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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
So at first I wasn't that into this book. I've never been that into Japanese Culture, so this was out of my comfort zone the same way that Katie was out of her comfort zone through the entire book. There were a lot of things that made it really difficult for me when I started this book because it wasn't something I was used to. Sort of like how I avoid fantasy because I have no idea whats happening? Yeah it was like that, but unlike with fantasy, I was able to find a groove and get comfortable with the book.
My biggest problem and the biggest reason that I was lost through the book was not only was there the references to Japanese culture that went over my head, but there was also a use of the the language that really through me off because while it was more authentic, it was confusing. There was a glossary of terms at the end of the book, but I didn't know about it until the end, which defeated the point of me really having it and being able to really understand.
I really liked Katie but her infatuation with Tomo was really annoying. Once they were together I had no problem with them, but getting them together seemed a little unnatural. Katie was almost chasing Tomo who was decidedly no good for her. He warned her about being bad news and she persisted. While I appreciate that it moved the plot along, I think that there was a better way for them to have gotten together.
I loved how original this idea was. There are plenty of books about Greek Gods and a few other gods, but Japanese culture? Not so much. I really enjoyed learning about this completely different type of lore. There was so much to love about this book. Not just the lore, but I also adored the characters and the complex plot. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.
My biggest problem and the biggest reason that I was lost through the book was not only was there the references to Japanese culture that went over my head, but there was also a use of the the language that really through me off because while it was more authentic, it was confusing. There was a glossary of terms at the end of the book, but I didn't know about it until the end, which defeated the point of me really having it and being able to really understand.
I really liked Katie but her infatuation with Tomo was really annoying. Once they were together I had no problem with them, but getting them together seemed a little unnatural. Katie was almost chasing Tomo who was decidedly no good for her. He warned her about being bad news and she persisted. While I appreciate that it moved the plot along, I think that there was a better way for them to have gotten together.
I loved how original this idea was. There are plenty of books about Greek Gods and a few other gods, but Japanese culture? Not so much. I really enjoyed learning about this completely different type of lore. There was so much to love about this book. Not just the lore, but I also adored the characters and the complex plot. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.
This book and I are very compatible. Or we should have been, rather.
I feel like this is a book that would be irritating for people who don't know Japanese to read, especially when words aren't explained in dialogue or description, but for me, knowing Japanese made this aspect of the book delightful. The strongest element by far is the story's setting. Shizuoka! Sun is spot-on with her descriptions and research, and it was just refreshing to read.
But unfortunately, there was more I disliked about the book than I liked. The story has a slow and cliched beginning. Katie the Foreigner is attracted to Tomohiro because he's dangerous, so she starts stalking him, feeling as though he's hiding something and she has (unbelievably) the right to know what it is. She annoyed me quite a bit as a character, and that spoiled the book a lot for me.
(Also: in the interest of writing the book in English without confusing readers with a lot of Japanese, the author decided to have Katie pick up on Japanese extremely quick [though she is adverse to the language] and thus is speaking very complex and fluent Japanese and only ever stumbling on the word 'bleached.' The whole premise of this irritated me, because yes, while living in Japan you will learn the language quickly, but you need to be there for a decent length, come on, before you're that fluent. It's not a switch you flip. It would have been more believable if the Japanese characters were speaking English. [Not that it's common for high school students to speak fluent English, but they do study it from elementary school!])
The concept of "ink magic" was a really beautiful and intriguing element; I loved the addition of the actual illustrations in the book, and the little animations in the corner. However, the Kami thing fell short for me. Since this is set in Japan, of course the villains are the yakuza. The whole conflict had potential, but I found the execution a little tired; I just didn't care about Katie and Tomohiro as characters, so I didn't care what happened to them. Jun, surprise, turned out to be a cliche-spouting villain who wants to take over Japan, and that's when the story lost me entirely, I think.
This first half of this book, setting aside, is just not good. It reads like your average cliche high school romance--dangerous guy, clueless girl who goes after him anyway because he's stunning. And slight love-triangle with Jun, who we keep encountering! (By guzen! [coincidence]) I say slight, because though Katie notices how good-looking he is, whenever she's with him she just wants to escape so she can go stalk Tomohiro again.
sigh. But once the ink element is finally revealed, the book starts to pick up. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough to rescue the book on the whole, and it began to really drag. I was bored, and couldn't wait to be finished. Alas.
I feel like this is a book that would be irritating for people who don't know Japanese to read, especially when words aren't explained in dialogue or description, but for me, knowing Japanese made this aspect of the book delightful. The strongest element by far is the story's setting. Shizuoka! Sun is spot-on with her descriptions and research, and it was just refreshing to read.
But unfortunately, there was more I disliked about the book than I liked. The story has a slow and cliched beginning. Katie the Foreigner is attracted to Tomohiro because he's dangerous, so she starts stalking him, feeling as though he's hiding something and she has (unbelievably) the right to know what it is. She annoyed me quite a bit as a character, and that spoiled the book a lot for me.
(Also: in the interest of writing the book in English without confusing readers with a lot of Japanese, the author decided to have Katie pick up on Japanese extremely quick [though she is adverse to the language] and thus is speaking very complex and fluent Japanese and only ever stumbling on the word 'bleached.' The whole premise of this irritated me, because yes, while living in Japan you will learn the language quickly, but you need to be there for a decent length, come on, before you're that fluent. It's not a switch you flip. It would have been more believable if the Japanese characters were speaking English. [Not that it's common for high school students to speak fluent English, but they do study it from elementary school!])
