I had never read anything by Kagawa before, but had heard great things. After this novel, I can understand the interest in her work, but know that it is not for me. The story had everything that it needed; a great cast of characters, a strong plotline, and a great lead to the next book; yet the writing style, simply, made me struggle through this book.

The characters we wonderful in each and every way. Yumeko and Tatsumi were great leads that both had their faults, but worked well together. Their inner monologues shed a lot of light on each other and themselves. Every minor character was given great details and played a role in the plotline, leaving no random characters with an untold story.

The plotline was quite solid. It was a classic odyssey tale, with a mission in mind being faltered by side missions at every turn. These side mission were sometimes frustrating as I just wanted to tell Tatsumi to grab Yumeko and keep going. They did drag the book out a bit and, even though they added to the myths and legends of the world, didn’t play much part in the main plotline.

The myths and legends of this world were fabulous to behold. I enjoyed learning about the Oni and blood magic. I was confusing when certain people/creatures had multiple names for what they were. I was no always sure who or what was being referred to right away. I found Kagawa’s style flowing and detailed. This sometimes got me caught up in the story, but mostly kept me antsy for things to move forward. U can appreciate why some people love her works, it is just not for me.

Okay, I have a huge love of Japan, all things Japanese, and grew up devouring anime and manga, and this book reads like the most epic of samurai anime demon-slaying adventures. I am FLOORED by how good this was and how much that ending made me scream. Each character was so perfectly described I could draw them, and I am a terrible artist! I was so immersed in every scene, I could hear every sound, this was remarkable world building. I'm so excited to add this to my bookshelves, and the whole series after that!

I definitely feel that my students that love anime and manga would devour this book. I'm really excited to share this with them and buy a copy for my classroom library. This book was so full of culture and learning in addition to being a completely amazing adventure. I don't have enough stars to give Julie Kagawa for this book!

Shadow of the Fox is a great, solidly action packed, travel-adventure story!

The story follows Tatsumi, a shinobi who is the master of the sword Kamigiroshi, a cursed sword with a demon trapped inside. Wielding it gives him special powers but comes at a great cost, he must maintain control of himself at all times, or risk the demon using his emotions against him.

Yumeko is a kitsune, a half fox demon half human, who was left as an infant at the gates of a temple to be raised by monks. When the temple is attacked she is entrusted with what it was protecting, a piece of scroll that must not be found with the other pieces.

The story reminded me so much of the feudal Japan anime's that I know and love. It was SO EXCITING getting that aesthetic from a novel. Yokai, Kami and everything in between set up a great fantasy world that is different from the normal Western stuff.

There is a charming cast of supporting characters, each distinct with their own agendas and reasons for joining along in the quest. I love that it feels like an anime in length as well, there are side quests and subplots that make up and grow the characters along the way.

Yumeko is naive in the beginning, having been raised in a temple alone, she has a lot to learn about the outside world. This leads to some wins and losses on her part. I won't lie to you, the lack of common sense on her part was frustrating a few times, and might be the only thing that really jarred me from the story. However, this is book one, and she has to learn, so I forgave that.

Tatsumi's mind and pov was really fascinating as he fights with his literal inner demon. I am a sucker for conflict like this. So it was super thrilling go through this journey with him. It built up so much delightful tension. I loved it, I really think this inner struggle was one of the high points of the story. I think many readers will as well.

It felt so much like a chapter one, which is amazing, the end feels like the beginning. I love when stories give me this feeling. A sense of a larger world and story is not done very often for me. I will definitely be back for me.

Shadow of the Fox is an epic eastern fantasy that is sure to gain a core group of followers and fans. I recommend it for any YA Fantasy fan.

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa is a YA Fantasy novel and the first in The Shadow Of The Fox series.
16 year old Yumeko, a half human, half-kitsune (fox shapeshifter), has lived at a remote temple her whole life. Raised by the monks who reside there, Yumeko has led a sheltered life learning to control her kitsune abilities and keep those abilities a secret. When the temple is attacked for a part of a scroll that holds the power to call forth the powerful Kami Dragon, Yumeko must flee so the scroll does not fall into the wrong hands. Whilst escaping her burning home she runs into Tatsumi, a member of the Shadow Clan, known also as The Demonslayer. On a quest to retrieve the very scroll that is in Yumeko’s possession, he agrees to accompany her to the Steel Feather Shrine, where she leads him to believe the scroll was sent. Joined along the way by a disgraced samurai ronin and a nobleman, the motley crew embark on an epic quest full of demons, giant centipedes, and other terrible creatures from Japanese folklore.
This book was delightful! Geez! I stayed up till 2 in the morning reading it and had to force myself to put it down for the night just to devour the rest of it when I woke up. Now I’m mad I read it so fast because it was so good and I don’t want to wait for the sequel. Wah. Full of magic, mayhem, and ahmazing folklore, Julie Kagawa created a beautifully intricate world that was so fun to get lost in. I loved it️!

