In this first book of this new series sharing the same title, Shadow of the Fox, written by Julie Kagawa, we meet with Yumeko, a girl who has lived her whole life in a monastery, educated by the monks who took her in when they found her one day delivered to their door. She is half-kitsune and therefore not entirely human, and kitsune, as everyone knows cannot really be trusted.

One day, she is tasked with bringing part of a scroll that had been kept hidden in the monastery to another temple. This scroll holds parts of the invocation that might awake the dragon who has been sleeping for 1000 years another time and ask for one wish to be granted by it, provided all the parts of the scroll can be assembled.

And then Yumeko's life changes as the monastery is attacked and she has to flee.

She meets Kage Tatsumi, who is about the same age as herself and who is a demonslayer, having been raised his whole life to slay demons and not doing anything else. He hosts a powerful demon within his body that needs to be kept under check at all times and wields a famous sword. He has been tasked by the head of his clan, the Shadow Clan, to get hold of the scroll and not to return unless he has found it.

The two set out onto the road. Yukemo has an instruction of where to find further guidance to eventually locate the temple she has been tasked to deliver the scroll to. She has to keep her kitsune nature hidden from anyone as well as the scroll she carries on her. Tatsumi on the other hand is bent on finding the scroll himself, as he has been tasked to find it at all costs by the head of his clan.

They meet a variety of people on their way and quite a few adventures. Both of them are somewhat ill suited for their journey as they both have limited experience of the wider world. Yumeko has never been out of the monastery, and Tatsumi, although having been out and about has been prevented by his elders to form any emotional relationships with other people. As he is hosting a demon, relationships of any kind might be detrimental to keeping the demon under control.

There is a third party involved, a little ghost who gets robbed of her physical life unexpectedly and becomes therefore earth bound. She delivers the observation of another third party who wants to get hold of the scroll as well.

Despite the main ark of the book and the sometimes rather violent and gory scenes with demons and other creatures, the story itself feels light hearted, a little bit like Yukemo herself, the half-kitsune who holds to its playful, trickstery nature as well as to being a human that is at it best when it can relate to others.

The book ends on somewhat a cliffhanger and it remains to be seen what happens in the second and third book.

I found the characterisation of Yumeko with her kitsune character to be excellently done. Tatsumi on the other hand seems to be rather clueless as soon as it comes to human relationships and does not hold as many layers as Yumeko.

What I loved in this specifically is Yumeko's relation to nature and the nature spirits. There is this one scene that I really just gobble up.

Also, there seem to be a lot more understanding in Japan or in the East about what happens when someone finds a violent ending and becomes earthbound. It is so good to read about themes like those as well.

What makes this book for me a five star read is Yumekos character and her approach to the world, by being inclusive, accepting people as they are and letting them become who they are in relation to her. Her female approach and understanding of life are what will prevail, even though they might seem frail opposed to her male's counterpart fighting prowess and readiness to render anything without further questioning.

I found the glossary at the end of the book only once I arrived there as the eArc came without content structure.

Also, there are quite some expressions in the book that I understand are Japanese. I have no further knowledge of the Japanese or the mythological creatures, but the book was despite this inclusion very readable. I might have missed out on some layers that the story holds with its linking into the Japanese as well.

Also, I am not really familiar with other Japanese art forms like mangas or anime. Knowledge about, respectively experience with them might also change the perception and enjoyment of this book.

The be clear, the plot is not the most sophisticated one, but once I finished reading, I wanted to go back to this world and see what Yumeko would now do and how the story further develops.

For this review I got a free eARC from Netgalley UK. The views and reading experience expressed in this review are entirely my own.

First of all i loved all the covers. They are really gorgeous. First time i saw that red cover i wanted to read this book. The worldbuilding in this book was amazing. I could pictured every detail. The story was intense. Like reading an amazing manga in a novel format. I learned a lot of new things about Japan mythology. I read last 200 page in one sitting. Ending was amazing. I don't know how i wait to second book.

