The Foxhole Court

Book Title: The Foxhole Court

Author: Nora Sakavic
Series: All for the Game #1

Date Started: January 5th 2017

Date Completed: January 23rd 2017

Genres: Contemporary, Thriller
Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four stars

Review:

What drew me to The Foxhole Court was not its premise - I'll be honest, the whole American college experience doesn't interest me in the slightest - but the hype promising that this book was far more than meets the eye. It's somewhat underground cult status intrigued me and from a few positive reactions from people I trust I thought I might as well give it a try for 99p. Best 99p I've maybe ever spent.

I don't feel like I can really give this book more than four stars because it definitely has its weaknesses, but I'm calling it now that this trilogy is going to be five stars by the end of it. The main thing that was stopping me this time - and I'm sure is the reason these books are self-published - is that it's mainly told through information dumping. Strangely enough, I didn't actually mind once I got the swing of it because everything else is so well done, and Sakavic is building such a complex and solid world with it. But it has to be said that until the end we're being told extensive exposition in big chunks in order to appreciate the gravity of the rest of the book - which we do, but it's not structured in the best way it could be. But damn, it's still so good, and the heart of this book far outweighs its weaknesses.

The Foxhole Court is, essentially, about a team of violently troubled misfits that are as much at odds with each other as they are with the outside world. Looking back, there aren't many happy times in this book, it's all conflict. But there's a sort of community in that conflict between the teammates, even if things get out of hand, and that's the whole point of this story. Their distrust of each other is, honestly, completely valid, but they know when there are bigger threats to them on the outside of their group that trumps their dislike for each other.

Speaking of which, what really impressed me was the balance between the typical high school/college sport contemporary and a very dark gangster culture, without it feeling silly. It's a hard balance to pull off because it can so easily fall into the trap of melodrama and pushes the boundaries of what your readers can take seriously. Sakavic dedicates enough time into her world building and character development that we feel the gravity of these two worlds pressing onto our protagonists. I'm still not entirely sold on the sporting sequences (I have no idea what half the drills they put Neil through are), but I was invested enough in the people to find plenty to engage with.

Unanimously, I think it's agreed that the shining strength of these books are the characters. Gangs of misfits have always been my chosen protagonists, and Sakavic did not disappoint; in fact she insisted on going one up and providing arguably twelve protagonists which, amazingly, I was able to keep up with. And they were each good characters too. Varied, developed characters that clearly had their own backstories laid out in Sakavic's head even if they weren't written on the page. Even the arseholes of the group were well developed and believable.

Watching their interactions with each other was what drove me through this book, especially with the adults. Yes, I felt the tension between Neil and Kevin, and I wanted to punch Andrew as much as Matt did, but seeing the respect and true aggression between the team and Coach Wymack was so interesting for me, and I think most telling about all of them. Aside from the fact I love Abby and Wymack the most, they were so powerful in the story even if not directly involved. Adults can often be overlooked in Young Adult fiction, so seeing their inclusion was refreshing, and the power dynamic added yet more weight to what was happening. 

Despite the contemporary genre not being my thing Sakavic's merging with the crime thriller (even if very sparingly) pulled me into this book, but it was the characters that wouldn't let me back out again. I've been walking around today after finishing the book thinking about them and where this story has to go. It has its weaknesses, but it's a debut and I've read far, far worse books from big publishers, so I'm happy to see The Foxhole Court getting the cult status it deserves.