I really wanted to like this book. It seemed like such a great concept. Unfortunately I could not get past the first chapter.

Yumeko is a yokai, which is basically a shapeshifter, she has grown up in a village of monks. When her village is attacked she is given a piece of the dragon scroll to protect. When she travels to another village to warn of the attack she crosses paths with a demon slayer named Tatsumi. Tatsumi has been ordered to collect these scrolls that will be used to summon a powerful dragon, he is supposed to kill anything that stands in his way. Yumeko knows that her life depends on keeping it a secret that she holds the scroll that Tatsumi seeks.

Yumeko is a strong, fierce character who will defend those she cares about. She also has a caring side to her and fights for what she believes is the right thing to do. I liked seeing her shapeshifting scenes where she turns into a fox and I enjoyed seeing her fight to get closer with Tatsumi. Tatsumi is a strong warrior who has been trained not to care about anyone because it's considered a weakness, he is very closed off and has a hard time letting people in. It was interesting to see Tatsumi struggle against this training as over the course of the book he starts to develop feelings for Yumeko. I enjoyed seeing these two supposed enemies grow closer over the course of the book.

There is a lot of adventure and fighting along the way as well as a lot of interesting encounters such as killer ghosts, bandits, and wind sickle weasels to name a few. You encounter new characters at every turn never knowing if they will be friend or foe. The end is a fast paced ride that leaves you on an interesting cliffhanger. This was a fun, quick read that kept me thoroughly entertained.

"...you are balanced on a very thin edge right now, one of yokai and human. Whatever you choose, whatever path you wish to take, even if you attempt to traverse them both, you must decide for yourself, soon."

When I heard that Julie Kagawa was going to come out with a series featuring Japanese mythology, I basically dropped my phone on my face (it happens). Julie Kagawa has consistently been writing about Asian characters in imaginative settings, and for her to do so in a world rooted in Asian mythology basically meant that two of my favourite things were colliding into one book.

In other words: I was ready to sacrifice my firstborn child to read this book.

Luckily, I didn't have to: I was provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. So let's get started on it!

-- What this book is about:

Yumeko is a kitsune (a yokai that has both the ability to change into a fox and to cast illusions) that has been raised in a temple all of her life. Our other main character, Kage Tatsumi, is a demon slayer of the Kage (or Shadow) Clan whose task is to retrieve part of an ancient scroll that can be used to summon a powerful dragon with the ability to grant the wishes of its summoner. Guess where the scroll is?

Yup. At Yumeko's temple.

However, there are several players in this game: unfortunately, we don't know all of them. One of them has sent demons to Yumeko's temple in search of the scroll, leaving our main girl homeless (and with barely any street smarts). Yumeko, as per her fox-like nature, convinces Tatsumi to escort her to her next destination, which happens to be the Steel Feather temple. The problem? No one knows where it is.

-- My overall thoughts on the book:

I think this book suffers from first-book syndrome: it reads like the first book of a series, and if you don't mind that, then power to you. However, I feel that there were ways that Julie Kagawa could have avoided this and tried to establish an independent plotline for Shadow of The Fox. Unfortunately, despite its excellent world-building, Shadow of The Fox falls short when it comes to both its characters and its plot.

Shadow of The Fox starts off wonderfully: I loved seeing all the different yokai and getting to know Yumeko and Tatsumi. The different conflicts that each of the characters faced was understandable, and the first encounter between Yumeko and Tatsumi felt organic and full of tension.

As we progress through the book, however, there seems to be a noticeable pattern that occurs: Yumeko and Tatsumi will encounter a yokai, and Tatsumi's first instinct will be to kill it. Yumeko will stop him, brainstorm a solution, and both of them will collaborate to take down the yokai (Tatsumi with his sword, and Yumeko with her ingenuity or ability to communicate with yokai). This pattern occurs over and over again throughout the book, and while this results in an immersive experience with Japanese mythology, it creates...kind of a nonexistent plot.

