Review: Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

There was never any doubt that I would read this new book by Julie Kagawa. I have been a fan of her for years, since reading her first book. I'm a bit behind on reading her newest books, but still a huge fan of her. Because Julie is awesome. So I was super excited about Shadow of the Fox. Also since it sounds awesome.

I had high hopes about loving this book. But oh, I did not. And I shall be honest about my feelings about it. This ended up being a three star for me. I loved the story. Mostly loved the characters too. But I had issues as well, and I will be sharing those too. A bit heartbroken that I did not love this, but still very much love Julie.

I have so many feelings about this book. While I did not love it, I enjoyed it a whole lot. And I found it easy to read, and found the story easy to like. There is a lot of Japanese culture and history which I enjoyed reading about very much. It is also very much a fantasy book, filled with demons and other creatures. Very much enjoyed reading about those. The world this book was set in was interesting too, and I wish to know more about it all. The story of the book is how every thousand years a great dragon will rise, granting a wish to the human having the three scrolls of prayer. The time is almost ready. And everyone is searching for these three scrolls. Many would kill for them. Humans and demons alike. Which makes for an interesting story. And which it was.

This book is mostly told from two point of views. The girl, Yumeko. The boy, Tatsumi. She has grown up among monks, in a remote place. She is also half kitsune. With the power to change into a fox. And is full of tricks too. I loved that about her so very much. But oh, she does not do anything with this for almost the whole book. A little disappointed. Wanted to see more of her powers. She has grown up almost sheltered, and has never left the temple. Until it's attacked. By a great demon, and every monk she knew was killed.

And so Yumeko is forced to flee. With one part of the scrolls needed to make the wish, as the monks had one of the three hidden. While running in the forest, she runs into Tatsumi. And they start on this journey together, though she is lying to him at all times, as she makes him believe she does not have the scroll. And she does not tell him about her being a kitsune either. Sadly, this goes on for the whole book. Ack. I was very much looking forward to all the reveals, haha, and they did not happen in this book. How rude.

But oh. Tatsumi. I do not know how to describe this boy. But I shall try my best. He is a person that has been trained to kill for years now. He has been alone most of the time, never known any kind of kindness. He is simply put a killing machine. Well, killer of demons, mostly. He kills for his clan. He lives for them. Oh, and he has a demon inside his sword, which also means it is inside of his mind a lot of the time too. Complicated. But interesting. And I liked getting to know this boy a whole bunch. Well, most of the time.

Because I sadly did not love Tatsumi. I wish I did, but he was just not that interesting. Half the book is his point of view, but it all felt the same. Him thinking about how cold he is, without emotions. And then slowly starting to feel things for Yumeko. I sadly did not feel anything. Ack. I liked him a lot. And I shipped them so very much. But I did not love either of them. Because they did not do very much. They did not talk very much either. And I badly wanted to know more about them both. Hmph. Still, I liked reading about them.

The biggest reason for why I had issues with this book was the writing. It is told from first person point of view, I believe. And it just felt so awkward. I couldn't connect to either of the characters. And I feel so sad about that. The writing wasn't all bad, thankfully, but I never grew to love it. Ahh. But still. The book was good. Though most of it is just travelling through the forest. And then the action at the end, right before the book ended. I very much need to know what happens next. But wishing more had happened before.

There is still so much that I could share about this book. But I have already written so much, and I'm not going to recap all of the plot, haha. But I will say that this book is about Yumeko and Tatsumi. She has the scroll. He is searching for it. They become travelling friends. And they meet two other men too. It could have been a triangle of sorts. But it was not, thankfully. Also because no romance. What. Rude, haha. But I very much think the romance will only be between the two main characters. Seemed that way, at least.

I was lucky enough to trade for a print ARC of this gorgeous book, and I am so happy about that. I shall treasure it always. And I so cannot wait to get the stunning hardcover of the finished version too, eee. Shadow of the Fox was not perfect, but it was an entertaining read even so. I liked the story. I cared for the characters. And I very much need to know what happens next. But gosh, how I wish there had been romance in this one. Ack. And I wish it had focused a lot more of the kitsune parts. But, it was still good.

Despite my mixed feelings about this book, I still enjoyed it a whole lot. And I am so very excited about reading the next two books. I think they will be awesome, and that I will love them more. Fingers crossed. I wish I could have loved this one, but it just wasn't meant to be. I am very sure, though, that most people are going to love this book to pieces. Eee. And I cannot wait to see what you all think of it when it comes out. You must read it. Shadow of the Fox was a pretty incredible story. I did not love it, but I liked it a lot.

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