Status
Available
Call number
Series
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Collections
Publication
(2013), 262 pages
Description
Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential—and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member KWarwick
The Foxhole Court is the opening volume of what ends up being a fast-paced, intriguing trilogy. However, the first book does not completely emulate these traits. The novel is busy, with multiple plot factors, but they tend to be difficult to follow and slow moving. It can be argued that's the point
I can't say there was a specific point where that switched over for me, from feeling like I was trudging along to the end result of buying the last two books of the trilogy the moment I finished the first, but I'm very pleased to say that it did. I don't want to err into spoiler territory, but I'd say when Andrew's character really began interacting with Neil and trying to figure out his past was when the story began picking up and felt as if it was moving forward. There were points in the plot where I felt a character's actions or an event came out of nowhere, but it didn't detract too much from the flow. By the end of the first novel Neil felt far more sympathetic and interesting than he'd started out seeming, and the other major characters like Kevin and Andrew had begun feeling more fleshed out.
If you're looking for slow build, LGBT+ literature and enjoy sports narratives- even if they are made up sports- then this series is excellent choice. One major warning, though. This series is extremely dark with a great deal of potentially triggering plot lines. The first book in particular includes a scene of a character being drugged and kissed against their will, even amidst a great deal of vocal refusal. The following books are even more graphic. Exercise caution, but if you feel you can handle graphic plot lines then I fully recommend this series.
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of any first novel in a series, world building, and this book does need adequate time to do so with a new sport and an entire underground organized crime unit. Still, this first novel of the trilogy seems to drone on more than capture the reader's interest, at least for the first chunk of the text.I can't say there was a specific point where that switched over for me, from feeling like I was trudging along to the end result of buying the last two books of the trilogy the moment I finished the first, but I'm very pleased to say that it did. I don't want to err into spoiler territory, but I'd say when Andrew's character really began interacting with Neil and trying to figure out his past was when the story began picking up and felt as if it was moving forward. There were points in the plot where I felt a character's actions or an event came out of nowhere, but it didn't detract too much from the flow. By the end of the first novel Neil felt far more sympathetic and interesting than he'd started out seeming, and the other major characters like Kevin and Andrew had begun feeling more fleshed out.
If you're looking for slow build, LGBT+ literature and enjoy sports narratives- even if they are made up sports- then this series is excellent choice. One major warning, though. This series is extremely dark with a great deal of potentially triggering plot lines. The first book in particular includes a scene of a character being drugged and kissed against their will, even amidst a great deal of vocal refusal. The following books are even more graphic. Exercise caution, but if you feel you can handle graphic plot lines then I fully recommend this series.
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LibraryThing member wildrequiem
Read this for diversity December - research informed me that the MC is demisexual, which was a new term for me. I probably wouldn't have picked this book up otherwise, because sports fiction is just not my thing, and I rarely read books with so much testosterone flying around, ha.
I still don't
I still don't
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fully get what the sport Exy is; I keep imagining ice hockey, but then I remember it doesn't actually take place on ice. There are many characters in this book, and I found the beginning to be kind of all over the place. The story is more character-driven than plot, and I wish there was a better balance between the two because the plot is very thrilling, but the overly detailed descriptions of Exy made some parts tedious to read. Also, nothing in this book is actually realistic. But then again, this is YA and when is it ever realistic, lol. Show Less
LibraryThing member ainjel
This book is very interesting to say the least. I'm not exactly sure where I stand with any of the characters yet, and I don't know if I actually like any of them. But they intrigue me, and make my fingers itch to start the next book in the series. The novel comes off very much as a fanservice type
Anyhow, this is a very strange and interesting book, and I look forward to reading more and (hopefully) letting these characters enter my heart.
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book, and that's not a bad thing: I feel like Sakavic wrote the exact type of book she would have loved to read, and that just happens to be the same type of book that us fans out here love to read. One of my main critiques about this book is that for a sports book, it's really lacking sport. I have no idea how Exy is played other than that it is very aggressive, is a lacrosse hybrid sport, and that the player can only walk 10 steps with the ball. More game play would be nice, but I get that the book is more about the bizarre and broken characters than the game itself; but if the game is a part of the players and their connections to each other, then I believe game play is important.Anyhow, this is a very strange and interesting book, and I look forward to reading more and (hopefully) letting these characters enter my heart.
