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Shadow of the Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) by Julie Kagawa

"Kind of like "The Wizard of Oz" only set in an alternate reality version of feudal Japan where Demons and Gods exist. Yokai and Kami and Demons trapped in swords, Oh My. Also the love story between Yumeko and Tatsumi was very "innocent, naive girl meets gruff, emotionless warrior and love ensues. Pretty sigh worthy but not the worst book I've ever read. It was a pretty mindless read and that's about it." 

2 Stars

Pros: The culture of the Samurai and other bits of Japanese knowledge were interesting/Okame was an amusing character. 

Cons: It was all a bit contrived and became repetitive at the end. Good, innocent girl who knows nothing of the world befriends a human boy whose been trained to be an emotionless weapon and they fall in love but destiny would have it that their love cannot be. Like I said, pretty contrived. 

Full Review: 

Yumeko is an orphan. She was left at the Silent Winds Temple with a note asking them to raise her. She's been shielded from the world her entire life. She also has a secret. She's half Kitsune, which means she's half fox, essentially. She's part Yokai, which is like a magical spirit, but the good kind. In this world of Iwagoto, there are good Yokai and bad Yokai. And the bad Yokai are after a part of an ancient scroll that when pieced together and recited aloud, summons a demon that will grant the summoner their hearts greatest desire. 

There are powerful players, both human and inhuman who are looking for the scroll. And one of them is the Emperor of Iwagoto's favorite Concubine, Lady Satomi. She's a powerful blood mage and will do whatever she can to get her hands on that scroll. She summons a demon who destroys the Silent Wind Temple and Yumeko manages to escape, only after the head monk gives her the remaining piece of the scroll. 

Tatsumi is the Kage Clan Demon Slayer. He's part of the Shadow Clan, a Ninja, essentially. And Lady Hanshou, the leader of his Clan, is after the Dragon Scroll as well. He's sent to the Silent Wind Temple to retrieve the scroll. But the demon that Satomi summoned has already destroyed it. While fleeing, Yumeko runs into Tatsumi and she manages to convince him that she knows where the scroll is headed, and if he'll protect her, they can go to the Steel Feather Temple together and find a way to get the scroll, though she's lying, having the scroll on her person the entire time. 

In their travels they meet a Ronin, Okame, who's bluster and sarcasm makes for some amusing moments. They also run into a Samurai who's a member of the Royal Family. It all becomes very "Dororthy, Scarecrow" and "Wizard of Ozesque" as they go on their way to the Capital in search of the Steel Feather Temple. Suffice it to say, the ending leaves off at the perfect place for the second book to start off. 

It had some good parts, it had some eye roll inducing bad parts and some parts in between. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read and it wasn't the best book I've ever read. It landed pretty in the middle. I don't know if I'll finish the series, but if I do, I'll get the rest of the books from the library. Having studied the Martial Arts and being familiar with some of the terms, it was amusing at times to know what they were talking about. It was a pretty mindless but somewhat entertaining read. 

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