I.AM.SHOOK!!

This is easily one of the best books I have read this year! When the opportunity to receive an ARC of this novel came up, I initially only requested due to the hype surrounding Julie Kagawa (even though I have yet to read any of her other beloved series) and I am beyond glad that I did!

Quick Synopsis:
This is the story of Yumeko a half Kitsune (Fox Shapeshifter) who sets out to carry her dying masters last wish after her temple is destroyed by Oni (deamons), to deliver an ancient scroll to another temple for protection. During the attack on her temple she runs into Demonslayer Kage Tatsumi, whom unknown to her has been sent by his clan to seek for scroll for their own immortal master.
Yumeko knowing she will require protection for her journey convinces Tatsumi to accompany her on her journey under the guise that she will lead him to the location of the scroll. Obviously their journey is one full of adventure and danger, they meet and in Yumeko's case make friends along the way.

This book is incredibly well paced, with a unique story that will keep you from putting the book down. There is a great bunch of character development and I was never once frustrated with the decisions the characters were making. Julie is an experienced author who manages to avoid many troupes associated with the YA genre.

I highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out! Having now read this ARC I'm beyond sad I have to wait so long for the next installment.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is YA fantasy, so you expect going in that the guys are going to be super cute and at least one super dark angst-wise, and that the heroine will be gorgeous. Accept that set in a standard quest fantasy, sit back, and enjoy.

Yumeko, our teenage heroine, alternates first person chapters with the hero. (With one exception.) She is half-kitsune. Early on, demons burn the temple Yumeko was raised in and kill all the monks, 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, and runs into Tatsumi in the woods.


Tatsumi is well-renowned and widely feared demonslayer, sent to get the scroll at any cost, or die trying. He’s the keeper of a sword 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, so the Kage clan has raised Tatsumi to avoid emotional attachments, to kill when ordered to kill, and to bow to the sword if they decide he needs to be killed for the good of the clan. He’s strong and focused . . . until he meets Yumeko.

I know that kitsune are pretty much the standard yokai when writers dip into Japanese lore, but there’s a reason for that: they are akin to Coyote and Loki, tricksters who can be fun. In Kagawa’s hands, Yumeko is fun—but the key to her personality is a good heart, which makes the story work. There’s no sign of the “bratty princess” YA trope in Yumeko, who along the journey collects handsome guys.

Some of the first person alternation makes for slightly bumpy pacing, and there’s some finessing of what Yumeko knows and can do that shows the authorial hand, as well as some lazy prose tricks, but those are outshone by Yumeko’s terrific character, the banter once Okame comes along, and most of all, by the worldbuilding, rich with Japanese mythology.

Be warned, this book ends with a cliff-hanger, but don’t avoid it because of that. It’s way too much fun to read! I can hardly wait for the second half.

This was a richly rewarding Young Adult novel that actually dares to tackle new and unexplored terrain. It's a magical story compounded by many layers of Japanese folklore. You can tell it is well-researched and designed with care. There is so much to love about this book. I did feel the writing was stunted and not as engrossing as I would have liked but the story, the plotline, and the well developed characters made up for that.

Living in her isolated temple with monks, Yumeko doesn't do much beyond training her magical abilities and playing pranks. But one of the monks tells her a story where every 1000 years, a great dragon can be summoned to the person who possesses the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers so they can make one wish - and that time is quickly approaching. Yumeko's life is then thrown upside down when her temple is attacked by demons, and she manages to escape with a piece of the precious scroll. In her escape, she is thrown into the path of Kage Tatsumi, a samurai from the Shadow Clan. He is also seeking the scroll for his own reasons and is ordered to kill anyone and anything that might get in his way.

I was both elated and wary when I received this ARC. Elated because Julie Kagawa is one of the earliest YA authors I ever read, and I've been a diehard fan of her works ever since I first read The Iron King. And then I was wary because I did not enjoy her Talon series. But I am happy to report that Shadow of the Fox is classic Kagawa, and I was so pleased to read it.

Let me start by saying I love Japanese mythology. It may be my early childhood spent watching an unhealthy amount of InuYasha episodes and playing video games that had enemies inspired by Japanese myths, but this novel felt familiar in a really good way. Greek and Norse mythology may be popular right now, but please give me more books with Japanese mythology.