We know that Yumeko and Tatsumi are searching for the Steel Feather Temple, we know that Yumeko has one of the scrolls, and we know that Tatsumi is unaware of Yumeko's kitsune nature or her possession of the scroll. But none of that information really develops into anything further.

Another aspect that served to make the book less intriguing is its use of alternating first-person perspectives between Yumeko and Tatsumi. I rarely enjoy books with alternating first-person perspectives; I usually find that books that do this end up detracting from characterisation and making the plot more confusing. Indeed, Yumeko and Tatsumi's point-of-views start meshing together; on multiple occasions, I found myself trying to remember whose POV I was reading. The individual personalities of the characters stopped showing through the text as much as it did in the beginning.

On another note, I also found that the romance between our Tatsumi and Yumeko felt underdeveloped. As the nature of his sword Hakaimono demands, Tatsumi is not allowed to feel any strong emotion. If he does so, then the demon that resides inside his sword can seize that as an opportunity to possess Tatsumi and his soul. Kagawa, for the most part, deals with this well: she portrays Takumi's inner conflict as a constant fight to remain emotionless, even when he yearns to care for others. However, when it comes to the added romance, the random "fluttering of the stomach" or "pangs of jealousy" seem too obviously romance-coded.

In other words, actual and gradual development of Yumeko and Tatsumi's relationsip was put aside for more obvious (and cliche) romance-coded phrasing. I honestly think that Yumeko and Tatsumi should have developed a deep friendship and trust throughout this book without any mention of attraction- instead, the combination of the alternating POVs and the insta-attraction serve to make Yumeko and Tatsumi's characters underdeveloped.

Apart from Yumeko and Tatsumi's characterizations, I loved the rest of the ensemble that developed: many Asian folktales/myths feature a growing ensemble that comes together, and I thought that Shadow of The Fox's ensemble represented that type of solidarity that I see in traditional Asian mythology.

All of this is not to say that I did not enjoy Shadow of the Fox: I finished it in a few hours, even while attending class, taking the bus, studying, making dinner/lunch, and going to the gym. That's how much I liked it. I will be reading the next book as soon as I can get my hands on it. The comments I made serve as an explanation as to why I think Shadow of The Fox suffered from first-book syndrome; hopefully, these issues will be resolved in the upcoming novels.

Until then: I will be waiting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital arc of “Shadow of the Fox” by Julie Kagawa. I have not read any of the author’s previous works but now I will. I really enjoyed the flow of the writing and the word choice. The main character was relatable and interesting. The world building was very well done and created a beautifully described fantasy escape. I will be purchasing this for the library and am excited to share it with the students.

LOVE THIS!!!!


I started with Julie's Iron Fey books and since then I have been hooked and never found a book I disliked from her.


Anyway.... The great Kami Dragon has the power to grant any one wish a person could desire. In order for that to happen, one must have the scroll of a Thousand Prayers. Luckily the scroll is not complete and the dragon can't be summoned. But someone is looking to complete the scroll and summon the dragon and will stop at nothing to get it.


Yumeko is a fun character who grows to be tougher than she thought. She likes to spend her time practicing her fox abilities, even though it doesn't really please those in the temple. When talk about binding her abilities away, Yumeko freaks out and runs to a woman who has been around a long time and also has fox abilities. The woman is a little odd, but she does try to help Yumeko and give her advice/opinion.


When a fire threatens all she knows things are going to move fast. She will have to take the piece of the scroll and go to another temple. Protect the scroll at any cost and never let it get into the wrong hands. Yumeko will set off on this mission and it won't be easy.


I couldn't finish this book fast enough! I loved this and can't wait for the next book to be released already!!!

I received an early release copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first read of Julie Kagawa and she blew it out of the park with building a story! The depth of the Japanese folklore she created made it a fantastic read.

The primary character is Yumeko whom I found myself with a somewhat relateable character which made reading her journey intreging. She is a half-human, half-kitsune girl raised among monks all her life, where she's given a task and she's thrust into protecting a sacred relic from forces that aim to misuse its power.

The secondary character is Tatsumi, a demon killing shinobi. His demon-possessed sword, Hakaimono, makes it a constant fight to not give into the sword or his emotions to avoid giving in to the demon taking over.