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LibraryThing member Mabely
The Foxhole Court series is a wonderful series that we have all been blessed with! I loved it so much. It contains: understanding, friendship, love, courage and diversity. I swear that this series are just the best to lose yourself in and experience the amazing universe of the exy sport and the
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junkies that exist in it. If you read this before you know what I am talking about;) Show Less
LibraryThing member Banoczi_Henrietta
27/01/2017
reading this feels like coming home. in retrospect things make so much more sense. but the most painful part is neil's character development. he's grown so much.
03/09/2016
i would give it a thousand stars if i could. so much better the second time around when i actually understand what's
22/03/2016
this book was...... different. didn't think i would like it because i'm not a very big sports fan, but i ended up loving it somehow. it wasn't that i fell madly in love with it, it was just that it kept me reading. i feel like it's very much a character driven story? but i never once felt bored.
i probably enjoyed it so much because of the characters, characters who were so realistic?? and actual human types? all of them had layers to their personalities and they had complex stories and they were all three-dimensional and i absolutely loved it. most of the time i had no idea what i was supposed to feel towards any given character this is genius.
and the sport itself is very creative though i can't really imagine it, but i did like how it was described and how it was the central part of the story without being shoved in my face.
and then there's neil. i have very mixed feelings about him. mainly because i don't really know a whole lot about him?? we are given information about his past and childhood and current situation and his thoughts were all there but i still wouldn't be able to tell what kind of person he is? what gestures he makes what are his qualities or flaws or just anything?? i guess that's kind of good because he has to kind of act a certain way to live the life he is living but still. i hope we get to know him better as the series goes on.
and the absolute best thing about it is that THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ROMACE ISN'T THAT JUST FANTASTIC though i do ship neil and kevin heh
all in all i thoroughly enjoyed this book and i can't wait to start the next one.
reading this feels like coming home. in retrospect things make so much more sense. but the most painful part is neil's character development. he's grown so much.
03/09/2016
i would give it a thousand stars if i could. so much better the second time around when i actually understand what's
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going on. i cried a lil bit at the end, when andrew does the thing.22/03/2016
this book was...... different. didn't think i would like it because i'm not a very big sports fan, but i ended up loving it somehow. it wasn't that i fell madly in love with it, it was just that it kept me reading. i feel like it's very much a character driven story? but i never once felt bored.
i probably enjoyed it so much because of the characters, characters who were so realistic?? and actual human types? all of them had layers to their personalities and they had complex stories and they were all three-dimensional and i absolutely loved it. most of the time i had no idea what i was supposed to feel towards any given character this is genius.
and the sport itself is very creative though i can't really imagine it, but i did like how it was described and how it was the central part of the story without being shoved in my face.
and then there's neil. i have very mixed feelings about him. mainly because i don't really know a whole lot about him?? we are given information about his past and childhood and current situation and his thoughts were all there but i still wouldn't be able to tell what kind of person he is? what gestures he makes what are his qualities or flaws or just anything?? i guess that's kind of good because he has to kind of act a certain way to live the life he is living but still. i hope we get to know him better as the series goes on.
and the absolute best thing about it is that THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ROMACE ISN'T THAT JUST FANTASTIC though i do ship neil and kevin heh
all in all i thoroughly enjoyed this book and i can't wait to start the next one.
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LibraryThing member widdersyns
I wanted to like this book. I went into it optimistically. I found it due to my love of The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. I have to say, I have no idea why comparisons have been drawn there. The only similarity is that each series has a book called The Raven King. They have absolutely nothing
The first thing I have to address is the writing. It's...not great. I had a hard time following it sometimes. I actually had to start the book over at one point because I had no idea what was going on. I'm going to blame that on the book and not myself. I'm an experienced reader. A YA sports novel should not be more difficult for me than James Joyce.
I think one of the major reasons I was confused is because there is no exposition at the beginning. I'm not saying there necessarily has to be, but it seemed frequently like the book was assuming knowledge that it hadn't given me yet. And then the backstory was revealed seemingly at random, with nothing really prompting the expository segments.
The dialogue is pretty bad. The characters all sound the same, and none of them sound like real people.
