Book: Shadow of the Fox
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Shadow of the Fox #1
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.
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.
This story was a complete breath of fresh air from Kagawa, with her trademark characters taking the stage.
Yumeko was a newer and fresher take on Megan, Tatsumi was Ash, and Okame was the beloved Puck. The plot was simple yet elegant: a quest for Yumeko to take, with Tatsumi as her guide. A quest with a few white lies here and there, of course.
Things definitely got a lot more fun when Okame showed up. For the most part, he seems to take nothing seriously except when he finds himself with a drink, but given that his last name is Hino, which means he's from the Fire Clan, and his rather elusive past that he doesn't want to talk about, there's definitely deeper stirring in him.
The one character whose appearance I was slightly confused about was Daisuke. He felt like the odd fourth one out, joining the cast roughly two-thirds of the way in, but he probably will have more importance later. Apart from his swordsmanship skills, I'm curious to know exactly what he'll bring to the table come the next books.
All in all, this was a great book by Kagawa, and I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel! I do hope Yumeko picks up a weapon soon ;)
Wow! Kagawa is an author I lowkey had forgotten, but I'm reminded now that I used to really enjoy her stuff, definitely have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteGlad that I was able to jog your memory of her! I definitely agree; some her older works are definitely my favourite!
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