Overall Rating: 🔮🔮🔮🔮
Vibes: Anime • Japanese fantasy • Demons • Lore-heavy adventure
Action: More consistent action and darker stakes than book one
Spice: 🚫 None
Age Group: YA
⚠️ Warnings:
Violence • Demons • Death • Possession • Bloody scenes
My Thoughts:
Soul of the Sword continues directly after the events of Shadow of the Fox, but this time the perspective shifts. Instead of alternating between Yumeko and Tatsumi, we now get chapters from Hakaimono’s perspective—the ancient demon sharing Tatsumi’s soul.
One of the most interesting parts of this sequel was seeing how much Yumeko has changed. In the first book, she viewed the world with childlike wonder after spending her life sheltered in a monastery. But months of violence, betrayal, and loss have hardened her. She hasn’t completely lost her kindness or optimism, but the rose-colored lens she once saw the world through is definitely fading.
One thing that hasn’t changed?
Girl still does not understand sarcasm.
The anime vibes from the first book are still very much present, but this installment felt more focused on expanding the lore and the larger world rather than the Japanese folklore-inspired adventure feel of book one.
That said, Hakaimono’s chapters were a bit hit or miss for me. For a large portion of the book, they felt repetitive—mostly him growling about being a demon and wanting to do demon things without a huge amount of character progression. It wasn’t until the final chapters that certain events really shifted the story and made those perspectives feel more meaningful.
Now I’m fully invested in seeing how this trilogy ends.
I already have theories about where the story is heading, though there are still a few puzzle pieces missing. I’m excited to see if my predictions are right in the final book.
Final Take:
This sequel deepens the worldbuilding, darkens the emotional tone, and continues the anime-inspired adventure that made the first book so enjoyable. While some perspectives felt repetitive, the ending definitely hooked me enough to immediately want the finale.
You Might Like This If You:
Enjoy anime-inspired fantasy
Love Japanese mythology and demons
Want lore-heavy fantasy sequels
Enjoy traveling party adventures
Like character growth across a series
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