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sea_su's review
5.0
I absolutely love this series and I thought this book was as good as the first. I had to reread the first because I couldn’t remember what happened and I'm probably going to have to read both Ink and Rain again because the sequel doesn’t come out till next summer unfortunately.
Katie decides to stay in Japan and Tomo is a bit frustrated at first but he's happy she's there. Throughout the book they try to figure out how to control Tomo’s ink and that honestly goes nowhere except to learn about the Amaterasu and her descendants, which made everything really confusing for me to be honest. Hard to keep up how the story goes with her. (According to wiki if it helps any): Amaterasu is a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun but also of the universe. She is the sister of Susanoo, god of storm, the sea, and of Tsukiyomi (who is the god of the moon). There's apparently many different versions of the story so there's no way to tell exactly what went down. At the end of the book we find out Tomo has two kami’s blood in him, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. His father from Amaterasu and his mother an heir from Tsukiyomi. The ink in his father never awoke. Tsukiyomi was the lover of Amaterasu and she betrayed him.
But figuring out how Tomo’s going to control it is just part of the entire series. There's Jun whose descended from Susanoo, which makes him evil. Then there's The Yakuza wanting a kami to do their dirty work, Katie trying to keep up with Japanese school and her friends. We also get to see Shiori’s real side which pissed me the fuck off. Chapters 16 & 17 were pure torture with me yelling at the book. But the moments with Katie and Tomo were too cute. I love the authors writing and when this series is over I really hope she continues writing.
Katie decides to stay in Japan and Tomo is a bit frustrated at first but he's happy she's there. Throughout the book they try to figure out how to control Tomo’s ink and that honestly goes nowhere except to learn about the Amaterasu and her descendants, which made everything really confusing for me to be honest. Hard to keep up how the story goes with her. (According to wiki if it helps any): Amaterasu is a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun but also of the universe. She is the sister of Susanoo, god of storm, the sea, and of Tsukiyomi (who is the god of the moon). There's apparently many different versions of the story so there's no way to tell exactly what went down. At the end of the book we find out Tomo has two kami’s blood in him, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. His father from Amaterasu and his mother an heir from Tsukiyomi. The ink in his father never awoke. Tsukiyomi was the lover of Amaterasu and she betrayed him.
But figuring out how Tomo’s going to control it is just part of the entire series. There's Jun whose descended from Susanoo, which makes him evil. Then there's The Yakuza wanting a kami to do their dirty work, Katie trying to keep up with Japanese school and her friends. We also get to see Shiori’s real side which pissed me the fuck off. Chapters 16 & 17 were pure torture with me yelling at the book. But the moments with Katie and Tomo were too cute. I love the authors writing and when this series is over I really hope she continues writing.
cosy_novel_niche's review
4.0
3.5 stars for the second book in this trilogy.
I liked the second one much better than the first because there was more space for action, however I cannot shake off the feeling that it had such a higher potential. The characters have just too many irrational and extreme reactions to everything..a bit too much drama-queen like for me.
Still the story about Kami and Ink is intriguing, so I will read the last book as soon as possible.
I liked the second one much better than the first because there was more space for action, however I cannot shake off the feeling that it had such a higher potential. The characters have just too many irrational and extreme reactions to everything..a bit too much drama-queen like for me.
Still the story about Kami and Ink is intriguing, so I will read the last book as soon as possible.
ctep's review
3.0
I was definitely excited to see where this book would take our pair. Katie and Tomo are off on another adventure and I was surprised at how their relationship not only grew but how Diane was oblivious to what was going on. More excuses were being made, more characters were lashing out. It was a nice ride.
fictionalkate's review
4.0
Katie Greene knew staying in Japan would be difficult. Her boyfriend is a target of the Yakuza and has the powers of ancient Japanese paper gods running though his veins. Trying to control the ink is difficult for Tomo and only made harder by Katie's effect on his drawings. But unable to stay away, Katie is determined to help Tomo manage his Kami powers. The ink is growing stronger every moment they are together and between Takahashi Jun trying to get them to join his Kami group and Ishikawa still tied to the Yakuza, things aren't looking good for Katie and Tomo.
As a second book of a series, Rain does a brilliant job of bringing everything I liked about Ink along with new and exciting twists. As a book set in Asia with an American main character, Amanda Sun does Katie's cultural struggles justice. She has to cope with living in a country speaking a language she's not fluent with and try to keep up - both academically and personally. Relationships follow a different code with different expectations between dating couples than what Katie is familiar with and school - nothing really could have prepared her for that. But Katie is strong and resilient.
Tomo's powers are stronger than ever. But in order to help him, Katie has to learn more about the Kami and how they influence the ink. Not knowing where else to turn, Katie starts meeting with Takahashi Jun in secret. Considering Jun wants more than just friendship, Katie knows it's risky but there isn't anything she wouldn't do for Tomo - except stay away. I liked how Katie's relationships grew with both these boys over the course of the novel. Tomo is growing darker and more unpredictable but Katie is determined to do whatever she can. Her own powers are a mystery and Jun seems to hold the answers. Katie's romance with Tomo is cheeky, funny, lovely and just a bit dangerous. The progression of their relationship was a pleasure to read.
The mythology in this book is nicely interwoven with Katie and Tomo's story. I'm not familiar with Japanese legends but I really enjoyed how Sun explained the Kami. We get to discover them and their history along with Katie. Regarding the Paper Gods, there are some interesting discoveries and a few more mysteries along the way to be discovered.
If you liked Ink, then I think you'll love Rain. Rain is not just a bridging book between a brilliant first novel and the last in a trilogy. It is full of a lot of drama, excitement, betrayal and action. I can not wait to see what is going to happen in the third book of the Paper God series! If you are looking for a story touching on mythology that's a little bit different then this series is for you. Romance, action and gods not quite like any I've read before, Rain is a fantastic follow up. and I'm looking forward to the third book!
Thanks to Harlequin Australia for the review copy
As a second book of a series, Rain does a brilliant job of bringing everything I liked about Ink along with new and exciting twists. As a book set in Asia with an American main character, Amanda Sun does Katie's cultural struggles justice. She has to cope with living in a country speaking a language she's not fluent with and try to keep up - both academically and personally. Relationships follow a different code with different expectations between dating couples than what Katie is familiar with and school - nothing really could have prepared her for that. But Katie is strong and resilient.
Tomo's powers are stronger than ever. But in order to help him, Katie has to learn more about the Kami and how they influence the ink. Not knowing where else to turn, Katie starts meeting with Takahashi Jun in secret. Considering Jun wants more than just friendship, Katie knows it's risky but there isn't anything she wouldn't do for Tomo - except stay away. I liked how Katie's relationships grew with both these boys over the course of the novel. Tomo is growing darker and more unpredictable but Katie is determined to do whatever she can. Her own powers are a mystery and Jun seems to hold the answers. Katie's romance with Tomo is cheeky, funny, lovely and just a bit dangerous. The progression of their relationship was a pleasure to read.
The mythology in this book is nicely interwoven with Katie and Tomo's story. I'm not familiar with Japanese legends but I really enjoyed how Sun explained the Kami. We get to discover them and their history along with Katie. Regarding the Paper Gods, there are some interesting discoveries and a few more mysteries along the way to be discovered.
If you liked Ink, then I think you'll love Rain. Rain is not just a bridging book between a brilliant first novel and the last in a trilogy. It is full of a lot of drama, excitement, betrayal and action. I can not wait to see what is going to happen in the third book of the Paper God series! If you are looking for a story touching on mythology that's a little bit different then this series is for you. Romance, action and gods not quite like any I've read before, Rain is a fantastic follow up. and I'm looking forward to the third book!
Thanks to Harlequin Australia for the review copy
mogarc's review
4.0
Just like the first book, Ink, I really enjoyed reading this. Can't wait for book 3!!
celastine's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
greylandreviews's review
4.0
Cover is so GORGEOUS! I give this book 4 stars and a spot on my Beautiful Covers of 2014. You can see the full review here->Greyland Reviews
lauratien's review
4.0
This review of Rain originally appears on Laura Plus Books.
*Minor spoilers for Ink in this review.*
Rain is the second in the Paper Gods series. I read and enjoyed the first book, Ink when it first came out last year. To be completely honest with you, I picked up the series because the covers are just so gorgeous. I mean, just look at it! But then I found out about the concept and I was hooked. The main character is American Katie who moves to Japan where she meets not one, but 2 extremely sexy boys. Of course, they both have their magical secrets and in this book we find out how their secrets intertwine. Shit goes down!
My absolute favourite part about this book is how fast it went. I felt like there was always something exciting happening whether it involve the magical ink or their love lives. Now, as you probably expected, there is a love triangle involved in the story. I personally felt like it added a lot to the story and there wouldn’t be much without it. However, the execution didn’t work for me. The characters and their emotions could have been portrayed more thoroughly. I could let all this go though because I felt like the characters had an excuse to fall in love because of the magic involved.
Also, this book is set in Japan. It was literally so beautiful! Amanda Sun’s writing has some kind of edge that makes the world ten times better in my head. Or that could just be me… But I’m going to believe that it was the writing. The were also pictures! YAY! The water colour images brought the whole story to life. Not to mention that they were just gorgeous as well.
The one thing that really pissed me off was that it was all so predictable. I could probably figure out how the book would end within the first few chapters of the book. I love the whole idea of the story a lot but I don’t think I actually love the story. I’m hoping that the next book will blow me away because it has so much potential.
I do still recommend this book though! If you love Japan, magic or love then this book is for you. Ink comes to life and so does the story. Huge thank you to Harlequin Teen for sending me this ARC/review copy!
*Minor spoilers for Ink in this review.*
Rain is the second in the Paper Gods series. I read and enjoyed the first book, Ink when it first came out last year. To be completely honest with you, I picked up the series because the covers are just so gorgeous. I mean, just look at it! But then I found out about the concept and I was hooked. The main character is American Katie who moves to Japan where she meets not one, but 2 extremely sexy boys. Of course, they both have their magical secrets and in this book we find out how their secrets intertwine. Shit goes down!
My absolute favourite part about this book is how fast it went. I felt like there was always something exciting happening whether it involve the magical ink or their love lives. Now, as you probably expected, there is a love triangle involved in the story. I personally felt like it added a lot to the story and there wouldn’t be much without it. However, the execution didn’t work for me. The characters and their emotions could have been portrayed more thoroughly. I could let all this go though because I felt like the characters had an excuse to fall in love because of the magic involved.
Also, this book is set in Japan. It was literally so beautiful! Amanda Sun’s writing has some kind of edge that makes the world ten times better in my head. Or that could just be me… But I’m going to believe that it was the writing. The were also pictures! YAY! The water colour images brought the whole story to life. Not to mention that they were just gorgeous as well.
The one thing that really pissed me off was that it was all so predictable. I could probably figure out how the book would end within the first few chapters of the book. I love the whole idea of the story a lot but I don’t think I actually love the story. I’m hoping that the next book will blow me away because it has so much potential.
I do still recommend this book though! If you love Japan, magic or love then this book is for you. Ink comes to life and so does the story. Huge thank you to Harlequin Teen for sending me this ARC/review copy!
foodtabas's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5