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lita2013's review
5.0
I'm just so speechless, I don't know what to say, any compliment I could give this book could not do it justice.
readtolive's review
4.0
So, I am going to try very hard to write this review without giving any spoilers for Ink, for which my review will be up on June 25th.
I enjoyed this glimpse of things. I read Ink first and then read this, so it was great to fill in some of the background information, to learn what things were like before Tomo and Katie met, because it is important information that I think is going to be important by the time the second book comes around and things begin to reveal themselves. This, of course, is speculatiom.
This little short story is well written and really paints a picture of what the connection is going to be between the two characters.
I enjoyed this quick, fun read and really recommend it. There are a lot of undertones in this that are similar to the books of the Twilight series, so if you enjoyed that, you will enjoy this series. If you didn't enjoy it, but enjoy books that give glimpses of Japanese culture and mythology, you will enjoy this series. There is a small piece in there for everyone, so give it a try. It might just surprise you.
I enjoyed this glimpse of things. I read Ink first and then read this, so it was great to fill in some of the background information, to learn what things were like before Tomo and Katie met, because it is important information that I think is going to be important by the time the second book comes around and things begin to reveal themselves. This, of course, is speculatiom.
This little short story is well written and really paints a picture of what the connection is going to be between the two characters.
I enjoyed this quick, fun read and really recommend it. There are a lot of undertones in this that are similar to the books of the Twilight series, so if you enjoyed that, you will enjoy this series. If you didn't enjoy it, but enjoy books that give glimpses of Japanese culture and mythology, you will enjoy this series. There is a small piece in there for everyone, so give it a try. It might just surprise you.
mousegoddess's review
4.0
This was a great little short story, and it's clear the author had watched a lot of anime. I could see it playing out in my head and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm hoping the rest of the series is as good.
rosegguk's review
4.0
I think this is actually the first time I read the prequel prior to the first book. That's because they usually come out after the first book but since I'm starting this series quite late I decided to read the prequel first to get a glimpse of the actual book and HOLY MOLY that was good and really interesting. I don't think I would have liked it as much if I read it after the first book. Of course it would have been interesting but it was also going to feel like sort of going back and I don't know, I'm pretty happy with the decision I've made since now all I want to do is dive into "Ink" which I'm going to do btw. Amanda Sun's style is really captivating and really fluid and the story it's really interesting and even though the theme of the "drawing" and the "ink" is not a first it still feels quite original as for now which is good. Really a good start, can't wait to know Katie and Tomohiro better. One extra point: for now Katie doesn't look like the stereotypical YA girl and that I absolutely love. I hope I won't get disappointed in the future.
psistillreadyou's review
5.0
I am a huge fan of anime, and this book felt like a novelization of one. The writing was descriptive, painting vivid pictures of the scenery into my mind. I liked how the author incorporated the Japanese language into this book, and the glossary helps as well. I felt as if I was learning a little bit of the language along with Katie, and I picked up on some of the words quickly. The voices for Tomohiro and Katie weren't all that distinct in style, but considering the fact that they had different hardships to deal with, I could tell who's chapter it was without looking.
Not only is this novella great because of the dark undertone and the fact that it teaches you about Japanese culture in a fun way, but it also can stand alone just with Katie's story of moving to a new country after the death of her mother. I never expected this to be so relatable and, at times, fun.
I'm very excited about getting to know some of these characters, especially Yuki and Tanaka. They just seem like the token comic relief best friends in an anime and it think they're going to be a lot of fun.
Throughout reading this, I found it hard to pull away (the only reason it took me a week to read was because it was on my phone and inconvenient for me to read during school). I'm seriously ready to dive into the next book.
Not only is this novella great because of the dark undertone and the fact that it teaches you about Japanese culture in a fun way, but it also can stand alone just with Katie's story of moving to a new country after the death of her mother. I never expected this to be so relatable and, at times, fun.
I'm very excited about getting to know some of these characters, especially Yuki and Tanaka. They just seem like the token comic relief best friends in an anime and it think they're going to be a lot of fun.
