Series: Shadow of the Fox #2
Release Date: June 25th 2019
Publisher: HQ Stories
Pages: 304
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

One thousand years ago, a wish was made to the Harbinger of Change and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. It had one task: to seal away the powerful demon Hakaimono.

Now he has broken free.

Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: to take her piece of the ancient and powerful scroll to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the Harbinger of Change, the great Kami Dragon who will grant one wish to whomever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. But she has a new enemy now. The demon Hakaimono, who for centuries was trapped in a cursed sword, has escaped and possessed the boy she thought would protect her, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan.

Hakaimono has done the unthinkable and joined forces with the Master of Demons in order to break the curse of the sword and set himself free. To overthrow the empire and cover the land in darkness, they need one thing: the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross once again, the entire empire will be thrown into chaos.

Review

Soul of the Sword is the second instalment in Julie Kagawa’s Shadow of the Fox series. This quick, action packed adventure was one of my favourites of last year so I was so excited to return to this world. What I got was even more action, even more gripping plot and of course the characters that I love.

The setting for this story is just so beautiful and it really comes to life in Julie Kagawa’s writing. The vibrant world leapt off the page, and I loved every second of being in that world. The plot is very much a journey as the characters continue on their quest and I really enjoyed seeing the different places they ended up. Soul of the Sword is incredibly quick paced, and definitely has that anime-adventure feel to it.

The story is told in alternating POVs between quite a few different characters, and I really liked getting to see things from these different perspectives. Yumeko is absolutely my favourite character, she’s so sweet and lovely and I loved her take on the world. There’s lots of fun banter between the characters, which split up the action nicely too.

This second book is everything you could want. The plot went places I absolutely didn’t expect and the last few chapters had me racing through to find out how it was going to end. I am now absolutely desperate to read book three and I can’t wait to see where Kagawa takes this brilliant story next.