Shadow of the Fox is the best anime I’ve read

I had constantly kept hearing about this book. Upon deciding to purchase the Owlcrate special edition (signed and red cover), I knew right away it would be a “soon-tbr” book. Then I received a copy of Shadow of the Fox for my kindle from the publisher on NetGalley and knew then that I needed to read the book asap.

It is such an incredible book. The story layout and atmosphere throughout Shadow of the Fox is so intense. Packed with Japanese folklore with culture, demons, blood magic, the works. There is not a moment in the book that I found to be dull. Chapter upon chapter I was inhaling the plot, the outstanding world building and everything to do with Japan. This book is practically a journey and I was all for traveling along with it!

The characters in Shadow of the Fox are also super well written and every single one plays an intricate role in the enjoyment of the story. Yumeko is a badass half-kitsune girl (half-fox, half-human) who is raised by monks in a temple. The way her character progresses throughout Shadow of the Fox is so endearing. Even though she is not completely perfect and makes some mistakes, she always tries her best to make things right. Yumeko held my heartstrings for the entire story!

Tatsumi is the character I fell head over heels for. Throughout his chapters, I kept visualizing him as Kirito from Sword Art Online which made him even better. Although he is a shinobi, he allows people to think of him as a samurai warrior – fewer questions. It is very interesting to see how he handles being around and dealing with people when is it supposed to work alone. He is super broody and quiet but god I love him so much.

It is like reading a good anime/manga
The main thing I enjoyed throughout Shadow of the Fox was the feeling of reading a manga or watching an anime. It is so visually pleasing that while reading, you can see what was being said. The places, the people and the action is all there to enjoy.

I also did not realize when I started that this is the first book of a Trilogy. Needless to say, I am super excited and now I cannot WAIT to read the second book. A must-read for anybody who enjoys action filled Japanese stories!

I adored Kagawa's Iron King series, so when I saw this book on Netgalley I had to give it a go, and I was not disappointed. It's very different from her world of faerie, but equally interesting and addictive. I'm not a huge fan of high fantasy or historical, both of which are covered in a way, but Kagawa's Japanese world was fascinating. Her characters are completely believable, even if they are not of this world, and her world-building was just fantastic. Shadow of the Fox was a real page-turner, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

There was so much to love about this book. There were rustic tea houses and moss-furred shrines, whispering bamboo forests and verdant rice paddies. The world building was done so beautifully and it gave me some serious Samurai Champloo vibes. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the quest feel to Yumeko's plot, and I enjoyed the characters that continued to be added to her party.
Definitely a series I would recommend.

This book ticks so many boxes for me right off the bat; it’s Fantasy, it’s YA, it’s based in Japan (A favourite country and mild obsession of mine!) and it pulls references from Japanese mythology. There’s action, adventure, demons and witches, what more could I possibly want from a book?
The story kicks off introducing us to Yumeko, a young Kitsune (Half human, half fox) raised in a temple and living amongst the monks. As the temple is ravaged and burned to the ground by a hoard of demons, the monks all left for dead, Yumeko escapes with the precious piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. She has only one instruction – Deliver the scroll safely to another temple. Faced with the outside world for the first time, Yumeko is out of her depth and in desperate need of help.
Enter Tatsumi; the Kage demon-slayer from the Shadow Clan, tasked with his own mission to retrieve the sacred scroll. In what becomes the start of a long trail of deceit, Yumeko convinces the demon-slayer she knows the true location of the scroll, if only he could assist her in reaching her destination safely.
Though I found the first few chapters to be a bit of a slow start, I was soon hooked into the story, desperate to unravel the many threads in it’s tangled web. There are a few switches of POV throughout the book which seem unrelated at first, until the story gradually narrows down and reveals the true nature of some of the narrators. There was a slight issue in that the POV changes were never announced or noted at the beginning of the chapters, so it sometimes took a paragraph or two to figure out if the POV had changed and if so, to whom. That being said, it didn’t knock my flow too much as I was reading, so I was able to stay immersed in what was happening.
Alongside Yumeko and Tatsumi, various other characters join in on their ragtag pilgrimage, leading to them getting into all sorts of scrapes along the way. A lot of creatures, demons and other enemies are introduced, also, but I found they were well paced in their introductions, avoiding throwing too many new things at the reader at once, so it was easy to keep track of who was who and what was going on. The Japanese names of various types of demon are used without much reference or explanation to their hierarchy or what they were, but there is a glossary at the back of the book to check as you read if you felt the need.
This has been a great starting book to the trilogy, packed with action and mystery, and I can’t wait to crack open book two! Be warned if you pick this up, it ends on a serious cliff-hanger so moving straight onto book two is an absolute must!

It has fantasy, it has dragons and magic and kitsune. What’s not to lure me in? I had been wanting to read something Japanese mythology inspired because well, call it the anime effect but I have been very curious about it ever since I watched Naruto. Anyway! The world-building and overall atmosphere of the book are the plus points of this one. I can not wait for the next one because despite a few nagging issues, this one hooked me in and left me with a cliffhanger.

First of all... look at those covers! Aren't they stunning? Which is your favourite? Red = US/Green = UK. I prefer the green, but only slightly..

Now. Unpopular opinion alert!

I was so excited for this book! Everyone I know has been chatting it up, so I was SURE I'd love it. Not the case. I didn't hate it, but it definitely isn't top 10 material for me. I found the plot to be extremely slow and a bit tiresome. Tatsumi was extremely boring, even though he was the demonslayer. There just didn't seem to be much to him in regards to character development or personality... I did love Yumeko. She was wildly hilarious and just someone you'd love to be friends with. Yumeko and the ragtag crew she collects along her journey are totally what redeemed this for me. I enjoyed parts of the book, but I wouldn't be mad to finish the series to be entirely honest. Hoping book two is a whole lot better than this...

Fantasy is a genre I adore. But Fantasy+Adventure makes it a whole lot better. ‘Shadow of the Fox’ is a ‘kitsune’ [fox]’s quest to find an ancient scroll (The scroll of a thousand prayers). Now, as usual, this scroll holds immense power and every evil on land whats to get their hands on this.

But Yumeko, a fox raised by monks has been entrusted to keep one half of this scroll safe and find the other. This quest of hers takes her to faraway lands, and he partners in crime is Kage Tatsumi- a demon hunter with a possessed sword and a goal to retrieve the scroll.

The first and foremost thing I loved about this story is the world building. It’s fascinating and scary at the same time. The story also gives us some powerful and dangerous monsters, and the fight scenes are beautifully written.

The story also gives us a hint of a possible romance, but that doesn’t overshadow the actual goal. The book feels like a solid foundation for many more secrets and adventures. The characters are well written too. Yumeko’s secret, Kage’s detachment from the world, and a demon’s obsession with gaining power has been depicted with precision.

I am obviously, looking forward to the next book in the series. A great fantasy that does compete with the best.

It took me a little while to get into this book as it uses a lot of Japanese honorifics and words that I needed to look up and understand. It might put a reader off if they have to constantly have to look up the meanings of Japanese words, but it also might be a challenge that the reader loves. Once I got passed this, the story is great and has the potential to get even better. It is different to the author's other books, which is great. It is also interesting reading a book set in Japanese culture as this is something that I have no knowledge of, so I learnt something as well. I am keen to know what happens next in this tale.

Thanks to HQ Young Adult and Netgalley for providing me with a Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Japanese inspired YA I've read recently after Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean. I’ve held a lifelong personal interest in Japanese mythology and legends and for anyone who shares this interest, you’ll know one of the coolest aspects of Japanese mythology are Yokai. Yokai are supernatural monsters, ghosts and demons and there is a whole fascinating world of these to explore. My personal favourite is the Kasa-obake, a one-eyed umbrella that hops around on one leg. Yup.

This story follows Yumeko, a young girl who is half-Kitsune, a type of fox yokai. Yumeko is tasked to deliver a magical scroll to another temple to keep it out of the hands of...some other people who want it. Honestly, I didn’t really get the whole thing with the scroll. Some bad dudes want the scroll because.. reasons. Something about an evil dragon I think. Maybe? The first half of the novel is quite slow and meandering, and the second half is definitely more action-packed and fast-paced.

On her journey Yumeko is joined by Tatsumi, a mysterious demon slayer who is also seeking the scroll. Later, they are also joined by Okame, a disgruntled Ronin and Daisuke, a silver haired bishounen (if you’ve watched any anime or played JRPGs you know the type). The main characters are likeable enough, Okame was a standout for me and he interjected some much-needed humour and charm into the dynamic. Yumeko and Tatsumi provide the two main points of view and also an annoyingly oblivious romance. Lots of mysterious stomach flutters and pondering what it could possibly be...just your standard issue YA instalove I'm afraid. I struggled to tell the difference between Yumeko and Tatsumi’s viewpoints as they were both very similar. This was a little strange considering one was a sheltered young girl with no real knowledge of the world, and the other a hardened warrior from a mysterious shadow clan.

If you’re thinking “gosh, this sounds a bit like the plot of an anime or RPG” you’re not too far off the mark. The narrative is made up of a series of mini adventures (think sidequests) which I found to be far more interesting than the main plot. The characters have an annoying habit of explaining everything through some clumsy exposition and the dialogue can be slightly jarring and cheesy. This is also yet another book where random non-English words are interspersed in the dialogue. Having recently read Enchantée, I despaired to see this creeping in yet again. Can this trend just stop please? It’s just weird.

The setting of the novel feels authentic and I thought the world building was done well. The sheer diversity of Yokai included was fun but felt a bit like yokai bingo sometimes. I liked the sidequ.. I mean scene in the village with the Gaki the best.

When I was reading this novel I didn’t want to review it thinking “Oh it’s couched in Japanese culture so it must be like anime or JRPGs!" but it really just was. It felt like the novelisation of a game or a manga/anime and the character tropes were familiar to me as someone who is familiar with these genres. Overall, I enjoyed this. The Yokai were awesome and the setting and world were interesting enough for me to look over the things that bugged me about it.

YA has grown so much since I was a ‘young adult’ myself. It’s now fast paced, ambitious and not afraid of telling hard hitting stories in a number of unique and exciting ways. Because of this I’ve become incredibly tough on the YA I read, because in a saturated market I want to be blown away. Shadow of the Fox promises so much. Asian culture and mythology, fantasy and a strong female lead. But unfortunately it didn’t really deliver on its expectations.

The writing is good, and the world is described well. I loved the insight into Japanese folklore (which is so unique in itself) and the subtle way it’s woven into the story to enhance the fantasy aspect. The beginning of the novel is also fast paced and exciting as we see Yumeko embark on her adventure to reunite a section of scroll from her destroyed temple with another. Meeting up with Tatsumi, a samurai sent from his clan to reclaim the same scroll, there’s a certain level of underlying tension that promises so much in terms of relationship development without detracting from the story.

However, it was from this point on that I felt the plot didn’t really go anywhere. Nothing happens other than a number of distractions from their original plan, meeting various demons and characters from folklore along the way. The characters also seem to go from promising sexual tension to teenage angst very quickly, without much emotional depth or development to make it appealing to me. There’s just a lot of internal monologues about how beautiful they are while trying to maintain an air of aloofness. In all honesty, I’ve read it all before.

As individuals, Yumeko is naive, sweet and cloistered from the world. She’s a great character to introduce new mythology from, as we see the world through her eyes in all its ‘newness’. She’s likeable, but I didn’t see enough depth to her to carry what is quite a weak plot. There’s also nothing really different or unique about her. Tatsumi is slight more interesting as the struggling samurai caught between his duties towards his clan and his growing affection for Yumeko, but again I just felt like I’d read about these characters before.

Wonderful premise, with a rich in-depth look at Japanese mythology, but the weak plot and characters let it down.

