Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin is an absolutely stunning read and nothing like I thought it would be. Powerful and fierce, I found myself unable to put it down and even when I wasn’t reading it I couldn’t stop thinking about it (or wanting to talk to people about it). I loved it.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

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 . . .

MY REVIEW

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 and I found myself somewhat rooting for her to succeed even though her plan seems crazy and over the top.

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 that it’s a joy for any fans of the original.

That being said, it probably doesn’t matter if you don’t know the play, it’s just as powerful and engaging on it’s own merit, 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 for a long time to come.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. This has in no way influenced my review.

My rating: 4.75 of 5 stars