Fox's Tongue and Kirin's Bone

Fox's Tongue and Kirin's Bone #1

by Allison M. Kovacs

For fans of The Queen's Thief and Every Heart a Doorway , this dark fantasy joins folklore and politics, each as deadly as the other...

Humanity is dying, hunted to extinction by creatures of legend. One boy was born to save them all.

That boy just got knifed in the back. He looked a bit too much like Aaron, you see.

Now it’s Aaron’s job to step up, lest his Death correct that little mix-up. But Aaron’s skills as a street rat run more towards stealing and stabbing than towards saving. And the more he learns of what brought dear dead Markus to that fatal alleyway, the more he has to wonder just what the world’s savior was really up to the night the wrong boy died.

The best rated serial fantasy, now available in print, ebook, and on Audible!

Genres: Fantasy

234 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2021

Reviews

[Supernoodle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is strong on the platonic relationships with no romance so far (MuffinLance is clear that Aaron is ace, but in-story there simply isn't any romance as of the beginning of book 2), has a light tone with forays into the uncanny for spice, is easy to read but not simplistic, has a medium pace that lets you hang out with the characters without getting bored, identity shenanigans, and a well-constructed fantasy world that draws from multiple mythologies but is consistent in-world. I particularly enjoyed how Aaron navigates relationships with people who have very different backgrounds and opinions on the world around them. The world they live in isn't simple, and Aaron walking between two worlds forces him to confront difficult choices and adds layers on top of layers to his relationships with other characters.
This story is currently ongoing and available for free on Royal Road! MuffinLance recently revealed a test print for hardcover and paperback copies, and you can look for more info at their Tumblr (muffinlance.tumblr.com). Volume one is complete, and volume two, called The Skin Stealer's Son, is updated on Fridays.

[heptagrammaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

We stan murder rat boys out of their depth in the world of Politicks and sassy anthropomorphisations of Death.

(This is a bad summary, but a hands-down recommendation.)

[Gabrielle ✿]

Of course, I bought this because of "Salvage."

[Lemon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a really well-written book. The author has a style that pulls you in by baiting you with shiny information and worldbuilding details that you have to read further to unfurl. It makes for a very immersive experience that tries to put you in this position of someone who is already a local of the world. It's the same with her characters, which works GREAT because all of them are sneaky people way too smart for their own good who wear like 50 masks, including the protagonist. And honestly I love all of them

There's a lot of plot threads to pick out, too, and this was such a good first book to lay them all out. I also went into this completely blind (didn't even know the summary or premise of the book), which really sold how well the author storytells. Love the characters, absolutely ADORE the worldbuilding - even if it confuses me on points - and am utterly entranced by the atmosphere and tone of the work. Like I told the friend who recommended this to me, has the vibe of regret and hope, things-that-could have-been lost forever and things-that-could-be still waiting to be reached. It's a broken world with terrible things lurking in the shadows, but it's not a hopeless one and people still light up lanterns in the dark. And I can appreciate that.

Content warning: violence, mentions of abuse and a mention of suicide, no language from what I can tell except maybe soft swear words (like the d-word?), marital infidelity mentions....can't think of anything else

[Lytherin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in a chokehold from page one. It was one of these rare gems that immediately pulled me in and didn't let go.
I loved the main character Aaron who's disillusioned about the world but has a good heart and is just a little too honest so that every other character falls for him eventually. He also has a peculiar way of insulting everyone in the best possible way.
We don't get much explanation about the world but for me that made it even better and more interesting to piece all information together. The book ends on a high note and I can't wait for the next one.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 2 out of 5]

История, която е добре написана и определено има потенциала да бъде интересна, но просто се развива прекалено бавно и не "закача" достатъчно читателя на кукичката на интереса. Е, поне мен не ме закачи, явно е че си има отдадени читатели.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. The writing is nuanced, subtle, and clever. The worldbuilding incorporates ancient myths but in original ways, making for a setting that's original and slowly revealed through the story. This is one of the most original stories I've run into in a long time. One of the rare books where you can trust the author to pay off on the tiny details/foreshadowing/clues (but give it time, the character and story are careful with their secrets). Easily a 5/5.

[rixx]

Not sure why I keep reading this tbh. It's got a huge world, but refuses to do the required worldbuilding. Lost interest in the initial hook, muddling through, and also by now removed all the initial chapters, lol. Honestly just still reading it because I get updates in my feed reader.

[Bookalicious Pod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently completed book 2 of Allison M Kovacs fantasy series (Foxs Tongue & Kirins Bone; Skin Stealers Son)

I am a big fantasy reader & love a complex world with multidimensional characters. Fox's Tongue was recommended as my next read. The story is steeped in Japanese & Medieval folklore which brings a hit of dopamine when a Ninetails or Selkie is referenced.

The first novel takes off from the first chapter but without utilizing a 'guide' character to explain the background to the reader. Instead the novel unfolds in pieces, slowly unwrapping until the very end, but still leaves more mysteries to sit on.

The secondary novel gives satisfactory answers to book 1 while bringing in new intrigue to keep you guessing. Plot twists realistic, if you read fast you will miss it but for careful readers the twists can be untangled!

