Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox, #1) by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (via Goodreads): One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

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I received an ARC from a friend, because they're awesome! My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Damn that was good! I cannot wait for the next book in this series, and I'm bummed that I have to wait so long. Shadow of the Fox was perfection, and exactly what I expected from Julie Kagawa. The Iron Fey series is one of my all-time favorites, and I've enjoyed her other books, but this one is in a league of its own.

You might not know this about me, but I love anime! Inuyasha is a show that I really enjoy, and one I've seen multiple times. Shadow of the Fox reminded me of this show, but only because of the terminology and the content. Both have yokai, kistune, demons, etc., and the time periods are similar. I really liked immersing myself in the culture and customs referred to throughout the book.

Yumeko was an amazing character! She's half kitsune and half human, and she's constantly balancing the two versions of herself. The monks that raised her encouraged her to use her magic productively, and even trained her. Yumeko frequently played small tricks on a few of the monks (they really needed to lighten up), which would result in hours of chores. I think being raised there was good for her in the end, because it taught her compassion and understanding. The world isn't fond of yokai, especially kitsune, and I think she would have become jaded if left to her own devices out in the world. 

Yumeko was always kind and considerate of others. She doesn't really understand sarcasm at first, and tends to take everything at face value. I believe that's why she and Tatsumi get along so well, because he isn't one to say something without a reason, and jokes really aren't his style. Yumeko's personality is what turned their duo into a small group, and kept their journey lively and interesting. It was really great to have an honest, good-hearted character to read about. She wanted to help everyone no matter what was going on in her personal life.

Tatsumi is a wonderfully complex character, and I enjoyed trying to figure him out. He is literally battling with himself every second of every day, and allowing others to get close to him can be dangerous. Yumeko might be his one and only weakness, and I liked watching him sort out his thoughts and feelings. He was an admirable character, though his actions weren't always good. He was raised to be a weapon and nothing else, which is why the constant concern and compassion from Yumeko was able to breach his impenetrable walls. Her actions weren't something he understood or had experienced for himself.

One thing that irked me about Tatsumi... he is constantly referring to himself as nothing but a weapon. I grasped the general concept after he mentioned it the first time, but it's something he repeats fairly often. All of the following were said back-to-back, in like two pages:

"I was an empty vessel, a weapon for the Shadow Clan, and my only requirement was to complete my mission."

"...because my life was not my own."

"I was the Kage demonslayer; this was my job."

"I was simply a weapon. A weapon did not question the intention of those who wielded it."

"The clan had demanded his death; I had simply been the instrument to carry it out."

"It wasn't my place to ask questions; all that mattered was completing the mission."

Dude, I get it. He says it a few more times throughout the story, but waaaay too many times at the start.

Speaking of the story, it's fantastic! Everyone is after the Dragon's Scroll, and there are so many moving parts. A few people are only mentioned briefly at the beginning, but we learn later that they play a larger role. Some are connected in ways I never would have expected! Then there are those that haven't revealed themselves yet. Everyone is vying for the same thing, but we never really know who is doing it for the right reasons. 

I really love the way Julie Kagawa thinks, and how she wrapped this story around itself. Everything overlaps. Everything has a purpose. Everyone plays a role, whether large or small, and you should never dismiss someone as simply a secondary character. Each person is important and controls some aspect of the story and how it progresses.

I want more! I cannot wait to immerse myself in this world again. It was an incredible experience, and one I'm still thinking about days after turning the last page. There are small fights, large battles, unexpected friends, and surprising enemies. It's hard to know where everyone stands, even the people within Yumeko's own group. Her little circle kept growing as the story continued, and I'm really happy with where it is now. They all have something unique to offer, and their skills really compliment one another. Their personalities are all drastically different, but that makes it fun!

In case my raving review wasn't obvious, I loved this book! It will be one that I give as a gift for the holidays, because I want to share what I love. I think a lot of people will be able to enjoy this one! The characters were well-developed and layered, the story was engaging and captivating, and the villains were people you just love to hate. Shadow of the Fox is easily one of my top reads for 2018!