The beginning 6-7 chapters were slow, but the book picked up quickly after that. The Kitsune and different Japanese mythologies were really interesting. It was nice to have a book written in a heavily Japanese influenced fantasy world rather than the usual European influence. I was looking for something a little different from what I've been reading, and this fit the bill nicely. I've only ever encountered the Kitsune in Seanan McGuire's October Daye books, so this was a much more thorough and accurate depiction of the Kitsune. I enjoyed the mystery and the occasional hints without making the plot completely predicable. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

I received an early release copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the Japanese folklore in this book! It made the story much richer than your run of the mill Arthurian legend stuff. Lots of interesting characters, and overall a great read. This book would definitely be a great recommendation for your Sarah Maas fans, anime club kids who love reading about anything Japanese, and pretty much anyone who is in to high fantasy. I think it has pretty strong crossover appeal, too, because there isn't too much adolescent romance jammed down your throat.

The romance lacked any sort of chemistry, and some of the prose was a bit too purple for me, but overall a really fun start to a trilogy.

Publication date: Oct 2, 2018

Harlequin Teen



My Thoughts:
In Hawaiʻi, most of our students are Asian and Pacific Islander students, so finding YA readings for this population that do not just represent a white, western culture is challenging. Even popular dystopian reads in YA with strong female leads are very western centric. These females live very western/American values even if they are not set in America.



Kagawa, in my opinion, is best when she brings forward Asian/Japanese heroines in her fantasy series (Immortal Rules) and now this. What makes Yumeko very Asian (besides the fact that it takes place in what resembles feudal Japan) is that her female strength has to do with her cultural values of filial piety, loyalty, collectivism, spirituality. Japan is a place, like Hawaiʻi, where spirituality is alive in the forests, the rocks, the trees. Yumeko's ability to "see" this realm and communicate in multiple realms makes her the kind of heroine that can keep her innocence and belief in the good within people, even ghosts and wandering ronin. Others want to help her not because she is weak, but because she is strong. I am looking forward to the next adventure.



Description:
Every millennium, one age ends and another age dawns...and whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers holds the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto. The holder of the first piece is a humble, unknown peasant girl with a dangerous secret.

Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune shapeshifting powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has...and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll.


Last words:
Then it rose into the air and flew quickly out the door, following the beautiful man down the veranda, and both vanished into the night

A digital advanced copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

Shadow of the Fox is a tale of magic, folklore and intrigue that will keep you guessing until the very shocking end! From the beginning to the very last page, it is filled with samurais, mages, spirits, demons, yokai and all other kinds of mythical goodness.

Yumeko is a 16 year old girl who is a yokai. She is half human and half fox. Kitsunes are known for their trickery and deceptiveness. Although most people tend to assume the worst out of her, she is a young girl who is loyal to her friends and finds the best in everyone.

Tatsumi is well-renowned and widely feared demonslayer. He is the keeper of a sword that is possessed by a powerful demon named Hakaimono. Hakaimono waits patiently for moments of weakness in Tatsumi's guard to possess him and take over his body. Nonetheless, Tatsumi is a hard nut to crack given his strength and resilience.

A wicked set of circumstances brings these two unlikely people together on a journey filled to the brim with danger and mystery. They encounter a wide array of characters that are impossible to differentiate as friend or foe. It seems as if everyone wants something from them and will lie, cheat or even kill to get it.

None of the theories I had throughout this book panned out. Not a single one. Books that can keep me in suspense and surprise me again and again are few and far between.

I adored Yumeko. She's sweet and funny, but is fiercely defensive of the people she cares about. Tatsumi is also someone that I grew to care about especially in regards to his personal struggles with Hakaimono. I am dying for the next book, because the ending left me craving for more!

The world building was done so beautifully and it gave me some serious Samurai Champloo vibes. If you're a fan of manga or anime then I think you will greatly enjoy it since the terminology, clothing and folklore are reminiscent of them.

Special thanks to Harlequin Teen and Julie Kagawa for approving my request to read this ARC through Netgalley! I eagerly await the second book!

This was such a fun read and I can’t wait to see where the story goes!

“Shadow of the Fox” tells the story of a young woman who has spent her life under the guidance of monks who are tasked with the protection of a scroll that contains the Dragon Prayer, the most sought after piece of work by anyone looking to make a wish and change their fate when the right time approaches. With enemies both human and demonic alike come hunting she finds herself paired with a fearsome warrior who has a few secrets of his own and as they set off to the capital they must use all of their talents both weapon and words alike to survive.

I have never jumped head first into a world like I did with this one it was so vivid and balanced between the light and dark forces that I couldn’t put it down! I’m sad to say my knowledge of Japanese mythology is seriously lacking but after this book I want nothing more than to read up on all of the creatures that make an appearance in this story.

The main characters themselves where so easy to love, there was a great back and forth between the two mains and the few additions they pick up during their travels and I really hope to see more of those relationships develop as we love forward.

I’m just really happy I got to read this and after that ending I don’t know how I’ll manage without the sequel just yet, I need to know what happens!

