-out makeup, and I go to Nailed It with a coffee so...


Advance Praise

"Fierce, vicious, and electric. If books had teeth, Foul Is Fair would have fangs." - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Last Girl Lied To

"An unapologetic feminist battle-cry that leaves you breathless and thirsting for vengeance." - Sonia Hartl, author of Have a Little Faith in Me

"Foul is Fair delivers the story of a girl who snatches control back from a world that stole it away, through whatever means necessary. - Sophie Gonzales, author of Only Mostly Devastated

"Fierce, vicious, and electric. If books had teeth, Foul Is Fair would have fangs." - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Last Girl Lied To

"An unapologetic feminist battle-cry that leaves you...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780241404973
PRICE £7.99 (GBP)
PAGES 336

Available on NetGalley

Send to Kindle (PDF)

Average rating from 122 members


Featured Reviews

This book was a complete shitshow. But was it sick and twisted and so raw?
yes and I loved it.

Capin's writing style is so different to what I'm used to; providing blunt and even poetic phrases. I was a bit apprehensive at first but towards the end I grew to love how it suits Jade's voice so well.

The twists and plot of "Foul is Fair" reminded me so much of Heathers and Cruel Intentions but with an even more striking female lead. Jade's power and sociopathic tendencies made me adore her (not that I condone or romanticise sociopaths). Her friends just radiated rich and complex and the deaths? Loved it.

Whilst reading the novel, my mind kept yearning for this to become a movie one day. I would so be the first to buy tickets.

Thank you for this ARC :)

Was this review helpful?

With its focus on murder and a quest for power, Macbeth is an easy story to tap into. The determination to have sway over others, and the corrupting influence it has on you, is a feeling so many can understand - even if they wouldn’t act on it. While the supernatural element of the witches is a harder thing to transpose to the modern day, the influence these characters have is something we can fear.
With Capin’s ‘Foul is Fair’ we are brought straight into the modern era and given some very topical scenarios to wrestle with.
Our main character, Elle, starts the book heading out with her close group of friends to a party held by a student at a local school. The night of the party sets in motion a rapidly darkening series of events, that we just know is going to end badly. On the night of the party Elle is drugged and assaulted by a group of students. Their leader, Duncan, is the main person she blames but each and every one involved in the attack does - in Elle’s eyes - deserve to pay for their actions.
Intent on revenge, Elle enlists her friends (the coven) to research this group and find a way in. She enrols in St Andrews ( her parents’ willingness to transfer her to the school attended by the attackers is one of the main issues with this) and begins her campaign to bring down those responsible for her attack.
Elle picks out Mack, the boy who knew enough but wasn’t involved, to be the one to help her gain what she wants. She seems to fall for him, but it was clear he didn’t stand a chance. Elle wants payback, and the way she goes about it is ruthless and - maybe - just a little bit admirable.
This is graphic. Capin spares nothing and we see the demise of the group members in full glorious technicolour. While I didn’t like this, I definitely felt I was encouraged to sympathise with Elle and look beyond the callousness of her vendetta.
I’m grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication, and I can’t wait to see how students who are studying Macbeth react to this once it’s out.

Was this review helpful?

This is an incredibly powerful novel. The writing is stark and unforgiving, its melodramatic and Shakespearean tone making it somehow even more real.
Jade, who is sexually assaulted at a party by a group of boys, vows revenge on each and every one, turning them against each other and exploiting their arrogance and selfishness to ensure her and her 'covens' success.
This book is STRONG, and makes unflinching and important statements about how sexual violence can impact people but also how our perceptions impact them as well. Jade's scene at the clinic is a perfect example of this, when she tells a woman who calls her a 'victim' “those boys didn’t turn me into anything", this bold ownership of her body was an empowering moment for me as a reader.
I would obviously offer this book to people with a word of caution, it could be very triggering. But I think it is too valuable not to be read.

Was this review helpful?

<i>Jade Khanjara and her three best friends rule their glittering LA circle. They decide how the party ends - every night but one.</i>

What follows is a quest for revenge against every guy who wronged her that night, physically or through their complicity. Alongside her coven, she plots an intricate plan of death and mental manipulation and destruction and nothing will shift her from that path. The timescales and swift love are a tad bothersome but it's dark and bloodthirsty - a tale of pure anger and revenge. It's really messed up but once you start you kind of need to follow the full vengeful journey to the end.

