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venuzx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
groundedwanderlust's review
4.0
This book was a really great way to end the series! It feels a little weird to read all the romaji now that I'm learning Japanese though.
tashahassan's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really fast paced conclusion to the Paper Gods trilogy. I really liked how the romance wasn't the main focus in this book.
This is the first book series I've read that talks about Japanese mythology and it was really interesting!
This is the first book series I've read that talks about Japanese mythology and it was really interesting!
kassy25's review
4.0
Wow this felt a lot shorter than Rain but it did have more action. However, the ending felt a little rushed and it did leave off in a cliff hanger. Not too much but enough that there could be another book to see what happens afterwards.
kayleigh_kbooks's review
2.0
Storm Review on K-Books
Storm is a book that has been on my TBR for so long. I read the first two books years ago and really enjoyed them and for some reason just never got around to reading the final book. One of my reading challenges for 2019 is to complete some of my ongoing series so I picked this one up as part of it. I really wish I could say that I loved Storm as much as I did the other books... but I just didn't. I can't really pinpoint anything specific that stopped me loving this book, I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as the others.
Storm is an enjoyable read and I am so happy that I finally picked it up and experienced the ending of this utterly unique and magical series. Storm picks up where Rain left off with Katie and Tomo trying desperately to control the ancient magic that is consuming them both. One thing I enjoyed about this book was that is delved a little more into the history of the powers and I found that really intriguing and interesting. I do genuinely love the mythology base of this series and I love the characters as well. It actually is quite an addictive storyline.
I really did enjoy Storm but for me, the pacing was a little off. There were times within this book where I couldn't read fast enough. I was so consumed by this story and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen... but then the pacing would slow down majorly and at times I lose interest. These two extreme feelings happened often, just as I'd be dying to read more, the pace would slow and I would be bored. It seemed that the further that I got into the book, the more my mind was wandering and I just didn't wanna continue. I almost DNF'd this one but I forced myself through my struggle due to my love of the mythology and characters.
I am so glad I pushed through as I really enjoyed the ending. It was a really satisfying ending for the characters but honestly, I feel like this book could have been half the size that it was. Paper Gods was a great series, and I am so glad that I read it. Am I likely to re-read it? Probably not but that's okay. We can't love and want to re-read every book series, otherwise I'd never be reading new ones. I did enjoy Storm but compared to the previous books, I just felt like something was missing. If you're a fan of mythology based books, I definitely recommend this one but if you're loving fast-paced books, the third one may be a struggle.
Storm is a book that has been on my TBR for so long. I read the first two books years ago and really enjoyed them and for some reason just never got around to reading the final book. One of my reading challenges for 2019 is to complete some of my ongoing series so I picked this one up as part of it. I really wish I could say that I loved Storm as much as I did the other books... but I just didn't. I can't really pinpoint anything specific that stopped me loving this book, I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as the others.
Storm is an enjoyable read and I am so happy that I finally picked it up and experienced the ending of this utterly unique and magical series. Storm picks up where Rain left off with Katie and Tomo trying desperately to control the ancient magic that is consuming them both. One thing I enjoyed about this book was that is delved a little more into the history of the powers and I found that really intriguing and interesting. I do genuinely love the mythology base of this series and I love the characters as well. It actually is quite an addictive storyline.
I really did enjoy Storm but for me, the pacing was a little off. There were times within this book where I couldn't read fast enough. I was so consumed by this story and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen... but then the pacing would slow down majorly and at times I lose interest. These two extreme feelings happened often, just as I'd be dying to read more, the pace would slow and I would be bored. It seemed that the further that I got into the book, the more my mind was wandering and I just didn't wanna continue. I almost DNF'd this one but I forced myself through my struggle due to my love of the mythology and characters.
I am so glad I pushed through as I really enjoyed the ending. It was a really satisfying ending for the characters but honestly, I feel like this book could have been half the size that it was. Paper Gods was a great series, and I am so glad that I read it. Am I likely to re-read it? Probably not but that's okay. We can't love and want to re-read every book series, otherwise I'd never be reading new ones. I did enjoy Storm but compared to the previous books, I just felt like something was missing. If you're a fan of mythology based books, I definitely recommend this one but if you're loving fast-paced books, the third one may be a struggle.
maddiemarie's review
3.0
I feel like it's been two years since I actually read this book, but in reality it was only, like, two weeks ago.
What is there to really say about these books? There really isn't a lot to talk about one way or the other. My biggest complaints and questions from the last book were mostly resolved and answered, so I can appreciate the work Amanda Sun put in to make this finale as good as she could.
And for the most part, it was pretty good. If these books didn't have their redeeming qualities then I wouldn't have read all three of them. They are certainly very fluffy and satisfying in a way that will always appeal to me no matter how cheesy the plot or characters are. I love the whole "bad boy who's secretly a smol bean" trope, and I always will- regardless of the fact that it can be found in nearly every YA fantasy-ish book.
I also really enjoyed Ishikawa's character in this! Even from the very first book, I could see something special in his character and I'm glad that I was able to see more of him and his personality in this book. He definitely was my favorite character in the series and I almost miss him a little bit, as strange as it sounds! Although it was very out of nowhere, I was really pleasantly surprised when Ishikawa revealed his true feelings for Tomo! There were hints towards it in Rain, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. However, I am a little disappointed that Tomo never found out about these feelings, and I also wish that Ishikawa wasn't just left all by himself! He deserves so much better :(
Of course, I have my complaints about this book and the series in general. I would have to say that my biggest one would have to be that the magic system is really underexplained and inconsistent. Rules were never really fully established, so I didn't have a very firm grasp on what was going on when a Kami would do something that I had no idea they could do. I addressed this a bit in my review of Rain, and my feelings still remain the same on the subject.
