Title: Shadow of the Fox
Author: Julie Kagawa
Narrators: Joy Osmanski, Emily Woo Zeller, & Brian Nishii
Series: Shadow of the Fox, Book 1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, Imprint of HarperCollins
Publication: 10/2/2018
Read: February 2020
Format: Audiobook
Length: 14 hours & 45 minutes
Rating: 4 1/2 Caffeinated Stars
Trigger Warnings: Murder, threats of rape, speciesism

Goodreads Summary:

One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

My Thoughts:

This book was action-packed. I typically don’t read audiobooks if they’re longer than 9 hours, so the 14 hours & 45 minutes of this book felt incredibly daunting. I hesitantly pressed play but I have to say, this book flew by. I was utterly engrossed. Sometimes the plot was a bit predictable & trope-y, but it still kept me entertained.  

Shadow of the Fox is told through three points of view. Each point of view was unique & I never struggled to know which character was talking. The narration on the audiobook was incredibly well done as well. There is a narrator for each character and each narrator did their character justice. 

Yumeko was so much fun to read the fact that she was Kitsune was fascinating. I haven’t read many books that have focused on Japanese mythology, so I loved reading something that felt fresh and unique. Kage Tatsumi & Suki were also fascinating characters though I do feel that Yumeko stole the show with her humorous interactions and Kistune magic. 

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The writing was great & the characters were fascinating. I loved that this book was a Japanese inspired fantasy & I thoroughly enjoyed the narration. FYI, this book leaves off on a Cliffhanger so bewarned.

Want to try Shadow of the Fox out? Here are the buy links! 

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Libro.fm, Goodreads