Prologue sets up an over the top and unbelievable villain and a likeable heroine who is immediately killed. End of the world vibes, a quick switch to a different heroine, and a familiar setup had me more bored than curious. I put it down and couldn’t summon the motivation to pick it up again because I felt like I’d already read it.

- I hate that this book is told in two POVs, that aren’t labeled, both in first person. The narrative voices aren’t very different either.

- There’s a lot of tell instead of show.

- A lot of the setup already doesn’t make sense.

- I wasn’t overly invested in this book to begin with and assumed it would be a 3 star read or less, but hoped to be surprised. I can already tell where this book is going to go, so I have no motivation to continue.

I struggled a bit to really get into Shadow of the Fox, but I was finally able to settle in with the audiobook as narrated by Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, and Emily Woo Zeller.

By the end of this book, I was enjoying the story well enough, but it was never unputdownable. I think this is one of those books that will be best enjoyed by people who enjoy the journey, rather than readers like me who are impatient when the destination never seems to be in sight.

As I read this book, I was planning to give it a 3.5 rounded up. But then the end of the book irked enough to ding it a half-star and lower my score to 3. For those of you who hate being left in the lurch at the end, I recommend waiting until this trilogy is finished before you begin.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing me with a DRC of this book.

I love Julie Kagawa's books, so I had high expectations for this and it did not disappoint! Shadow of the Fox is an incredible story, I'd not read anything based on Japanese folklore yet so I truly enjoyed this. One thing I really enjoyed was the sprinkling of Japanese word throughout, I always love when authors do that with their character's language (although I have seen people complain on it, I feel it's always a nice touch). A lot of the action really blew me away and had me holding my breath as well. Overall this is a great fantasy story with an interesting set of characters.

Shadow of the Fox was everything I ever wanted in a YA Japenese-inspired fantasy!
Here are my reasons for people to read it!

The World: One thing I always love about Julie Kagawa is she's a master at creating any world. Whether it's a world of fey, vampires and now Japanese influenced fantasy, she builds something that's easy to understand, rich in detail and so REAL.

The Characters: Not only is Julie a master at worlds, her characters are always perfect. Every character no matter how big or small, they are fully fleshed out. This book has broody samurai, snarky jokester, a powerful warrior, and a main character you'll fall in love with!

Japanese mythology: I love all the diversity in YA these days and I always love learning more about mythology I didn't know! I felt this way while also reading The Epic Crush of Genie Lo (highly recommend!!!) that featured Chinese mythology. Shadow of the Fox has demons, yokai, kitsune (shapeshifters), glowing swords, and so much more!

Julie's Writing: Julie is one of my absolute FAVORITE authors. She's honestly, the best.Rag Tag Team: I loooooove groups of people traveling together, especially when the chemistry is perfect. Yumeko and Tatsumi pick up others on their journey to find the scroll and it's fab.

Action-Packed: If you like action from demon fights to sword fights to adventure, you'll love this book!

Overall If you're looking for the perfect YA fantasy full of Japanese folklore, magical creatures, a fantastic ragtag team, action-packed adventure, and likable characters, this book is for you! Julie Kagawa is a master of creating worlds and characters that'll suck you right in and leave you wanting for more!

I am a huge fan of this author and in NO WAY did this disappoint. Julie Kagawa strikes again with this heart-pounding novel. I am thrilled and delighted by it.

Was unable to finish this novel. Though a fan of Kagawa's Iron Fey and her Blood of Eden series, the writing style of Shadow of the Fox was hard to fall into. The plot sounds promising, but will unfortunately have to pass on continuing the story.

I read an excerpt of this book and requested it via Netgalley. I received the galley and meant to get around to reading it asap. Then I received a signed finished copy from Owlcrate and started it finally in October of 2018 (in the month it was released). However, I have found I cannot read heavily atmospheric fantasy books at night anymore because my tired brain cannot keep up. It took me a long while to get about 40% through the book. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, it's just that I couldn't concentrate enough to read it. I decided to request the audiobook from my local library to see if I could digest it better - although I was a little nervous because I sometimes struggle to listen to fantasy audiobooks - they can be so detailed. Especially new worlds and magic systems can be hard for me to grasp in audiobook format.

However, after all is said and done, Kagawa delivered once again. I am not sure any book will be able to top it this year. It was incredible and it was easy to listen to with my somewhat alright knowledge on some things Japanese because of Naruto. I wasn't questioning what everything was and was able to immerse myself fully into this world.