I won't go into too much detail about the actual sport of Exy, since I know very little about sports in general and pretty much nothing about the NCAA. I will say that I am at a complete loss to tell you how Exy is played, what the equipment looks like, how a player scores points, how a team wins, or basically anything you might want to know about a sport. This one may be partially on me, but I think a lot of it isn't.
None of the characters are very likable. Anyone who isn't a complete irredeemable asshole is flat and uninteresting.
Most of them are complete irredeemable assholes, though.
I need to talk about Nicky for a second. Sure, it's nice to see an openly gay character on a sports team who mostly gets along well with his teammates (except for Seth spewing slurs at him, which is not treated as a big deal at all. But then, of course, Seth dies, so maybe that's his punishment for being a homophobe? More on that later).
Nicky is an extremely negative stereotype. There are many stereotypes about gay men to be found in media. The flamboyant gay man. The fashion-obsessed gay man. These may be overused, but they're not inherently harmful (there are situations where they might be, of course).
Nicky, however, is a harmful character. The predatory gay man. The one who hits on all his straight friends all the time, who can't stop talking about all the sex he wants to have with them, even after they make it clear they're not interested and he's making them uncomfortable. It escalates to him forcing himself on Neil, in order to force Neil to take drugs. That is assault. That is horrific and his casual apology to Neil doesn't even begin to make up for it. He and his friends are criminals.
Speaking of criminals, what the hell is up with Andrew? He doesn't have any treatable condition as far as I can tell. He's portrayed as a complete psychopath with no regard for human emotion or any type of morality. That cannot be treated by a pill. Even if that pill is some sort of magic fictional pill that can cause withdrawal after hours and, after that same period of time, is completely undetectable in the body (considering the fears that people could find out that Andrew was off his meds for the game. It's very doubtful). Also, the continued usage of the word "sober" was infuriating. Please don't conflate psychiatric medicine with addiction. Are we supposed to like Andrew? Apparently we're supposed to think he's better for Kevin than Riko is, even though they're both violent and controlling abusers.
On the note of mental health, there was the line about how Seth doesn't need his antidepressants when he's with Allison because she helps him in some way? That's not how depression works.
That's not how any of this works.
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in common. The first thing I have to address is the writing. It's...not great. I had a hard time following it sometimes. I actually had to start the book over at one point because I had no idea what was going on. I'm going to blame that on the book and not myself. I'm an experienced reader. A YA sports novel should not be more difficult for me than James Joyce.
I think one of the major reasons I was confused is because there is no exposition at the beginning. I'm not saying there necessarily has to be, but it seemed frequently like the book was assuming knowledge that it hadn't given me yet. And then the backstory was revealed seemingly at random, with nothing really prompting the expository segments.
The dialogue is pretty bad. The characters all sound the same, and none of them sound like real people.
I won't go into too much detail about the actual sport of Exy, since I know very little about sports in general and pretty much nothing about the NCAA. I will say that I am at a complete loss to tell you how Exy is played, what the equipment looks like, how a player scores points, how a team wins, or basically anything you might want to know about a sport. This one may be partially on me, but I think a lot of it isn't.
None of the characters are very likable. Anyone who isn't a complete irredeemable asshole is flat and uninteresting.
Most of them are complete irredeemable assholes, though.
I need to talk about Nicky for a second. Sure, it's nice to see an openly gay character on a sports team who mostly gets along well with his teammates (except for Seth spewing slurs at him, which is not treated as a big deal at all. But then, of course, Seth dies, so maybe that's his punishment for being a homophobe? More on that later).
Nicky is an extremely negative stereotype. There are many stereotypes about gay men to be found in media. The flamboyant gay man. The fashion-obsessed gay man. These may be overused, but they're not inherently harmful (there are situations where they might be, of course).
Nicky, however, is a harmful character. The predatory gay man. The one who hits on all his straight friends all the time, who can't stop talking about all the sex he wants to have with them, even after they make it clear they're not interested and he's making them uncomfortable. It escalates to him forcing himself on Neil, in order to force Neil to take drugs. That is assault. That is horrific and his casual apology to Neil doesn't even begin to make up for it. He and his friends are criminals.
