Hey all, Dani here.
Hello and welcome to Tuesday, which is book release day (AKA the day my checking account weeps, lol). Actually this particular release day isn’t too strenuous for me…though one of my local indie bookstores is doing a mystery box sale, where you tell them your preferred genre and your shirt size and then they fill a box with books and goodies for you. I really want to try it out. I’m just really debating if I want to go for fantasy or pick a genre that I want to read more of.
Anyway, I’m excited to bring you my review today, because it is part of the Inkyard Press 2020 Spring Reads Blog Tour. One of my most highly anticipated releases for the year was included in this, so I had to jump at the chance.
I love Julie Kagawa’s writing, and own pretty much all of her books. And while I will always have a soft spot for the Iron Fey series, I think the Shadow of the Fox trilogy might now be my favorite of Kagawa’s books.
So, obviously I have to say a huge thank you to Inkyard Press for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour, and for approving me for a digital galley through NetGalley. While I am thankful to get to read books early, I can also say that this privilege does not affect my rating or review in any way.
All right, that is all for the intro of this post. Let’s get started with the review.
Book Details
Format: E-book
Pages: 368
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Publication Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 1335146784 (ISBN13: 9781335146786)
Summary
Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has given up the final piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers in order to save everyone she loves from imminent death. Now she and her ragtag band of companions must journey to the wild sea cliffs of Iwagoto in a desperate last-chance effort to stop the Master of Demons from calling upon the Great Kami dragon and making the wish that will plunge the empire into destruction and darkness.
Shadow clan assassin Kage Tatsumi has regained control of his body and agreed to a true deal with the devil — the demon inside him, Hakaimono. They will share his body and work with Yumeko and their companions to stop a madman and separate Hakaimono from Tatsumi and the cursed sword that had trapped the demon for nearly a millennium.
But even with their combined skills and powers, this most unlikely team of heroes knows the forces of evil may be impossible to overcome. And there is another player in the battle for the scroll, a player who has been watching, waiting for the right moment to pull strings that no one even realized existed… until now.
Master storyteller Julie Kagawa concludes the enthralling journey into the heart of the fantastical Empire of Iwagoto in the third book of the Shadow of the Fox trilogy. As darkness rises and chaos reigns, a fierce kitsune and her shadowy protector will face down the greatest evil of all. A captivating fantasy for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Sarah J. Maas and Marie Lu.
My Thoughts
Rating: 5 stars
Don’t read this book in public. Okay, you might be fine to read the first 40-50% in public, but after that, just go lock yourself up in your bedroom or living room or a closet, wherever, and binge-read the rest where people won’t be around to witness the storm of emotions that cross your face.
Oh, and make sure you have tissues.
Wow, this was an intense finale to a trilogy. I loved seeing how Tatsumi/Hakaimono struggle to figure out who they are now that they are basically merged together. And I definitely love that Yumeko has definitely grown in her kitsune abilities and her role as the leader of the group. I love how she is this bright light to her companions. She has always been such a great character, a wonderful blend of compassion and mischief.
We also get to discover some serious revelations in this one, most especially who Yumeko is and where she comes from. She has spent her whole life as that baby who was just left on the steps of a monastery, and that’s it. She struggled with feeling like she belonged and having a family who love and accept her. And while she has created this awesome found family, we all know she still wonders about who her parents are.
There is even more travel and struggles on the road in this book. I feel like this trilogy has done quite well with this whole adventuring party traveling on road and sea, on a mission to save the world. I love adventure fantasy books.
I’m honestly still processing this book. And I feel like I’ll probably want to do a binge-re-read of the whole trilogy just so I can absorb and enjoy the whole story at once. But I am so very glad to have read this, and I’m looking forward to seeing what is next from Julie Kagawa (I mean, aside from her return to the world of the Iron Fey, because I’m pretty sure I’ll love that anyway).
Where to Get a Copy
You can grab your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore through IndieBound.
You can also check with your local library.
About the Author – Julie Kagawa
Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, Talon, and Shadow of the Fox series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.
To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.
Julie now lives in North Carolina with her husband, two obnoxious cats, and a pair of Australian Shepherds that have more Instagram followers than she does.
Free State of Geek 
Great review! I can’t wait to read this one!
(www.evelynreads.com)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I hope you find it to be a great conclusion read.
LikeLiked by 1 person