{ARC Review} Rain by Amanda Sun
Labels:
3 Stars,
Amanda Sun,
ARC,
Book Review,
Fantasy,
Young Adult
·
Series: Paper Gods #2
Author: Amanda Sun
Published: 24th June 2014
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Source: eARC provided via Netgally for fair & honest review
Rating: 3.5/5
BLURB:
American Katie Green has decided to stay in Japan. She's started to build a life in the city of Shizuoka, and she can't imagine leaving behind her friends, her aunt and especially Tomohiro, the guy she's fallen in love with. But her return is not as simple as she thought. She's flunking out of Japanese school and committing cultural faux pas wherever she goes. Tomohiro is also struggling—as a Kami, his connection to the ancient gods of Japan and his power to bring drawings to life have begun to spiral out of control.
When Tomo decides to stop drawing, the ink finds other ways to seep into his life—blackouts, threatening messages and the appearance of unexplained sketches. Unsure how to help Tomo, Katie turns to an unexpected source for help—Jun, her former friend and a Kami with an agenda of his own. But is Jun really the ally he claims to be? In order to save themselves, Katie and Tomohiro must unravel the truth about Tomo's dark ancestry, as well as Katie's, and confront one of the darkest gods in Japanese legend.
A Culturally Rich Story, But I Was Hoping For More Action
REVIEW:
The story:
So after reading the first book I was torn, there were parts I liked & parts I didn't, and this book is much the same.
Katie has decided to stay in Japan and face the dangers of the ink with Tomo. After reuniting with each other, Tomo decides to stop drawing hoping it will protect them from the dangers of his drawings. But Tomo continues to loose his control over the ink, and the danger escalates. Katie turns to the only person she thinks might be able to help, Jun. But while looking for information to help Tomo, Katie makes some startling discoveries about her own past and her connection to the Kami Gods.
Meanwhile, Tomo & Katie's relationship is further put to the test, as Shiroi, Tomo's pregnant friend makes it clear she's after Tomo and threatens Katie to stay away. Katie's not only afraid of loosing Tomo to Shiroi, but she fears the ink will soon take over his mind completely. It's getting harder and harder to know who is on who's side, and who she can trust.
I feel like very little progress has been made since the end of Ink. A few revelations are made towards the end, but not much when you consider the length of the book. I'm hoping we get to see a bit more action in the next book.
The characters:
Katie hasn't really grown up much since the first book. She's still extremely naive and very impulsive, not really thinking things through properly. I was hoping to see some growth and see her become stronger - perhaps even discovering some inner Kami powers, but no - maybe in the next book?
Tomo is such a sweet and extremely forgiving character. No matter how many mistakes Katie makes, he forgives her. However he does get jealous when he hears Katie refer to Jun by his first name (in Japan using first names is something you do with someone your close with). I liked seeing him like this, showing some emotions, that he normally keeps so well hidden.
The romance:
The so called love triangle element didn't really work for me. It felt so forced and did nothing more than irritate me with Katie's "I love Tomo so much, we are soooo perfect together"..."but Jun is really gorgeous". I just didn't understand why she was suddenly suggesting she was attracted to Jun, when it was clear she was in love with Tomo. Her relationship with Tomo was much more believable and I would have preferred seeing more time spent on the cultural issues that they faced in their relationship - that part was actually really interesting.
The writing:
The pacing of this book is quite slow in the beginning, and it's not until the end that we get to see any real action or excitement. I still love Amanda's use of Japanese language throughout the story, which created an rich atmosphere, it felt like I was really in Japan.
The ink illustrations that I loved so much from the first book were used again, but I felt they could have been used a little more effectively, especially at the climax of the story. It seemed like there were less of them this time sadly.
FINAL WORD:
This was a decent sequel to the Paper Gods series, but I felt there could have been more. This could be one of those series that may have been better suited to a 2 book series rather than 3. However, it was still entertaining and I will be back for the 3rd book to see how things wrap up.
CONTENT:
Sexuality: mild / some kissing, minor mentions of sex, teen pregnancy (minor character)
Violence: mild / some fighting - not overly detailed
Language: medium / several f words
Drugs & alcohol: mild
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I did like the first book so I'm planning to read this one! I don't know why, but your review has made me more excited to read it. Is that weird? For some reason, I just really want to experience her annoyingness and this silly love triangle all over again! Loved your review Amy!
ReplyDeleteHaha, that's not weird at all! Actually I'm really looking forward to the next book! There is something really addictive about the series, and although there were some things I didn't like about it, I still really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down! Look forward to seeing your review Laura!
DeleteOoh, nice to hear that you felt really like in Japan when reading this book! I always love book with a storng world-building :D
ReplyDeleteAnd this series actually have an in-book illustration? 0-0 *go buy this now*
Anyway, thank you for sharing! Nice review!
Neysa @ Papier Revue
The illustrations were so cool, I loved how it brought to life part of the story! I just wish there has of been more :)
DeleteI really liked the first book...mainly because I am atm living in Japan. However, I am sad to see that it did not really get any father, development wise, than the first book.
ReplyDeleteGreat review.
~Maura @ http://yaaddict.com
Despite the storyline not really progressing much it was still a really enjoyable story! And with the few revelations late in the book, I'm think the next book will be even better :)
Delete