Was this review helpful?

Foul is Fair is a gripping teenage revenge thriller based on Macbeth set in an elite LA world. Jade Khanjara and her three best friends Mads, Summer, and Jenny are powerful and dazzling, rich and always there for each other. When Jade's drink is spiked at a party and she is attacked by a group of boys from a different school, the four know that these boys will face no consequences unless they take matters into their own hands, and they scheme a plot to bring them down. Jade has to disguise herself, go into their school, and rip them apart from within, using their muddled conscience Mack to enact the violence.

This is a vicious and dark book, combining the danger of teenage horror and thriller books with the revenge violence of Kill Bill, and taking the control back from fate into the hands of teenage girls who know how to do damage. Jade and her best friends are the heart of the book, ruthless and clever, though the story is about what they do rather than focusing on who they are. The narrative is clearly Macbeth in many ways, but also Capin takes it in different directions, playing around with Jade's role in particular, and there's a lot of potential for people who study and love Macbeth to look at how Foul is Fair plays with the original. On the other hand, you don't necessarily need to know Shakespeare's play to get into the novel, which has been compared to a range of TV series based variously around revenge, violence, assault, and teenagers.

The writing style is unusual, giving Jade a specific voice and combining elements from different genres, and the use of character feels quite cinematic, where certain shorthands or details are shown to build character rather than more in-depth depictions. The pace of the narrative and events match the sense of time in the play, and bring a sense of unreality which suits the novel as a revenge fantasy. Foul is Fair could easily be adapted into a TV series or film (TV series would allow the space to give Jade's friends space for their characters too, and it would be good to see more of Mads, Summer, and Jenny and their privileged yet complex lives).

Foul is Fair is gleefully dark and vicious as it depicts teenage girls having the power to enact bloody revenge. Take heed of content warnings and be aware that some people are going to find the violence too much or too unrealistic, but this is a book worth picking up if you're interested in Macbeth meets Heathers with a scheming, diverse quartet enacting vengeance.

Was this review helpful?

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

The 2019 Heathers/Craft mashup we never knew we needed but we definitely deserves. If you want to fuck with the eagles, you have to learn to fly

Was this review helpful?

Wow... Just wow!!!

I was not expecting that and in fact for the first few chapters I wasn't sure I was going to get on with this book at all. The writing style is unique, it's heavy on imagery (lots of references to birds and talons and wings), and I'm still not sure I liked it (not a fan of imagery) but this wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful and original without it.

Despite the pretty big clue in the title I honestly didn't realise this was a YA retelling of Macbeth till I was around quarter of the way through. The story follows Elle/Jade, the Lady Macbeth, who with the help of her three best friends, vows to get revenge on the group of boys who drugged and sexually assaulted her at a party. She changes her appearance and sets about infiltrating their group with a view to destroying them from the inside.

Jade is an incredibly powerful, complex and unique character and one I don't think I'll forget any time soon. She's a popular, mean girl from a wealthy family who is determined to not let what happened to her change her. While she's downright nasty to those who are trying to help her and isn't necessarily that likeable you can't help but admire her determination to not let what happens change her. She refuses to be a victim or even a survivor.

As you can probably imagine this is not an easy read. The assault is off the page but it's referred to throughout. It's a violent and twisted story that even I found a little shocking at times.

It is however incredibly well done and once I got past my initial uncertainty about the writing style I couldn't put it down. It's one of those stories that invades your thoughts, that even when you're not reading keeps buzzing around your head.

As someone who studied Macbeth at school (many, many years ago). I loved all of the little references to the original. The naming of the characters does make it a little obvious who is in which part (Mack, Banks, Duffy, Duncan) but it's still fantastic to watch the drama unfold and there are so many other small references and quotes snuck in.

It probably doesn't matter if you don't know the play but I think you will get so much more out of it if you do.

Overall this is a stunning read and one that I think I'll remember.

Was this review helpful?

Based on Macbeth, "Foul Is Fair" is a marvellously modern interpretation of Shakespeare's Scottish play. Despite this, the plot feels fresh and current. I thought it was brilliantly done. I also take great delight in the fact that the intersectional feminist themes within the novel are causing some consternation amongst the male contingent. Hat tip to the team responsible for marketing. Hannah Capin has played a blinder with "Foul Is Fair" and I very much look forward to reading her other work.