The concept of "ink magic" was a really beautiful and intriguing element; I loved the addition of the actual illustrations in the book, and the little animations in the corner. However, the Kami thing fell short for me. Since this is set in Japan, of course the villains are the yakuza. The whole conflict had potential, but I found the execution a little tired; I just didn't care about Katie and Tomohiro as characters, so I didn't care what happened to them. Jun, surprise, turned out to be a cliche-spouting villain who wants to take over Japan, and that's when the story lost me entirely, I think.
This first half of this book, setting aside, is just not good. It reads like your average cliche high school romance--dangerous guy, clueless girl who goes after him anyway because he's stunning. And slight love-triangle with Jun, who we keep encountering! (By guzen! [coincidence]) I say slight, because though Katie notices how good-looking he is, whenever she's with him she just wants to escape so she can go stalk Tomohiro again.
sigh. But once the ink element is finally revealed, the book starts to pick up. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough to rescue the book on the whole, and it began to really drag. I was bored, and couldn't wait to be finished. Alas.
Despite how predictable the plot is, I really loved reading it!
This book had me in tears quite a few times. I get so caught up in the love and compassion Tomo and Katie share. It's amazing.
I actually kind of liked this book. Katie left something to be desired, but other than that, it was enjoyable. The premise most of all.
Imagination with japanese background! Worth reading and for learning new words!!!
It's a Did Not Finish for me. It simply couldn't hold my attention, and the stalkery behaviour of the main character was really upsetting and distracting from whatever the story was supposed to be. I felt like the author had read way too many manga and wanted to write like that – didn't work for me.
It is definitely worth mentioning how authentic the Japanese setting felt to me – the school and behaviour of the students really oozed off the page, giving a strong sense of place and culture, which was really well done. Unfortunately, the rest of the book (or at least as far as I got – about halfway) simply didn't live up to this.
I feel particularly guilty about not finishing this, as my copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
It is definitely worth mentioning how authentic the Japanese setting felt to me – the school and behaviour of the students really oozed off the page, giving a strong sense of place and culture, which was really well done. Unfortunately, the rest of the book (or at least as far as I got – about halfway) simply didn't live up to this.
I feel particularly guilty about not finishing this, as my copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
Jag tyckte denna bok var väldigt bra, men inte en femma. Vill verkligen läsa de andra två, fast får nog läsa de på engelska. Kanske väntar tills de kommer på svenska, men vi får helt enkelt se.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This started out as a pretty good book. I liked the setting, I love Japanese culture and yes I watch J and K dramas so I was hoping this one will shape out as one of them. But cooler. Don’t judge me. The author did a very good job with the feel of the culture and people. At least at the beginning of the book. I wanted to have a better description of the city, though. I didn’t manage to form an image for it in my mind and it kind of frustrated me, among other things that I will mention as we go on.
As I mentioned before, the book was pretty good for about 2-3 chapters. Then Katie, our lovely MC, meets Tomohiro, the hot Japanese dude, and she becomes obsessed with him. Literally obsessed.
I can’t believe the amount of stupid shit this girl did. Climbing a tall wall and screaming after a stranger like a lunatic only to remember that you’re wearing a skirt and half the school can see your underwear. Buying a bike just to stalk your current obsession BECAUSE you’re sure he’s up to something! What the hell?!
What he was hiding, why he was pushing me away.
He’s just a stranger who wants nothing to do with you. And you are a stalker who keeps on bothering him. It’s that simple.
Maybe he was onto me. Maybe he was messing with me again.
Another thing that pissed me off about this book is the love triangle. Of course we had to have a love triangle. And it’s forced as fuck. What would a Young Adult book be without a love triangle? Our lovely Katie Greene gets not one, but two guys with overly sweet smelling hair gels. It’s Japan after all; they all have hair gels and ear rings. It’s a thing there. So yeah, you get the too sweet, too kind, always there to help third wheel. You need to teach young girls to friendzone the good guys and go for the dicks. That’s how life goes.
Another thing that bothered me, small as it is, is how easy the Mc managed to have complex conversations in Japanese only after a few months of studying the language. As far as I know Japanese is a difficult language and requires a lot of time to master. Is she a genius for managing to achieve this so fast? She didn’t act like a genius throughout the part that I
What else didn’t I pick on? The story is silly and boring, the characters are cheesy and boring. There were some drawings in the book – they looked cool. Not really impressed for some reason. And Katie and Tomohiro’s relationship “evolved” way too fast.
“Warui,” he whispered in apology, and I knew then that I couldn’t live without him, even when he was infuriating. Which was pretty much all the time.
And the drop that filled the cup
“Suki,” he breathed, I love you, and then the softness of his lips pressed against mine and the world caught fire, everything light and f lame and burning.
Ok, so first of all, from what I know, Japanese people take their time with dropping the “I love you” bomb more than Westerners. They go more for something like “I like you” first and “I love you” when it’s really serious. I’m 50% in and he’s already declaring his love. This is complete bull.
After this point I couldn’t make myself go on with the book and I had to drop it. I have no idea if things get better later on, and to tell you the truth I don’t give a monkey’s ass if they do, and I really don’t care about any of the characters. If it were to me they should all die and save ourselves the trouble of reading these silly books. Cancel a series, save a tree. You know, important stuff.
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