This book was fine in all elements: plot, character, and world-building. I think I was biased, having read this just after The Empress of All Seasons, because the other book handled those things much better. However, this book isn't bad, and I will still include it in my classroom library.

I struggled quite a bit with this one. I never made it past the halfway point after several attempts. I wanted to like this story so much, but sadly it just wasn't for me.

This was interesting, entertaining read with a good story line and solid characters. It is most definitely targeted to a younger demographic and mine. The interaction between the two main characters was written well with much thought put into the characters and their story. I would recommend this book to someone less than 25.

This story was fascinating because it pulled every imaginary detail of fantasy writing into one. From the time I picked the book up until I was finished...I was mesmerized and captivated by the story.

There isn't much more I can write about the feels I experienced with this book because words just can't give this story justice.

My thoughts to you...pick this book up and give it a try if you want to enjoy the feels I did!

In a land where magic is as abundant as water, there lives a girl. Yumeko is half-human half-kitsune, a creature of magic. Having been raised by monks she has spent her life being afraid of her power. She has the power of manipulation and must struggle to stay in contact with her humanity. Upon the destruction of her home, the Silent Wind temple, Yumeko discovers the greatest secret of her life. There is someone who will stop at nothing to summon the great dragon kami. The last time he was summoned the land of Iwogoto was plunged into darkness and despair. Whoever holds the scroll of a thousand prayers has the power to complete the spell that will once again bring the darkness. With his dying breath, the monk who has been safe guarding a part of the scroll these many years, hands the weapon of power off to the young kitsune. He tells her that she must keep this safe at all costs.

The Shadow of The Fox was a fast paced fantasy action packed book. Not my typical reading genre, however I appreciated the mystical creatures and battles. Thank you NetGalley for the copy for my review, all opinions are my own.

It always makes me incredibly sad when I find that I don't like a book featuring, in a large way, a fox. Honestly, had it not been for the fact that a main character was half-fox and the word was used in the title, I probably would not have read as much of this book as I did. I would have DNFed a long time ago. You see, I really wanted to like <i>Shadow of the Fox</i> by Julie Kagawa. I wanted to like it so much so that I continued reading even despite the utterly flat brooding character of Tatsumi and despite the frustrating naivete of Yumeko. And then I still read, despite the fact that I couldn't stomach the writing, a frustrating bit of unfortunate first person point of view problems. And then, I literally could not bring myself to care about a single character other than that of the unfortunate Suki who was murdered in the first damn chapter. I suppose you could say everything went downhill once the book strayed away from her.

I think a large piece of my frustration with this lies in the flatness of the characters. There never really seemed to be a whole lot to them other than some stereotypical archetypes that they would fit into. Which, if you like that sort of thing, is fine. Me? I've been over the brooding arse of a protector who randomly somehow falls for the weakling girl for absolutely <i>no reason whatsoever </i>for a long time now. And I just did not buy in with the ridiculousness of the supposed comic relief character also existing as a reason for the broody butthead to a) realize his feelings and b) get all jealous.

And for all of you guys who think jealousy is cute, it can actually pretty unhealthy and has been portrayed unhealthily in a large number of YA novels.

The writing was hard for me to get into and while I did appreciate the variety of interesting characters from Japanese mythology, at the end of the day it wasn't enough to save the book. The first person point of view was frustrating in that I didn't like the characters as well as the fact that it sometimes became confusing as the characters' voices weren't distinct enough to consistently be able to tell them apart. The plot was an unfortunate mismatch of random adventures in the same manner that I would expect from an incredibly long and complicated video game like <i>The Witcher</i> rather than an actual plot for a novel. This, ultimately, was incredibly distracting.

So, I'm left feeling rather disappointed and disheartened by <i>Shadow of the Fox. </i>I truly do wish that I had been able to look past all it's flaws to simply enjoy the book, but I suppose it just wasn't to be. I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the romance, I didn't like the plot, and I didn't like the writing. The best thing in the whole novel, for me, were the Kamaitachi Sickle Weasels. Them, I enjoyed reading about.

<i>I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </i>

An excellent read and a fantastic start to what is shaping up to be a great series by Julie Kagawa.

The characters were interesting and I was really drawn in by the mythology and lore presented in the story. Definitely worth checking out and enjoying.

A really solid start to a wonderful new series. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the mythology of the creatures and monsters within, and the rich world that Julie Kagawa has built.

I would’ve liked a little bit more resolution for the end of this first book but ultimately I really enjoyed Shadow of the Fox immensely.

As a small note: it did take me a bit to really get into it and the characters but once I did, I was hooked.

My download stopped working halfway through reading it but from what I read so far, it seemed like a good book.
The world building and character development were rich, and the plot was engaging .

Admittedly, it’s been too long since I’ve read a new book by Julie Kagawa, but as soon as I discovered Shadow of the Fox, I knew I HAD to read the book, and as soon as I possibly could! The summary for the book sounded really great, and I couldn’t wait to check out the story! It was, as with all of Julie’s books, an AMAZING read!!