Was this review helpful?

YES, YES, YES!

for every girl that wanted revenge.
For every woman that had to bite her tongue.
For every person that suffered in silence,

This book is for you.
It is a battle cry, a warrior in word form.
It's delicious and raw and violent and perfect perfect perfect.

All the critics saying its feminism gone too far, are people that knew something but never said.

This should be a film, in every screen in Hollywood.
This book is for the survivors, and the avengers.

It made me feel too much and made me grin ear to ear when revenge came for the golden boys. Gleeful and revelling I read this book and loved every page.

Recommended for any survivor, anywhere. (with strong stomachs and awareness of major triggers)

Was this review helpful?

When 4 boys the"golden boys" of At Andrews School rape a 16 year old girl at Duncan's house the head of the pack or King as he prefers, little did they know they picked the wrong target. Take is always wrong always vile the courts may not feel with it very well but .... For Jade she is no normal girl she will not let it go and the following Monday its all change for Jade and her pack Mad's, Summer, & Jenny, loyal and strong no matter what they throw at each other..
Jade teams up with Mack and you will have to read to see who he is and how strong or weak he is but you will want to know because well I will let Jade explain
I'm guessing this is aimed at a younger audience than myself but the guts and blood may be not. But if you like thrillers that deal with suspence and some twists then this could be for you. There is plenty of 🔥 fire in Jade and feeling that will grab you and no matter how far she goes they made her the victim but little did they know that gates can swing both ways, special the beautiful green, no I won't say it gives too much away but yes get this and I'm guessing you could be hooked you will be engaged the rest will depend on you.

Was this review helpful?

This book was like a fast-paced feminist revenge tale and retelling of Macbeth from the perspective of the Lady Macbeth character, the witches forming her coven. When Elle is assaulted at a posh, high school party in Los Angeles, she and her friends become vigilante angels of death to exact revenge on the people who hurt her.

I read this book in less than three days. The sentences are concise and sharp, the chapters short, and the story is well written and moves forward at a quick pace - I was never bored, I never skimmed ahead to see what was going to happen, I took the story as it came. The language has a beautiful, poetic quality, while always being clear and easy to understand.

This was definitely dark, and the author has a full-page of content advisory notes on her website, so it is not going to be for everyone. For me, it was love. I had such a hard time putting this book down. It was smart and entertaining, and just fed my need as a woman in the #metoo era to just burn everything down (metaphorically). I can't even think of ways to describe how much I love this book with slipping into cliches.

Recommended for any person who'd love to see the patriarchy destroyed.

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely incredible. Filled with passion, revenge, and above all loyalty - who doesn't want a coven of their own?

Was this review helpful?

Sweet Revenge for the Modern Era

Loved how this book didn’t mess about and just got into the action. Straight off the bat, it gave me a whole Cruel Intentions vibe and added a touch of The Craft for good measure - all teen girl kick ass. In a world that gave us the Brock Turner farse, we deserve this over the top revenge book.

When a group of prep boys choose the wrong girl to target at a party we are taken along for an all-consuming journey of revenge and it’s a delightfully dark ride. For such a disturbing tale it’s beautifully written. I don’t tend to like things with any sort of retelling of Shakespeare hints (Macbeth in this case) or girly teen YA but this is in its own league of powerful storytelling that sets it apart. I had a strong feeling of where it was going but I wouldn’t have missed the ride for anything.

Was this review helpful?

Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin, published by @penguinukbooks - digital arc courtesy of @netgalley

Foul is Fair will be released 16th Jan 2020.


Content and trigger warnings for this book for rape and sexual assault/violence.

This has been described as a ‘feminist modern re-imagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth...part Cruel Intentions and Kill Bill'. I can definitely feel the Shakespeare in this story, it has all the elements of a classic tragedy. More so than that though, this book is the perfect slasher movie. Unfurling over the course of one week, bloody gory murder reigns supreme over St Andrews Prep school in LA.

This was particularly brutal for a book that is considered YA/teen fiction - personally I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone younger than the protagonist Jade, who is 16. Due to the culture that we live in, the opening premise of this story a gang/date rape, was horrible, but not at all surprising. I’ve read quite a lot of books based around this (Nina is Not Okay by Shappi Khorsandi, Asking For It by Louise O’Neill etc) but Foul is Fair takes an interesting twist on the usual storyline.
This is the first time I’ve read a book like this, where the protagonist just says ‘I’ll murder them’. And then it starts, a story of justice and revenge, sociopathic teenagers and deceit.

