Shadow of the Fox: Julie Kagawa

One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.
Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll. There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together.
With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart. With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

I first discovered Julie Kagawa’s books when I began reading the Talon saga, which I really enjoyed by the way. If you have not read that series yet, you should check it out. Dragons hiding within out society, but not sure which side they really want to take…such a great story premise. But, that is not why we are here. Today, let me tell you about her newest novel, Shadow of the Fox! And oh boy was it a journey. I feel like I have to preface this review by telling you all about my deep seated love for Asain culture. I was overjoyed seeing the number of Asian inspired novels released during 2018 and those yet to come in 2019.

Look at how gorgeous this cover is! I love the blending of black and red but that fox mask really grabbed my attention. I have enjoyed all of her covers from the Talon saga as well, simple but appealing, this one is no different. What is even better…? The cover beneath the dust jacket is red also and the gold foiled spine is beautiful. So yes, I guess you can tell that I already love this book. Though I recently obtained a hardcopy, when I read through this, it was via audiobook format. Due to that, I will also discuss the narrators.

The overall story premise for this book was fantastic! Kitsune, need I say more? The fact that this story revolves around a true Japanese Mythological tale just made it that much better, in my opinion. Having something to relate to, bringing the story back to reality, grounding it, makes it just a little more enjoyable. There are many mythological stories that would make fantastic fantasy novels and this just happened to be one of them.

I was not disappointed or left bored at all during this book. As I mentioned before, I listened to this as an audiobook. We actually listened to this in the car as a family. My seven-year-old son was even captivated by the action. Every time we had to stop the story he would whine and then beg me not to listen to it without him. I do have to mention that her storyline seems to be many smaller story arcs that mesh into a larger one, and end goal. This might make it read more like a mini-series…if that is the right term. Some might feel it makes the storyline chunky, less seamless. For me, it was not an issue. I enjoyed all of the smaller sub-plots that unfold during the story.

There was a bit of a romance here but it was a slow-burn one and was not a major part of the story. Sometimes risky romances are rushed into in the book and they end up sloppy and unrealistic, not this one! This might be refreshing to those who prefer a more action based novel.

Being based on a Japanese mythological tale, the world building was incredible. Not only did Kagawa create the Scroll and those who would defend it. No, she created an entire world that was filled with fantastic creatures such as Oni, Kitsune, a Demon Slayer, Wind Witches, etc. The imagery used while telling us about each being and event allowed me to ‘watch’ the scene unfold in front of me. I could feel the cuts Yumeko was fated to feel, the battles that the Kaga Demon Slayer endured on a regular basis. I wanted to live in the magical realm although as the story progressed, I learned it was filled with dangerous creatures.

Yumeko: I have to say that initially, Yumeko was a little annoying. She was disobedient and childish. I grew to love her and understand her struggle though. Yumeko is Kitsune, half demon fox and half human girl. If you are looking for a strong, powerful girl who is not afraid to fight to reach their goal…this is not the girl for you. Yumeko is not a fighter by any means but she does not cower in her room either. As she faced each new challenge, she grew a little more. She made mistakes, but that is what made her seem more real. Many of these mistakes had me shaking my head, she was so unaware at times and I felt bad for her. She was so trusting and honest, which sometimes got her into trouble.

Tatsumi: Oh man oh man did I love this character! Tatsumi is a member of the Shadow Clan, a Shinobi. But that is not what everyone else sees. Most believe him to be a simple Samurai…after all, the Shadow Clan is not happy when outsides learn things that they would rather keep private. Ok so we know he is a Shinobi that everyone sees as a Samurai but that is not all. He has a darker presence lingering within. Kamigoroshi, a demon sealed within the sword he bears, is always trying to find a moment of weakness, a small break to take over his mind. Tatsumi is so…I am not sure how to describe him, awesome! He is widely known as the dangerous Kaga Demon Slayer and lived up to that name, a loyal and fearsome killer. But he is not as hard and fearsome to me, I find him appealing. Strong, I suppose you could say the ‘bad boy’ type. He is the guy who wants nothing to do with emotions but you can’t help thinking about.

Ok, so I have shied away from audio books because I tried one a long time ago and the narrator was monotone and to be honest, put me to sleep. For that reason, if I am reviewing an audiobook, I will always give feedback about the narrators as well. A fantastic book can be the worst audiobook without a good reader.

So, this book had three narrators, it was told from the perspective of Yumeko and Tatsumi. Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, and Emily Woo Zeller all did a fantastic job. Each narrator made an effort to give the characters their own voice. I think that is part of what was so enjoyable about this book. The sound effects as well, I can not tell you how many times I laughed out loud, mimicking the sounds and voices of the characters. I will be looking for books narrated by these individuals in the future.

Overall, I think having listened to the audiobook, I might not have enjoyed it as much as a typical hardcopy. The narrators really pulled this story over the top for me. With such fantastic world-building, a gripping plot that is fast-paced, and characters that you can’t help but grow with, this was such an incredibly enjoyable book. I really love Tatsumi! I need more of him so I can’t wait until the second book in the series. Yes, you heard it…this is a series and I feel I’ll see a lot more of Tatsumi in the next book (Soul of the Sword). Now you know who will be looking out for that! That’s right…this book blogger right here!

Would you read this novel? Buy it or borrow it? If you have read it, what did you think?

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