Let me get started by saying that there are SO many things that I love about this book, and the number one thing being the characters! There are a lot of characters in this book, and I seriously loved them all. We get to read a few different viewpoints throughout the story, including that of two of the main characters, Yumeko, who is half kitsune, and Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai. Yumeko and Tatsumi have to work together throughout the story to reach the same goal, but each for different reasons. I loved watching their relationship grow as the story went along, and I really loved both of these characters. And it’s not just these characters, there are also quite a few awesome secondary characters in the story as well, and I loved ‘meeting’ them all! I can’t want to see what’s in store for them in the next book.

I also really enjoyed the storyline for the book. Not only was the story of the ancient scroll interesting, but the adventure that the characters took along the way was completely fascinating as well. I was so engrossed in this story, that I breezed through it, and now I desperately need the next book in my hands ASAP! (The second book, I should add, is named Soul of the Sword, and is currently expected to release June 2019!)

Though I have a finished copy of this book, I opted to listen to the audiobook version of the story, and it was absolutely fantastic!! The narrators for the story were Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, and Emily Woo Zeller, and they did an excellent job reading this story to me. I loved all the voices for the characters and those for the actual story as well. It was very easy to follow along with their narration. I hope they will be narrating the rest of the books in this series as well!

Overall; I loved SO much about Shadow of the Fox, and I’m so glad that I had the book on my TBR this month! I definitely can’t wait to get my hands on the second book next year, and while I wait for that book to release, I’m totally going to make time to read the Talon series, also by Julie, and I will probably kick myself for not having read it sooner!! Fans of Julie Kagawa, or just fans of fantasy stories in general, do check out Shadow of the Fox! I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did.

Happy Reading!!

Interesting read! I really enjoyed the world building and the incredible amount of detail. I would definitely read again in the future!

I absolutely loved this book! This book did not disappoint ❤️ I cannot wait for the next book to see what happens next. Julia Kagawa is an amazing author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was incredible. One of my top fantasy books for 2018. I’m already buzzing for the next instalment

Shadow of the Fox was so unique.

You felt plunged into this completely different society - much different then any you've read about before. Not quite fantasy, not quite mythology, this book takes you on a quest along with an interesting rag-tag group of unlikely heroes to do what else? Save the world!

Thank you for the opportunity to review the ARC for Julie Kagawa's Shadow of the Fox! This was a fast paced read seeped in a beautifully developed world and intriguing characters. I have been interesting in Japanese culture since I was a kid and it is great to see more books sharing Japanese culture, mythology, and folklore. I cannot wait to read more from Julie Kagawa!

I don’t read very much young adult, it’s a genre that I struggle with and I don’t often find books I like. So why pick up Shadow of the Fox you ask? I have had some Julie Kagawa books on my shelf for years, but until now haven’t read anything of hers, so when I saw this gorgeous cover pop up I couldn’t resist. I am so pleased I grabbed it, I really enjoyed this young adult adventure.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the world Kagawa had crafted. The book is set in ancient feudal Japan and packed full of Japanese mythology come to life. I am completely unfamiliar with Japanese mythology or mysticism so I can’t account for the accuracy, but I found it fascinating and a refreshing change from the usual Greek or Norse mythology that usually populates the paranormal books I read. But, as well as the paranormal elements, we have more familiar figures, such as samurai, ronin and shinobi – more colloquially known as ninjas – populating the book.

Although the world itself was, for me, interesting and new, the journey itself follows a fairly standard and well-trodden format. But, just because it was familiar, that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. As Yumeko and Tatsumi, our two main characters, journey through Japan they meet new companions and run into trouble as their enemy tries to stop the party reaching their destination. I enjoyed reading about their journey and I especially liked the budding relationship with the dark and sinister shinobi Tatsumi and the mischievous and innocent half-kitsune Yumeko.

If you are after a fantasy young adult adventure which has an emerging romance, then I highly recommend picking this book up. However, although it didn’t end a cliffhanger per se, it definitely left you desperate to pick up the next book and to see what happens next!

My husband is HUGE fan of anime and I just kept thinking he would love this book the entire time I was reading it. Somewhere along the way, I saw that in a review and it kept popping back up for me.

As a teacher-librarian, manga are major movers for us among students and great for getting reluctant readers to start reading. This could be a great title to bridge some of them into longer works from the manga because the pace is really strong and the characters are similar.

Personally, I'd rate the book somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me as a adult reader. For my students, I'd put this somewhere between a 4 and 5. So, splitting the difference at 4 for the review.

Thank you for the opportunity to review the ARC for Julie Kagawa's Shadow of the Fox! We selected this title to be featured in our October box for it's well developed world building, lovable characters and unique insight into Japanese culture, mythology, and folklore.

I understand now why people compared this to anime. I am not a huge watcher of anime but I did get that vibe from it. Even my sister was interested when I told her a little about it and she is the anime person. I enjoyed the scene at the beginning although I WAS NOT expecting it to go like that, it was really cool! This is much different than books I usually read and I enjoyed the experience!