Review: Shadow of the Fox

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Why did I wait so long to read this book? New to me author, Ms. Kagawa blows me away with this epic fantasy. The world building is magical. Bringing to life the mythos of the Japanese Kitsune is beautiful. I rarely read books with an Asian element that when I find one, I have to read it. Ms. Kagawa is a must read author. She writes young adult stories I wish were available when I was in my teens. She reminds me of Mercedes Lackey... albeit an Asian flavoured one.

The story starts out with a mischievous Yumeko playing pranks on the monks taking care of her. Kitsune is doing her best to keep her "demon" self under control. Because her nature is to be a trickster, some of the stricter monks are harsh with her. I thought that perhaps this book was going to be a bit boring after the first couple of chapters. I quickly learned otherwise as Ms. Kagawa immediately creates a catastrophic devastation even for Yumeko. It is startling and I can't help but gasp in horror for the young fox girl.

Yumeko is forced into a quest that she is ill prepared for... and she finds the most unlikely band of helpers. The world building is amazing. The character building is methodical and so carefully crafted ... a masterpiece. The layers and amount of complexity created in this first book keeps me captivated. In some ways, the way the story is told, my mind saw these like a Miyazaki film. It has the same vibe, if a bit darker. I love it. This is a book that needs to be experienced.

Highly recommended to high fantasy readers.

*provided by Edelweiss