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Night of the Dragon by Julie KagawaShadow of the Fox #3
Published by Inkyard Press on March 31, 2020
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult
Representation: Japanese
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has given up the final piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers in order to save everyone she loves from imminent death. Now she and her ragtag band of companions must journey to the wild sea cliffs of Iwagoto in a desperate last-chance effort to stop the Master of Demons from calling upon the Great Kami dragon and making the wish that will plunge the empire into destruction and darkness.
Shadow clan assassin Kage Tatsumi has regained control of his body and agreed to a true deal with the devil β the demon inside him, Hakaimono. They will share his body and work with Yumeko and their companions to stop a madman and separate Hakaimono from Tatsumi and the cursed sword that had trapped the demon for nearly a millennium.
But even with their combined skills and powers, this most unlikely team of heroes knows the forces of evil may be impossible to overcome. And there is another player in the battle for the scroll, a player who has been watching, waiting for the right moment to pull strings that no one even realized existed⦠until now.
Master storyteller Julie Kagawa concludes the enthralling journey into the heart of the fantastical Empire of Iwagoto in the third book of the Shadow of the Fox trilogy. As darkness rises and chaos reigns, a fierce kitsune and her shadowy protector will face down the greatest evil of all. A captivating fantasy for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Sarah J. Maas and Marie Lu.
A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.
I think Iβve been completely ruined once again by Julie Kagawa, so I had to nurse my soul for about a week before I could muster up the courage to write a review.* With Night of the Dragon, the third and final book of her Shadow of the Fox trilogy, Kagawa has taken my heart and chucked it straight into another galaxy. I donβt know the rest of my current reads; what are they?
*Iβmβ¦ not sure when my heart will return this time.
Night of the Dragon is a continuation of Soul of the Sword.
We continue to follow Yumeko and her friends as they race against time to stop Genno from summoning the Kami Dragon and destroying Iwagoto. Safe to assume eventually it will be the world. And not just the short time they have: they have a challenging journey ahead because Genno will stop at nothing to prevent them from ruining his plans. Like the first two books, Kagawa introduces us to new yokai from Japanese mythology: each of them just as cruel, vicious and caring for nothing but spilling the blood of anything that stands in their way.
Tatsumi has a bit of an identity crisis here.
Heβs not sure if heβs Haikaimono now that theyβve merged their souls or if heβs still Tatsumi. But over the course of his journey from Shadow of the Fox when he first meets Yumeko through the third book, heβs changed drastically. Heβs not the only one whoβs changed either; his literal resident demon inside of him has changed too, but heβs still the same badass Kage from the first book. Heβs just more bloodthirsty.
Iβm here for all the slow burns!
My heart is all mushy with the ships being sailed. Finally! Inside my heart cried because, at this point in the series, Iβm cheering the group on to success. All the odds are against them, but I want my favorite cinnamons to conquer.
My heart still cries from wherever it landed.
Iβm not surprised by the ending, but it doesnβt mean it didnβt hurt any less than it did. Either way, it was beautiful and perfect, and I couldnβt ask for anything less. (But I mean, itβs Julie Kagawa! I should know at reading 90% of her works that endings to a series are going to be *chefβs kiss*.)
Soul of the Sword was a struggle for me to get through, but it is so worth going through for Night of the Dragon. All the questions I had from the very beginning of the series get answered as everything comes together for an ending that made me want to cry and question my life choices.
*How do I bring justice to such perfection?! All the words have flown out the window. What even is a review?
Want more Julie Kagawa? Check out my review for Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl or return to The Iron Fey universe with The Iron Raven.
Hannah has a penchant for chaos, which is probably how she ended up blogging since 2012. That, and she was probably too expressive for her parents to handle, so it had to go somewhere. She can be found occasionally at The Arts STL. If youβd like to fuel her boba addiction or just enjoy her posts and want to support her, stop by her KoFi or Buy Me a Coffee!