Soul of the Sword (Julie Kagawa) is a fun adventure
This will contain some very minor spoilers for Shadow of the Fox, the first book in this series.
I read the first of this series, Shadow of the Fox last year. I enjoyed it but felt, at the time, that the story around the characters was ultimately less interesting than the story of our main leads - Yumeko and (to a lesser extent) Tatsumi because most of the ‘adventuring party’ joined quite late.
As a result, we learned considerably less about them. Daisuke had some foreshadowing, at least, but Reika joined right at the capital, just as we were going into the end game. Okame also grated on me, with his jokes oftentimes falling flat or calling himself a ‘ronin dog’ every other page. The book was overall positive though, especially the ending sequence.
The second book in the series takes what I liked about the first one, and improves it on every front. The party is together at the outset of the book, meaning that we get a chance to grow close to them. Okame’s comedic relief lands better and he only refers to himself as a ‘ronin dog’ three or four times. The raised stakes from the previous book focus the road trip adventure greatly. Suki's POV is used more often and heightens the intrigue better than in the previous book.
Overall, it is a fun book and it did a few things that made me appreciate the first installment more in hindsight.
There are a few topics I want to talk about that will require some minor spoilers, but you can see those below the fox!
Team Dynamics
The team dynamics felt on point this time around. We spend a whole book with most of the party, learning their surface level personality traits, but also their strengths and flaws. It helped me to appreciate Okame for who he was under the crassness, the nuance to duty-bound Daisuke, the guarded vulnerability in Reika, and the appreciation for Master Jiro as the only adult so often in the room.
And better than that, we get to see how they interact.
Daisuke and Okame’s romance plot over the course of the story adds so much to both characters, and Reika’s growing friendship with Yumeko is heartwarming. Okame’s and Daisuke’s protection of Yumeko also grows into unflappable loyalty to the cause. You believe the sorrow from the team when old Master Jiro perishes about halfway through the story.
The devil is in the POV
In Shadow of the Fox, I thought Tatsumi was merely okay. He was standoffish and aloof (even in his POV chapters) but he was intriguing. However, at the conclusion, the oni trapped in Tatsumi's sword, Hakaimono, breaks free and possesses Tatsumi. Our second major POV this time is Hakaimono himself. You get to learn how centuries of imprisonment have changed the First Oni of Jigoku - including some shreds of mercy implied to be from his human host.
We learn so much more about Tatsumi and just how much strength and decency he had to resist the Oni for so long. When Tatsumi actually does appear on the page, he is vulnerable, more emotional, and more open. It makes you respect him, makes the budding romance between him and our fox girl even sweeter, and makes you appreciate how terse and focused his chapters were in the first book.
Final Thoughts
I liked Shadow of the Fox but adored Soul of the Sword, which made me love Shadow of the Fox.
I wasn't sure when I would finish the series, but I think it might just be next month.
Thanks for reading, if you made it this far.