Taylor's Reviews > Shadow of the Fox

3.5

“The spider does not spin its web in a heartbeat, nor does the albatross fly across oceans with a few flaps of its wings. Many would consider what they do impossible, and yet, they still complete their tasks without fail, because they simply...start.”

...

I think it's accurate to compare the reading experience of Shadow of the Fox to watching a really good anime. I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Shadow of the Fox follows our main character Yumeko, a half-human, half-kitsune fox creature with a penchant for mischief. Raised by monks in the Silent Winds Temple, Yumeko's whole life is upended when her home is attacked by a horde of demons. With her family dead, and the demon army fresh on her heels, Yumeko is tasked with taking a piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers to safety.

But when she's intercepted by a Samurai from the Shadow Clan, Kage Tatsumi, who's also looking for a piece of the scroll, Yumeko agrees to take him to it in exchange for protection. The only thing is that he doesn't know she has a piece of the ancient scroll, and her deception could ultimately tear the two apart. For the one who possesses the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers will be granted a wish by the Kami Dragon.

Sounds cool, right?

I really do mean it when I say that this book plays out like a really awesome anime. The writing and imagery were beautiful, and I had no problem visualizing the creatures and magic in this book. Julie Kagawa definitely succeeded in that respect.

However, it is very apparent that this book is a foundation for the rest of the series. It wasn't until half way through that Shadow of the Fox really started to pick up, and we were definitely left with more questions than answers by the end. Was the ending of this book awesome and completely epic? Yes. Would I have liked for the pacing to be as consistent for the rest of the book? Also yes.

I can't deny my enjoyment of Shadow of the Fox, though. I just had so much fun reading about Yumeko and Tatsumi's adventures. While it took me a hot second to really connect with our main characters, they endeared me by the end. I specifically admire Yumeko and her resolute morality in this first installment. She comes off as naive and playful (her kitsune magic is so cute), but I really loved Yumeko's heart. It was refreshing, especially since this genre is ridden with knife-wielding, emotionally stunted female badasses.

Tatsumi was also an enjoyable character. I was afraid he'd be a dry piece of toast at first, but I was continuously drawn into his inner turmoil and moral struggles. I won't get into details for fear of spoilers, but Tatsumi's relationship with his identity, and the rest of his clan, was heartbreaking, and very intriguing. Also, can we just take a moment to revel in the fact that there's next to no romance in here? THANK THE GODS.

Shadow of the Fox is definitely a journey book, though. Tatsumi and Yumeko continuously make pit-stops from place to place throughout the story, and pick up stragglers along the way. The plot was very episodic in format, which I personally had no problem with. If that doesn't sound like you're thing though, I'd maybe stay clear.

Like I said, I wasn't too keen on the characters in the first half of this installment, but by the end, I was very on board with their motivations. I'm specifically very excited to see more of our side-characters in the next book. It's gonna be great.

Also, the world of Iwagato is so well-realized. Like I said, Kagawa makes it easy to visualize the magic and gorgeous landscape. Particularly, the use of japanese mythology in Shadow of the Fox was so interesting, and I can't wait to learn more about the world in the next book. I was surprised, actually, by how much I was anticipating Soul of the Sword by the end of this first installment.

Is this book high-caliber fantasy fiction? No. But is it really enjoyable and full of lush magic and mythology? Yes, yes it is.

Who knows? Maybe this series will become a new favorite. All I can say is that I'm excited to see where it goes.

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“It is very hard to be human, little fox. Even the humans themselves don’t do a great job of it.”