I haven't felt as excited about a series since I started Brandon Sanderson Stormlight series. The vibes feel like a mix of Avatar the Last Airbender with Shadow & Bone (minus any YA love tropes)

The author is self-published, but you can purchase on Amazon or read for free with a Kindle Unlimited.

[Becca C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very compelling story. Have you ever seen a fantasy book with ZERO exposition in it? Me neither. It's very refreshing. Everything comes to the reader from context clues. And, honestly, some stuff does not come; there are several mysteries still left as such by the end of book 2 (book 2 has a tiny bit of exposition, but not much).

Aaron is a fabulous narrator. He is clever and has a sense of humor. You easily understand that he has had a rough and unfair life but his voice is never bitter or maudlin. I love that we stay single POV throughout.

This is an indie novel but it is very well-edited. The style and pacing are different from a lot of trad published fantasy books. I hope this series finds a lot of fans, and proves that fantasy stories can be popular without: excessive violence, excessive darkness, shoe-horned romances, or hand-holding of readers.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of fantasy. The world is kind of dense, and it's revealed bit by bit, so have some patience. There are shapeshifters and dragons and intelligent cats and lots and lots of Deaths, who seem to have some kind of agenda of their own. The last of humanity is fighting to save itself, but that's mostly in the background; hopefully, that comes into play more further on. I liked the main character quite a bit; he's a bit cheeky, which I always like, and he didn't fall in love with anyone, which I get tired of in fantasy. I get the feeling it's self-published, but I've never seen a self-published auidobook before, so maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, it's a fun book to read.

[Margaret Carmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting fish-out-of-water story set in a unique fantasy world. It's on the shorter side, but hints at a bigger story to come.

Fox's Tongue and Kirin's Bone starts when Aaron comes across someone who looks exactly like him, lying dead in the alleyway he frequents. This sets off an interesting adventure where he, accompanied by a magical fox that represents his brush with death, ends up finding a job at the castle and impersonating the nobleman who he was murdered in his place. What follows is an intriguing romp through his time trying to fit in as a royal and answering questions about his true identity, especially when he father came to castle and political intrigue took hold.

This certainly doesn't follow typical tropes or a story pattern in my experience, making it an interesting read where I was never quite sure where it was going. It walked a good balance between stopping every five minutes to give you information about the world building and still giving you enough to go on, but it's not a book you can skim and still keep up with. There is a complicated set of relations that is hard to sort out in the end, which is my biggest quibble because I wasn't always 100% sure what happened. I will probably need to read it a second time before starting the sequel.

Long live fantasy! This is a lot of fun

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot? Like it was engaging, interesting characters, interesting premise. But also sometimes I had no idea what was going on, what the significance of things were. How the dopples even worked.

[Samuel Cooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book that keeps you interested from beginning to end. I especially loved the incorporation of other creatures into this world. It was done in a way that made it clear that they were just another part of the world, something that is very difficult to accomplish by some fantasy authors.

[Benehime · Rating 5 out of 5]

The suspense KILLED ME!!

Everyone is so great! And the folktale elements are done so well! I cannot wait for the second book!

[Vilius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about this is extremely magical. It makes me feel like I'm in a fairyland. Although it's currently stuck in hiatus hell.

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic, just read it yourself already.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The morals are indeed more grey than a baby emperors penguin, but not as fluffy.10/10 I love backstabbing liars

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic mythology, fairly average writing and storytelling

[Hugo R.F · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise hooks you and it doesn’t let you go through the whole book! The worldbuilding is very cool as well and made me curious about it the whole way through. Very fun read.

[Zimmerea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Great unreliable narrator mixed up in court politics with the perfect amount of fantasy lore mucking everything up. Looking forward to the sequel!

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these characters and this magical world

[Victoria M · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much LORE! And not a lot of exposition. Both of which means a good story! The author puts a lot of trust in the reader to Catch Up and I love stories like that. Very clever.

[Levitate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich with intriguing lore, creativity, questions of identity and morality and characters that wear many faces. Allison weaves a tapestry of truth and lies that you’ll find hard to put down.

[Emily Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness. Where do I even begin. This might very well be one of my favorite books of all time. The characters are all wonderful, the plot is expertly put together, and to top it all off it has one of the most imaginative and creative settings I have ever seen! I legitimately would put it up there with books such as the stormlight archives and his dark materials. There wasn't a single moment that bored me while reading and the writing style is simply beautiful. Honestly, the only thing I didn't like was the way some of the chapter titles were goofy even as the chapter was extremely tense, but even then it made me laugh so I can't hold it against the book to hard. It's such a fun story, I wish I could adequately describe how happy it makes me to read. I had to just sit there and let it all sink in for a moment when I'd finally finished reading the first time. What a good book!! I can't wait to gush about this book to all my friends lol

Thanks to Allison Kovacs for the wonderful read!!!

[Tonhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for you if you'd like to read some dark but also lighthearted stuff, talk about serious topics while being funny, mysterious worldbuilding making SENSE! I just loved it how it makes all the mythologies work together. The characters are trying to outsmart each other, it was a really entertaining and good story. I'll definitely reread it in the future. Or next week, I dunno, I need more Aaron in my life ;)