Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

The End of An Era in Night of the Dragon

Night of the Dragon is Julie Kagawa’s third and final novel in her Shadow of the Fox Trilogy. It is a novel many fans have eagerly awaited, as she has crafted a fantasy world like no other. With the night of the wish coming ever closer, the stakes are higher than ever.

Until recently, Yumeko was the guardian of the last remaining piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. That is until she traded it away in exchange for the lives of her friends. While nobody (mostly) blames her for that decision, the truth is that now the entire world is at stake. She and her friends must rush against time to stop the Lord of Demons before he gets his wish. A wish that will surely end the world as they know it.

Readers have had two books to become attached to Yumeko and her allies. So, knowing the series will end here has always been a painful thought. And yet, it’s also something we’ve been looking forward to, as closure is vital to any series. Right?

Writing

Julie Kagawa’s story has been enchanting from the very beginning. I fell in love with the tale of Yumeko back during the first chapter of Shadow of the Fox. Now, three books in, I was not ready for Night of the Dragon to End.

It was a beautiful read. Night of the Dragon delivered exactly the ending this series deserved and, in a sense, the ending the fans deserved. It was poignant and full of emotion, with Yumeko and the others fighting with everything they had.

One of the many things I loved about this novel is that it felt like each character had a chance to shine. Given the grand scale of this finale, that is an impressive feat. Yet it also spoke volumes about human (and Kitsune) nature. It was beautifully done.

I can see how much thought Kagawa put into this novel. Into the whole series, actually. There were elements carried throughout the entire series that came to fruition here. All while other threads were neatly wrapped up. That must have taken so much planning.

Development

Night of the Dragon moved forward at a steady and almost inexorable pace. Or maybe it just felt that way because of the impending conclusion. Either way, this novel never had time for a dull moment.

There was this delicate balance between action and foreshadowing. More importantly, each moment of action seemed to increase the tension and scale for the rest of the series. The threats got bigger, the enemies more expansive and powerful. Everything started to feel larger than life. And yet they carried on.

Yumeko and her friends have grown so much throughout the series, yet it is more obvious in this particular novel. What was more surprising was to see who else grew and progressed throughout this series. Seeing those risks taken and added several layers to the world created was refreshing.

Conclusion

It’s sad to see Night of the Dragon, and thus Shadow of the Fox conclude. Yet this was exactly the novel fans and characters alike deserved. This whole story has been an epic telling, full of legends, Yokai, and much more. Naturally, that means the conclusion has to take that even higher.

What is impressive is that Kagawa did exactly that. All while doing justice to the characters and plot she has created. It was an emotionally powerful read. One that I’ll confess made me cry on more than one occasion. So perhaps set aside some tissues before you tuck into this finale. You won’t regret it.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat’s Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy