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tiareleine's review
4.0
If you read my review of [b:Ink|13423346|Ink (Paper Gods, #1)|Amanda Sun|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349382349s/13423346.jpg|18878425], you'll know that I didn't really like that book. But I have this problems where I have really really really hard time not finishing series that I start, so the threshold for my "dnf-series" shelf is way up there. Because it was mostly the characters I didn't like in Ink, not the plot or the setting or the writing style, Rain found its way into my to-read pile.
And I'm glad it did (though it may make my habit of compulsively continuing series worse)
This book is a huge improvement from the first book. Basically, everything about this book has been made better. I even went back to my review of the Ink, to see what I hadn't liked, and I found that none of the problems I had with Ink remain in Rain!
The biggest problem I had with Ink was Katie. In the first book, she was immature, demanding, and irrational. How is she different now? Well, she's matured. That's for damn sure. She pays attention to her responsibilities, solves problems, and takes things in stride. She's not demanding anymore. Instead of asking a million questions to everyone around her, she's begun to take things into her own hands to find answers. They're not going to come to her, so she's going to go to them. Also, she's not nearly as irrational. She's trying harder to understand, both the situation with the Kami and the culture she now lives in. This is character development at its finest, and I like that.
The other biggest problem I had was with Tomohiro--who was a massive asshole in Ink. He's given up his mysterious and broody ways (thankfully) to become the nice guy Katie always insisted was under his shell. I hated this guy's guts in Ink (well, at least, according to my review), but it's become clear that this is really who he is, and that how he acted before was just an act. (Okay, I don't really buy the whole "just an act" thing, but his character is being written different--nicer--and I really like it).
Of course, the elements of Ink that were strong (notice how I said it wasn't the plot or the setting or the writing style that pissed me off)--the mythology and the imagery of Japan--are just as strong in Rain, and are still where the book really shines. Especially now that we're starting to get the explanation portion of the series. I'm not claiming to be an expert in Japanese mythology, I'm not claiming to even know a single thing about it, so excuse me if I'm wrong, but it was weaved into the story in a way that made sense.
The one thing that bothered me about Rain was the brief flirtation with a love triangle. I knew Katie and Tomohiro were going to be together, so I didn't shelve Rain on my love-triangle shelf, but all the drama was an annoyance.
My favorite part of Rain, which was also my favorite part of Ink, were the drawings. I love the art in this book. There are some paintings by the chapter headings, and a few scattered throughout the story, all in the same style as the cover art. It adds an extra layer to the book.
If you read Ink and are unsure of whether to continue, I recommend giving Rain a chance.
And I'm glad it did (though it may make my habit of compulsively continuing series worse)
This book is a huge improvement from the first book. Basically, everything about this book has been made better. I even went back to my review of the Ink, to see what I hadn't liked, and I found that none of the problems I had with Ink remain in Rain!
The biggest problem I had with Ink was Katie. In the first book, she was immature, demanding, and irrational. How is she different now? Well, she's matured. That's for damn sure. She pays attention to her responsibilities, solves problems, and takes things in stride. She's not demanding anymore. Instead of asking a million questions to everyone around her, she's begun to take things into her own hands to find answers. They're not going to come to her, so she's going to go to them. Also, she's not nearly as irrational. She's trying harder to understand, both the situation with the Kami and the culture she now lives in. This is character development at its finest, and I like that.
The other biggest problem I had was with Tomohiro--who was a massive asshole in Ink. He's given up his mysterious and broody ways (thankfully) to become the nice guy Katie always insisted was under his shell. I hated this guy's guts in Ink (well, at least, according to my review), but it's become clear that this is really who he is, and that how he acted before was just an act. (Okay, I don't really buy the whole "just an act" thing, but his character is being written different--nicer--and I really like it).
Of course, the elements of Ink that were strong (notice how I said it wasn't the plot or the setting or the writing style that pissed me off)--the mythology and the imagery of Japan--are just as strong in Rain, and are still where the book really shines. Especially now that we're starting to get the explanation portion of the series. I'm not claiming to be an expert in Japanese mythology, I'm not claiming to even know a single thing about it, so excuse me if I'm wrong, but it was weaved into the story in a way that made sense.
The one thing that bothered me about Rain was the brief flirtation with a love triangle. I knew Katie and Tomohiro were going to be together, so I didn't shelve Rain on my love-triangle shelf, but all the drama was an annoyance.
My favorite part of Rain, which was also my favorite part of Ink, were the drawings. I love the art in this book. There are some paintings by the chapter headings, and a few scattered throughout the story, all in the same style as the cover art. It adds an extra layer to the book.
If you read Ink and are unsure of whether to continue, I recommend giving Rain a chance.
morganavalyn's review
4.0
Made me want to read the third one ASAP, even though it's not out till June! So sad. Perfect story. It made me feel like I was watching an anime.
robert_redmann's review
3.0
One thing that I continue to love about [a:Amanda Sun|4649677|Amanda Sun|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1349367928p2/4649677.jpg]’s Paper Gods series is the mythology behind the Kami. It may not be an original idea; basing a book’s narrative around a mythological race, but it is a fresh take on the idea. [b:Rain|22326735|Rain|Amanda Sun|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410798526s/22326735.jpg|25473104] delved even deeper into the Kami mythos and, in my opinion, the book was even better for it.
One of my biggest pet peeves when I’m reading any book, though I do find it to be a bit more prevalent in YA, is when the main character is utterly indecisive. It irritates me to no end when, chapter after chapter, the main character changes his or her mind about their current predicament/situation. Unfortunately, that was also a big problem with Katie in this book. She consistently wavers back and forth between her decision to stay in Japan, and her decision to stay with Tomohiro that, as I read, I wanted to reach into the book, shake her, and tell her to make up her damn mind.
The relationship between Tomohiro and Katie really begins to show signs of strain in Rain (rhyming? Don’t mind if I do). We begin to witness Tomo’s impatience with Katie’s friendship to Jun, as well as Katie’s insecurities about Tomo and Shiori. One relationship that really entertained me in this book though, was the burgeoning friendship between Sato and Katie. For two people who outright hated each other in the first installment of this series, they really improved by leaps and bounds this time around.
Japan is, as ever, described absolutely beautifully in Rain, as it was in [b:Ink|18440770|Ink|Amanda Sun|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410153785s/18440770.jpg|18878425]. I like how Sun continues to add local festivals and celebrations into the book, adding a completely immersive experience that I absolutely adored. I also liked how she shows more of Katie’s cultural faux-pas in this book, truly marking her as a gaijin in a way that I don’t feel the first book really explored. It made you realize how truly out of her depth Katie is in Japan.
While it wasn’t the best sequel to a series I’ve ever read, Rain had all of the elements to make me come back for more. I would give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars.
As much as I'd wanted to stay in Japan to be with him, the real reason was that I wanted control of my life. I was connected to the ink, and I belonged here.
One of my biggest pet peeves when I’m reading any book, though I do find it to be a bit more prevalent in YA, is when the main character is utterly indecisive. It irritates me to no end when, chapter after chapter, the main character changes his or her mind about their current predicament/situation. Unfortunately, that was also a big problem with Katie in this book. She consistently wavers back and forth between her decision to stay in Japan, and her decision to stay with Tomohiro that, as I read, I wanted to reach into the book, shake her, and tell her to make up her damn mind.
Tomohiro's hands slid down my arms to my hips, pulling me closer. He made a gentle noise deep in his throat and every nerve in my body tingled with the sound of it. I clung to him as I kissed him, and his fingers threaded into my hair. This was the welcome home I'd waited for.
The relationship between Tomohiro and Katie really begins to show signs of strain in Rain (rhyming? Don’t mind if I do). We begin to witness Tomo’s impatience with Katie’s friendship to Jun, as well as Katie’s insecurities about Tomo and Shiori. One relationship that really entertained me in this book though, was the burgeoning friendship between Sato and Katie. For two people who outright hated each other in the first installment of this series, they really improved by leaps and bounds this time around.
Japan is, as ever, described absolutely beautifully in Rain, as it was in [b:Ink|18440770|Ink|Amanda Sun|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410153785s/18440770.jpg|18878425]. I like how Sun continues to add local festivals and celebrations into the book, adding a completely immersive experience that I absolutely adored. I also liked how she shows more of Katie’s cultural faux-pas in this book, truly marking her as a gaijin in a way that I don’t feel the first book really explored. It made you realize how truly out of her depth Katie is in Japan.
While it wasn’t the best sequel to a series I’ve ever read, Rain had all of the elements to make me come back for more. I would give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars.
derbereh's review
4.0
I was very much looking forward to this book, seeing as I enjoyed Ink so much. I enjoyed reading this book overall. I thought it flowed very nicely, but at times I felt that there was something missing - I still can't figure out exactly what that is.
As with Ink, this book gave a wonderful insight into a foreign culture - especially as a complete outsider like Katie. I liked how real her struggles not to make a cultural faux pas were.
I would have liked to have seen more of Yuki and Tanaka, because I absolutely adore them, especially Yuki's little chats with Tomo...
I was actually quite annoyed with Tomohiro throughout this book, what with his constant angst and all that. In the middle I really found myself preferring a certain other person to him, until That Thing That Happens at the end.
And oh my god, it never ceases to amaze me what these American teenagers get away with in books, even in other countries. Diane lets Katie away with absolutely everything.
I'm just going to say this: Shiori. Oh my god. What.
Anyway, this was a nice book that got me through a particularly boring morning of babysitting. I am very intrigued to find out what happens next.
As with Ink, this book gave a wonderful insight into a foreign culture - especially as a complete outsider like Katie. I liked how real her struggles not to make a cultural faux pas were.
I would have liked to have seen more of Yuki and Tanaka, because I absolutely adore them, especially Yuki's little chats with Tomo...
I was actually quite annoyed with Tomohiro throughout this book, what with his constant angst and all that. In the middle I really found myself preferring a certain other person to him, until That Thing That Happens at the end.
And oh my god, it never ceases to amaze me what these American teenagers get away with in books, even in other countries. Diane lets Katie away with absolutely everything.
I'm just going to say this: Shiori. Oh my god. What.
Anyway, this was a nice book that got me through a particularly boring morning of babysitting. I am very intrigued to find out what happens next.
tvarsofhvnii's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
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
folklaureate's review
3.0
My anticipation for Rain over the past year is what I think made me like this book less than the first book. Of course I enjoyed Rain, but to give it a three rating rather than a four rating was due to the bumps in the roads by the plot holes that arose throughout the novel.
Rain starts out with beautiful and vivid imagery of Japanese culture regarding the clothing that Katie and her friends, Yuki and Tanaka, are wearing as they make their way to a firework festival, something that I cannot wait to attend when I study abroad in Japan. Amanda Sun thankfully provides some recap surrounding characters and the end of the first novel, Ink, helping me remember what had happened at the end of the previous book after a year of reading it.
But after the first few chapters, Ink starts to become very patchy. Some chapters focus on finding out information about the Kami, the descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu; some chapters focused on Tomohiro's blackouts and breakdowns; some chapters focused on school life; some chapters focused on Jun and Tomohiro bitching at each other; and some chapters focused on Katie's wavering feelings between Tomohiro and Jun. Meanwhile, I felt that a lot of information was dropped abruptly just to make things finally click after chapters and chapters of filler. And then plot holes, mainly Tomohiro's pregnant friend Shiori, and Jun, popping up all over the place unexplained just to cause conflict. And Shiori's conflict was just positively irking.
The relationship conflict within Rain happened to be, what I believe, the main travesty of this novel. The love triangle relationship that Katie doesn't stop herself from falling into. The extremely bitchy jealous girls on both Tomohiro and Jun's side because they both fawn over Katie. And just Katie's overall actions surrounding her relationship with Tomohiro whether it be her going behind his back to see and speak with Jun, or her sparking feelings for him/her dreams with him that frustrate me because of the unnecessary addition of a second potential love interest in this novel when the star-crossed lovers aspect of Tomohiro and Katie is working out so well! Tomohiro is such a sweet, gentle, and protective person around Katie and only wishes for her happiness and well-being her even if it means that they cannot be together. Why does Jun need to be added to the mix? It is fine to leave the fact that Jun likes Katie, that is all well and dandy, but don't ruin a perfectly good relationship between Tomohiro and Katie by having her start to feel things for another boy. It is just so redundant in YA that it's ridiculous. And even if Amanda Sun was going for a manga-esque feel with her novel, even the love triangles in manga are over played.
I wish there was much more involvement with the secondary characters because they were much more interesting than the conflict between Tomohiro and Jun and Katie. Yuki were absolutely stupendous as Katie's best friend. And Ishikawa, who I thought was going to be bedridden the entire novel, his appearance and interaction with Katie and Tomohiro made him interesting to get to know. And as a main character, Tomohiro, I felt, was extremely realistic and an outstanding guy for Katie despite his fatal flaw, being a Kami, and the evil forces that are after him and his power. He, despite his feelings, understands the importance of her safety and her happiness, even if it means that he cannot be in the picture. But we all know that Katie is too stubborn, and will do anything to help Tomohiro control his Kami side. And Katie's dedication is her double-edge sword that both makes her and breaks her character.
The one thing that I really enjoyed in Ink that they didn't keep in Rain was the little flipbook pictures in the margins of the pages. This is just my personal preference, but what I enjoyed about those images was how the reader could flip the pages and make the pictures move, just like how the characters can make their images move in the novel. Making the readers Paper Gods was such a cute and inventive idea, that I'm sad they didn't keep in the sequel. Though, the artwork in the pages does continue and is still stunning as ever.
Final Summation: Rain, though did not live up to my expectations, did captivate me. