To save everyone Yumeko loves and cares about she gave up her portion of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. Now Yumeko and her friends must hurry to keep the demons from using the one Dragon wish and plunging all they know into darkness and ruin.

This is a awesome book and I didn't want to say to much for fears of spoilers. But this the third and final book of the trilogy and it is just as action packed. The suspense at times is oh my gosh off the meter, along with the story twists just made this book a joy to read. I will miss these friends but I hope Ms. Kagawa will bring more friends to life in a new series.

This review will appear on my blog on March 31st.

As the last book in Julie Kagawa's trilogy, and I've really enjoyed the entirety of it. I love the struggle of Kage Tatsumi and him being split between who he is and the oni inside him. The inner struggle of good and evil is personified through him. Yumeko, as a heroine is fearless and brave. It was very action filled throughout the book, but for some reason it still did not seem so fast-paced to me. I think the lead up to the final battle was too anti-climatic but I did enjoy the end. Although it was bittersweet, it still was a nice end to this series.

Night of the Dragon was deliciously harrowing, intensely engrossing, and thoroughly satisfying. There is love, loss, redemption, and strife, but the ending provides an appropriate resolution to this epic tale. There are some minor quibbles, the torment was drawn out and Kagawa’s penchant for overly used phrases and descriptions sometimes grates, but I am still an ardent fan of this trilogy. The core characters are pure magic and their story has a transportive quality. Their grace, loyalty, and love for one another is inspiring and l loved travelling along with them on their heroic, selfless quest. I am sad the story is over, but I am grateful to have made this journey.

Thank you Inkyard Press and NetGalley for providing an egalley of this highly anticipated book. The opinions offered are my own and are an honest assessment of the book.

I absolutely loved this series! I couldn't wait for this book to come out so I could find out what happens! The plot is so interesting and the main characters are as well. This book kept me engaged throughout it and I will be recommending this book to all my teens at the library!

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher via NetGalley. There are spoilers ahead if you have not read the first and second books in this series, Shadow of the Fox and Soul of the Sword.**

Title Night of the Dragon (Shadow of the Fox #3)

Author Julie Kagawa

Release Date March 31, 2020

Description

All is lost.

To save everyone she loves from imminent death, kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko gave up the final piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. Now she and her ragtag band of companions must make one desperate final effort to stop the Master of Demons from using the scroll to call the Great Kami Dragon and make the wish that will plunge the empire into chaos.

Shadow clan assassin Kage Tatsumi has regained control of his body and agreed to a true deal with the devil—the demon inside him, Hakaimono. They will share his body and work with Yumeko to stop a madman, and to separate Hakaimono from Tatsumi and the cursed sword that trapped the demon for nearly a millennium.

But even with their combined skills and powers, this unlikely team of heroes knows the forces of evil may be impossible to overcome. And there is another player in the battle for the scroll, a player who has been watching, waiting for the right moment to pull strings that no one even realized existed…until now.

Initial Thoughts

Thank you so much to Inkyard Press for offering me the chance to be a part of this blog tour! I absolutely love this series and I was so excited to read the final book early.

Some Things I Liked

Multiple POVs. I loved the points of view used in this book. We got to hear from so many characters at just the right moments. I always love when authors build suspense by switching narrators.
THE ROMANCE. Finally, after waiting since 2018, Yumeko and Tatsumi finally admitted they like each other and it was everything! Also, I will always love the peacock and the dog – they’re a super close second for me.
InuYasha and Naruto vibes. Since this is a book blog, I rarely discuss my other interests (outside of books), but in this case, I will make an exception. I have also seen a ton of TV. All kinds of TV, including anime. I watched both InuYasha and Naruto when I was a teenager (many years ago 😂) and I absolutely loved the nostalgic feelings that this book brought back. I loved the stories in those shows and this book had so many of the same vibes.
The twists! I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book. I read it all in one afternoon because I could not stop. I absolutely loved the plot twists and big reveals. The build up was amazing.

Series / Spin-Off Value

Give me a spin-off about Reika! I loved her voice of reason wisdom and her canine sidekick. I felt like she was the only character who didn’t have anything beyond the mission. I’d love to see a story about her (in any form) where she gets to be the main star.

Furthermore, I’d absolutely love to see this crew go on more adventures. Hakaimono is still out there and demons still exists. There’s plenty more this group can do to protect the world!

Final Thoughts

Certain parts of this book totally broke my heart. But, I loved every page. Everything was so purposeful (tear-jerking, but purposeful). I would absolutely love to see more from these characters as well as more set in this world.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean – this is another Japanese inspired story of romance, oni, and yokai. If you like one, you will defintely like the other.
Talon, Rogue, Soldier, Legion, and Inferno by Julie Kagawa – I love Julie Kagawa’s writing style (and dragons) so if you do too, check out the 5 book Talon Series.
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh – if you liked the Asian inspiration in this series, try this duology by Renée Ahdieh

I was really looking forward to this conclusion to the trilogy! I enjoyed the first two books, particularly Soul of the Sword. As a long-time reader of Kagawa's books, I think she's grown her writing style and complexity a lot.

That said, I struggled to get back into this book. I felt like there were too many action scenes without much purpose--in the first few chapters alone, the characters are propelled forward mostly through fights and ambushes. This occurred in the first two books as well, but I didn't mind so much. Here, it felt strange with the otherwise sense of urgency the characters have to defeat the villain before a specific date. Obviously, obstacles in the characters' way is a given (else it'd be a boring story!), but there wasn't enough lull time between action scenes, which is exhausting as a reader.

The characters' dynamics also felt off to me. There are two relationships that don't make sense to me at all, and another character who doesn't have enough page space to have a personality. Unfortunately, I won't be finishing this series.

This book was received as an ARC from Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read now all of the books in this series of Shadow of the Fox and I must say, Julie Kagawa saved the best for last. Just when Yumeko thought she was done when she gave up the last piece of the scroll, the scroll falls in the wrong hands and the Kami Dragon will finally be awaken to awake chaos in the empire with only one wish. Now with the help of Tatsumi, the Shadow Clan Assassin and the demon trapped inside him Hakaimono, Yumeko must do whatever it takes to stop the forces of evil even even when the whole battle takes a whole new turn with another player that has been watching from the start of it all to no one's existence and all must fight to finally get final possession of the scroll. This series all together just blew my mind and Night of the Dragon was the icing on the cake. I know our teen book club will be awaiting the release of this book and have exciting conversations from it.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

WOW!! This was a stellar book three to the Shadow of the Fox series. Night of the Dragon killed me in the best possible way! The characters and the story were just so well done I can not wait to see what Kagawa does next!