Throughout reading this, I found it hard to pull away (the only reason it took me a week to read was because it was on my phone and inconvenient for me to read during school). I'm seriously ready to dive into the next book.
ruthsic's review
4.0
Shadows, the prequel to Ink in the Paper Gods series, tells the story of Katie and Tomohiro in a dual perspective. Set before Katie comes to Japan, it delves into the sadness and despair of both the characters and how troubled they are.
Katie has just lost her mom and there are these choices to be made but she is stuck in that moment, not able to move forward. Hoping that coming to Japan wouldn't be any worse, she finally decides to join her aunt. But life in Japan is much more confusing than she had anticipated.
Tomohiro is fighting his inner darkness, is being tormented by dreams of death and demons. While you have to read Ink to actually know what Tomohiro is and why he is going through it, it gives you a glimpse of his vulnerability and his thoughts - why he does what he does in Ink.
For the beginning of the series, it doesn't give out much for the plot of Ink but the backstories certainly help out a lot in Ink. Good writing and great introduction.
Katie has just lost her mom and there are these choices to be made but she is stuck in that moment, not able to move forward. Hoping that coming to Japan wouldn't be any worse, she finally decides to join her aunt. But life in Japan is much more confusing than she had anticipated.
Tomohiro is fighting his inner darkness, is being tormented by dreams of death and demons. While you have to read Ink to actually know what Tomohiro is and why he is going through it, it gives you a glimpse of his vulnerability and his thoughts - why he does what he does in Ink.
For the beginning of the series, it doesn't give out much for the plot of Ink but the backstories certainly help out a lot in Ink. Good writing and great introduction.
nexusgoblin's review
4.0
Wow! I wish I had read this before Ink! Shadow starts while Katie is still in the US, the day of her mother’s funeral. We get to see the moments that pushed her to staying with her aunt in Japan and we get to see the beginning stages of her attempting to start her life over in a foreign country. As an added plus we get treated to chapters in Tomohiro’s point of view, where we get to see the nightmares that haunt him and his strained relationship with Myu. I loved that this gave him a chance to explain his personality more and I think that if I had read it prior to Ink I might have warmed up to him a bit quicker. I really enjoyed the added depth to the story and it’s always nice to see what happens directly before the main book starts. We get to see what drives the characters into making the decisions we get to see first hand in Ink. It’s a cheaper novella (free when I downloaded it) and so I think that if you enjoyed Ink or are curious to see if you might like it then give it a shot. Everything has the same feel too it and you get to see how the writing style is for the Japanese culture, which isn’t for everyone as it does use some Japanese words here and there.
take_me_awayyy's review
4.0
This was an amazing prequel! Sun's writing style kept me glued to the story and aching for more! There is also so much to learn about the Japanese culture in these 69 pages, so I can only imagine what there is to learn in the actual book.
In the prequel we meet the main characters Katie and Tomoshiro. Tomoshiro has so much going on and yet he can't explain any of his issues to anyone. Katie's mother has just died and she has moved to Japan with her aunt. Suddenly, weird things begin to happen to the both of them. Things they can't explain... It serves as the perfect lead in to the actual story.
In the prequel we meet the main characters Katie and Tomoshiro. Tomoshiro has so much going on and yet he can't explain any of his issues to anyone. Katie's mother has just died and she has moved to Japan with her aunt. Suddenly, weird things begin to happen to the both of them. Things they can't explain... It serves as the perfect lead in to the actual story.
bibliotropic's review
3.0
The prequel novella to the Paper Gods series, Shadow‘s chapters are told in the first person from alternating viewpoints, Katie’s and Tomohiro’s. Obviously, it takes place before the events of Ink, and doesn’t really reveal anything that didn’t get mentioned in the main novels of the series, so it’s hardly essential to the major story as a whole. However, it’s still interesting as character-building, as we get to see not only Katie’s grief over her mother’s death and her transition from a familiar life in the States to a rather unwanted life in Japan, but we also get to see things from Tomohiro’s perspective, trying to fight against his nightmares and hide his kami powers from those around him.
So interesting, absolutely, but really only if you got invested in the rest of the series and wanted to see a bit more of how it all began. Otherwise, there’s no harm done by skipping Shadow.
So interesting, absolutely, but really only if you got invested in the rest of the series and wanted to see a bit more of how it all began. Otherwise, there’s no harm done by skipping Shadow.
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