Review: Foul Is Fair

Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Foul is Fair is the story of a girl who wants revenge for a terrible experience. She and her best friends will stop at nothing to get it. Elle went to a party as herself, and came out of the party as Jade, the girl who wants payback for all that she suffered. To do this, she must infiltrate the circle of privileged private school kids who will stop at nothing to remain at the top of the food chain.

The best part about this book is its lyrical quality. Throughout much of it, it almost seems more poetic than a typical novel would be. The turns of phrase make it mystical in a way. While there is no explicit descriptions of what she suffered through, the poetic nature of it makes it clear.

The worst part is the believability. While this is clearly written as the main character's revenge fantasy, it reads too fantastic. Who is able to infiltrate and carry out plans to permanently put an end to all of those who wronged her in a mere week or two? And beyond that, who is able to crawl her way to the top of the food chain at a school where she's a stranger? The other part that's a little too out there is that all she really does is change her hair and wear colored contacts, yet all of these people are supposed to not recognize her? It's kind of hard to buy, and it made me want to stop reading at many points, because Elle/Jade had it relatively easy to carry out her plans. Still, it is an important read.

*Book provided by NetGalley

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