Series: Shadow of the Fox #1
Release Date: 1st November 2018
Publisher: HQ Stories
Pages: 454
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review

Synopsis

A single wish will spark a new dawn. 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. Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple’s greatest treasure – one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll.

Review

This is the first book in an all new fantasy series from renowned fantasy author Julie Kagawa. The story is told in alternating points of view, following characters with pieces of an ancient scroll that has the power to awaken the great Kami Dragon. This story is exquisitely told and complexly weaved with mythology and lore.

This is my first book by Julie Kagawa and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to her work. I loved her characters – Yumeko is a kitsune, a half fox demon. She’s not altogether human and I love her mischievous cunning side. Kage too was really fascinating and unusually I enjoyed both characters perspectives equally – something that I find doesn’t often happen when you have multiple POVS. Her characters were well developed and I enjoyed the amount of character depth as they found themselves on this wild adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kagawa’s writing style. The story is quick paced and continues to ramp up as the story progresses. The book touches on some really important themes, like friendship, family and ultimately doing what is right. It’s a really gorgeous fantasy story and I loved learning more about Japanese mythology. The setting was beautiful and I loved the sense of atmosphere that shines through in the book. The story is very much a journey, and I am already dying to know what’s going to happen next. If you’re looking for a new own voices fantasy that’s chalk full of fantasy and mythology, Shadow of the Fox is definitely the book for you.