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A review by livy22
Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa
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!