This made me think of Ari Aster’s film ‘Midsommar’- at the end, all I could think was ‘Get it, girl’.

Was this review helpful?

Foul is Fair embedded itself into my heart. This is a book that I won't be forgetting anytime soon and it became an instant favourite.

Jade Khanjara and her three best friends rule their glittering LA circle. They decide how the party ends - every night but one. The night four boys spike Jade's drink, lock her in a room and brutally attack her. The night they try to ruin her.

But they chose the wrong girl. Certain that the boys will face no consequences, Jade and her friends take vengeance into their own hands. There's no mercy left: and now Jade won't rest until she gets bloody satisfaction.

This book burns with righteous rage, so much so that you can almost feel the heat searing off the pages and into your soul. It grapples with our misogynistic society and rape culture through the lens of a modern day Macbeth re-telling wherein Lady Macbeth takes on her own Taratino-eque revenge thriller.

Jade is such an excellent protagonist, complex and nuanced. You can't help but root for her, despite her manipulative and destructive nature, as after all the boys brought it on themselves to an extent.

Capin's writing is exquisite - all at once lyrical, fantastical and devastating honest and raw. I was highlighting so many quotes of this sumptuous writing and will be doing more when I buy my finished copy.

Foul is Fair is a primal scream of a book that you cannot help but read.

Full review will be up on my blog nearer publication date.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book. If you like dark, dark books where you have to set your morality aside at the door, then you'll love Foul is Fair and you'll love Jade and her coven. These girls are out for revenge, and they'll do anything to get it. The timescale seems a little far-fetched, it only takes something like two weeks for Jade to infiltrate, manipulate and destroy these boys, but honestly that's pretty in-keeping with the ridiculous time-scale in Macbeth so I'm fine with it. I love Macbeth and this book is Macbeth rewritten with female power in mind.

All of the characters in this book are inhuman, witches and monsters and killers, and maybe that's why it's so easy to suspend your morals and enjoy this tale of revenge. I wanted Jade to get her revenge, and if she'd roped me into this, I'd be right there with her. It's over the top, but it's meant to be, violent and gruesome and downright evil, and it still manages to be funny in places and empowering too as Jade re-invents herself from victim to killer.

This book was a wild, fucked up read, and I hope there's more from Hannah Capin coming. I'll be adding Dead Queen's Club to my to buy list as soon as I can find a UK link to it.

Was this review helpful?

My Kindle refused to accept any typing of “ff” in this book, leading the name Duffy to read as ‘Du Y’. It took me until 19% through this book to realise that Du Y was not a Chinese name that I hadn’t heard before, but that the book was actually a Macbeth retelling.

This book knows it’s fantastical, that in real life these events could never occur, but it’s an amazing read, with the lyricalness of a true Shakespeare play. Elle/Jade was a wonderful character to read – ruthless and angry and manipulative, an easy character to fuck up by a lesser writer. Capin makes her sympathetic, even as she murders her way through St Andrews.

Side note, lesbian trans characters? In my Shakespeare retellings? It’s more likely than you think.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars. I couldn’t put it down (and read it under my desk at work), but I did find that some of the characters blended into one, with Jenny and Summer serving the same purpose, much like Banks/Duncan – It took me a while to figure out which boy was which. Still, it was so unique, and I would definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Netgalley marketed this as ‘feminist, man-hating filth’ so of course I had to read it. I hadn’t seen anything else about it, so I was delighted to realise it was a modern, feminist slant on Macbeth.

I would say it’s not actually super feminist, mostly because these are young teens who still berate other women for being different kinds of women to them. But apart from that, it's wonderful. And not TERFy, which is even better.

It’s always fun to watch chaos, and chaos this is. I love a good revenge fantasy and I have a lot of love for Lady Macbeth and here she lets loose her anger and frustrations. Is it realistic? Hell no, but who cares. These women have a plot and a plan and will do anything to make it happen.