I absolutely adored the cast of characters - I love Yumeko, who is one of the POVs, who is half kitsune (fox yokai) half human. I am obsessed with Okame, the ronin, that Yumeko and Tatsumi run into on their travels. I was sucked into the plot and I don't think I'll have any trouble recalling everything when it comes time to pick up the second book. It was such a rich story. I felt I was with Yumeko and her travel companions. I had many moments of giggling and jaw dropping. Kagawa is a master storyteller. No one can tell me any different.

3.75 stars.

Yukemo is half fox. Yes, you read that correctly. Half fox. She is cunning, but also naive. When her home is burned, she is told to take a piece of a scroll with her. If all of the pieces come together, the wielder will be able to call upon the Great Kami Dragon. Meanwhile, Kage Tatsumi is looking for the piece of the scroll. Yumeko promises to lead him to the scroll without letting him know that she actually has the scroll. How will Yumeko manage to keep the scroll a secret while strange creatures are attacking them at every turn? Will Yukemo make it to her destination?

I really liked the Japanese mythology and culture throughout the book, but I felt like the book was a bit repetitive (the journey the main characters took felt like the same thing was happening over and over again). Keeping all of the creatures' names straight was also a bit difficult, but the glossary in the back was super helpful.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! Full of magic, adventure, and it was incredibly unique (to me, at least). I absolutely loved the heorine, Yumeko, is a breath of new life. She is strong and resilient, and in the face of so much carnage and destruction and heartbreak, she stands brave and unyielding. Her adventure left me breathless, and I was on the edge of my seat every single page. I cared about what happened to her and I rooted for her victory every single time she faced an obstacle.
Her story, along with the other characters, Kage and Suki, slowly gained my trust and then my heart with their tragic backstories and interesting personalities.
I was really excited to read a own-voices Japanese story and Kagawa's beautiful writing and incredible story building did this story justice.
It was absolutely breathtaking, beautiful, and heartbreaking too.
5/5 Stars

This book was just ok. For whatever reason it just did not hold my attention. Not sure if it was because I am not as familiar with Japanese mythology or something else. Those that enjoy this genre and are fans of Kagawa will probably like the book and because of this, I have purchased this for our YA collection.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for an honest opinion.

Shadow of the Fox is unlike anything I have read before. One has to take a piece of a scroll to someone and the other is looking for the piece of the scroll. Good and evil traveling together and having no idea about each other. I love how this has some Japanese mythology. My favorite part of the book was when they were in the village that is being killed by ghosts of their family members all because they weren’t kind to someone in the past. I thoroughly enjoyed this and definitely want to read the sequel. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this.

5 Stars for Shadow of the Fox!

Shadow of the Fox is an exciting adventure and I enjoyed every moment. Set during Japan’s samurai era, author Julie Kagawa amazed me with her writing and storytelling.

My thoughts
The story has adventure, mystery and a great cast of characters. In Shadow of the Fox we meet Yumeko, a teenage girl raised by monks in the Silent Winds temple. Yumeko is half kitsune (a mythical fox creature with magical powers), half human, and with the help of the monks training she has tried to balance a normal human life and her magic. Kitsune are masters of illusions and mischief, which I found was a funny pairing with the seriousness of a monk’s life. Yumeko’s tricks on the monks had me laughing, but behind the pranks was a girl trying to fit in. Living in seclusion left her unprepared for a demon attack on their temple. Yumeko must flee her home to protect an ancient scroll and is thrust into a world she knows nothing about. As she escapes, she meets Kage Tatsumi, a samurai of the Shadow Clan. Tatsumi has orders to retrieve the scroll at any cost. Yumeko is desperate to protect the scroll, so she and Tatsumi form an unlikely alliance: he escorts and protects her on her mission, she promises to lead him to the scroll (keeping the truth she has the scroll from him). Thus, begins their journey across Japan, dodging demons and meeting interesting characters. I loved this story! The author created a vivid story and I clearly imagined their adventures. My family loves anime and Shadow of the Fox has the elements that we love – action, comedy and inspirational theme.

The inspirational theme comes from the characters and how they interact. I loved the balance between Yumeko and Tatsumi. She is clever (as a fox) and naïve due to her seclusion in the temple. Tatsumi is a trained samurai and has closed all his emotions so he can complete his orders. The more they spend time together, the more Tatsumi begins to feel again. Because of her upbringing with the monks, Yumeko is compassionate towards everyone she meets. It warmed my heart to see her character grow from an insecure, naïve girl to a courageous girl, jumping into battles. She may not be a trained samurai, but her cleverness gets them through some difficult challenges. I see the beginnings of their romance, but I love that this is a very slow build. Since Tatsumi has trained to close off his emotions so it makes sense that Yumeko’s presence is slowly chipping that wall down. The adventures they have are enough to keep anyone entertained and the hints of a romance aren’t distracting.

