Shadow of the Fox, Book 1
By Carrie R. Wheadon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Samurai, demons, Japanese folklore; very cool, kind of gory.
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What's the Story?
In SHADOW OF THE FOX, Yumeko is a half-human, half-fox living in a remote monastery when her guardian, Master Isao, tells her a secret. The monks are guarding a piece of scroll that summons a dragon once every thousand years. This dragon grants one wish -- any wish -- to the one who reads the whole scroll. Of course, the thousand-year mark is drawing near, many are after the pieces of the scroll, and Master Isao senses that evil is coming. This warning couldn't have come soon enough. Demons ransack the monastery, killing everyone inside but Yumeko. She escapes into the forest, where she finds a samurai named Tatsumi, wielder of a demon-slaying, demon-possessed sword. Not knowing how else to save herself, Yumeko teams up with Tatsumi. He's a good ally to have, saving her from demons and witches and blood mages sent after them. But the alliance could turn deadly if Tatsumi learns her secrets: that she's part-fox and carries a piece of the scroll he's looking for.
Is It Any Good?
The start of this Japanese-inspired fantasy series is not always executed cleanly but feels entirely fresh and bursting with cool ideas as it mixes samurai, demons, and folklore. A glossary would have helped immensely -- Wikipedia does a little -- as many readers are introduced to kitsune (foxes), yokai (half-human beings), kami (spirits), yurei (ghosts), and oni (big, nasty demons). Old samurai movies and the wonderful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will also familiarize readers with this kind of storytelling. Foes appear in the woods and small villages during the quest, some with supernatural powers, some just highly skilled swordsmen and archers, and need to be vanquished one after the other. Author Julie Kagawa's foes are all fascinating, as are her two leads: Yumeko, a naive yokai outside the monastery for the first time, and Tatsumi, a trained assassin who's never known kindness and will become possessed by his demon sword if he shows too much of it.
Yumeko is not always a clearly drawn character. One minute she's naive, another she's cunning and resourceful. Tatsumi's fear that he's losing himself to the power of the sword is not explored as much as it could be -- too bad, because it's a fantastic idea. Still, there are huge surprises at the end to gear readers up for the next installment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Japanese folklore in Shadow of the Fox. How many creatures did you know before? Where can you find out more?
There's some gore here. Is it easier to read about in a fantasy world with demons and ghosts? Or just as jarring?
Will you read the next book in the series? What do you think will happen to the two main characters?
Book Details
- Author: Julie Kagawa
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Adventures , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Harlequin Teen
- Publication date: October 2, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 18
- Number of pages: 416
- Last updated: January 6, 2022
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