REVIEW: Shadow Fox by Carlie Sorosiak
A beautiful story of loss and belonging, all told through the eyes of a wild, affectionate, prickly fox who has a love of collecting shoes and not a small amount of magic. From the bestselling author of I, Cosmo.
Bee’s family runs a lakeside inn, offering rest and sustenance to weary travellers. Bee’s Nan has gone missing, possibly drowned, but Bee knows that can’t be true. And so does the hungry fox that her grandmother was feeding. Shadow is cross that her supply of fish has dried up and is determined to do something about it. Soon both fox and child are on an adventure to find Nan, uncover what’s happening to all the secret islands on the Great Lake and learn just how far magical powers can take you…
Dear Ms. Sorosiak,
If your name is on it, I will read it. Leonard the space alien in the form of a cat is still my love but Clementine the chess playing mouse is a darling, too. Shadow – hmmm, Shadow is the heroine who has to grow on you but once she has, she’s got her own special charm.
Shadow has reason to not trust humans but after the loss (off page) of her mother and sister, she discovers an inn by Lake Superior that is run by an older, kindly woman who gives Shadow fish and doesn’t try to tame her. Shadow is a fox, thank you very much, a wild creature who isn’t about to become a human pet. Then one day the lady isn’t there. Instead a young girl dressed in the lady’s sweater tries to talk to Shadow. The two lock eyes but then Shadow heads off to her hidey hole – actually an old barn – and her collection of human footwear (there’s a reason). After a frightening encounter, Shadow and Bee discover that the world around them isn’t quite what they thought it was. And that it, along with nature and wild creatures, is at risk from greed. Can they bond and save … everything?
So some tropes are here – portal fantasy and the chosen one. The chosen one might not be who readers are expecting but when the final act begins and Shadow and Bee are up against the ropes, it’s a fox and her cunning who are needed to save the day. There really is a reason Shadow has been selected.
Unlike the other books of yours I’ve read, where the MC animal can understand humans who are otherwise living in a normal environment, once Shadow and Bee travel to where most of the action takes place, it’s a magical world. Since everything is told through first-fox POV, and Shadow doesn’t understand any more than Bee does what the heck is going on, the initial part of the book is a teensy bit confusing. Plus Shadow isn’t thrilled with humans so she’s even more skeptical about wanting to take part in this adventure.
Shadow is prickly, a little self centered, and basically in it for her own good. She’s also annoyed to discover that she and Bee have formed some kind of bond that allows them to understand each other’s thoughts and what Bee says aloud. Actually Shadow can understand what all humans are saying now, something that doesn’t thrill her. Some human in her head? No, thank you. Some magical bond with a human child? Oh, please.
As the story progresses, things become clearer as to what is going on and the danger that lurks should Shadow and Bee fail. It also dawns on Shadow how this danger has affected her in the past and what could happen to all wild things and places. TL;DR – this danger has to be thwarted and for Shadow, it’s personal. If she’s the Chosen One, then she’s going to run this show in her own foxy way and we all know that foxes are clever. Shadow is a think-outside-the-box heroine.
Lots of little clues and things that are mentioned all come together in the ultimate showdown. Though the danger is real (and I think this is tying in with the destruction of wild places in real life by greedy people who care only for themselves), the means by which our Good Guys fight and win is not something that I think would frighten the age group of children who are the main audience for the book.
I loved watching Shadow become a part of something larger. I loved watching Shadow and Bee choose each other and rise to the occasion. Shadow has lost precious things in her life and has to make the decision to stand against losing more. There is one thing at the end that is a teeny, tiny bit bittersweet (no one dies, don’t worry) but I think that grounds all that has happened and is sort of a way of continuing to try and fix things. Shadow and Bee are bonded now but I was glad to see that Shadow has still got quite a bit of prickly in her, too. B
~Jayne
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