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pasame's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Grief
tenjusahari's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Auch das zweite Buch war ultra stark! Mir gefiel es sogar besser, als das erste. Der Einblick in die Dämonenwelt war hier nochmal um Einiges stärker und auch die Charaktere haben sich gut entwickelt mit ihren herrlich unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften.
(Spoiler)
Die aufkeimende Romanze zwischen Daisuke und Okame war überraschend, aber sehr schön! Ich habe es null erwartet in einem japanischen Fantasy-Buch, aber es hat gut gepasst, war nicht gezwungen und dieses Necken zwischen den beiden war einfach sehr unterhaltsam und angenehm. Das Ende kam auch überraschend, macht alles aber gleich noch viel spannender. Ich freue mich auf den letzten Band und hoffe auf ein Happy End für alle💞🙏🏼
(Spoiler)
Die aufkeimende Romanze zwischen Daisuke und Okame war überraschend, aber sehr schön! Ich habe es null erwartet in einem japanischen Fantasy-Buch, aber es hat gut gepasst, war nicht gezwungen und dieses Necken zwischen den beiden war einfach sehr unterhaltsam und angenehm. Das Ende kam auch überraschend, macht alles aber gleich noch viel spannender. Ich freue mich auf den letzten Band und hoffe auf ein Happy End für alle💞🙏🏼
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
asipofcozy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There isn't much to say besides I enjoyed Soul of the Sword. It started off quite slow with our characters just meandering across the vast land with a sort of goal in mind. However, the latter half of the book really picked up speed and was quite enjoyable.
I enjoyed the characters just as much as Shadow of the Fox and was really happy about a budding romance between certain characters.
That being said at times I felt like the plot was obvious or that our characters were a little too naive. There were points in the book where I questioned why the character's didn't see the very obvious signs or take certain actions that would have made the most common sense. Which would have helped with the slow pacing at the beginning.
I enjoyed the characters just as much as Shadow of the Fox and was really happy about a budding romance between certain characters.
That being said at times I felt like the plot was obvious or that our characters were a little too naive. There were points in the book where I questioned why the character's didn't see the very obvious signs or take certain actions that would have made the most common sense. Which would have helped with the slow pacing at the beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Gore
themoodreader's review
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
lolaslalaland's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
5.0
Book 2 in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy.
Yumeko, a half-kitsune tasked with bringing a piece of the dragon scroll to a safe temple where no one can use its power is now also on the quest to saving Tatsumi, the demon hunter who has unfortunately succumbed to the demon in his sword, Hakaimono. Accompanied with her friends they embark on a terribly perilous quest, and my goodness does it get dangerous!
I absolutely loved this sequel and enjoyed it even more than the first book. The characters felt even more substantial to the story, Yumeko developed immensely in such a short amount of time, and it's no wonder why! Hakaimono is a terrible, horrible, bloody demon who I should hate, and I do! But why is he also funny! Fuck! Reika is basically your super cool and strong independent goth mommy-type who gags at affection and I love her. Okame is Chandler from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Daisuke is the most noble of noble who makes you want to be a better person.
And the relationships! Lemme tell you! I am not a big romance person. I tend to really dislike books that have romance because they take over the plot and become the main focus, but this book (trilogy) does not do that and I love it! We get adorable relationships and cute couple moments and then it goes right back to the fights and massacre and the fact that they are all on a very important mission. It's logical! "Yes, I love you. But right now not getting eaten by demons is more important that smooching!" <- this is just my exaggerated example and is in no way a spoiler, I promise.
And then we get to my favorite part! The plot! It's like watching an anime, but reading it, and it is glorious! I mean we have demons, we have shadow magic, walking in limbo to travel faster, katanas and Japanese lore, and the atmosphere plays into it too with temples and castles hidden in forests. When I read this book, I felt completely transported into a manga or anime and with the added Japanese words, if you are an anime fan, you will almost feel like you hear the tone of voice from anime shows.
It also get quite gruesome, there are a few moments that I could see more sensitive readers struggling with. It can get quite graphic with the chopping off heads... And not exclusively human heads.
I am excited for the next book now, but I wanted to quickly write a review with all my thoughts nice and fresh, because that ending was amazing and I need to see this through to the end!
Yumeko, a half-kitsune tasked with bringing a piece of the dragon scroll to a safe temple where no one can use its power is now also on the quest to saving Tatsumi, the demon hunter who has unfortunately succumbed to the demon in his sword, Hakaimono. Accompanied with her friends they embark on a terribly perilous quest, and my goodness does it get dangerous!
I absolutely loved this sequel and enjoyed it even more than the first book. The characters felt even more substantial to the story, Yumeko developed immensely in such a short amount of time, and it's no wonder why! Hakaimono is a terrible, horrible, bloody demon who I should hate, and I do! But why is he also funny! Fuck! Reika is basically your super cool and strong independent goth mommy-type who gags at affection and I love her. Okame is Chandler from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Daisuke is the most noble of noble who makes you want to be a better person.
And the relationships! Lemme tell you! I am not a big romance person. I tend to really dislike books that have romance because they take over the plot and become the main focus, but this book (trilogy) does not do that and I love it! We get adorable relationships and cute couple moments and then it goes right back to the fights and massacre and the fact that they are all on a very important mission. It's logical! "Yes, I love you. But right now not getting eaten by demons is more important that smooching!" <- this is just my exaggerated example and is in no way a spoiler, I promise.
And then we get to my favorite part! The plot! It's like watching an anime, but reading it, and it is glorious! I mean we have demons, we have shadow magic, walking in limbo to travel faster, katanas and Japanese lore, and the atmosphere plays into it too with temples and castles hidden in forests. When I read this book, I felt completely transported into a manga or anime and with the added Japanese words, if you are an anime fan, you will almost feel like you hear the tone of voice from anime shows.
It also get quite gruesome, there are a few moments that I could see more sensitive readers struggling with. It can get quite graphic with the chopping off heads... And not exclusively human heads.
I am excited for the next book now, but I wanted to quickly write a review with all my thoughts nice and fresh, because that ending was amazing and I need to see this through to the end!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Minor: Animal death
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
No where near as good as the 1st one
I didnt care about all the stuff in the shadow castle it was rly boring tbh
The best bit was the spirit of the north, she was a girlboss
I didnt care about all the stuff in the shadow castle it was rly boring tbh
The best bit was the spirit of the north, she was a girlboss
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, and Blood
fullybookedlola's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book was awesome, a better word doesn't come to my mind but it deserves all the prasing words. It just gets better with the minute. The ending was so ugh but so yes! Mixed feelings, but a satisfying read, definitly. Love this series. Directly gonna start with book 3!
4,75 stars just because I came across some really disturbing events for myself that really felt not easy to read. But that didn't take away the awesomeness of this book and it did set the tone it wanted to go for.
4,75 stars just because I came across some really disturbing events for myself that really felt not easy to read. But that didn't take away the awesomeness of this book and it did set the tone it wanted to go for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
SOUL OF THE SWORD picks up where SHADOW OF THE FOX left off, with Yumeko and her remaining party traveling to the Steel Feather temple, and the demon Hakaimono taking Kage Tatsumi's body far away in pursuing its own aims.
The worldbuilding uses what was established in SHADOW OF THE FOX and builds on it, generally explaining things as they come up rather than trying to extemporize. Some things aren't explained but just implied because the other characters have social contexts that Yumeko doesn't, which allows some things to build undisturbed because Yumeko doesn't disrupt them by asking about them. There's one relationship in particular that Yumeko mostly discovers by accident and leaves to develop on its own once she gets an inkling that it exists. The relationships between the characters and the delicate balances of loyalties, promises, and honor-bound obligations which bind them together and propel their journey is just stunning. Each combination of characters has their own dynamic which shifts (usually subtly though sometimes dramatically) as things progress.
I'm so happy about the dynamic between Yumeko, Kage Tatsumi, and Hakaimono. It's not always great for the characters involved, but it's very well written and gains nuance here that wasn't available when Hakaimono was only a disruptive thought in Kage Tatsumi's head. Hakaimono gets to be a much fuller character while Kage Tatsumi fades mostly into the background, reversing their positions from the first book (but this time with the benefit of having experienced Kage Tatsumi's perspective). I'm excited for the novel possibilities opened up by their status at the end of this book, but I have no idea whether it'll actually turn out well for them.
As a sequel, this begins right where the first book left off, with some refreshers of who everyone is, but it continues the action almost straight away. It wraps up the question of what happened next to Hakaimono/Kage Tatsumi after the finale, and also gives more information on a relationship which had glimmers of something more intimate showing by the end of SHADOW OF THE FOX. The new main storyline revolves around rescuing the person who actually knows where the temple they need is, and journeying to the temple to bring together the first and second parts of the scroll. I'm not sure if anything major is introduced and resolved which wasn't present before, since this is part two of a quest they intended to complete in the first book but were unable to. Also, most things which appeared here for the first time clearly will have some continuation and resolution in the final book. This leaves several things for later, some relationships, some internal struggles, and several quest-related items. The main characters are the same, even the audiobook narrators for each character continued as before (one for Yumeko, one for Hakaimono/Kage Tatsumi, and one for Suki the ghost plus any other perspectives as needed).
I don't think this would make sense if someone tried to start here and hadn't read the first book. This is a very character-driven book, with the relationships (and occasional tensions) between the members of the group forming the heart of the story. A lot of their interpersonal dynamics play off of the history of why, how, and when they began traveling together. One very dramatic scene between the noble and the ronin (possibly my favorite) has a depth of emotion and tension which relies on the second half of the first book in addition to most of the second up to that point in order to have its full impact. The plot is a journey story, with the characters traveling to find out a particular location then going on a multi-stage quest to actually reach it, then their arrival prompts a series of conflicts as their pursuers catch up.
I love this series and I'm excited to get to the end, since this really is one giant story split into thirds and I need to know the conclusion.
The worldbuilding uses what was established in SHADOW OF THE FOX and builds on it, generally explaining things as they come up rather than trying to extemporize. Some things aren't explained but just implied because the other characters have social contexts that Yumeko doesn't, which allows some things to build undisturbed because Yumeko doesn't disrupt them by asking about them. There's one relationship in particular that Yumeko mostly discovers by accident and leaves to develop on its own once she gets an inkling that it exists. The relationships between the characters and the delicate balances of loyalties, promises, and honor-bound obligations which bind them together and propel their journey is just stunning. Each combination of characters has their own dynamic which shifts (usually subtly though sometimes dramatically) as things progress.
I'm so happy about the dynamic between Yumeko, Kage Tatsumi, and Hakaimono. It's not always great for the characters involved, but it's very well written and gains nuance here that wasn't available when Hakaimono was only a disruptive thought in Kage Tatsumi's head. Hakaimono gets to be a much fuller character while Kage Tatsumi fades mostly into the background, reversing their positions from the first book (but this time with the benefit of having experienced Kage Tatsumi's perspective). I'm excited for the novel possibilities opened up by their status at the end of this book, but I have no idea whether it'll actually turn out well for them.
As a sequel, this begins right where the first book left off, with some refreshers of who everyone is, but it continues the action almost straight away. It wraps up the question of what happened next to Hakaimono/Kage Tatsumi after the finale, and also gives more information on a relationship which had glimmers of something more intimate showing by the end of SHADOW OF THE FOX. The new main storyline revolves around rescuing the person who actually knows where the temple they need is, and journeying to the temple to bring together the first and second parts of the scroll. I'm not sure if anything major is introduced and resolved which wasn't present before, since this is part two of a quest they intended to complete in the first book but were unable to. Also, most things which appeared here for the first time clearly will have some continuation and resolution in the final book. This leaves several things for later, some relationships, some internal struggles, and several quest-related items. The main characters are the same, even the audiobook narrators for each character continued as before (one for Yumeko, one for Hakaimono/Kage Tatsumi, and one for Suki the ghost plus any other perspectives as needed).
I don't think this would make sense if someone tried to start here and hadn't read the first book. This is a very character-driven book, with the relationships (and occasional tensions) between the members of the group forming the heart of the story. A lot of their interpersonal dynamics play off of the history of why, how, and when they began traveling together. One very dramatic scene between the noble and the ronin (possibly my favorite) has a depth of emotion and tension which relies on the second half of the first book in addition to most of the second up to that point in order to have its full impact. The plot is a journey story, with the characters traveling to find out a particular location then going on a multi-stage quest to actually reach it, then their arrival prompts a series of conflicts as their pursuers catch up.
I love this series and I'm excited to get to the end, since this really is one giant story split into thirds and I need to know the conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
tragedies's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I loved this book just as much as the last one, if not more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If it weren't for my classes, I probably would've finished this in one sitting. Kagawa's writing is vivid and immersive, almost as if I was there with the characters watching everything unfold before my eyes and I couldn't look away no matter how hard I tried. From the first to the last chapter, I was completely hooked.
The story started out a bit slow, but the characters more than made up for it. They complement each other so well that I honestly can't imagine the story with one of them missing. Although they were brought together by circumstance, they seem like they've known each other their whole lives, what with their easy chemistry and witty banter and unwavering loyalty. I've grown to love this bunch of random misfits, even more so now that I finished the Soul of the Sword. I'm not sure what's going to happen to them in the next book, but my god, I just want all of them to be happy. I don't think my heart can take it if they weren't.
Reread (July 13, 2022): Wow. That ending though. I still don't know what this is building up to, but I have a feeling the finale's gonna be an emotional rollercoaster. Not sure I'm mentally prepared for that, but here goes nothing...
The story started out a bit slow, but the characters more than made up for it. They complement each other so well that I honestly can't imagine the story with one of them missing. Although they were brought together by circumstance, they seem like they've known each other their whole lives, what with their easy chemistry and witty banter and unwavering loyalty. I've grown to love this bunch of random misfits, even more so now that I finished the Soul of the Sword. I'm not sure what's going to happen to them in the next book, but my god, I just want all of them to be happy. I don't think my heart can take it if they weren't.
Reread (July 13, 2022): Wow. That ending though. I still don't know what this is building up to, but I have a feeling the finale's gonna be an emotional rollercoaster. Not sure I'm mentally prepared for that, but here goes nothing...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
4.5. For the most part, this was a fantastic instalment in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy - it's ending sequence in particular was phenomenal and a huge step-up from the first book. Also, Kagawa writes really good romances, ESPECIALLY pining, which I LOVE. However, at first I really wasn't enjoying it, and I think that was because in the beginning so much of the story was told from Hakaimono's perspective. I simply wasn't interested in him, and thought his POV should have been told in Tastumi's voice, or at least there should have been less chapters from him. Also, I lost a lot of respect for Yumeko in the end for making the incredibly selfish decision to give the scroll to Genno. I also felt like it was lazy writing for Genno to be able to come into command of all three pieces of the scroll, when this could have been engineered in some other way to avoid Yumeko having to make a selfish and illogical decision. Despite this, I am definitely looking forward to reading Night of the Dragon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Sexual harassment