I was wondering for the longest time why someone would read a book they’ve already read. It always felt like something that was ruined simply because you already knew the ending. But I thought I would give it a try seeing as it’s been quite a while since I’ve read my favorite series and, in truth, I did miss how much I loved reading that series. It has been almost five years since I’ve read the Shadow of the Fox series written by Julie Kagawa. I’d like to think in that time, I’ve become a much better writer and book reviewer and I wanted to see if it still stands as my favorite series.
Character Development
10/10
Yumeko has always been one of my favorite characters across all stories I’ve read and watched. Reading her story again made me realize just how much I loved her character and how her story unfolded. Her perspective gives an insight into how she experiences the world through the eyes of a sheltered half-kitsune girl experiencing the outside world for the first time. That being said, she’s not the stereotypical naïve protagonist as she’s proven time and time again just how clever and brave she can be when conflicts arise. But I think my favorite aspect of her is just how kind and compassionate she is despite everything that’s happened. She could easily have been written as a sullen and vengeful character, brooding and distrustful of all she encounters. But she defies that expectation and represents a perfect example of how a character can be kind, gentle and clever and progress the story without having to be combat oriented.
To contrast that, there is also the combat focused Kage Tatsumi who is the other point-of-view character. Unlike Yumeko, Tatsumi is a cold-hearted assassin and is distrustful of everyone and everything he meets along their journey. But he holds a dark and disturbing secret that forces him to be this way, having never known any other way of life. Tatsumi’s blunt and cold attitude creates a perfect contrast with Yumeko’s sunny disposition that makes their interactions together as well as with their travelling companions so very heart warming and endearing.
Oni No Mikoto is still an absolute legend.
Plot
9/10
I remember the first time I read Shadow of the Fox, I did find the plot structure to be a bit unfocused and erratic when considering the grand adventure that was to be promised. I would say time and experience with several other stories across various media has helped me to understand better why an almost serialized story telling method can work in some cases. Not all of Yumeko and Tatsumi’s adventures felt like they were directly related to the overarching story the first time I had read it, but this time around I realized there was more to it. Not only did it help to further the character growth of both Yumeko and Tatsumi, it helped to build up their relationship which made the climax and the ending feel that much more impactful and earned despite how quickly it happened.
Worldbuilding
10/10
Iwagoto is essentially a fantasy version of Japan that borrows heavily from Japanese mythology in a way that’s easy to understand and interwoven with both the plot progression and character development of the two deuteragonists. Yumeko being half-kitsune allows her to have that connection to the spiritual side of their world to help them while Tatsumi’s knowledge of various demons and monsters fills the world with a sense of mystery and danger around every corner. It also certainly helps quite a bit that Yumeko was also a sheltered character as having Tatsumi and the others explain things she wouldn’t know lets the reader know in a way that doesn’t feel forced.
Writing Style
9/10
I was originally quite critical of the writing choices made as it can easily lead to quite a bit of confusion at first. The story is written in first person perspective but it switches the perspective character each chapter. It’s a bit disorienting at first as it’s not immediately obvious who the POV character is until further into the chapter. Though the word choice and how each character views the world and others does help to quickly identify who the perspective character is. It doesn’t quite ruin the flow of the story, but it certainly doesn’t help in the initial readthrough.
With that in mind, everything else is wonderfully written and easy to get lost in. The flow of the paragraphs and the word choice helps to keep the story engaging and interesting even if there’s words the reader might not be familiar with. What makes it work really well is that, even though there is a glossary in the back, a reader would never have to interrupt the story to flip over and look something up. There’s enough context clues, word choice decisions, and explanations that help make it so things are clear and easy to understand. Writing it in this way helps to keep readers interested and reading without breaking their immersion.
Score
9.5/10
Raph's Cozy Musings 