My only (minor) gripe is that the MC is lightly coded as South Asian (which yay inclusion), yet using only a hair change, coloured contacts and contouring makeup makes herself completely unrecognisable to everyone. I’m not sure how many other South Asian’s there are meant to be at this super posh school, but I doubt it’s that many that she can disappear and be forgotten/unrecognised so easily.

TW: for sexual assault, blood, violence, murder.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book! It's funny yet dark, disturbing and ruthless. It's brilliantly written and I couldn't put it down

Was this review helpful?

A modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth, this YA book hits all the right notes and delivers a refreshing new take on a classic story

Was this review helpful?

Brilliant story of revenge with badass characters you will love.

It is well written and so surprising that I thoroughly enjoyed every violent, excessive page!

Was this review helpful?

This was an absolutely bonkers but utterly enjoyable YA read. A clever modern retake on Macbeth - basically The Craft but they actually kill people! I loved the concept and if I'd read this when I was 15, it would have been an obsessive, underlining key paragraphs read over and over again joy. It was so refreshing to read some YA that wasn't dystopia. romance or horror but where the female protagonists are properly challenging to read and properly angry and controversial. This book doesn't sit on the fence with its graphic violence, sexual assault, drug taking, drinking and manipulative narcissistic characters - but most of these things do actually happen at high school, just not to this extent.

Where this book fell down for me was that the stream of consciousness POV starts on such a high point that it has nowhere to go with pacing, it's so incessant that the intensity almost wears off and loses its impact on the reader. There were times - in the middle - where I could skip through paragraphs and pages whilst I waited for the action to properly continue. But this is a minor style criticism because like I say, it was so refreshing to read something so properly bold and controversial and angry. Capin has done a great job and I'd definitely read something by her again because she's not been afraid to take us right into the heart of darkness with her, when so many would pull back.

A good, challenging read.

Was this review helpful?

A wonderfully written and powerful story, heart-wrenching at times and made of the stuff of a female dream of revenge.
I loved the the well thought plot, it made me root for Jade and I couldn't help being involved in her story and in her revenge.
It's a story that mixes feminism and thriller, gripping and engrossing. A book you cannot put down and makes you turn pages as fast as you can.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
A great read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Was this review helpful?

This book had me at female revenge, then I discovered that it is a feminist retelling of Macbeth. Sign me up!

When sixteen year old Elle is raped at a party, she vows to take revenge on the boys who did this to her. Her girl gang, or 'coven', become Shakespeare's three witches, while she transforms into Jade, a young Lady Macbeth, determined to get justice, and not by halves. She wants to kill the boys, and set up their friend, golden boy Macbeth for the murders.

What follows is a thriller of epic proportions. It is utterly unrealistic, with all the drama of Gossip Girl or Cruel Intentions, alongside the blood and murder of a Tarantino film. Yet move past whether it is believable and it becomes so much fun, bursting with passion and female rage. The links to Macbeth are cleverly woven in, elevating it beyond the ridiculous and giving it a higher sense of purpose. It is a fantastic revenge fantasy, a wonderful story of female friendship, and a vengeful, violent thriller. Yes it is over the top, and no it definitely won't be for everyone. It is dark and disturbing, but it is also exactly what I needed, and what I would have loved, in my teens. Screw 'girl power', everything about this book is badass.

This book is for every woman who has ever been told to smile, or wolf whistled at in the street. It is brimming with anger not just passively at the injustices, but more specifically the Brock Turners and Brett Kavanaugh's of the world, who think they can or seem to get away with it. Don't take it too seriously or you've missed the point of this, book which is very simply raw, powerful and a hell of a lot of fun.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fantastically dark revenge tale, I loved the over dramatic twisty prep school way that this story is told. I loved the writing and characterizations and how mean girls are celebrated for doing what needs to be done.

Was this review helpful?

Hii bookworms!! Happy publication day to ‘Foul is Fair’ by @tldaaollf and an added thank you to @netgalley and @penguinteen / @penguinrandomhouse for the chance to review an advanced copy! ⁣

TW: sexual assault, PTSD, murder and revenge. ⁣

FOUL IS FAIR BY @tldaaollf ⁣

SYNOPSIS: 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘰𝘺, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭'𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯: 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺. 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.⁣

𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 5/5 STARS ⁣

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: The coven! ⁣

𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: The St. Andrews boys but particularly Duncan.⁣

𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦: So, this book a feminist re-telling of Macbeth set in modern times. If that doesn’t hook you then I really don’t know what else will. This book is filled to the brim with redemption, with ruthless women taking back their respect, and the epic battle against sexual assault. The characters are complex and even though the story isn’t quite as long, you soon feel a part of Jade’s massacre. The story unfolds beautifully, where you’re enraptured the entire time. I also fell in love with Hannah Capin’s writing style; it felt so unique and intriguing. ⁣

𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦: Honestly, forget relationships, this book is a champion for strong female friendships and the idea of women sticking up for one another and not allowing silence or money or power or privilege stand in their way. ⁣

𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥: readers looking for one of the most phenomenal books on female empowerment.

Was this review helpful?

Foul is Fair is a slick and bloody update of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. A girl is raped at a party, and she vows revenge on the group of Alpha male schoolboys who made it happen. Jade, the protagonist, chooses a boy as a patsy. The plan works fast, and the boys come to enjoyably nasty ends, aided and abetted by Jade's coven of witchy helpers. Jade begins to fall for her patsy as the book reaches its' climax, but there us no stopping the plan. There will be blood, and lots of it. For any teenage young woman that's ever been treated badly, this is the book for you.

Was this review helpful?

This reminds me so much of Heathers for the 20s, a book I never knew we needed but Wow its amazing ! Perfect for fans of killing eve , this is a tale of passion and revenge achieved in the ultimate way, dark and gothic a truly gripping tale. Well written, fast paced, full of twists and turns this is a fabulous read and one of my favourite reads and I think will be one of the best of this year.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Was this review helpful?

As soon as I started reading this book I knew it wasn’t for everyone. Hannah Capin uses a very distinct writing style in this book and I don’t think it will work for everyone. I loved it right away and it got me in the perfect mood for the story. The writing style created an atmosphere for me that worked like a charm!

Foul is Fair deals with very dark themes and the writer wrote an in depth overview of triggerwarnings. I really like that she did that and think it's important to be available for readers who might need it. Before the story starts Jade is raped by a group of private school boys and this is her tale of revenge. Her idea of revenge involves a plan for killing the guilty parties so you can imagine how dark it gets ;)

The main inspiration for the book is Macbeth but you can also find Heathers, Mean Girls and AHS ‘Coven’ in there. Yes, these characters are absolutely horrible and this is not a healthy way to deal with trauma. But it makes for a delicious read! And I could definitely imagine the joy someone could find in reading about Jade’s revenge on these boys. That does not mean I or the author are saying this is the way to deal with trauma. But I think we can all agree that people get away with rape way to easily and when do get sentenced its usually a joke compared to what they did to the person they raped. 

I loved how this story enfolded and couldn’t put it down. It was such a quick read for me! I kept telling my mom all that happened because I needed to talk about it haha. She hopes it gets translated in Dutch so she can read it too!

There was a very nice diversity present in the coven. We got a transgender character, a bisexual or lesbian character, and Jade is Indian. I loved how all of this diversity was simply present. It didn't feel forced and it was just a nice representation of the world around us. I also quite liked Jade's parents. They were very supportive of their daughter. 

For me there was only one issue that prevented me from giving this 5 stars. Mack and Jade got together incredibly fast, a bit to fast for it to be believable in my opinion. I get that stretching it out might've made for a slower paced book but it was just a bit unbelievable. The ending went equally fast, and I liked to have seen that drawn out a bit more as well. I even reread a certain part two or three times because it went so fast, I didn't fully grasp what was going on. Luckily we are getting a sequel and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Was this review helpful?

“Fair is foul and foul is fair,” a quote from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, inspires the title of Hannah Capin’s latest novel which is a modern and unapologetically twisted re-telling of Shakespeare’s tragic, dark, and bloody play. Packed full of clever nods to Shakespeare’s original and quotes pulled directly from the text and dropped into the new narrative, Capin’s novel is a perfectly contemporary new take on the story which still successfully maintains the bare-boned structure, wickedness and gore of Shakespeare’s Scottish play.

In Hannah Capin’s Foul is Fair, Lady Macbeth is depicted by Jade, an LA teenager who attends a party with her three best friends (also known as her coven) for her 16th birthday, has her drink spiked and is sexually assaulted. “I decide how it ends. Every night except one.”

