Review: Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa

Hey all, Dani here.

Happy Book Birthday to Julie Kagawa. Today marks the release of her newest novel, and thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I was able to read this book with just enough time to get this review up on release day. As always, receiving an e-galley did not affect my rating or review. Oh, also, this book counted for the A Clash of Kings prompt — sequel for the #AGameofBooksathon reading challenge.

Summary

One thousand years ago, a wish was made to the Harbinger of Change and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. It had one task: to seal away the powerful demon Hakaimono.

Now he has broken free.

Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: to take her piece of the ancient and powerful scroll to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the Harbinger of Change, the great Kami Dragon who will grant one wish to whomever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. But she has a new enemy now. The demon Hakaimono, who for centuries was trapped in a cursed sword, has escaped and possessed the boy she thought would protect her, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan.

Hakaimono has done the unthinkable and joined forces with the Master of Demons in order to break the curse of the sword and set himself free. To overthrow the empire and cover the land in darkness, they need one thing: the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross once again, the entire empire will be thrown into chaos.

My Thoughts

Rating: 5 stars

Oooh…boy. Wow, what a sequel. There’s quite a bit I want to say about this one, but I can’t on here because I try very hard to avoid spoilers. But hey, I guess I can at least say that there was an adorable new romance that happened in this one. I won’t say who is involved but I’m wondering if I missed the signs of it forming in the first book. Character X and Character Y are both so cool, and when the two of them kissed…oh yeah, I was totally excited about it.

We also see Yumeko using her kitsune magic a bit more in this one, which is really fun. And she is definitely getting stronger, which I also like.

Okay, so there was a point, about 80% into the book when I was so completely absorbed in what I was reading that I was definitely making commentary and reactions out loud…while at work. Basically, I should have realized by now that there are some books I probably shouldn’t read in public, and yet I continue to do it. Oh well, I regret nothing. But anyway, the point I’m talking about is a bloody, brutal, and shocking moment when I found myself wondering if this was all happening, what was going to occur in the final 20%. Again, not going to spoil anything but that scene was brilliant. I know, this is a super vague paragraph. Sorry.

How is this all going to wrap up in the final book of this trilogy? I’m not looking forward to the wait for this next book. Oh man. If you haven’t picked up Shadow of the Fox, please do so, and then follow up with this book. They are both outstanding.

Where to Buy

You can pick up your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore.