The Foxhole Court

Neil has just been recruited to a university Exy team... a life-long dream. Except that he's also been on the run from murderous criminal, so his dream has been an impossible one. If he stays in one place too long, he's dead, and playing on a top Exy team will mean he'd be dead sooner than later. But he's tired of running, and the Coach and top player who want him won't take no for an answer. This is a non-magical, but alternate world, as Exy is a highly popular game that doesn't exist in our world. But it's an exciting mix of lacrosse and hockey and hold attention even for a non-sports type like me. There is a lot of implied abuse, murder and violence. The Coach is known to recruit team-members who have had difficult lives, and Neil is a prime example... he's scarred and has witnessed murder and violence and his mother's death. Plus, hey, it's not like team sports aren't contact-free, no matter if there are penalties!-- but beyond that, the top team is positively psychotic and they are out to get Neil's team, as if he doesn't have enough problems. And the criminal organizations are about as ultra-violent as possible. Even Neil's own team members are known as psychotic and violent. A lot of the violence is implied and off-stage. That which is on-stage is enough, however. So this is a pretty dark story... BUT, beyond that, there are fascinating characters and situations and it's hard to not want to read along, even when darkness and violence isn't really what I want in a story. There is an almost fairy-tale feel to the evil. I mean, it's as bad as it can get... but then so are witches who eat children who get thrown into their own ovens, if you can see what I mean. It's nearly over-the-top, but the author manages to make it work. There are, of course, good parts, and those are fairy-tale in a way, too. I mean, Neil is living his dream even while he's living his nightmare... There are such highs and lows that it's all given a sense of wonder. It's hard to explain... but there's really something here. You root for Neil and his team (dysfunctional as they all are), and want those wins as long as the near hopelessly impossible happy ending. There are three books in this story and they end at good places but are definitely a continuous story. I nearly wanted to quit a time or two, but it was worth it to carry on. Definitely not for the faint of heart, however. There are some same-sex relations, but pretty much no romance/sex until the last book. The story is mainly a very dark YA sports fairy-tale that is probably more for mature adults, although the YAs tend to go for dark... and as I said, it's not like fairy tales aren't free from very dark themes, and those are told to kids! If you are curious, definitely try it! As I said, I'm not a YA or into sports or into dark tales or violence or extreme situations... These are very unique books... the author is definitely following a passion and that comes through. Very quirky and different, but basically compelling story-telling that is worth reading.

Having just finished this, I must say that I'm sort of speechless. I'm not exactly sure what to say about this book. However, it's been a long time since I've felt the desire to stick with a story in one go and even longer since I've finished a book this long (82k+) in only a day. With that said, there are a lot of warnings that should come with this book. For one, there is no romance in this one. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to even call it a gay novel because the main character is more asexual than anything. There are 'suggestions' and 'impressions' that this could turn into a gay romance but that could also be taken as the MCs just getting violent. But to those readers thinking they're picking up a young adult, new adult, whatever you want to call it, romance, you'll be sadly disappointed. That out of the way, I'm extremely glad I read this. It might not be romance or m/m but I adored the characters and the journey I took with them. They're intense to say the least, psychotic and likely to fly off the handle bars but there was something about them that made me want to continue reading and find out where things were going. While I wouldn't say there's a huge cast of characters, there are more than the typical couple and a few side characters. The main contenders here are three guys: Neil, Andrew and Kevin. Neil is an asexual (kinda) who just wants to play Exy (which is like a sport that mixes lacrosse and ice hockey). He's a frightened kid but knows how crucial it is to lie low for fear of his father discovering where he is. Kevin is difficult to explain. He's mean and criticizes everything about Neil but at the same time, he's this lost soul who's been dealt just as crappy a hand as Neil has. Andrew is... psychotic. It's the only way to describe him. I don't understand how he became this way but he's got nothing to lose and he acts on that. He's five foot nothing but he's not afraid of staring down giants. He's amazing but scary and willing to keep everyone who he deems 'family' safe and right now that is Kevin. The story follows Neil along as he gets accustomed to living in such an open place and playing the sport he loves. Immediately he has issues with Andrew and his gang (who are Neil's teammates) that makes his life difficult but he loves Exy enough to put up with the hostility from everyone. It's about the trials that Neil has to go through, the panic and fear he always has about being found out and being hunted again and the consequences he has to deal with when he makes his decisions regarding whether to stay or to run. The only thing I didn't like about this book (aside from the lack of m/m romance, of course!) was how confused I was at times. The beginning will be hard to get through for some people because you're left wondering what is going on. You don't get the full back story for Neil or Kevin or even Andrew that really makes sense until well into the book so you're left wondering and probably saying WTF multiple times. I feel that I should warn readers that this isn't exactly about the mafia either. While there's an undertone of it and even the threat of a yakuza pride descending on Neil and Kevin, it's not actually shown or very prominent in the story. Given that, I didn't much mind this because I felt like the whole book was focusing on second chances and Neil finally living a life, finding a home and standing up to his past. To do that, he needs Andrew and Andrew is willing to help him because of Kevin. It sort of seems like a love triangle but, like I said, this isn't romance. It is more of a bonding between these characters over a common issue. To be honest, it's hard to explain this whole book because so much happens and is revealed that would spoiler the whole story if told. So, I'm going to leave it here. I enjoyed the novel. It has its issues but I found the whole thing fascinating and couldn't put the book down once I started. I liked that it wasn't saturated in sex but focused on such broken, and in Andrew's case, frightening characters. These characters are misfits, pure and simple and their attitudes and aggressions show that. It's a book of deceit, loyalty, dangerous situations and trust. It's not your traditional story but a gripping tale nonetheless and I'm really looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here and seriously how there's some m/m romance in the near future for Neil and Andrew!!

If you enjoy character-driven stories with grit, emotional depth and morally complex characters, then this book is a must-read! The tension, suspense, and occasional quiet moments of camaraderie make the book more than just a regular story in my opinion. It's about survival, loyalty and finding a place to belong. What stands out the most to me is Neil's character development (as well as the character development of other characters), Neil goes from this guarded, wary outsider to someone slowly learning to trust throughout the series and I love it. 10/10, will definitely re-read it in the future.

Lo leí digital. No tenía muchas expectativas ya que los libros de deportes no me llaman la atención, y fue una sorpresa porque me gustó mucho! Es un libro que te engancha por completo. Y a pesar de que el deporte juega un papel muy importante aquí, ciertamente los personajes son los que te hacen no despegarte del libro. No se trata solo de jugar, se trata de toda la mafia que hay detrás. Quiero leer los otros dos libro y esta vez los quiero físicos, lástima que Amazon no los tiene disponible en Amazon México

Wow this book is so absorbing!!! It's so good that I wanted to ignore everything else to keep reading. XD Damn, Andrew is such a fascinating character. I grew to like him near the end. Kevin is...I still dislike him, but I sympathize with him. Neil is a sympathetic character too, but like with Andrew, I took quite a while to warm up to him. I felt fine towards Matt, but didn't feel very strongly about him. As for Allison, Seth, Renee, Abby, David, Aaron, Nicky, I have conflicted feelings towards them. The only person I can say that I like with no reservations, is their team captain, Dan (Danielle). She's so tough but also kind at the same time. 😁 The slow-burn romance is really getting me, in a good way. The suspense, tension, and uncertainty are wonderful! I like that the romance is not that obvious, either, especially as I found the blurb a bit misleading. But since most of the popular highlights on my Kindle were about a certain character, there's no doubt about who the love interest is anymore, haha. The popular highlights function was a fun extra dimension of experience to the book.

A rollercoaster ride to read this story!

The book hooked me from the first pages. Hell, from the pitch. I never read contemporary books, less alone sports ones with (kind of) young chacarters. But it's not a sport book. It a beautiful story about broken characters and twisted past, and it will play with your feelings and make you feel like you're in a roller-coaster. I don't know how many times I had to close the book or read a passage 10 times because I was shocked (in a good and terrible way). I mean, just read it.