Speaking of criminals, what the hell is up with Andrew? He doesn't have any treatable condition as far as I can tell. He's portrayed as a complete psychopath with no regard for human emotion or any type of morality. That cannot be treated by a pill. Even if that pill is some sort of magic fictional pill that can cause withdrawal after hours and, after that same period of time, is completely undetectable in the body (considering the fears that people could find out that Andrew was off his meds for the game. It's very doubtful). Also, the continued usage of the word "sober" was infuriating. Please don't conflate psychiatric medicine with addiction. Are we supposed to like Andrew? Apparently we're supposed to think he's better for Kevin than Riko is, even though they're both violent and controlling abusers.
On the note of mental health, there was the line about how Seth doesn't need his antidepressants when he's with Allison because she helps him in some way? That's not how depression works.
That's not how any of this works.
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LibraryThing member crtsjffrsn
Much like many of the reviews I've read since I finished this book, I picked it up without any real expectations. It was available for free and looked mildly interesting, but it definitely surprised me and made me incredibly glad I took that chance.
Neil Josten has been running from his past for as
The way Nora Sakavic builds the world and slowly introduces the characters is something that really keeps the reader engaged (at one point, I sat down to read a chapter and got up nearly 10 chapters later) and demonstrates a skill in storytelling that I haven't seen in a while. One has to suspend some disbelief to accept aspects of the story (I just settled on the idea that it takes place in the near future to explain some of the differences in societal norms and regulations), but Sakavic makes it very easy to do so. For a book that is touted as having m/m romance elements, it is a bit light on that front (they're mostly hinted at in this book), but I expect they will continue to build in the future books in the series.
Neil Josten has been running from his past for as
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long as he can remember. When his skill in a sport known as Exy get the attention of a recruiter at Palmetto State University, however, he has a decision to make: keep running or take some time to pursue playing the sport he loves. And the fact that the team's new star player is someone that he knew in his past seems like a point in the favor of either decision.The way Nora Sakavic builds the world and slowly introduces the characters is something that really keeps the reader engaged (at one point, I sat down to read a chapter and got up nearly 10 chapters later) and demonstrates a skill in storytelling that I haven't seen in a while. One has to suspend some disbelief to accept aspects of the story (I just settled on the idea that it takes place in the near future to explain some of the differences in societal norms and regulations), but Sakavic makes it very easy to do so. For a book that is touted as having m/m romance elements, it is a bit light on that front (they're mostly hinted at in this book), but I expect they will continue to build in the future books in the series.
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LibraryThing member AKBouterse
This was a fun book. Definitely the first in the series. It seemed to mostly set up all the conflict that will happen later in the series but it was still pretty good on its own. All the characters were interesting. I liked that they were all so interesting and that they didn’t feel like the
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stereotypical “heroes.” I listened to this on audiobook and it was pretty good. Very fast as well. The audiobook was only seven hours. Since I’m in college right now it’s a lot easier for me to listen to audiobooks. Only this first book is available as an audiobook right now so I’m not entirely sure how long it will until I read the rest of the series but I definitely want to continue. This is the type of story I love, even if the plot is a bit unrealistic. For fiction like this I’m not reading it for the realism but as a fun escape. Excited to see what happens in books 2 and 3. Show Less
LibraryThing member mutantpudding
I dont think Ive really picked a story about sports since the Gordon Korman and Chris Crutcher books I read in high school, but I had this recommended to me and thought I would give it a try... and then proceeded to finish it in under 24 hours.
Are real life college athletics and organized crime
Are real life college athletics and organized crime
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anything like they are in this book? Probably not. But since the book I read before this featured a house that grew fur and then ate people I figured I would just roll with it. I found the cast of characters varied and fascinating (though thoroughly dysfunctional), and actually got into the sports aspects of the book more than I thought I would. I dont know if most people would enjoy this book but I did and cant see myself not finishing the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member clrichm
Been curious about this one for a while, with various references I'd seen on social media. I knew it was considered problematic by some, adored by some, etc., but I wanted to make my own assessment. I'm now...intrigued, I suppose. The description of the gameplay was the weakest point for me, and I
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found it hard to keep my attention on it. There are questions that are going to eat at me if I don't read the next book (what's up with Renee?), so I guess I've been pulled in for now. Show Less
LibraryThing member tuusannuuska
4,1 stars
I knew going in that enjoying this book requires some heavy suspension of disbelief. Which is probably the reason why I was able to enjoy it as much as I did. Mostly this first book sets the scene for the rest of the series (I'm assuming) and introduces the reader to the world of the
Overall, this book is just very entertaining. I thought the pacing was good, the characters were decent, and I feel like there's a lot of potential for the rest of the series. The initial hazing and "initiations" were really not to my liking, but I'm hoping we're starting to be past that now that Neil is more a part of the team.
