Author: Kiersten White
Publication: March 10, 2026 by Del Rey
Genre: Gothic Fantasy
Find it on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Waterstones
Rating: 4.5/5★
An obsession with a beautiful serial killer entangles a vampire hunter’s daughter in an immortal sapphic romance in this enthralling gothic fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lucy Undying.
Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to studying vampires—up until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that plague Anneke every night.
Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest in forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch her mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicably dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.
But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps some crucial evidence to infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to Anneke, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola. Devil. The obsession is mutual, and all the more dangerous for it.
The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman, after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Because as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.
A heart that beats for Anneke alone.
🖤 Gothic Fantasy
🖤 Belle Époque Europe
🖤 19th Century
🖤 Sapphic Yearning
🖤 Vampires and Other Supernatural Creatures
🖤 Found Family
After her father’s murder, Anneke Van Helsing hunts an otherworldly beautiful serial killer known only as Diavola across Europe but she hadn't counted on falling into a dangerous attraction that blurs the line between vengeance and obsession.
The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White was right up my alley. A gothic fantasy set in 19th century Europe featuring a sapphic romance between a vampire hunter’s daughter and a supernatural serial killer. The mutual obsession they had with each other, the vengeance driving Anneke forward, the fierce found family formed in the chaos of it all. It was a deliciously addictive read!
The setting of the book was also one I loved so much. Kiersten White took her readers all over Europe as Anneke hunted Diavola from Amsterdam to Budapest to Brussels to Paris and even Lesvos in Greece! I also absolutely loved the friends that Anneke made along the way. Dávid, Maher and Inge were are so wonderful to read about. They made for quite the dynamic group together and Anneke definitely needed their support, even when she pushed them away at times.
My one and only minor point was that it did take a little effort to fully get into the story at the very beginning, as it started off somewhat slowly. However, once I got used to the slower pacing and became familiar with the characters, I completely fell in love with it. It was also quite a sad story at some points. Just a heads-up for future readers: don’t get too attached to some characters. But that’s all I’ll say!
If you've also (just like I have) read and loved Kiersten White's book, Lucy Undying, then you will absolutely enjoy this newest release as well. It has similar pacing, friendships and sapphic yearning. Overall, The Fox and the Devil was a dark, thrilling, and utterly addictive story of obsession, vengeance, and found family.
The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White was right up my alley. A gothic fantasy set in 19th century Europe featuring a sapphic romance between a vampire hunter’s daughter and a supernatural serial killer. The mutual obsession they had with each other, the vengeance driving Anneke forward, the fierce found family formed in the chaos of it all. It was a deliciously addictive read!
The setting of the book was also one I loved so much. Kiersten White took her readers all over Europe as Anneke hunted Diavola from Amsterdam to Budapest to Brussels to Paris and even Lesvos in Greece! I also absolutely loved the friends that Anneke made along the way. Dávid, Maher and Inge were are so wonderful to read about. They made for quite the dynamic group together and Anneke definitely needed their support, even when she pushed them away at times.
My one and only minor point was that it did take a little effort to fully get into the story at the very beginning, as it started off somewhat slowly. However, once I got used to the slower pacing and became familiar with the characters, I completely fell in love with it. It was also quite a sad story at some points. Just a heads-up for future readers: don’t get too attached to some characters. But that’s all I’ll say!
If you've also (just like I have) read and loved Kiersten White's book, Lucy Undying, then you will absolutely enjoy this newest release as well. It has similar pacing, friendships and sapphic yearning. Overall, The Fox and the Devil was a dark, thrilling, and utterly addictive story of obsession, vengeance, and found family.
About the author:Kiersten White is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning, and critically acclaimed author of dozens of books for readers of all ages, including The House of Quiet, the And I Darken trilogy, the Sinister Summer series, the Camelot Rising trilogy, Star Wars: Padawan, Hide, Mister Magic, and Lucy Undying. She lives in San Diego with her family and their surly tortoise, Kimberly.Visit her online at kierstenwhite.com and @authorkierstenwhite on Instagram and Threads.