I also loved Yumeko. She's a bit naive due to her upbringing amongst monks in an isolated temple, and therefore doesn't quite grasp sarcasm (which sometimes leads to amazing deadpan deliveries). But she's not so naive that she lets herself get fooled by complete strangers or taken advantage of (usually). She has a really good nature, which is important due to her identity as a half-human, half-kitsune (basically a mischievous fox spirit), and is very determined in her journey.

Tatsumi and later Okame were good companions for Yumeko. Okame especially reminded me of Puck and Jackal from Kagawa's respective The Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series. They're all sarcastic, likely to betray you at a moment's notice, and generally given to violence. Okame has a few great exchanges with Yumeko that I particularly enjoyed. It was harder to like Tatsumi as a character/love interest, despite spending about half of the novel in his head (the novel is told mostly in alternating first-person POVs of Yumeko and Tatsumi). He's more closed off as a character and didn't have enough moments to break through his "armour" - though maybe sequels will have that opportunity!

My only issues with the novel were when the pacing slowed down a bit (i.e. with seemingly irrelevant stop-overs in villages or unnecessary fighting) and the ending, which was bogged down with too many characters I didn't really care about. I loved the final plot twist though and I am ready for the sequel!

If you want an action-packed fantasy set in historical Japan, with samurais, spirits, and demon-slayers, and a dash of romance, please pick up this book!

To be completely honest when I first received the email from NetGallery saying I was selected for ARC, I kinda dreaded it. I tried to read her other series The Iron Fey but it just didn't click for me and I dropped it way back in early high school. But I'm glad I decided to give this story a shot!

This story takes place in historical Japan (I'm not sure exactly when to be honest) centers a young half kitsune half human girl Yumeko who was raised by monks at a temple when she is forced to travel with a shinobi with a demon-cursed sword and others they collect along the way. They are on a journey to collect pieces of a scroll that are needed to summon a dragon to grant a wish.

Honestly I think the reason I enjoyed this story so much was because it reminded me of so many great anime/manga that I've seen back when I was obsessed in middle/high school. In particular it reminded me of Naruto, Inuyasha, Princess Mononoke, and others. There also is a great deal of mythology and creatures that seemed legit but as a white woman I don't know how historically accurate they are. I do wish there were more female central characters, for the majority of the story you are only following Yumeko and rarely Suki. There are hints of romance for later books but mostly romance free in this one. I definitely recommend if you enjoy Japanese history/mythology and/or manga/anime. I will be looking forward to the next installment to this series! Again I received an advanced reader's copy of this story from NetGallery for my honest review and opinion.

What a fantastic and elegantly written book. Loved the references to Japanese culture and how they interwove so well with the story. Need the sequel to come out soon!

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. The cover is what attracted me to selecting this book to review. Plus it contains some Japanese Mythology and foxes (Kitsune). I could not wait to get my hands on a copy of this. I read the blurb about the book and knew right then I had to read it. It is a bold, in your face, magical, out of this world adventure. Yumeko is a wonderful character and I know she has to keep what she is a secret for most have a dislike to her kind for things that come natural to her. When death and destruction comes to the temple where she was raised and trained she barely makes it out with the sacred relic. This is what has her cross paths with Kage. He has orders to recover the pieces of the scroll no matter what it takes. Yumeko is very much aware of this. I don't want to give much away but I am very excited for the next book. Saying that now when this one is not even out yet.

This book follows Yumeko, a kitsune (half magical fox spirit/half girl) as she journeys from the only home she has ever known to save the world. In her possession is one piece of the Dragon Prayer., which will summon a destructive force to the world if put together. As she looks for a safe place, she is joined by a demon slayer, a dishonored samurai, and a member of the royal family. However, each member of this ragtag group has their own secrets, some of which are more dangerous to the mission than others. AS they progress on their journey, they encounter demons and magic along the way. A great read!

This book was a great read. You have the archetypal tortured/supposedly-cold-hearted boy meets naive/innocent girl, but mixed in with all of the details of Japanese sorcery and fantasy. It was an exquisite read. I guess I'll have to go and read the Iron Fey series while I wait for the next book in this trilogy to come out!

I loved this book and ended up staying awake until 3:00 in the morning to read it! That doesn't happen very often. I really liked the characters and their solutions to overcoming any demons or beasts that went after them. That being said, there was a clear pattern of Tatsumi killing things and Yumeko problem solving or figuring out the way to best deal with the monsters in order to help others. There wasn't any romance between them in this book which is unusual for a young adult/teen book and was somewhat refreshing. That being said, there is potential for some in the second book "Demon of the Blade" which unfortunately isn't out yet. I will definitely read it when it does, especially with the cliffhanger ending of this one!

I absolutely loved this book. I don't know a whole lot about Japanese culture or folklore, but after reading this book I want to devour any book based on it. I think this is a beautifully written book as well. It doesn't hurry. The plot develops in a natural way as do the characters. One of my pet peeves is characters being rushed through their development of how they interact with each other. The interactions between Yumeko and Tatsumi are natural. There's no forcing them to be in love or that they should be in love. Instead, what happens is a natural progression of two very opposite people getting to know each other as well as getting to know themselves more.

I also really like the additions to this duo that end up forming this rather ragtag group of people. Again, great characters that add humor and insight. I dislike that I have to wait for the next installment. I need to know what happens now.

I received a free digital ARC of Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa in exchange for an honest review.

Official Description blurb courtesy of NetGalley
"Once Every Thousand Years...

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 shape-shifting 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.

A WISH WILL BE GRANTED AND A NEW AGE WILL DAWN."

My Thoughts
OMG! I loved, loved, loved this story! I felt teenager me leap for joy because this story felt like I was reading a Feudal Period manga. I totally got an Inuyasha meets Fushigi Yuugi meets Rurouni Kenshin meets Princess Mononoke vibe from this story and you have no idea how happy that makes me. 

Yumeko is such a lovable and bubbly character. I love that she's half-kitsune and she is torn between wanting to be herself and also wanting to be a good human. Julie Kagawa does such an amazing job describing Yumeko's joy and fascination at new things, from both Yumeko's and Tatsumi's perspectives.

Tatsumi took a little longer for me to warm up to, but he had great character growth within this first book. He was such a typical teenage boy when it comes to meeting a pretty girl his own age. I found his tough process towards Yumeko to be very endearing and I hate the cliffhanger Shadow of the Fox leaves us with involving Tatsumi. Sorry, I'm not going to spoil the ending :) 

Add in Okame the ronin for comic relief and Daisuke the samurai for some noble honor, we have our well-rounded crew of characters. The characters all mesh very well together and I feel that they all have well-rounded personalities. 

I loved the surprise twist ending involving the villain of this book and I eagerly await for the next book of this trilogy. 

Conclusion
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading Feudal Period manga/anime, a good adventure/fantasy story, or heck, even anyone who doesn't know what they like to read! 

I loved this story! I give Shadow of the Fox 5 stars!

Yumeko is a kitsune - a fox with magical powers. Well...sort of. She's half-human as well, and has lived her entire life in a monastery with monks, getting into trouble and talking to other forest spirits in the surrounding forest. One day, that comes to an end when the monastery is burned to the ground by a giant oni - an evil demon summoned from another plane. The monks are all killed, and Yumeko manages to escape with a piece of scroll and a task. And the only way she might have a chance of succeeding at that task is by tricking the samurai she ran into in the forest during her flight from the monastery. However, this is no ordinary samurai - and he may be more danger to her than the oni chasing her for the scroll.


The setting is an older Japan, complete with legends, folklore, and magic. Samurai are commonplace, and each of the clans has their own territory, their own talents, and their own loyalties. The descriptions of the land, as well as of the people, buildings, and temples within, truly give the reader a sense of understanding a place they may never have seen.


Yumeko is just one of several characters that get added to the story as it progresses, though she remains the main focal point. I do appreciate the characterization that develops for each of the characters - even those who are supporting rather than part of the main cast. Honestly, this may have been my favorite part of the book - Kagawa has a talent for helping the reader learn the numerous personalities and feel connected to each one.


