Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Shadow of the Fox (Shadow of the Fox, #1)

by Julie Kagawa

The first book in a brand-new series set in ancient Japan from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa.

Enter a beautiful and perilous land of shapeshifters and samurai, kami and legends, humans and demons...a world in which Japanese mythology and imagination blend together

When destiny calls, legends rise.

Every millennium the missing pieces of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers are hunted, for they hold the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish.

As a temple burns to the ground Yumeko escapes with its greatest treasure - the first piece of the scroll. And when fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai she knows he seeks what she has. Kage is under order to kill those who stand in his way but will he be able to complete his mission? Will this be the dawn that sees the dragon wake?

Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Marie Lu, Cassandra Clare will be captivated by this enchanting new series.

Reviewed by alisoninbookland on

3 of 5 stars

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Sincerest apologies to Shadow of the Fox. I read this during forced social distancing which affected my reading and my enjoyment of any books I read.

Recommended for fans of: the grumpy one loves the sunshine one; motley crews; quests; manga.

I love that Kagawa pulls from her heritage to create a rich fantasy world of Japanese mythology and lore. You can feel the love in the story. I struggled with fully immersing myself in the story and had a hard time fully enjoying it (see above note). The back included a glossary of words and terms. Those never work for me. I prefer explanations in text or enough clues that I can figure it out from context.

The story was good and the adventure was fun. Even without my ‘issues’ (see above), I think the pacing of the book was still a problem. It felt like it drug on. I felt like some of the book could have been cut to keep things moving along.

If you enjoy Japanese lore or manga, I think you’d love this book.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 4 April, 2020: Finished reading
  • 4 April, 2020: Reviewed