Book Shelf: Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) by 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.

More info on Goodreads....


Review:

Shadow of the Fox is Julie Kagawa’s latest release and is a lush and vivid world of Japanese folklore, magic and adventure!

Raised by the monks of the Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has spent her life trying to hide her yokai nature. Being half kitsune her penchant for mischief it matched only by her human spirit but Yumeko knows the day will come when she will need to choose between her two worlds. Then the family who raised her are murdered and the temple burned down. Forced to flee while in the possession of the temple’s greatest secret, a piece of an ancient and powerful scroll, Yumeko will need to journey to an allying temple in order to find safety. Kage Tatsumi is the infamous Demonslayer, a renowned samurai of the Shadow Clan. Tatusmi has been tasked with finding the scroll on behalf of his clan and when his path’s cross with Yumeko’s, the two will need to put aside their differences in order to reach their shared destination. Yet secrets simmer between them and if discovered they have the power to destroy what little camaraderie Yumeko and Tatsumi have created. As the fate of the world rests on their shoulders, will they be able to get where they need to go or will demonic forces conspiring against them destroy them before they ever have the chance….

Julie Kagawa continues to provide why she is one of the reigning queens of YA with Shadow of the Fox. Be it faerie’s, vampires, dragons and now Asian folklore, there’s nothing Kagawa can’t do as she draws her readers into vivid and compelling worlds of magic and adventure. Kicking off her latest series, Shadow of the Fox is an adventurous and thrilling story interwoven with elements of Japanese mythology and magic and brimming with danger and action.

Shadow of the Fox introduces readers to two different, but as equally compelling characters in the form of Yumeko and Tatsumi. Despite being half kitsune, Yumeko is an innocent and sweet young woman. She has lived a sheltered life and throughout Shadow of the Fox embraces the world with almost child-like wonder and inexperience as she discovers new things. I did like Yumeko—it’s hard not to; she was kind but willing and doesn’t back down when facing tough choices.

Tatsumi on the other hand is the picture of stoic and trained samurai who hasn’t been showed kindness much throughout his life. Taught not to feel emotion or concern, traveling with Yumeko is an eye opening experiencing and you can’t help but be entranced by the gradual changes and feelings he experiences throughout the story. It’s somewhat obvious where things are building but that doesn’t make it an less enjoyable to witness unfold.

There are also other personable and unique characters we meet throughout the story as well who readers are bound to love. Yumeko and Tatsumi slowly collect a rag-tag group of individuals along their travels including a former samurai known as a ronin, a shrine maiden, an aristocrat and a dog. These characters bring life and personality to the story that compliments the adventure with humourful dialogue and exchanges.

Brimming with folklore and mythology, Shadow of the Fox is a highly enjoyable novel and leaves me keen to see what Julie Kagawa has in store next. Especially seeing as the ending definitely leaves readers wondering what will happen and how Yumeko will manage to save a friend lost to his inner demons!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by publisher via Netgalley (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Kindle ebook via Netgalley
Release Date: October 2nd 2018
Buy: Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: A thrilling fantasy with Japanese folklore--I can't wait to read the next novel!