Here I am, always behind with reading good books! And this was a good read....

This is going to be short so please forgive me!

The world building was out of this world stunning as was the magic and the menagerie of fantasy characters.

It was all action and a beautiful written story!

I did like the characters but they did fall a bit flat for me...and I can't even pinpoint why (which is something I need to work on!)

Oh and PS, there is a a lovely cliffy to set your teeth in edge!

I've wanted to read one of Julie Kagawa's books for ages and I'm glad I started with this stellar opening to a new series. Excited to read more!

I’ve heard this is the first YA novel in which plot are rooted Japanese folklores, it seems
many YA fans loves this book, I was super excited to finally get my hands on this.
As I am Japanese and familiar with cultural tales, unfortunately, this book doesn't meet my expectation. These are nothing new for me because its most parts of the story are too similar to the ones I read as I was a child.
If you are new to the Japanese folklore you'll enjoy this book more and find the Japanese demons aka Oni are unique and interesting. It also contains all the Japanese cool characters like samurai and Ninja! Who doesn't like them? ;)
Its world is well written and each characters are attractive enough to add some value to the story:)
I wish the story was something more but still enjoyable after all.

I marked this book 3.5 stars out of 5.0.

The storyline of Shadow of the Fox is brilliantly written, and I adored it. There’s Japanese mythology skilfully woven throughout the book, which fully packed the book with extra doses of world building. I enjoyed the history involved and the little details throughout. Although, some background knowledge may be needed for some terms that are used, otherwise it can be slightly confusing. But a quick google search does help!

Without being spoiler-y, there were a couple of characters that felt unnecessary to be included, especially when there were whole chapters that felt like a filler. However, Kagawa is normally quite good at pulling characters back into her stories, so I’m sure they will show importance later in the series. But I do think they could have had maybe a couple of good scenes to set up their next role.

What I enjoyed most is the mass of different mythical creatures involved. Kagawa has given us fae and dragons, and now she is giving us Kistunes which is great as they’re rarely seen in YA Fantasy. I love books that have good creatures in – and I enjoy the takes different authors have on them. So I really enjoyed Shadow of the Fox because of this.

I’ve read enough of Kagawa’s books to know that she loves a romance – and unfortunately for me, this is still that case. Unfortunately for everyone else as well, this romance is almost formulaic to her other books. Girl meets boy. Go on adventure that has multiple dangers and supernatural elements in play. Romantic TensionTM builds.

Despite a couple of hiccups – I really enjoyed reading Shadow of the Fox. It’s an easy read once you get used to some of the words used, and I loved the world building, creatures, places and magic. The plot itself is also intriguing, although it’s clearly part of a longer series. I’m excited to see where this goes.


POSITIVES
World Building
Mythical Creatures
Japanese Myth
NEGATIVES
Romance
Unimportant Characters

I absolutely loved this book. I already enjoyed Julie's previous works but she outdid herself. I am a huge Anime/Manga fan and to me it felt like I was reading a Inu Yasha spin off! All the demons, Oni, monsters. Riveting!

My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for a review copy of this book.

Shadow of the Fox is a Japanese-inspired fantasy–adventure, and the first of a trilogy by author Julie Kagawa. This is the first of her books that I’ve read. In the book we meet Yumeko, a half yokai (magical beings who can shapeshift and assume human shape) who is sixteen and has been brought up at the Silent Winds Temple where most of the monks try to teach her to ignore her kitsune or fox-self, which includes the magic she can perform and act human. When the temple is attacked by a demon creature (an oni, Yaburama) and his minions, she finds out about a prophecy that it is she who would protect the part of the dragon scroll that the temple has had in its safe-keeping for many years. She is to carry the scroll to the other temple, Steel Feather, where another part of it is hidden but she doesn’t know where that temple is. Just as she is escaping from the temple, she meets, Kage Tatsumi. Just slightly older than her, he belongs to the shadow clan and is a ruthless assassin of creatures of all kind, and does only as his clan requires him to do, no questions, no feelings. Tatsumi has been sent by his clan head to recover the scroll. Naturally Yumeko can’t tell him she is the bearer but manages to secure his help to escort her to find the location of the Steel Feather Temple (where Tatsumi too hopes to recover the missing scroll and complete his mission). Like Yumeko, Tatsumi also has a secret, as bearer of the powerful sword Kamigoroshi (one that can do away with any kind of creature), he is also a vessel for a demon Hakaimono, who he keeps under control by not allowing himself to feel any emotion. And so begins their adventure. On the way to the capital city, Kin Heigen Toshi, where they hope to find out where the Steel Feather Temple is, they are attacked by all variety of creatures, demons and monsters and have a powerful blood mage on their trail. There’s also a “side-quest” or two, and they are joined by a ronin, Okame, and a noble Taiyo Daisuke, who become part of their motley group.