I received an ARC from Netgalley but switched to an audiobook, because I was having technical problems with my ereader. I loved the audiobook version. The character voices matched what I was imagining while I was reading the book. This is my first audiobook narrated by Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, and Emily Woo Zeller and they did an incredible performance. I will definitely get the next book in audiobook.

Shadow of the Fox is a great start to a new series and I can’t wait for the next book. I highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy, sword fights, folk lore and characters you will enjoy cheering for.

Julie Kagawa brings the reader into a Japanese themed high fantasy full of blood witches, demons, clans manuvering for power and influence, ghosts, and kitsume. The tale opens with Suki becoming a maid in the Imperial palace and being sacrificed by her mistress to oni demons so she could acquire the Dragon's scroll. Yumeko, a half-kitsune/half-human, is living in an isolated monastery that is targeted by the oni demons and she is tasked with taking part of the Dragon Scroll to the Steel Feather Temple. Kage is a member of the Shadow Clan ordered to acquire the Dragon Scroll by his clan leader. After they run into each other in the woods, they engage in an intricate dance where everyone is lying, yet not lying about who they are, where they are going and why. Along the way, they acquire a ronin, a Imperial noble swordsman, a temple maiden and temple master accompanied by temple guardians as companions. And then there is the cursed sword that Kage carries. Plenty of action, plenty of fighting and plenty of snarky conversations that keep the book moving quickly to its climax. Cannot wait for the 2nd volume to be available.

P.S. for fun, listen to the audiobook version since it has three main characters voiced by different folks.

The writing was really good, the storyline/plot was just okay for me though. I’m not sure if I just don’t like YA anymore or if the past few I’ve read have just fallen short. But unfortunately this one just was okay for me.

The story of collecting items to summon a magical creature and grant a wish is a trope that has been used throughout history. The incredibly popular manga/anime ‘Dragonball’ uses it to great success. Even the movie ‘The Fifth Element’ uses a variation of the trope.

Shadow of the Fox can be added to the list. Based heavily on Japanese mythology, culture, and traditions, it is a version set in what to some will be a familiar land.

Kagawa has done an admirable job creating a world that is both familiar and unique. She has taken known Japanese folklore and twisted it just so. In the characters she has created, readers will recognize the physical and personality type traits that are seen so often in modern Japanese storytelling.

While the book is aimed towards almost all readers, I personally think those who have at least some knowledge of Japan and it’s stories will enjoy Shadow of the Fox more. As someone who is a very big manga/anime fan, I enjoyed seeing the mixture. Not everyone will like it though and some might even find it confusing.

Manga and anime fans – especially those who enjoyed titles like ‘Naruto’ or ‘Dragonball’ – will likely devour this book. Personally, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Review: This was a good read. Downloaded from Netgalley in exchange for a free review. Apologies for the smallness of this review. I'm dealing with bronchitis AGAIN.

I really wanted to like this book but the whole thing fell a little short of the mark for me. I have a hard time with books bouncing around to different characters each chapter (i.e., Game of Thrones series) and never felt like I connected with any of the characters enough to care about them.

I loved Julie's Talon series, so I knew i would love this too! 5/5! Thank you for the opportunity to review this book!

Interesting characters!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the opportunity to read and review Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa! Suki has been sent to the Palace of the Sun to work as a maid. Suki has been helping in her father’s flute shop but he sent her to the Palace to have a secure living so she'll be taken care of when he passes away. She becomes a maid of the Emperor’s concubine, Lady Satomi; a beautiful but cruel lady. The concubine’s maids seem to keep running away or disappearing and we quickly find out why; she’s sacrificing her maids to a demon as pay for a favor that she wants in return. Next, we meet Yumeko, the prankster fox-girl that lives with monks as they guard a secret, part of the Dragon prayer. The third chapter introduces a Shadow Clan warrior that guards and yields an important weapon that houses a demon. This warrior has been sent to destroy two monsters. Chapter by chapter, characters are introduced and the stakes rise. Everyone wants the Dragon Scroll and death doesn’t seem to be a deterrent. The Fox girl and warrior are working together to find information about the scroll. Little does the warrior know that Yumeko has the scroll the entire time. If he knew, he wouldn’t think twice about killing her. The two of them keep saving each other and are now in each other’s debt. Along their travels, the two of them meet interesting characters, a rogue and a demon warrior, among others. Shadow of the Fox is beautifully told in the style of Japanese mythology. Intriguing characters kept me reading to the end and the epilogue made me anxious for the next book in the series, 5 stars!