I hope I'll like parts two and three even more.
I knew going in that enjoying this book requires some heavy suspension of disbelief. Which is probably the reason why I was able to enjoy it as much as I did. Mostly this first book sets the scene for the rest of the series (I'm assuming) and introduces the reader to the world of the
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imaginary sport Exy, as well as the brutal world of teenagers running away from what is effectively the mafia.Overall, this book is just very entertaining. I thought the pacing was good, the characters were decent, and I feel like there's a lot of potential for the rest of the series. The initial hazing and "initiations" were really not to my liking, but I'm hoping we're starting to be past that now that Neil is more a part of the team.
I hope I'll like parts two and three even more.
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LibraryThing member Briars_Reviews
This book was not for me. I seriously wanted to like it but it was too unrealistic for me. The writing style also didn't connect with me so I had to struggle through to the end. This isn't a hit against the author or the book, it just wasn't my type of read. And, that's totally okay! We all have
One out of five stars.
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books that everyone else loves that we just can't get into. That being said, read it for yourself and make your own informed decision on whether you like it or not.One out of five stars.
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LibraryThing member AnneMarieMcD
I don't like the writing style, but I do like the story and the characters. I want to find out what happens next.
LibraryThing member Okies
!@#$#@!!
I don't read fantasy and this book hovered on the edge, with its fantastical hybrid ice hockey game, Exy. Its cast of characters who were larger than life, and often completely unsympathetic and cruel to each other. Its protagonist, Neil, whose life has been like a terrifying Yakuza movie.
Neil's one consolation in life is to play Exy. He "disappears" into this game and feels momentary safety. And wow! does he deserve a consolation given the horrendous life he's led up to this point, which, if we were told how old he is I missed -I assume it is 18 or 19.
The intensity of this novel, which fortunately got me past the chaos at the start, kept me riveted, and left me hoping for the best for Neil.
I think there are about 10 in the Exy team: males and females. They are important characters in the book, and sufficiently intriguing that I hope they appear in later books.
I'm almost finished and there doesn't appear to be any romantic interest for Neil, so it must be in the next book. He's obsessed with his mentor and assistant coach to the team, Kevin. But Kevin picks on Neil unrelentingly, though he does eventually give him some encouragement by mentoring him with extra training in the middle of the night, every night - another kind of bullying or targeting.
It's unexpected how invested I am in Neil getting a break, so I see myself picking up the next books in the series.
Nora Safavic has made a contribution to young adult romance with this unusual novel - how much of my high praise is due to the narration I couldn't say - but she's been incredibly lucky that Alexander Cendese narrates the series.
I don't read fantasy and this book hovered on the edge, with its fantastical hybrid ice hockey game, Exy. Its cast of characters who were larger than life, and often completely unsympathetic and cruel to each other. Its protagonist, Neil, whose life has been like a terrifying Yakuza movie.
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Neil's one consolation in life is to play Exy. He "disappears" into this game and feels momentary safety. And wow! does he deserve a consolation given the horrendous life he's led up to this point, which, if we were told how old he is I missed -I assume it is 18 or 19.
The intensity of this novel, which fortunately got me past the chaos at the start, kept me riveted, and left me hoping for the best for Neil.
I think there are about 10 in the Exy team: males and females. They are important characters in the book, and sufficiently intriguing that I hope they appear in later books.
I'm almost finished and there doesn't appear to be any romantic interest for Neil, so it must be in the next book. He's obsessed with his mentor and assistant coach to the team, Kevin. But Kevin picks on Neil unrelentingly, though he does eventually give him some encouragement by mentoring him with extra training in the middle of the night, every night - another kind of bullying or targeting.
It's unexpected how invested I am in Neil getting a break, so I see myself picking up the next books in the series.
Nora Safavic has made a contribution to young adult romance with this unusual novel - how much of my high praise is due to the narration I couldn't say - but she's been incredibly lucky that Alexander Cendese narrates the series.
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Language
ISBN
9781301529049
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