This book was so much fun, I really loved it. The book managed to have a light-hearted adventure feel and tone despite all the monsters and bloodshed. In fact, much of it had a humorous undertone which was very good fun. I also enjoyed the folklore elements (some of these, Yokai included, I’d come across in the one other Japanese-inspired fantasy I’d read, Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean, and so was familiar with)—the different types of creatures one encounters, even the horrid ones.

Both the main characters Yumeko and Tatsumi are very likeable. Alternate chapters are in fact told from each of their perspectives (in first person), and one thing that stood out in this which I thought Kagawa had done really well is how Yumeko’s naivety and inexperience stands out in the Tatsumi chapters (from the eyes of another) while in her chapters, one doesn’t see this. (The author is also building up a romance but only the base has been laid so far). I also very much liked Okame and Daisuke. There are also a few chapters told in third person from the perspective of a young girl Suki, who comes to the imperial palace as maid to Lady Satomi, and whose story ends up taking some rather interesting turns as we go on. The only (very slight) complaint that I had was that in some (though only a few) instances, the dialogue felt a little modern coming from the time and setting in which the characters lived but it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the book.

As far as the plot elements are concerned, there’s nothing really out of the ordinary, a prophecy, a quest, monsters, a journey, but the way it is done makes it very enjoyable and great fun. The ending was quite a surprise, had a couple of turns/twists(?) I didn’t see coming and made me wish I had the sequel right there in front of me to pick up and continue, but alas that couldn’t happen. I can’t wait for it to come out so I can continue with them on their journey! Five stars!

-- I received an eARC of this title via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity --

I was really excited to start this book, however, it feels like it could have been so much more. Maybe it is because I had just read the amazing Empress of all Seasons when I started this, which might have influenced my judgement, but I just couldn't get into it. While I enjoyed reading it, I simply did not connect to the characters or become emotionally invested. I've been failing at putting my finger on what the cause is, and think that it might just not have been my cup of tea, given that so many people seem to enjoy this book. I'll give the second one a shot, hoping that that will do the trick for me.

The issue with this book as with so many fantasy reads lately, is that I neither liked nor outright disliked it - I just feel meh about it.
I was waiting to connect to the characters and sadly, there just wasn't a moment where it clicked - they could have died at any time and I would have not cared. At all. I mean, I spent a good 400 pages with them and I can't even recall their names. And that's not a good sign.
The insta-love didn't make it any better. We're introduced to the love interest as the "most handsome man I'd ever seen." While this is a trope that has been in countless YA novels, at this point, I demand more variety.
But the plot didn't live up to the hyped reviews either, instead it came across as ridden with tropes and sadly, too predictable. Some parts dragged on forever while others felt too rushed, the pacing just seemed off. The journey went on forever until we got to the actual "fun" part.
I knew I had issues with Kagawa's writing in the past and so thought I needed to give her another go, but her writing style just isn't for me - it never draws me in. Instead, it leaves me yawning at times, frustrated to get to the point at others.
In all honesty, this just felt too generic and a bit outdated for YA and me. But I did like the beautiful cover and the mythology that we get glimpses at in this novel.