Shadow of The Fox (Books #1-3) by Julie Kagawa

…Yumeko gets thrusts unexpectedly into a power struggle, prophecy, a potential love interest who happens to be a demon slayer, quest (and side quests), and of course a motley of sidekicks (a ronin, a noble, and eventually a priest and a temple maid)

Catchy title, right? I have absolutely no idea. I wasn’t thinking of the title when I read the first book in the series. Neither was I thinking of the author, book cover, or blurb. I started reading with absolutely no expectations simply because it was recommended to me by someone who writes interesting reviews.

The plot is nothing new; the ‘ordinary’ character, peasant girl Yumeko gets thrusts unexpectedly into a power struggle, prophecy, a potential love interest who happens to be a demon slayer, quest (and side quests), and of course, a motley of sidekicks (a ronin, a noble, and eventually a priest and a temple maid).

I should probably mention this if you didn’t know already: the Shadow of the Fox series is a YA series- something I usually wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole (yes, I’m one of those people 😝). However, the writing style is pretty easy flowing. But what kept me reading were the plentiful action scenes which more than compensated for the predictable storyline of book one. The book’s Japanese setting was the icing on the cake. 

Fun fact: I am an aspiring Otaku 🌚

I found book two, Soul of the Dragon, to be a drag. Not as many action scenes to distract me from the silliness it seems YA characters are cursed with.

By the third book, Night of the Dragon, the vibe from book one was gone, and all I wanted was to be finished with the series. But it was better than book two because…(guess why) the action scenes were back in abundance! I also liked how less predictable the story was. 

I’d recommend this series for anyone who doesn’t mind reading YA and easily predictable storylines, anime fans (it has Kimetsu No Yaiba vibes), Japanese mythology, and action scenes with a lot of blood.

Bonus points for reading this far. If you like YA novels seasoned with a little but not too much romance, add this to your tbr.