Shadow of the Fox

By: Julie Kagawa

Narrated by: Joy Osmanksi, Joy Osmanski, Emily Woo Zeller, Brian Nishii

In this first book of her Japanese mythology-inspired Shadow of the Fox trilogy, bestselling author Julie Kagawa weaves a stunning, high-stakes tale of alliances and deceptions, characters who aren’t what they seem, and secrets that could change the fate of the world.

Every millennium, whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers has the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto.

When demons kill half-kitsune Yumeko’s adoptive family, she’s forced to flee her home with one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of mysterious samurai Kage Tatsumi, who is Yumeko’s best hope for survival. But he’s under orders to retrieve the scroll. An uneasy alliance forms, and Yumeko begins the deception of a lifetime, knowing her secrets are more than a matter of life or death—they’re the key to the fate of the world.

Books in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy:

• Shadow of the Fox
• Soul of the Sword
• Night of the Dragon

Sugoi!

I love this story so much! I enjoy every second of it! The characters are amazing and enjoyable! The folklore is perfect and draws you in and gives you understanding to a whole different world!
The audiobook is perfect!! The narrators bring each and every character to life in such an amazing way! You can definitely feel what the characters are feeling and understand the story from their perspective!!
Definitely recommend!!

Very exciting book, I love Yumiko

This book is REALLY REALLY REALLY good!! It was absolutely a page turner! The way the relationships between the characters, how the characters evolved and changed; their connections to each other, and shhdagjyddh!!! I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book.

Is there anything that Julie Kagawa can't do?

Julie Kagawa has done faeries, vampires, dragons and now Japanese mythology and she did not disappointment to bring yet another amazing, exciting and fun story to her list. I love Japan and Kagawa has done her research that made this even more awesome. It felt like reading an anime. The setting, the characters, the story, everything. It was so amazing. I loved it. The narrators were great too. Love them.

Fun characters; mysterious foes; Japanese flavor

Shadow of the Fox was a real delight to listen to. The world built in the book is a lot of fun to imagine, and the main characters struck a great balance with one another. Yumeko is adorable to imagine, and Okame, who we meet later on, is a favorite as well. The greater quest is clear, but the parties who are interested in the actions of the main characters (some potentially friends, some potentially foes, some potentially both at once) are mysterious and add intrigue to the story.

While remaining partly mysterious, the plot is not super complicated, making this a really approachable listen. There is some violence, gore and demonic evilness, but nearly no foul language and no tasteless/awkward sexual themes. I'd probably let my children listen to it in high school.

Pros:
The setting and characters combine to make a really fun world. The tension and release cycle is well-managed; the protagonists face interesting challenges, including an overarching challenge that clearly drives the plot, but with many soft pleasant interactions in-between. The plot does not feel forced and within this fantasy world, I did not often feel that the characters acted unbelievably, even though I might have in a less colorful setting.

Cons:
The author does have a bit of exposition-dump dialog in there; not enough to reduce the story rating, and in this world where certain people talk with flowery language as a matter of habit and culture, I was actually able to imagine those conversations taking place even though people do not typically speak that way in the real world. Also, this is the first time I thought the narration was merely adequate. Normally, I do not mind when multiple narrators narrate a book; in this case, though, I felt the inconsistent voices were a little distracting.

Overall, I recommend this book to listeners who enjoy colorful fantasy worlds, swords and sorcery, and Japanese-themed characters, lore, and challenges. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, especially after the intriguing ending.

Check this one out.

I typically don't read/listen to books of this genre, but I decided to give it a shot after seeing advertisements for it on YouTube. I must say, I was thoroughly surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how much I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Even if you're not the type to read/listen to Harlequin books, I recommend giving this book a shot. You just might like what you read/hear.