The story is fast paced and keeps you from wanting to put it down. I literally felt as if I was in this world and I truly didn't want it to end.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

I did not enjoy this as much as Mrs. Kagawa’s other titles but it was ok. I think it would have helped if I had more of a background knowledge of Japanese traditions and myths, however I did enjoy learning more through the story. I liked the main character Yumeko who is part fox the best and I wish we could have stayed with her as the narrator the whole time as I thought she had the most interesting story line and perspective. Honestly I got a little bored when we switched to the other narrators. I reccomend this title for readers who are already fans of jananese legends and anime as I think they will best enjoy it.

MIND BLOWN! Why...why did receive an ARC? Now I will be in AGONY till my life can continue with book 2. Fantastic world building, masterful storytelling, and characters to die for!

Julie Kagawa is best known for her Iron Fey series, but my introduction to her work was the Blood of Eden trilogy, a dystopian/vampire adventure that I really enjoyed.

The Shadow of the Fox is the first in this fantasy series with creative mythological elements.

from the description: "Every millennium, one age ends and another age dawns...and whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers holds the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto. The holder of the first piece is a humble, unknown peasant girl with a dangerous secret."

Yumeko, half-human and half-kitsune, has an important role to play in keeping the forces of evil at bay, but she is half-kitsune and is inclined to pranks. Raised in a monastery, Yumeko is truly naive about the wider world, but she is good-hearted and aware of what she owes to the monks. When the temple is destroyed by demons, Yumkeo finds herself charged with a great responsibilty: she must deliver the fragment of the scroll entrusted to her to the Steel Feather Shrine. Her experiences have been limited to the sanctuary of the monastery, but now she must undertake a journey into a world she knows little about.

The second pov comes from Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan, whose life has been circumscribed by his clan leaders. His current mission it to dispatch anyone who stands in his way of obtaining the fragment of the scroll that Yumeko carries. Unaware that she is carrying the fragment, Tatsumi believes Yumeko can help him locate it and aids her in her journey.

Villains, demons, samurai, ronin, shape-shifters, kami and more. A little slow at the start, the pacing increases with the destruction of the temple that sets Yumeko in her prophesied role.

Read in May; blog review scheduled for Sept. 13.

NetGalley/Harlequin Teen
YA/Fantasy/Folkore/Adventure. Oct. 2, 2018. Print length: 400 pages.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review**

Look, I'm a sucker for folklore. Give me a hint of mythology in a book and I'm tripping over my feet to check the book out. Recently, we've been seeing a plethora of Euro-centric folklore-based books hitting the shelves in a variety of genres. Am I upset by this? N to the O! But I will say that it was wonderfully refreshing to delve deeper into Japanese folklore in this story, because if there is one thing my love of anime has taught me, it's that feudal Japan is no joke, and Shadow of the Fox has all of those feudal-feels right down to the shrines.

Shadow of the Fox has a swift moving plot and enjoyable characters that everyone can relate to. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good tale.

16 year-old Yumeko is being protected in an isolated shrine, learning to suppress the fox inside (kitsune). It isn't until evil storms her safe haven that she learns the truth. She is forced to flee, her quest tied to the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers and the power to summon the great Kami Dragon. Of course she meets the strapping Tatsumi, fearsome demonslayer trained as "a weapon in the hands of the Kage."

When I read a book and students continually pop into my head... I know I've found a winner. My mind kept drifting back to those who loved Kagawa's Iron Fey series and the darkness of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows... this is how I know they will devour this one. Japanese mythology twines its way through the plot and the intense world-building pulls you inside. Manga has been a very hot commodity in our school- kids are hungry for more... and this novel might be a nudge into the full colour world of samurais, yokai and some seriously creepy demons. "The entire cemetery glowed with a strange, sickly green light that illuminated the dozens of bodies shambling between graves. They were naked, emaciated creatures, with sticklike limbs and bloated, distended bellies. Vaguely human, they walked hunched over or crawled through the dirt like animals, their gaping mouths showing rows of jagged, broken teeth. Gaki."

A war is brewing, and I think we are in for an entertaining series.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC set for release on October 2, 2018. #ShadowofTheFox

Review based on a digital ARC provided via Netgalley.

May contain mild spoilers.

