Yumeko is a half kitsune raised by monks who guard a piece of a priceless prayer that will summon the great Kami Dragon for a single wish. With the time of the dragon's return arising, multiple dangerous parties are after the prayer, including Kage Tatsumi, a shinobi working on behalf of the Shadow Clan. When he is sent to retrieve the prayer from the temple, he finds it in flames with everyone, except Yumeko, dead. The monks' last command to Yumeko was for her to guard the scroll and bring it to another temple where another piece of the prayer is located. Unaware that Yumeko has the scroll (and that's she's half kitsune), the two journey to find the other temple together in a tentative, temporary alliance, fighting demons, witches, and more along the way.

What I love most about any Julie Kagawa series is how compulsively readable it is. From the first chapter of SHADOW OF THE FOX, I was hooked. We get a glimpse of Suki, a maid turned ghost, who stumbles into a plot at the palace before we move to Yumeko and Tatsumi, and I love how we later see how Suki and her story ties into theirs.

Yumeko and Tatsumi are a fun grumpy x sunshine pairing with forbidden romance and secret identities sprinkled on top. Tatsumi, wielder of a demon blade, comes from a cold, cruel world, and he has a beautiful arc learning to lower his guard and feel his feelings. Yumeko is torn between her kitsune and human sides and judged harshly on both by the people and yokai who understand what she is. She has to learn to accept herself as is, even if others won't.

With high action, a horror edge, and banter-filled character chemistry, SHADOW OF THE FOX is the first in an exciting series about discovering and accepting yourself and letting others see you, all while battling demons and trying to prevent the bad guys from getting access to a powerful wish of their choosing.