Here is where I struggled a bit - the story itself. Don't get me wrong - Japanese folklore and mythology?! Really, it would be hard to go wrong. And Kagawa's writing is quite good - this is the first of her books I have read, and I would certainly be interested in others. The problem I had is that it started to seem repetitive. Now, I'm a spoiler-free reviewer - always - because I know how frustrating it can be when things are revealed before one has the pleasure of reading it for themselves. So what I will say is this: there are new people that end up traveling with Yumeko, and while circumstances were different, the end result was the same. After this had happened a couple of times, there was no longer any doubt when it started to happen again. That did take some of the pleasure out of the book, so that by the last couple of chapters, I was getting somewhat frustrated. Having said THAT...the ending introduced an unexpected twist.


Overall, I really did enjoy the book - I just wish that some of the redundancy I wrote about above had not been there. Regardless, even with that, I really liked the Japanese emphasis, the characters, and the tale as a whole, and I would certainly want to read book two when it comes out. There is a great tale to be told here - hopefully now that things are set up, the story will continue to excel and the repetition will no longer be necessary.

(This full review will be posted on www.vampirebookclub.net)

I had never read anything by Kagawa before, but had heard great things. After this novel, I can understand the interest in her work, but know that it is not for me. The story had everything that it needed; a great cast of characters, a strong plotline, and a great lead to the next book; yet the writing style, simply, made me struggle through this book.

The characters we wonderful in each and every way. Yumeko and Tatsumi were great leads that both had their faults, but worked well together. Their inner monologues shed a lot of light on each other and themselves. Every minor character was given great details and played a role in the plotline, leaving no random characters with an untold story.

The plotline was quite solid. It was a classic odyssey tale, with a mission in mind being faltered by side missions at every turn. These side mission were sometimes frustrating as I just wanted to tell Tatsumi to grab Yumeko and keep going. They did drag the book out a bit and, even though they added to the myths and legends of the world, didn’t play much part in the main plotline.

The myths and legends of this world were fabulous to behold. I enjoyed learning about the Oni and blood magic. I was confusing when certain people/creatures had multiple names for what they were. I was no always sure who or what was being referred to right away. I found Kagawa’s style flowing and detailed. This sometimes got me caught up in the story, but mostly kept me antsy for things to move forward. U can appreciate why some people love her works, it is just not for me.

Okay, I have a huge love of Japan, all things Japanese, and grew up devouring anime and manga, and this book reads like the most epic of samurai anime demon-slaying adventures. I am FLOORED by how good this was and how much that ending made me scream. Each character was so perfectly described I could draw them, and I am a terrible artist! I was so immersed in every scene, I could hear every sound, this was remarkable world building. I'm so excited to add this to my bookshelves, and the whole series after that!

I definitely feel that my students that love anime and manga would devour this book. I'm really excited to share this with them and buy a copy for my classroom library. This book was so full of culture and learning in addition to being a completely amazing adventure. I don't have enough stars to give Julie Kagawa for this book!

Shadow of the Fox is a great, solidly action packed, travel-adventure story!

The story follows Tatsumi, a shinobi who is the master of the sword Kamigiroshi, a cursed sword with a demon trapped inside. Wielding it gives him special powers but comes at a great cost, he must maintain control of himself at all times, or risk the demon using his emotions against him.

Yumeko is a kitsune, a half fox demon half human, who was left as an infant at the gates of a temple to be raised by monks. When the temple is attacked she is entrusted with what it was protecting, a piece of scroll that must not be found with the other pieces.

The story reminded me so much of the feudal Japan anime's that I know and love. It was SO EXCITING getting that aesthetic from a novel. Yokai, Kami and everything in between set up a great fantasy world that is different from the normal Western stuff.

There is a charming cast of supporting characters, each distinct with their own agendas and reasons for joining along in the quest. I love that it feels like an anime in length as well, there are side quests and subplots that make up and grow the characters along the way.

Yumeko is naive in the beginning, having been raised in a temple alone, she has a lot to learn about the outside world. This leads to some wins and losses on her part. I won't lie to you, the lack of common sense on her part was frustrating a few times, and might be the only thing that really jarred me from the story. However, this is book one, and she has to learn, so I forgave that.

