Debut Highlight: Call Forth A Fox by Markelle Grabo
Today on the Rambling Realm, I’d love to highlight an incredible novel by debut author Markelle Grabo. Call Forth A Fox is a sapphic twist on the classic fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red, perfect for fans of Holly Black.
Pitch
When solitary forager Ro saves a fox from a bear, she learns the bear is a boy cursed by faeries with no memory of who he is, only that he must kill the fox. To make her forest safe again, Ro vows to break the boy's curse.
About the Author
Intrigued? Well, why not read the full plot description?
Description
The western wood is where Ro’s father built their garden, taught her to forage, and told her tales of the faeries who live there—how to summon them, how to protect herself, and warnings of what they are capable of. Now, her father is gone, the garden has withered, and their family is struggling. Her mother and sister want to move into town, but Ro doesn’t want to give up the memories of her father and his stories—or the charming village girl who shares Ro’s love of the trees. And the forest isn’t ready to let her go either.
One winter night, on her way home from foraging, Ro encounters a fox being attacked by a bear. She fights the bear to save the fox’s life, only to see the bear turn into a boy after her sister shoots him with an arrow. When the boy wakes, he has no memory of who he is—all he knows is Ro’s name and that he has to kill the fox.
Ro never believed in the faeries from her father’s stories, but she can’t deny the magic surrounding her and that both the boy and the fox are victims of a faerie curse. She’ll have to remember everything her father taught her in order to extract herself from this deadly game and keep her precious fox out of harm’s way.
Grabo first wrote the story in third person. The first draft was her creative thesis for grad school.
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Themes of grief (death of a parent)
Instances of self-harm to induce magic
Violence
Light biphobia
What else should you know?
Call Forth A Fox is available now. Don’t forget to add the book to your Want-To-Read! You can get your copy now by following this link. You can also keep up with Markelle Grabo’s future work and latest updates by visiting her website or following her on Twitter, Threads, Instagram, and Goodreads.