Instead of reporting the attack, Jade decides to take things into her own hands, snatch back the power that’s been taken from her, and take revenge on the boys. Jade is the perfect example of a woman who does not want to be a ‘survivor’ or a ‘victim’ of sexual assault, who boldly takes ownership over her body and her trauma, and says “those boys didn’t turn me into anything.” All Jade really wants is to regain her strength and power.

A re-telling of Macbeth for the #MeToo and #TimesUp era, Hannah Capin’s Foul is Fair is a book dedicated, “To all who survive, every day, in spite of everything: those who forgive and those who fight, those who seek justice and those who seek revenge, those who have stood up with the whole work watching and those whose stories will never be told. You are strength and you are power.” The narrative which in it’s dark and twisted way condones vigilante justice and revenge, shines a much-needed spotlight on rape culture, gender-based violence and slut-shaming in the book’s fierce feminist-battle cry of vengeance.

Capin’s Foul is Fair also tackles several other issues including abusive relationships, bullying and suicide. What’s more, through Jade’s friend Mads, Capin’s novel examines transphobia and transphobic bullying. Although Mads’ gender identity is never explicitly cited in the book, references to Mads’ “deadname”, flashbacks to transphobic behaviour in the school playground and quotes such as; “The first day Mads’s father let her be her real self at school,” drop hints to the reader that Mads is transgender. While at the same time, the subtly of these hints, and the agency Mads maintains throughout the novel (despite the bullying), show how easily a true friend can accept their best friend’s gender identity and how powerful this acceptance can be; “Mads, my Mads, who once upon a time when we were eight and taping knockout-pink Barbie Band-Aids over skinned knees, looked at me and told me the name she wasn’t and said I’m Madalena, and I said Good.”

Hannah Capin’s Foul is Fair is a truly intersectional feminist tale for a modern age. An unforgettable, gripping, thrilling and blood-thirsty novel which leaves you thinking about it long after you finish reading it. Fast-paced and dripping in blood, there’s never a dull moment in this brilliant and powerful new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which would definitely make an amazing film or even TV series.

Warning, while this book does not depict the full rape scene, flashbacks are featured throughout, therefore for anyone who may be triggered by a close examination of sexual trauma, this book will not be a safe read. What’s more, any readers who are uncomfortable with substance abuse, physical violence, gore, murder, suicide, transphobia or bullying may find this book a difficult read.

Was this review helpful?

Wow. This book was something. Foul is fair is a Macbeth retelling centered around a girl taking bloody revenge on her rapists. Now, I’ve seen Macbeth in a theatre about 200 years ago, so of course I couldn’t remember everything. Basically nothing, but that didn’t matter. You don’t need to know Macbeth, but if you do you recognize certain things and you’ll just get happy about yourself that you know stuff and that’s a bonus, I guess?

But back to Foul is Fair. It’s one of the best revenge stories I’ve ever read. Was it bloody? Yes, verily so. Was there murder? Yes. Was it twisted and dark af? Yes. Did I enjoy it anyway? Hell yes. That’s what made the appeal of the story. That, and the characters.

There’s Jade, the protagonist. The girl who is rape and wants the revenge she wouldn’t get on normal ways, because she’s up against the rich boys who can do what they want. She refuses to be weak, refuses to break. Instead, she is determined, smart and clever, scheming. Together with her three friends (her coven) she works out a plan to get revenge. I absolutely loved this group. They would do everything for each other. If one needs anything, the others will be there, no matter what. And that’s exactly what they do. For this story, Jade is the one who’s in charge, who’s on the path of revenge and the coven is behind her. Their friendship is so strong and so powerful. If this were a fantasy books, those four could rule the world.

The girls‘ targets are a group of boys from St. Andrew’s who assaulted Jade at a party. She transfers to this school to take her revenge one by one. To get to them, she picks out a boy, Andrew Mack. The boy who wasn’t envolved but knows enough. It seems like this might get a love story, though it’s clear from the very beginning who is playing and who is being played with. He is a way to get what she wants.

Hannah Capin has written such a bold and powerful, twisted and messy (in the best way) story. The writing style was so good, so fitting, staccato sentences having my eyes glued to those words, wanting more and more while my brain felt like being fucked with for most of the time. I was on edge and I read this book so fast. I’d recommend this book to everyone, especially survivors, but be aware that there are major trigger warnings.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: