Shadow of the Fox, by Julie Kagawa

Format: e-ARC, 416 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Australia, HQ YA

Published: September 23, 2018

ISBN: 9781489267368

Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YA

Back cover blurb: One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

My review: Julie Kagawa has been a bit of a hit-or-miss author for me, but I was keen to try her take on Japanese mythology after enjoying the Talon series. The prologue was incredible, but as things went on, and each chapter became more like “the journey continues…oh, and here’s another new demon to fight” without really progressing the plot with the scroll, I began to wonder why I was continuing. There is a slow-burn romance brewing, but I’m not sure I’m keen enough to bother with book two to find out if it eventuates. The ending did redeem the middle 300 pages, especially the very last scene, so I’m glad I persevered. If only there had been more Suki and Lady Satomi throughout.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 2.5/5

 

Amazon

Rogue, by Julie Kagawa

Format: e-ARC, 460 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Teen (Australia)

Published: May 1, 2015

ISBN: 9781743690888

Genre: YA paranormal

Back cover blurb:

“There are a dozen St. George soldiers hiding in that maze,” my trainer said. “All hunting you. All looking to kill you. Welcone to Phase Two of your training, hatchling.”

Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can’t forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he’d signed his own death warrant.

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order’s headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember’s own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George.

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

My review: The blue cover was the first giveaway that this would be more about Cobalt/Riley, and in this book we find out a lot more about his past and his role in Talon 12 years earlier, as well as his position as the current rogue leader. As Ember also discovers, Cobalt is far from the carefree slacker she assumed him to be when they first met, and even though I’m still fiercely Team Garret, I grew to like Cobalt much more. 

This book is far more action-packed throughout than the first book, and the romance element is moved to the back-burner. That’s not to say there aren’t some swoony moments, but everyone is in peril too much for those moments to be prolonged. I admit I was a bit saddened by that – I loved the UST of the first book and missed it here.

Kagawa has written some epic twists, and the ending just broke my heart. I have hope for the next book – it’s called Soldier so must be about Garret and the Order – but according to Goodreads I have to wait until 2017 for it! Nooo! #TeamGarret  

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 4/5

Amazon

Stacking the Shelves #7

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Welcome back to Stacking the Shelves, a regular meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the latest books you have added to your shelves, physical or virtual.  This means you can include books you buy in store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course e-books! Here is my haul from this week.

Approved Netgalley requests

Netgalley approved a few more of my requests this week, about which I am very excited. I received Rogue by Julie Kagawa, Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven, and Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood, the latter of which isn’t published until December and doesn’t even have a cover yet.

Purchased from Amazon

Amazon sent me my pre-order of Overruled by Emma Chase, and from Audible I purchased Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn. I’m a big fan of both these authors.

Purchased from Audible

iBooks had Holly Smale‘s Geek Girl for free this week, so I grabbed that one as well. Can’t go past a freebie!

Freebie from iBooks

Not bad. Keep an eye out for my reviews of these in coming weeks. So what new books did you pick up this week? Let me know in the comments.

Talon, by Julie Kagawa

Format: audiobook, 12 hours and 32 minutes, narrated by Caitlin Davies, MacLeod Andrews and Chris Patton

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Published: October 28, 2014

ISBN: 9781483024776

Genre: YA paranormal

Back cover blurb: Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they’re positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon’s newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

My review: I may have been one of the few people who didn’t much like Kagawa’s Iron Fey, mainly because I’m not a big fan of fairies, but dragons are another matter entirely. I really liked this, even though there was the usual YA love triangle and Ember seems more human than dragon most of the time. I’m definitely Team Garret and cannot wait until the next book is released next week.

My rating: 4/5

Amazon

Stacking the Shelves #4

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Welcome back to Stacking the Shelves, a regular meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the latest books you have added to your shelves, physical or virtual.  This means you can include books you buy in store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course e-books! Here is my smaller-than-usual haul from this week.

Checked out from the library

From my local public library I checked out Talon by Julie Kagawa on audiobook. I like dragons so I hope this new series of hers is a good one. The second book, Rogue, is coming out soon.

Purchased from iBooks

New Zealand iBooks had another sale… yeah, I know, I’m a sucker for them – and I grabbed Hope Flames by Jaci Burton for $1.99.

Purchased from Amazon

My only other purchase this week was from Amazon. Since I enjoyed the Kricket series by Amy A. Bartol so much, I decided to start her earlier series, and picked up Inescapable.

Three books is plenty for one week, I think. My TBR list is enormous! Keep an eye out for my reviews of these in coming weeks. So what new books did you pick up this week? Let me know in the comments.