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!**

Shadow of the Fox was probably one of the most intricate books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. For the very beginning you are introduced to this rich world filled with Japanese culture. Yumeko was one of the most complex character I've ever read. She's been living in this shelter-like life for so long so you expect her to be naive and be completely new to traveling. But she grows so much as a person. She's learns sarcasm and has no problem using it. She could have given in completely to her kitsune nature and been a trickster throughout the story, yet she picks up stray travelers along the way. Every person she meets is entranced by Yumeko's personality. It was so lovely to her grow as a character. I will be posting a more in depth review on goodreads, but I just needed to write down my first impressions. I can't wait to add this beautiful book to my collection come October 2018.

There is so much of this story that I loved! Shadow of the Fox is Julie Kagawa’s newest adventure. This story captures her unique skills of story weaving with the backdrop of Japanese mythology, dragons, kitsune, samurais, cursed blades, honor!

Yumeko is a genuine character despite her tendency for deception and tricks. Her purity of heart and naivety is a perfect and sometimes comical contrast to Kage Tatsumi. Tatsumi’s dark and brooding demon slaying attitude, with purple eyes and loyalty to the Shadow Clan makes the balance between them such an incredible page turner.

I received this novel from net galley and the publisher for an honest review. Thank you!!
I have read Ms. Kagawa's Iron Fey series and this start to a new series did not disappoint!! The plot was intriguing, with several different plot twists and hidden motives. Every character that has been introduced has a story that comes with them and secrets they keep. Yumeko was left at a temple when she was a baby to be raised by monks with a letter containing a prophecy. Yumeko is a half fox yokai, but she needs to keep her appearance and magic hidden or risk discovery and death. When the temple is destroyed by an oni, she escapes with a part of a scroll that can be used to bring forth the Kami Dragon and grant a wish. While escaping, she runs into Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan, who causes a sword that contains the demon Hakaimono. Tatsumi struggles with the demon and needs to keep him on a tight reign for if he loses control, the demon will take control and destroy. Tatsumi tries to distance himself from Yumeko, but it difficult since no one has ever showed him kindness or cared about him. As they travel to find a priest who can help them find the scroll, they meet others along the way, a few joining their group. However, Yumeko has kept her knowledge of the scroll's location and her fox magic a secret. Tatsumi is using Yumeko to find the scroll for his clan and then orders to kill her when he completes his mission. Both struggle with the secrets they keep. However, there is a much larger plot at hand that has only begun to unravel itself. I am looking forward to the next novel in the series!!

I got my copy of this from Netgalley yesterday, and I was SO EXCITED to get my hands on it that I immediately inhaled it. Con: I was up until 3 am finishing it. Pro: it was amazing. Julia Kagawa continues to be an amazing, eloquent and funny author, balancing creative new ideas and worlds. I cannot wait to see where Kagawa takes this one - it has such unlimited potential with her creativity at the reins.

Kagawa never, ever disappoints. This book is amazing, it has all the aspects to make an engaging read. Kagawa weaves mythology, fantasy, a smidge of romance into completely original worlds. Shadow of the Fox is like nothing you've ever read before and somehow you feel like you were there all along. I'm not so patiently waiting for book 2!

A clever fox and a ruthless demon slayer undertake an impossible journey in Kagawa's latest home run. Yumiko is a both naive innocent and astonishingly tricky and as sparks fly between her and duty-bound Tatsumi, the reader is sucked into a world of epic magic and mythology where they may never want to leave.

I absolutely devoured this book. Now that I've finished it, I want more...NOW! :-) This is a well-built world full of engaging, multi-dimensional characters, and I can't wait for the next in the series! My only quibbles are--I hate how we left one of the characters, and--I might have missed it--but near the end, one of the characters knows Yumeko's task, and I don't remember her telling him about it. Nevertheless, this was a great book, and I'm looking forward to re-reading it!

I had never read anything by Julie Kagawa but decided to request a copy from NetGalley on a whim. I am so glad I did! I used to love fantasy but lately, nothing can keep my interest. This sucked me in from the beginning, and none of the background information was too hard to follow or understand. Sometimes authors lose me when the characters or objects in the books have strange names, but that didn't deter me with this book. I really liked the characters and thought the plot was compelling throughout. I will definitely read more of Kagawa's books, and I look forward to the next book in this series!

I have never been disappointed when it comes to Julie Kagawa, and she doesn't start now. This book is amazing, it has all the right things to make it a long time standing fantastic read. It has the ability to take you to a different world, a world that isn't like anything you have read or been to before. If a good is written well, you will get lost in the environment of that book, you will forget where you are because you are so involved in a book, and this book is one of those few and far between books that take you somewhere else and you don't want to come back.

This book was absolutely wonderful! The story is engrossing from the very beginning. The story of a young girl (a shapeshifter fox) who has been given the task of bringing part of the mythical scroll to another temple for safe keeping. Along the way she meets a Kage shinobi who is also looking for the scroll and is unaware that the girl who is traveling holds what he has been tasked to retrieve. Their group is also joined by a ronin, a member of the royal family and a motely cast of characters that join in the young girls quest. Though most of them do not know what it is she hides from them with her fox magic and the mythical scroll.
The story has many references to Japanese mythology which I found absolutely enchanting. I cannot wait for the next book!