Shadow of the Fox

I’m gong to say that Shadow of the Fox is something pretty magical. From the incredible world building to the fantastic characters this ticked all the right boxes for me. Yumeko’s mischievous Kitsune is wonderful, she’s like that friend who always seems to get away with things no matter how much trouble they cause! She is the perfect antidote to the serious and sensible Kage. The story itself is set in 3 parts alternating between Yumeko and Kage for the main chapters. I really enjoy dual POV books and the additional insight they give in a first person narrative. What is a little different though, is that each part is opened by Suki, who we meet at the very start and her pages help to fill in the blanks whilst the main players are on their adventure and adventure is what this book is at its heart. Like your favourite anime series met Wizard of Oz, Yumeko is on a journey fraught with dangers but meets those on her way who help in ways she didn’t know she needed. Each place she finds herself she is met with a new test, a new boss battle of sorts with each being more terrible than the last. I loved the use of magics in the writing and how everything from forest spirits to angered ghosts make an appearance. Everything is described with such vivid beauty and the #ownvoice adds a depth and warmth to the pages where the Japanese flows seamlessly.

What was also refreshing is that any romance was kept to blushes and glances, yes there is a hint of inevitability as to where things are leaded (i’m pretty certain love will save the day eventually) but Yumeko is not to be distracted from her task and rightly so given the lives that were lost to set her on her path. Given her sheltered upbringing anything more would not have been authentic to the story. There was nothing I didn’t love about this story, and that includes a potentially inadvertent Monty Python moment (a knight, a bridge, non shall pass…) which may go over the heads of some, but tickled me none the less. Shadow of the Fox is a wonderful addition to the recent flurry of Asian mythology, with fantastic characters that you can’t help but cast in your head, gorgeous surroundings and heart in mouth set pieces. If you want a book to get truly lost in then this will certainly be the one to do it!

5*

I really enjoyed this book. There was such detailed world building. Also there are some great characters. I love them. The Japanese lore is so interesting. I cannot wait to read the next one.

We are enjoying this series on audio with our teenagers. I like the readers, especially the woman’s voice, and the story lends itself very well to audio format. It’s pretty fast-paced, it has a very unusual heroine, it has some secondary characters you’ll want to write fan-fiction about, and it has worldbuilding that I definitely am looking forward to exploring more later in the series. Definitely not the same-old!

This is my first experience reading Kagawa and I’m sad to say it might be my last.

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. I personally thought the story was a stellar idea but, for me, the author’s writing style didn’t deliver.

While it’s very obvious Kagawa put a lot of research into Japanese mythology, which being a lover of the Japanese culture, I appreciated, I just couldn’t connect with how she was telling the story. I can’t exactly pinpoint what it was that didn’t hit the mark for me. I just found myself getting easily distracted and I couldn’t get excited to continue.

The beginning chapters really hooked me in a lot and I felt like I was going to devour the book and completely fall in love with it, but the plot dwindled fast. The seemingly endless journey and the use of too many demons as obstacles started to feel a bit tedious.

I suppose my biggest negative was the plot because I really ended up liking the characters quite a lot. It’s possible that the next book will be better now that the world-building is more-or-less complete and the plot can hopefully be more prominent, but sadly I can’t see myself getting excited for it.

Action and characters are awesome. Both protagonists were fun to read. Great start to a series, really looking forward to the next book.

I loved it! While I had a hard time getting into her TALON series, this one sucked me in from the very first chapter. I stayed up far too late finishing it.

What I loved the most were the characters. Truly a quest, it had a Magnificent Seven/LOTR appeal to me. Each character had his/her own personality, goals and conflicts, and they didn’t always sync with each other. But ultimately, this “band of brothers” comes together to complete their original mission and defeat their enemies.

Clearly, it’s the beginning of a series because there were some major plot points left unresolved at the end (but with the teaser that they will continue on their journey to finish their quest before an even greater evil–and the bad guy in this book was already a worthy villain–is unleashed into the world).

It was interesting to learn a little more about the Japanese culture. Many of the Japanese terms I could figure out with context clues, but some I did have to look up (there’s a glossary at the end of the book).

There was quite a bit of fantasy violence, but nothing that bothered me as an adult. But I might caution younger readers who pick up this book. Definitely fine for mature middle school and high school readers, as well as adults.

YA fantasy very well written. Touches of humor (thank you, Okame!), action, mysteries to be solved, a bit of sexual tension. Ms. Kagawa is in fine form with this new series!

Yumeko is a kitsune. Okay, technically she’s only half-kitsune, but even that’s more than enough to get her into trouble. Although her jokes and pranks exasperate most of the monks that she lives with, her trickster nature could be the only thing that enables her to stay one step ahead of those who pursue her. Those who covet what she carries.

Tatsumi is a shadow warrior trained to hunt and kill yokai when instructed to do so by his clan. Equipped with a sword that imprisons a demon, Tatsumi is an unstoppable force – as long as he feels no emotion. Why, then, after a lifetime of training, does the presence of one girl stir up so much feeling? The more he comes to care for her, the more likely it is that he will be overtaken by the demon, but this girl’s draw is irresistible. Even so, he must focus and stay on task until he finds the things he has been sent to retrieve.

Once every age, the great Kami Dragon grants the fulfillment of one wish to the bearer of The Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. For the safety of the land of Iwagoto, the scroll was torn into four pieces and hidden in four remote monasteries, to be guarded against the possibility of the Dragon’s wish being begin fulfilled for evil ends. A new age is beginning, and the Kami Dragon will soon rise once again. There are many who long to see their greatest wish come true, and they will do whatever it takes to retrieve the four pieces of the scroll.

Rich in Japanese folklore, Shadow of the Fox is a fantasy novel written by Julie Kagawa. I first learned of this author when I read her Iron Fey series, a collection of novels in which the author takes common fairy tale elements and twists them in a way that is both unique and refreshing. Julie Kagawa then does the same thing with the Christian myth of Saint George the dragon slayer in her Talon series. Shadow of the Fox, the first book in a series by the same name, is rich in a manga/anime flare and promises to weave a spellbinding tapestry lush with the mythology of the Japanese culture. Fans of Howl’s Moving Castle, Bleach, or Sword Art Online will the thrilled with Shadow of the Fox and the soon-to-be-released sequel, Soul of the Sword.

A samurai, a ronin, and a spunky half-fox girl walk into a bar… This book is pretty awesome. A group of disparate characters cross a Feudal-Japan-esque land on a seemingly impossible quest, and along the way they battle monsters, ghosts, giant insects, a blood magic sorceress, and their own inner demons (literally and figuratively). It’s all very The Fellowship of the Ring, but based on Japanese folklore and with a heaping dose of wit, sarcasm and funny moments. My one criticism is that the story didn’t feel like it built up to the big battle at the end, because the journey there was filled with so many peaks and battles. That being said, the book did end on a pretty good cliffhanger and I can’t wait to read the next one!

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Shadow of the Fox has just become one of my all time favorite fantasy novels! I’m in love with this book, its characters, its worldbuilding! Oni, giant centipedes, flesh eating ghosts, and terrifying half women/half spider things that will give me nightmares for weeks to come, this book is filled with terrifying Asian mythological creatures that make Medusa look like a mean grandma with a bad wig. Not to mention a lovable kitsune, a sexy demonslayer, and quite a few side characters that are larger than life and have completely wormed their way into my heart. I’m so invested in their lives and their quest and I cannot wait for the next installment of my new favorite series. In the meantime, I plan to re-read Shadow of the Fox again and again until I can be reunited with Yumeko and Tatsumi soon. So dear Julie, please write faster!