In this first book in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy, Kagawa draws on Japanese folklore to bring to life a well drawn cast of characters who band together to complete a quest. Yumeko, a girl who is half kitsune (fox in Japanese), finds herself in possession of a very important scroll fragment, one she must deliver to the Steel Feather temple in order to keep the forces of evil from resurrecting a dragon. Along the way, she meets Kage Tatsumi, a member of the Shadow Clan who was sent to retrieve the scroll by any means necessary. Like Yumeko, Tatsumi has a secret, he is shinobi and is carrying a sword called Kamigoroshi that enables the demon Hakaimono to infiltrate his soul. He is at constant war with this inner demon, keeping others at bay in order to control his emotions and keep himself in check. Along the way, they meet Okame, a rōnin (master-less samurai), who joins their little band on their way to the capital and eventually to the temple. Okame is a great character, and I wonder what the next book might hold for him. He seems like he might just have a secret of his own. The final member of their group is Daisuke Taiyo, a member of the royal family, who challenges Tatsumi to a duel, the outcome of which determines the course of their alliance. On the other side of this adventure, also in pursuit of the scroll, is Lady Satomi, the emperor’s favorite concubine and all around nasty lady. She is working to get her hands on the scroll in order to release the dragon for her own ends, which certainly aren’t good. She employs many supernatural creatures to do her bidding, sending oni and many others to do her dirty work. There are a few other great little side characters that figure into the story, but I won’t go into them here. You will want to pay special attention to Suki, with whom Kagawa begins the story.

This story is a classic Japanese style adventure quest, with the characters overcoming both personal obstacles and mythological enemies on their journey to their final destination. As I mentioned at the outset, the characters are well written, drawing the reader into their stories. I love Yumeko, left on the steps of a temple with a mysterious note as an infant. Hers is the main voice in this story, although the story is told in alternating chapters, with Tatsumi relating the others. Yumeko has a strong voice and I am looking forward to seeing her develop her kitsune powers more in the next two books in this series.

Those not familiar with Japanese folklore will find this story exciting and new, with intriguing mythological beings popping up throughout the narrative. Those familiar with Japanese folklore will find much to like in the storyline, as it follows a similar quest storyline to many I have read, adding a fresh twist.

I was excited to read this book, as I am a huge fan of Kagawa’s Talon saga. Her writing is good and the characters are appealing. I always find myself falling in love with her characters, especially the ones who are complex and flawed, as they are so true to life. I look forward to reading the next two books in this series.

2.5/5 stars

I personally did not enjoy this book. I felt like I was dragging myhself through mud just to get to the end. There were time where it picked up pace and I felt remotely interested, but it just fell flat. I was excited for this as I read the Blood of Eden series and loved those books. I felt completely uninterested in the characters and the plot in Shadow of the Fox . I found Suki to be alright boring. At the beginning I felt something , but that just went away as the book went on. The first few chapters felt so rushed but yet so slow at the same time, if that makes any sense. I can't imagine myself picking this up at a later time. I was so disappointed as I really wanted to like this, because it's Julie Kagawa! This just felt lackluster to me. I can't even imagine giving it another shot in the future. That just shows how much I didn't like it. I may come back to this again, but it's very unlikely at the moment. I don't recommend this book if you loved the pacing and the characters from the Blood of Eden series. This is definitely for a different type of audience, and I just so happen to not be a part of it.

Julie Kagawa’s Shadow of the Fox was everything I hoped for from this author—and then some. The quickly-moving plot, enjoyable characters, and captivating mythology were highlights of the book for me.

The plot, as I said, was fast-paced. I was never bored, as Kagawa hurtled us through the adventure. My only complaint is that there was so much STUFF happening, that the deeper insights into characters and the world were skimmed over. I felt like it was a Saturday morning cartoon at points: looks cool and the characters are good enough, but the real appeal is the action that hurtles from one fight to the next to entertain the viewers. That being said, I did like the two narrators—Tatsumi and Yumeko were both likeable and interesting narrators, with layers of secrets and histories. However, they were both so immature and what feels like hastily written to serve the plot, that I was disappointed at the lack of characterization—Kagawa’s writing of Yumeko was especially a let down since her voice started off SO strong and so unique, but by the end, she was pushed along with the plot and I could hardly remember if I was reading a chapter from her POV or Tatsumi’s.

My last point: I really liked the setting and mythology of Shadow of the Fox. I haven’t read any of Kagawa’s other works, so I was coming into this by her reputation only, and I wasn’t disappointed. I easily understood the mythology she built and, while the word didn’t always feel tangible, I was never sucked out of it.

So, I will happily buy the book when it is released, and will definitely go back to look at the author’s earlier writing, but I am hoping that the next book in the series is less of lots of action scenes strung together and more thoughtful.

I received my ebook copy of Shadow of the Fox from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

5 STARS



TW: blood, violence

This book was STUNNING. I mean, I had high hopes going in just from that gorgeous (and slightly sinister) cover, and Shadow of the Fox delivered, no bones about it. It's a richly developed fantasy with high stakes, a wonderful world, and a main character who absolutely stole my heart. I was so engrossed in reading it that it was almost 2:30 in the morning before I put it down!

I think Yumeko was the main draw for me, though. From the start, I really loved her. A half-human, half-kitsune girl raised among monks all her life, she's thrust headlong into protecting a sacred relic from forces that aim to misuse its power. By all means, she should be terrified and overwhelmed, totally out of her depth. And sometimes she really is. But she remains compassionate and clever and my heart was just SO FULL with love for her. I adore heroines who can be clever and caring without seeming like pushovers, and the fact that Yumeko was also just a bit of a trickster (by virtue of her kitsune illusion magic especially) really appealed to me. Usually, if a character is making harmless trouble and pulling pranks in a book, it's a male character, but here, Yumeko gets to tease and be playfully obnoxious without being irritating. She was honestly a joy to read about, and, I think I'll be a huge fan of her for years to come. She's rocketed up into my list of favorite characters.

I enjoyed Tatsumi's POV as well, though not as much as Yumeko's. Because of his tie to his demon-possessed sword, he can't show emotion without risking the demon's release, and that made for phenomenal internal tension as the story progressed. Still, I didn't enjoy his chapters nearly as much because he couldn't be as emotional as Yumeko, and he was so careful and controlled that I kept wanting more of Yumeko's quick thinking and slightly impulsive actions.

And the pacing! Oh boy, I was worried when this started to shape up as a traveling quest sort of book, because those are so often DAYS OF TRAVEL, followed by TRAINING MONTAGE, followed by UNRESOLVED ROMANTIC TENSION, followed by MORE TRAVEL, and so on. Pretty standard formula, and pretty boring. But this was anything BUT boring. The obstacles as the characters traveled were vibrant and dangerous and clever (and the fight scenes! beautifully written), and there were no chapters that just felt like endless traveling with nothing exciting going on. Every scene contributed to moving the story forward in a dynamic way, and I was hooked. I kept telling myself "one more chapter, then go to bed," but then I JUST KEPT READING until I was done. Again, I finished at 2:30 am, so that should tell you something about how much I enjoyed it.

Another thing I loved was the world, especially the use of Japanese folklore. There were yokai everywhere, of all varieties, and their integration with the human components of the story was seamless. It gave the world a magical cast (as did the actual magic, of course), and since I love reading about mythology and folklore, I was excited to recognize some of the yokai and to be introduced to others. As the series goes forward, I'm sure other yokai will be introduced, whether as plot points or key characters, and I'm looking forward to it immensely.

My single issue with the book comes down to a plot problem. The whole book revolves around Yumeko keeping her relic away from harm and delivering it to safety, because it could bring about terrible things if it falls into the wrong hands. No one seems to want to use it for good, though, or have a reason why it should be preserved, so...why not just destroy it? It's one of three pieces, and I get the sense the other two are useless without it, and the end of the world would be a lot farther away if one of the pieces were destroyed.

But other than that, I was completely and totally enamored with Shadow of the Fox, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a stunning, exciting fantasy adventure. Make sure to catch it when it arrives on October 2 this year, and once you've read it, keep an eye out for the sequel, The Demon of the Blade!

This book was okay. I love other books written by Julie Kagawa. Kagawa does a great job of immersing readers into the worlds she creates, but for Shadow of the Fox I had trouble connecting with the characters and understanding what was going on for the first several chapters. This threw me off and made it difficult for me to want to continue reading. I would have quit reading it altogether if I hadn't received a copy from NetGalley to review the book. Luckily the book did pick up speed and I really enjoyed the picked up story line and learning more about Japanese mythologies. Overall it was a decent book if you push yourself through the tough beginning.