livy22's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 - 4 stars
I knew from the start that this trilogy would emotionally ruin me. I'm completely in love with the characters - especially Yumeko and Tatsumi. While I didn't enjoy Soul of the Sword as much as the first book, I'm still 100% obsessed with this series. Yumeko is such a refreshing protagonist, and Tatsumi broke my heart as we get more glimpses at his Shadow Clan upbringing. I will say, I missed. The tension between the two protagonists was one of my favorite aspects in the previous book, as both were hiding dangerous secrets and conflicted feelings, and I found that thread a bit lacking in this one.
The side characters continue to stand on their own, and there's very much a group dynamic between the protagonists and Daisuke, Okame, and Reika. Their friendship feels unique and defies the typical character tropes I anticipated playing out.
Biggest complaint: I found the pacing of Soul of the Sword less solid than the previous book. The story went down an unexpected path, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as many moments had me on my toes. But some scenes dragged a bit near the beginning and felt a little rushed at the end.
Despite the pacing issues, I'm confident this will wind up my favorite Julie Kagawa series. The wait for the third book already feels torturous!
I knew from the start that this trilogy would emotionally ruin me. I'm completely in love with the characters - especially Yumeko and Tatsumi. While I didn't enjoy Soul of the Sword as much as the first book, I'm still 100% obsessed with this series. Yumeko is such a refreshing protagonist, and Tatsumi broke my heart as we get more glimpses at his Shadow Clan upbringing. I will say, I missed
Spoiler
Tatsumi's narrative in this sequel. We do get some chapters with his perspective, but not nearly as many as we did in Shadow of the FoxThe side characters continue to stand on their own, and there's very much a group dynamic between the protagonists and Daisuke, Okame, and Reika. Their friendship feels unique and defies the typical character tropes I anticipated playing out.
Biggest complaint: I found the pacing of Soul of the Sword less solid than the previous book. The story went down an unexpected path, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as many moments had me on my toes. But some scenes dragged a bit near the beginning and felt a little rushed at the end.
Despite the pacing issues, I'm confident this will wind up my favorite Julie Kagawa series. The wait for the third book already feels torturous!
nicozzy's review against another edition
5.0
‘One half-grown kitsune and her motley collection of misfits isn’t much of a challenge.’
I LOVED this book. The stakes were higher after the end of Shadow and I had high expectations but this book surprised even me: it’s somehow better than the first (Shadow was one of my favorite books of 2018).
So many feels & clever action scenes. I love this band of misfits & the world Kagawa created filled with Japanese folklore.
Definitely feeling like this book will be in my top 5 of books for the year.
‘She stepped forward, and the dark hallway seemed to ripple as she passed, like the surface of a pond that had been disturbed. As if the castle was merely a shadow, a reflection, and she was the one that was real.’
I LOVED this book. The stakes were higher after the end of Shadow and I had high expectations but this book surprised even me: it’s somehow better than the first (Shadow was one of my favorite books of 2018).
So many feels & clever action scenes. I love this band of misfits & the world Kagawa created filled with Japanese folklore.
Definitely feeling like this book will be in my top 5 of books for the year.
‘She stepped forward, and the dark hallway seemed to ripple as she passed, like the surface of a pond that had been disturbed. As if the castle was merely a shadow, a reflection, and she was the one that was real.’
metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5 stars - audiobooks are hard to review, so this is just a mini-review. A (very slightly) expanded version of this is on my BLOG!
Best parts:
– The character development: Yumeko comes into her own, we see a more vulnerable side of Tatsumi, Reika becomes less uptight, Daisuke questions what honor means, Okame’s past comes to light…it’s the same gang I love, but with new depth!
– More crazy monsters! Twin girls with braids that are LITERAL SCORPION TAILS.
– Unexpected gay romance??? Sign me up!!!
– So much deception. The plot twists genuinely threw me off. All of Yumeko’s illusions also make it hard to tell what’s real, which is a great effect.
– The fight scenes were really well done! The combination of all the characters’ unique fighting styles (illusion, ofuda, bow, sword, simply being a giant dog/shrine guardian) made for fast-paced and fascinating combat scenes, without anything becoming too jumbled or full of jargon. Not everyone can write a good fight, but apparently Kagawa can.
– Speaking of fight scenes: the violence. Kagawa did not pull any punches. For example, someone got their arm cut off and then their spine literally ripped out. By a demon, of course. Who laughed as he did it.
– #OwnVoices Japanese representation, obviously a plus
– Even with its darker tone, this book kept that same Avatar: The Last Airbender vibe as the first book, with traveling and quests and growth along the journey.
Worst parts:
– Another cliffhanger ending? I know it’s a series, so some degree of suspense is expected, but it felt almost like too corny of an ending line. Like the ending of a TV episode.
– A certain couple needs to just express their dang feelings. Come on, now.
– Some plot choices were a little too convenient, with really complicated plans being made in absurdly short amounts of time…but I was kind of okay with it. It fit the tone of the story.
- The voice of Suki's narrator was kind of annoying and made her sound perpetually weak and hesitant. Like, yeah, she's a ghost, but give her a little credit for her moments of strength?
Tl;dr this was an excellent continuation of the series, and book 3 cannot get here soon enough!!
Best parts:
– The character development: Yumeko comes into her own, we see a more vulnerable side of Tatsumi, Reika becomes less uptight, Daisuke questions what honor means, Okame’s past comes to light…it’s the same gang I love, but with new depth!
– More crazy monsters! Twin girls with braids that are LITERAL SCORPION TAILS.
– Unexpected gay romance??? Sign me up!!!
– So much deception. The plot twists genuinely threw me off. All of Yumeko’s illusions also make it hard to tell what’s real, which is a great effect.
– The fight scenes were really well done! The combination of all the characters’ unique fighting styles (illusion, ofuda, bow, sword, simply being a giant dog/shrine guardian) made for fast-paced and fascinating combat scenes, without anything becoming too jumbled or full of jargon. Not everyone can write a good fight, but apparently Kagawa can.
– Speaking of fight scenes: the violence. Kagawa did not pull any punches. For example, someone got their arm cut off and then their spine literally ripped out. By a demon, of course. Who laughed as he did it.
– #OwnVoices Japanese representation, obviously a plus
– Even with its darker tone, this book kept that same Avatar: The Last Airbender vibe as the first book, with traveling and quests and growth along the journey.
Worst parts:
– Another cliffhanger ending? I know it’s a series, so some degree of suspense is expected, but it felt almost like too corny of an ending line. Like the ending of a TV episode.
– A certain couple needs to just express their dang feelings. Come on, now.
– Some plot choices were a little too convenient, with really complicated plans being made in absurdly short amounts of time…but I was kind of okay with it. It fit the tone of the story.
- The voice of Suki's narrator was kind of annoying and made her sound perpetually weak and hesitant. Like, yeah, she's a ghost, but give her a little credit for her moments of strength?
Tl;dr this was an excellent continuation of the series, and book 3 cannot get here soon enough!!
monetlilypads's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't like it as much as the first book, probably because I missed Tatsumi lol, but still a good read.
roguemultiverse's review against another edition
3.0
This is the sequel to Shadow of the Fox. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much, but it was still entertaining. I appreciate that this time Kagawa put the name of the character whose perspective the chapter was in ahead of each chapter which made it easier to follow than previously. This was especially important since this book had even more perspective shifts. My eBook version from my library had it divided into about 587 pages which could have felt like a slog, but it didn’t. I knew there was a 3rd book coming out reading this so I wasn’t let down that the end still has no resolution, but there was at least forward movement. I’ll probably read the third book when it comes out.
annelisewilp's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started this book, I was kind of dreading reading Hakaimono’s perspective. However, he ended up growing on me, and became an important character that is relevant in the final book.
I also thought Tatsumi merging with Hakaimono was a very interesting twist that made me interested in reading the next book.
I also thought Tatsumi merging with Hakaimono was a very interesting twist that made me interested in reading the next book.
sherywerbelo's review against another edition
4.0
I felt like this was a great continuation of the story from Shadow of the Fox. The characters were interesting, the plot well paced and intriguing, and the world was well built. The ending was interesting and left you in wonder of what will happen to these characters in the next book. I can't wait to find out!
kylielovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun sequel!
The only thing I didn't really enjoy was how often foreign words are used. I listened to the audiobook, but I think if I had read the physical book, I would have seriously struggled and I think it would have taken away from the story. With the audiobook, they say it correctly and it just keeps going, although sometimes I was a little confused because of how often the foreign words are used.
I enjoyed the different POVs, although it did take some getting used to that Kage Tatsumi wasn't actually himself in this book, he was Hakaimono (yes, I did copy and paste the names since I listened to the audibook!). I really loved the group of characters this book has. They are all so different and easy to remember who is who even with the less familiar names.
The ending was such a whirlwind and I had no guesses as to what was going to happen. It leads perfectly into the third book which I can't wait to read!
The only thing I didn't really enjoy was how often foreign words are used. I listened to the audiobook, but I think if I had read the physical book, I would have seriously struggled and I think it would have taken away from the story. With the audiobook, they say it correctly and it just keeps going, although sometimes I was a little confused because of how often the foreign words are used.
I enjoyed the different POVs, although it did take some getting used to that Kage Tatsumi wasn't actually himself in this book, he was Hakaimono (yes, I did copy and paste the names since I listened to the audibook!). I really loved the group of characters this book has. They are all so different and easy to remember who is who even with the less familiar names.
The ending was such a whirlwind and I had no guesses as to what was going to happen. It leads perfectly into the third book which I can't wait to read!