A Review of Julie Kagawa’s Soul of the Sword (Inkyard Press, 2019)

[sorayaz]

A Review of Julie Kagawa’s Soul of the Sword (Inkyard Press, 2019)
By Stephen Hong Sohn

So, I’m reviewing the second in this series, which started with Shadow of the Fox. I believe that this series is a trilogy with the third already set for release. As you can imagine without me already telling you, this particular installment ends with a kind of cliffhanger.

Let’s get caught up with the publicity material from the official site: “One thousand years ago, a wish was made and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. A weapon powerful enough to seal away the formidable demon Hakaimono. Now he has broken free. Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: to take her piece of the ancient and powerful Scroll of a Thousand Prayers to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the Harbinger of Change, the great Kami Dragon who will grant one wish to whomever holds the scroll. But she has a new enemy now, more dangerous than any she has yet faced. The demon Hakaimono is free at last, and he has possessed the very person Yumeko trusted to protect her from the evil at her heels, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Hakaimono has only one goal: to break the curse of the sword and set himself free to rain chaos and destruction over the land forevermore. To do so, he will need the scroll. And Yumeko is the only one standing in his way.”

I didn’t find this description to be all that accurate because Yumeko is really not the only one standing in the way of Hakaimono, though she certainly has a particular kind of fox-power that will enable her to do some work to help free Kage Tatsumi from Hakaimono’s grips. Kagawa has worked particularly hard to create a merry band of allies who Yumeko can rely on to make sure that she can complete her quest: they include the ronin Okame, the noble Taiyo, and the shrine maiden Reika. There’s also a narrative perspective given to a ghost, who is also there to provide some extra help for Yumeko. Yumeko and her allies have to also deal with the court intrigue from Lady Hanshou and her followers, while also trying to make their way to Steel Feather temple for the ultimate showdown. What makes the plot attain its full dimensions, though, is yet another villain. Indeed, Hakaimono is not the only one after the full scroll. This second villain is exactly what sets up the third book, as it seems as if the reappearance of the dragon is going to happen no matter what.

In any case, what makes this particular work one of Kagawa’s strongest is, frankly, the banter between the major characters. You’ll want them to succeed and to remain alive despite the fact that the odds are stacked against them. Though other readers probably caught on to this sooner than I did, I was not expecting the same-sex romance to develop between Okame and Taiyo, so this particular romance did add more to my specific readerly entertainment, as it took some attention away from the central romance plot between Yumeko and Kage Tatsumi. In any case, Kagawa’s a master at the paranormal young adult romance, so you can expect that I’ll be in line to read the final installment in the trilogy!

Buy the Book Here.

Review Author: Stephen Hong Sohn
Review Editor: Gnei Soraya Zarook

If you have any questions or want us to consider your book for review, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email!
Prof. Stephen Hong Sohn at ssohnucr@gmail.com
Gnei Soraya Zarook, PhD Student in English, at gzaro001@ucr.edu