“Shadow of the Fox” by Julie Kagawa • Book Review

Published: 2018 by Harlequin Teen
Format:​ Hardcover, 409 pages, English

“It is very hard to be human, little fox. Even the humans themselves don’t do a great job of it.”

★★★★ (4 / 5 stars) ​I absolutely LOVED this book. It took me a while to get past the first 50-60 pages, but I think that was more because of my own slump than the actual quality of the story. There were a lot of elements that reminded of the anime “One Piece,” which made it all the more enjoyable.

!! WARNING !! There are spoilers ahead!

summary.

​Essentially, we follow Yumeko—a half-human, half-kitsune girl—as she goes on a grand adventure to help protect the world from the demons that are popping up all over the place looking to make the most of an opportunity that only comes around once every thousand years. Having watched her entire makeshift family at the temple she grew up in destroyed and burned to ash, Yumeko embarks on her quest to find the two remaining pieces of a prayer long hidden from the world. This prayer is the key to earning a signle wish, to be granted by the great Kami dragon who appears every 1,000 years.

​But there are many others who seek the scroll for their own evil goals, so Yumeko finds herself in the midst of danger nearly every step of the way. She collects a crew of misfits whom she wins over with her honest kindness, and they tackle ghosts, kitsune, and other strange foe together—not to mention the demon who threatens to take over her bodyguard's soul at any moment. And that ending?! What a beautiful set-up for what looks to be a whirlwind of a series, and I am 100% here for it.

thoughts.

​All around, Julie Kagawa knows what she's doing. The world-building was fluid and excellent, and being someone extremely unfamiliar with Japanese culture and mythology, Kagawa made it easy to fall right in with the story. Plus, these characters are easy to laugh at and even easier to love. Well-written and well-crafted, I'd recommend Shadow of the Fox to anyone who's interested in magical creatures, samurai pride, and drawn-out quests. I can't wait to jump into the sequel, Soul of the Sword​.