Night of the Dragon: Shadow of the Fox, Book 3
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Night of the Dragon is the finale in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy by Julie Kagawa, the best-selling author of the Iron Fey series. It's set in a magical version of feudal Japan with creatures out of Japanese folklore, including one of the main characters, Yumeko, who is half-fox, half-human. Remember all the gory battles from the second book, Soul of the Sword? It's lots more of the same here, and spoiler alert -- key characters die painful, drawn-out deaths in battle. Expect less drinking here (just a scene of saki drinking), a little more swearing (but still mild for a book for mature teens), and two couples, one straight and one gay, spend romantic nights together with only kissing described. Yumeko is the ultimate underdog (underfox?) hero here, sacrificing everything to save the world and using her cunning, resilience, and compassion to defeat a formidable enemy.
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What's the Story?
In NIGHT OF THE DRAGON: SHADOW OF THE FOX, BOOK 3, all the pieces of the summoning scroll are gone, taken by Genno to the islands of the Moon Clan Territory for the ceremony. Yumeko, Tatsumi, Reika, Taiyo Daisuke, and Okame must stop the summoning of the dragon-god in a week or Genno will destroy the world with his one granted wish. They travel to the coast to find a ship outside villages and in darkness because of Tatsumi. He shares not just his sword but his body as well with the demon Hakaimono -- his horns and glowing eyes would cause a panic. But they find that panic has arrived at the coast before them. A village is beset by an army of the dead controlled by powerful blood magic meant to stop them from ever reaching the Moon Clan territory.
Is It Any Good?
This trilogy finale is overstuffed with epic battles, demons, bloody beheadings, more demons, nearly unstoppable magical villains, and drawn-out painful and honorable deaths. And don't forget the gigantic dragon-god. It's a lot. Plus the one day to save everything starts midway through the book, not in the last third when you would expect the climactic action to ramp up. Still, it's a nail-biter and it's full of the kind of magical misdirection the half-fox main character is known for.
There's real heart in Night of the Dragon, too, with Yumeko and Tatsumi's romance, the noble and ronin's relationship, and Yumeko's discovery of her lost family. Get the tissues handy because there are some sad goodbyes mixed in with all the fighting. The story's connection to the spirit world makes them even more poignant. There's lots to love about this whole series and fans will enjoy this epic finish.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about all the violence in Night of the Dragon. After so many demon heads roll, do you feel desensitized to the battle scenes? Is it ever too much?
There are demons in a lot of fantasy books (the Mortal Instruments series and the Summoner series for starters). How are the demons from Jigoku different from demons you read about in other stories?
Would you read more from the world of Shadow of the Fox? What character would you like to follow?
Book Details
- Author: Julie Kagawa
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, Adventures, Friendship, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Ocean Creatures
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Inkyard Press
- Publication date: March 31, 2020
- Number of pages: 368
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 25, 2020
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