Shadow of the Fox: Volume 1

Julie Kagawa

Oct 2018 · Shadow of the Fox Book 1 · Sold by Harlequin

About this ebook

In this first book of her Japanese mythology-inspired Shadow of the Fox trilogy, bestselling author Julie Kagawa weaves a stunning, high-stakes tale of alliances and deceptions, characters who aren’t what they seem, and secrets that could change the fate of the world.

Every millennium, whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers has the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto.

When demons kill half-kitsune Yumeko’s adoptive family, she’s forced to flee her home with one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of mysterious samurai Kage Tatsumi, who is Yumeko’s best hope for survival. But he’s under orders to retrieve the scroll. An uneasy alliance forms, and Yumeko begins the deception of a lifetime, knowing her secrets are more than a matter of life or death—they’re the key to the fate of the world.

Books in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy:

• Shadow of the Fox
• Soul of the Sword
• Night of the Dragon

Ratings and reviews

P.S. glossary for Japanese terms is in the back. I loved Tatsumi's character development and backstory. In the beginning, I wasn't very fond of Yumeko, but she grew on me over time mostly because of her mischievous nature coupled with her ability to always seem to see the best in others. Pacing wise it was pretty good. Lots of action and great plot twists, but I needed some more deep emotional moments to make this a 5 for me. Perfect for those who love Japanese fantasy and mythology.

I’d heard great things about this author’s world building and legends, and I have to say that both were seriously on point here, with the inclusions of Japanese folklore, legends and descriptions were wonderful. As this is a quest story – we all know that there isn’t much new that one can bring to the overarching story – there is a challenge that is faced by finding and protecting (or destroying) an integral link that could change the course of the world, for better or worse. We have the heroine, a half-kitsume girl (Yumiko) raised in a temple by a monk who has set her quest: take a piece of the scroll from her home temple, find the other pieces, and bring those to yet another temple that has the final bit. Not long in she encounters Tatsumi, a shadow clan samurai also determined to find the scroll – are their reasons the same, and just how will they join forces in their quest? Told in the perspectives of both Yumiko and Tatsumi, the story has everything that one has come to expect from an ‘epic quest’ and perhaps that is where things went a bit off the rails for me. Firstly, I don’t understand why Yumiko, with her heritage, skills and determination needed to be tossed into yet another formulaic romantic connection. It frustrated me to think that even with the unique and wholly new (to my eyes) inclusions of the multiple ghosties, demons, fairies and things that go ‘bump’ in the night, with their feet firmly planted in Japanese lore, which in itself brings a whole other level of otherworldliness that we should get yet another trope-heavy, girl meets boy and is distracted (not entirely but enough) from her purpose because oh when he takes his shirt off everything must stop to admire him. Let’s let a girl be a solid, boys are secondary to the ultimate quest, thoughtful, daring and intelligent heroine, and let the boy be the supporting member: even to the detriment of a romance that felt added as plot device, and not really important to the progress of the story. And the story does drag, some of this is perseveration over the romance, while the story does require a pile of information (and heavy google searches for those unfamiliar with Japanese legends) that requires attention be paid to the tidbits dropped that will become more important when things do pick up and start to move. And move it does with several action-packed moments to a confrontation that added some surprise, plenty of action and an ending that leads straight into the next book. I was intrigued with all of the ‘newness’ and disappointed with the feeling that an over-used plot device (the romance) took the story in directions that could have (in my opinion) been stronger without. A mixed bag for me, and while I’ve gotten a recommendation for another series from Kagawa that I’m sure to enjoy – I think I’m done with this series. There just isn’t enough development that was new or different for the character of Yumiko to make me need to know how it all ends. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Shadow of the Fox is a great adventure through Japanese myths. Told through two alternating first person perspectives of Yumeko and Tatsumi, and the occasional third person narrative of a minor character Suki, the story takes us from the mountainous lands of the Earth Clan to the capital city of the Iwagoto, encountering all manner of creatures of Japanese folklore. Yumeko, part-kitsune herself, is passing as a human peasant while trying to deliver the scroll of the Dragon’s prayer to another temple via the shrine in the capital. Protecting her on the journey in exchange for her directions is Tatsumi, a shinobi bound to the Kage clan who doesn’t know that the scroll he has been sent to retrieve is actually in her possession. On the way, they encounter forests spirits, while being watched by a malicious presence, and collect (no, really, it is like they are collecting people in their squad!) a ronin, a nobleman samurai, and a shrine maiden. Yumeko and Tatsumi are diametrically opposite sort of characters. Being part-yokai, she has a mischievous nature, and a naivete borne out of her secluded childhood in the temple. Meanwhile, Tatsumi has been brought up in strict discipline by his clan, to bear a possessed sword. Their upbringing was also different – while she wasn’t exactly adored by all the monks in the temple, they did bring her up in kindness, with the only stipulation that she not lean into her yokai nature much for fear of losing her human side; Tatsumi, though human, was treated more like a tool, and his value to the clan is only in how long he can survive being bound to the demon sword. Their initial relationship is rocky, because he sees her as too simple, too trusting, while she finds his cold nature a bit scary. The addition of Okame brings levity to their group, and the interactions between the trio gain a sense of camaraderie. But Yumeko has to increasingly lie as to what her mission is, while Tatsumi has to defend his decisions to his superiors, all the while starting to have feelings for her. The story is an adventure, and is an exciting one. They encounter forest spirits, legends, haunted villages, and though Tatsumi doesn’t want to get involved in anything, Yumeko’s kind nature does and her approach works to resolve the obstacles that come up. She wants to help out when she sees something wrong, and her openness to the world brings him out of his closed off existence. While she initially comes off as a carefree kitsune, soon she becomes a courageous girl who takes matters into her own hands and faces off against mages, and demons, despite being at a disadvantage. She uses her powers of illusions and trickery in innovative ways, whether to prank Okame with a discomforting bed, or gaining access to the Emperor’s party as an onmyoji. As for Tatsumi, you can’t help but want to cheer for him falling for her, but also know how dangerous that is for him. As for the action part, there are some pretty cool fight scenes with him, and for the most part the danger is not from whatever he is facing down (he is a trained demonslayer after all!) but from the demon in his sword. Okame, while a secondary character, delivers some wonderful snark throughout his presence in the book; mostly it is bitterness with the class system but some of it is to tease Yumeko, too. I first thought Daisuke might be a shady character, but he turned out to be a wonderful addition to their group. There are some minor parts where I thought Yumeko’s ruse shouldn’t have been so successful, like the time they were being attacked by some weasel yokai, and she pretended she didn’t know what they were, but later on, saved Tatsumi by applying something she learnt about them from a stranger. Also, the ‘fortune-telling’ performance seemed easy, considering it was at an imperial party. For a spy, Tatsumi is utterly clueless when it came to her, and hey, even if his specialty was killing, surely he was taught to be observant?

About the author

Born in Sacramento, CA, Julie Kagawa moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things; how to bodyboard, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks, and that writing stories in math class is a great way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate. Julie now lives is Louisville, KY with her husband and furkids. She is the international and NYT bestselling author of The Iron Fey series. Visit her at juliekagawa.com.