I'm reading a book called the Foxhole Court, by Nora Sakavic. I haven't finished it, but I have a great idea on who this book may appeal to, and I would like to share a little summary. It all revolves around a sport called Exy; an aggressive game that's a mash up between the idea of lacrosse, but the aggressiveness of ice hockey on a soccer-sized field. The main character, Neil Josten, is an incoming college student and the son of a murderous crime lord, also known as "The Butcher." Because of this, he's constantly on the run and never feels safe around others. But things become much more difficult when he is given an offer he can't turn down: the chance to play Exy for the Palmetto State University Foxes. The Foxes are a huge college team in South Carolina, constantly in the news and being broadcast. This is a hovering threat for Neil, who must be ready to run at any point. The PSU's Foxes and their coach, Coach Wymack, have been known to draft rejects and troubled teammates and get the bad reputation of being an unskilled team compared to their rivals. The first few kids he meets are Andrew and Aaron, twins who plan to challenge the newbie on the team and come off strong and aggressive. I find this to be humorous because they are both only 5 feet tall. They have a cousin, Nicky, who also plays on the team. He has taken the honor of showing Neil around and getting him accustomed. Another teammate, Kevin Day, is an older player who is just now coming to play for the Foxes. He used to play for the Ravens, the best known Exy team out there. His mother had helped create the game, so you can see why he might be a key player and someone worth a lot. Because he broke his wrist, he became a coach for a while, and has now strangely joined the Foxes. From what I have read so far, Neil has an interesting and threatening backstory with Kevin, though Kevin himself doesn't seem to remember of anything. It seems to be about their parents, and who knows what crazy things could have happened with Neil's dad being a killer and his mother dead. Things are getting heated and tense, and I guess you'll have to read the book to find out what happens next!
This is really turning out to be an interesting book, and I would like to see where it leads. Are you someone who is intrigued with sports? How about a made up one? Exy combines some of the most well known sports into one, sure to fulfill a craving for an action packed game. It's tough and mean, but also demonstrates the sportsmanship and friends that are built on along the way. Now I am no sports fanatic, but something great about The Foxhole Court is that it unravels the sexist ideas of intense sports such as Exy. The book tells how a young woman named Danielle Wilds is chosen to be the first female captain in Class I Exy. With only 3 females drafted on the team, this is a big deal. Danielle is treated cruelly, and sexist fans call out the Foxes loses as if it is her fault. Even after all of this, she continued to play and began to rack up wins. Because of this small but grand detail, this book may grab the attention of feminists and really any women who believes in the idea of sports shouldn't be judged by your gender. So although I may not be the biggest sports fan, this book still caught my eye by how Sakavic slips things like that in, changing my aspects on the given ideas.
This book is only the first of a series, and I recommend it to anyone who might be curious. The other books you can find are titled The Raven King, and The King's Men. I plan on finishing the series and I hope to see some other readers picking it up too. Happy reading!
Sounds good!
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