Another complaint that I have is that this story is so completely and overwhelmingly underdeveloped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, this is the finale of the series, and yet it is barely 300 pages long!!! By no means did this book need to be 700+ pages, but you'd think it would be at least as long as the first book in the series! I could tell while reading this how rushed Amanda Sun was, just trying to wrap everything up as quickly as she could.
What could have really made this book good would be to slow things down a little bit more and let things really develop instead of just BAM! one thing happens and then BAM! another and then before you know it BAM! the book is over because the actual story itself is less than 300 pages long. I had this feeling that Amanda Sun was so ready for this book and series to just be over. Maybe she was working on another project on the side and couldn't focus on this? Maybe she had just lost interest in the story? There are so many things that were just briefly touched on that could have been really interesting side plots and mini-conflicts! As I said before, Ishikawa's feelings for Tomo!
Take Tomo and his dad for example. We know that they have a lot of conflict with each other. We have read all about the tension between the two of them. And yet, it goes nowhere and is just accepted. There was so much that Amanda Sun could have done with so many aspects of this story that she created. I feel like first-person POV was a bit of a mistake in this series. I mean how cool would it be to get inside Tomo's head? Ishikawa's? Jun's? Even that one pregnant girl whose name I forgot? At the end of the day, we only got a look at Katie's perspective, which quite frankly gets boring after a while.
I'm really torn over this series. As a whole, I would give it 3 stars because while it can be easy to read and quick, it can also be really disappointing given how interesting and creative the concept for it was. I really wish that Amanda Sun had written this when she had more experience under her belt and could create a more polished and put together story. This series grew on me a bit, probably because I really love Japan and I have actually never read a book set there. If there ever was a follow up to this book I would read it, but I highly doubt that will happen given how it appears that Amanda Sun was so quick to get this one over with.
What is there to really say about these books? There really isn't a lot to talk about one way or the other. My biggest complaints and questions from the last book were mostly resolved and answered, so I can appreciate the work Amanda Sun put in to make this finale as good as she could.
And for the most part, it was pretty good. If these books didn't have their redeeming qualities then I wouldn't have read all three of them. They are certainly very fluffy and satisfying in a way that will always appeal to me no matter how cheesy the plot or characters are. I love the whole "bad boy who's secretly a smol bean" trope, and I always will- regardless of the fact that it can be found in nearly every YA fantasy-ish book.
I also really enjoyed Ishikawa's character in this! Even from the very first book, I could see something special in his character and I'm glad that I was able to see more of him and his personality in this book. He definitely was my favorite character in the series and I almost miss him a little bit, as strange as it sounds!
Of course, I have my complaints about this book and the series in general. I would have to say that my biggest one would have to be that the magic system is really underexplained and inconsistent. Rules were never really fully established, so I didn't have a very firm grasp on what was going on when a Kami would do something that I had no idea they could do. I addressed this a bit in my review of Rain, and my feelings still remain the same on the subject.
Another complaint that I have is that this story is so completely and overwhelmingly underdeveloped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, this is the finale of the series, and yet it is barely 300 pages long!!! By no means did this book need to be 700+ pages, but you'd think it would be at least as long as the first book in the series! I could tell while reading this how rushed Amanda Sun was, just trying to wrap everything up as quickly as she could.
What could have really made this book good would be to slow things down a little bit more and let things really develop instead of just BAM! one thing happens and then BAM! another and then before you know it BAM! the book is over because the actual story itself is less than 300 pages long. I had this feeling that Amanda Sun was so ready for this book and series to just be over. Maybe she was working on another project on the side and couldn't focus on this? Maybe she had just lost interest in the story? There are so many things that were just briefly touched on that could have been really interesting side plots and mini-conflicts!
Take Tomo and his dad for example. We know that they have a lot of conflict with each other. We have read all about the tension between the two of them. And yet, it goes nowhere and is just accepted. There was so much that Amanda Sun could have done with so many aspects of this story that she created. I feel like first-person POV was a bit of a mistake in this series. I mean how cool would it be to get inside Tomo's head? Ishikawa's? Jun's? Even that one pregnant girl whose name I forgot? At the end of the day, we only got a look at Katie's perspective, which quite frankly gets boring after a while.
I'm really torn over this series. As a whole, I would give it 3 stars because while it can be easy to read and quick, it can also be really disappointing given how interesting and creative the concept for it was. I really wish that Amanda Sun had written this when she had more experience under her belt and could create a more polished and put together story. This series grew on me a bit, probably because I really love Japan and I have actually never read a book set there. If there ever was a follow up to this book I would read it, but I highly doubt that will happen given how it appears that Amanda Sun was so quick to get this one over with.
booksandcecilia's review
3.0
I still love the insight of the Japanese culture and setting. Overall the book was good but the first part of the book was kind of slow.
haunted_by_humans's review
2.0
Yikes, what a let down. I honestly could hardly finish this, which was completely unexpected after enjoying the first two. I can’t find it in me to lower this to one star, even though that’s definitely what it deserves.
penguininabluebox's review
4.0
What a wonderful way to wrap the series up! One of the most satisfactory series finales I've ever read. I really, really like this whole series!