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Soul of the Sword cover art

Soul of the Sword

Written by: Julie Kagawa
Narrated by: Brian Nishii,Joy Osmanksi,Emily Woo Zeller
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2019 Julie Kagawa (P)2019 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

What listeners say about Soul of the Sword

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    2 out of 5 stars

This book should have a violence rating

While I absolutely loved the first book in this series, this one left me frustrated and grossed out. If it was a movie, it would definitely be R rated. Yes, the first book had some very gory parts in it as well, but I found this second book in the series extremely gruesome and disturbing at times.

The story itself is okay, though the plot dragged in the middle. Some scenes I was left wondering "was that really necessary?" The ending was also unsatisfactory. Practically during the entire book we already know how Yumeko is going to save Tatsumi, which gets repeated several times, with different characters debating possible outcomes. I found it took away quite a bit of my enjoyment of the climax of the scene when it finally happened.

Overall, I was satisfied with the book, but for me, it lacked the excitement of the first book in the series. I may listen to the third book, but it's at the bottom of my to-do list now.

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  • SalesTaxAccountant
  • 2019-06-23

Wonderful Continuation of the Story

This installment was definitely a continuation of the previous story. I’m not sure it would really make sense if you hadn’t read the first book. We learned more about the history and geography of Iwagoto in this book. I loved how much more we learned about the characters in this book. I love getting the first person narrative from different characters as it gives you a unique perspective, and the multi-narration cast really helps to distinguish each section.

3 people found this helpful

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  • Rochelle
  • 2021-05-05

Pretty Fun

I was pretty entertained by this second installment of the series. I am finding the romance a bit flat. It feels more like a friendship than true love.

The heroine also does some incredibly stupid stuff.

However, the plot is engaging.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Vanessa S. Tyre
  • 2023-05-04

I have enjoyed this

Great imagination. Brian Nishii especially does a great job narrating. The characters seem very familiar though. Let’s see…. A Miko, a fox, a half Youkai, a demon slayer, a monk, a little animal that turns into a large fighting beast, and an Ookami. Hmmm. Where have I heard this friendship circle before? I’m sure it’ll come to me. Maybe if I watch that hottie, Lord Sesshomaru, for awhile it’ll jog my memory. 🤔

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  • Melissa Díaz
  • 2023-03-03

Nice! Nice!

This is truly enjoyable. The narration makes it such that you can actually experience the anime tropes.

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  • Michael R Naval
  • 2022-09-28

Great Sequel!

This is a very nice follow-up to the first book. If the first book felt like The Fellowship of the Ring where the team of heroes were being assembled, this one dove straight into the action what with the number one demon Hakaimono unleashed.

Nice to see the Kitsune learning to control her power but still remaining grounded and loyal to her friends.

Onward to the concluding novel!

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  • Cynthia
  • 2022-08-10

Great Book

This has turned out to be a good book. I’m enjoying the storyline with references to samadhi and fox magic.

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  • Allie McAllister
  • 2021-10-03

Not as good as the 1st book.

This book is a sequel and it reads like a sequel. It's still a good story but it lags in the middle. The next one should be better.

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  • Gali
  • 2021-08-01

easy to listen to.

I've enjoyed the story telling, the story itself is ok. I've got the first two books. not sure yet if I'll go on the third. got the picture. but all in all it's enjoyable

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  • jda
  • 2021-05-27

great second book

Even if you know this book is only setting things up for the final book, it doesn’t feel that way. You learn more about what is going on and who are the players are. Even the ones hidden in book one. So the convoluted story of book one started to make sense, well as much sense as it can without ruining the next book.

Our main characters are now in two groups with Tatsumi being a group of one. Most of this book is about how Yumeko still trying to what she was tasks with and protect the piece of the scroll and get it to the Steel Feather temple. You also have Tatsumi/Hakaimono doing his things of breaking the curse on the sword. Then all the new characters that have some part in the "game" and how most of them are trying stop/help Yumeko.

The humor in the book is great and cutting. Also the narration seems better this book too. The story entertaining and keep you involved.

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  • Amber Smith
  • 2021-05-09

Just as Good as the First

This book was just as good as the first one. I still have such love for these characters. I love the story. I cannot wait to read the next one.