Summary from Goodreads: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.
Review:
I picked up this new fantasy that came out in October for a book club and pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. It has been years since I read a Julie Kagawa novel and now want to read them all.
What I Liked:
Characters. My favorite aspect of the novel was the characters, mainly Yumeko, half human and half fox, who was the heart of the novel. I grew to love her point of view and was rooting for her by the end of the novel. Tatsumi was also an interesting character that the reader gets to follow. Kagawa also crafts great side characters and villains.
Setting/World Building. I enjoyed how Kagawa crafted the world of this fantasy, mixing together Japanese culture/settings with fantasy elements. I liked the setting, temples, the palace and learning about the culture.
Plot/Action. I've heard a lot of people say that this novel is similar an anime, and I agree with that! Some Fantasy novels deal with downtime or dragging but I felt like this was full of constant action. The main characters never caught a break as they went from one battle to the next.
Audiobook. I used my library to pick up the audiobook and it was the perfect way to read this novel. It is full of action and amazing visuals that really shined through with the audio version. I loved Yumeko's narration, while Tatsumi's narration was just okay.
What I Disliked:
Pacing/Middle. I listened to the audiobook and did find that around the middle it dragged a bit for me.
I recommend checking out this great Japan-based young fantasy because of the characters and action.
Rating:
4.5 Stars Out of 5 Stars
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