Tatsumi's mind and pov was really fascinating as he fights with his literal inner demon. I am a sucker for conflict like this. So it was super thrilling go through this journey with him. It built up so much delightful tension. I loved it, I really think this inner struggle was one of the high points of the story. I think many readers will as well.

It felt so much like a chapter one, which is amazing, the end feels like the beginning. I love when stories give me this feeling. A sense of a larger world and story is not done very often for me. I will definitely be back for me.

Shadow of the Fox is an epic eastern fantasy that is sure to gain a core group of followers and fans. I recommend it for any YA Fantasy fan.

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa is a YA Fantasy novel and the first in The Shadow Of The Fox series.
16 year old Yumeko, a half human, half-kitsune (fox shapeshifter), has lived at a remote temple her whole life. Raised by the monks who reside there, Yumeko has led a sheltered life learning to control her kitsune abilities and keep those abilities a secret. When the temple is attacked for a part of a scroll that holds the power to call forth the powerful Kami Dragon, Yumeko must flee so the scroll does not fall into the wrong hands. Whilst escaping her burning home she runs into Tatsumi, a member of the Shadow Clan, known also as The Demonslayer. On a quest to retrieve the very scroll that is in Yumeko’s possession, he agrees to accompany her to the Steel Feather Shrine, where she leads him to believe the scroll was sent. Joined along the way by a disgraced samurai ronin and a nobleman, the motley crew embark on an epic quest full of demons, giant centipedes, and other terrible creatures from Japanese folklore.
This book was delightful! Geez! I stayed up till 2 in the morning reading it and had to force myself to put it down for the night just to devour the rest of it when I woke up. Now I’m mad I read it so fast because it was so good and I don’t want to wait for the sequel. Wah. Full of magic, mayhem, and ahmazing folklore, Julie Kagawa created a beautifully intricate world that was so fun to get lost in. I loved it️!

Shadow of the Fox is officially my favourite of all of Kagawa's books. Her writing is just so fluid and the world building was very well done, drawing on Japanese history and mythologies. Yumeko is a girl raised in a temple, who knows nothing of the outside world, but is suddenly charged with a task that forces her to leave and tests her strength and abilities. She meets Tatsumi, a samurai who she must keep secrets from, lest she make him her enemy. Together, they journey across Japan, meeting friends and monsters along the way, unravelling more of the plots that surround the empire and their mission. All the characters were interesting and developed. The book is written from the perspectives of both Yumeko and Tatsumi and both sides were really interesting to read. I am definitely looking forward to finding out what happens next and I recommend this to any fans of magic, history, and thickening plots!

I really wanted to like this book. It seemed like such a great concept. Unfortunately I could not get past the first chapter.

Yumeko is a yokai, which is basically a shapeshifter, she has grown up in a village of monks. When her village is attacked she is given a piece of the dragon scroll to protect. When she travels to another village to warn of the attack she crosses paths with a demon slayer named Tatsumi. Tatsumi has been ordered to collect these scrolls that will be used to summon a powerful dragon, he is supposed to kill anything that stands in his way. Yumeko knows that her life depends on keeping it a secret that she holds the scroll that Tatsumi seeks.

Yumeko is a strong, fierce character who will defend those she cares about. She also has a caring side to her and fights for what she believes is the right thing to do. I liked seeing her shapeshifting scenes where she turns into a fox and I enjoyed seeing her fight to get closer with Tatsumi. Tatsumi is a strong warrior who has been trained not to care about anyone because it's considered a weakness, he is very closed off and has a hard time letting people in. It was interesting to see Tatsumi struggle against this training as over the course of the book he starts to develop feelings for Yumeko. I enjoyed seeing these two supposed enemies grow closer over the course of the book.

There is a lot of adventure and fighting along the way as well as a lot of interesting encounters such as killer ghosts, bandits, and wind sickle weasels to name a few. You encounter new characters at every turn never knowing if they will be friend or foe. The end is a fast paced ride that leaves you on an interesting cliffhanger. This was a fun, quick read that kept me thoroughly entertained.