Title: Shadow of the Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Rating: ★★★

ARC provided by the publisher.

Shadow of the Fox is a truly splendid book. From the Japanese-inspired setting to the lovable characters, I enjoyed the heck out of reading this. I am ashamed to admit that I have never read anything by Julie Kagawa before, but I was not disappointed!

The world-building and setting are hands down my favorite thing about this book. Shadow of the Fox is heavily influenced by Japanese folklore and magic. There were so many creatures present throughout the story: from kitsune to oni, yōkai to gaki. I didn’t know much about Japanese folklore going into this, so it was extremely interesting to read about and I did a lot of googling between chapters!

The story is told through alternating chapters of the protagonists, Yumeko and Tatsumi, as they begin their quest together. I really enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives and I think having two POVs added to the overall story.  Along the way, the meet a couple of other interesting characters who join them on their journey. Shadow of the Fox wasn’t without it’s imperfections, and my biggest complaint would be that there were a few different parts where the major conflicts had resolved a bit too easily.

The book ends with a cliffhanger, which is the surest way to get me to read the next book of a series! Other than a few tiny issues, I had a great time reading Shadow of the Fox and I really look forward to the sequel.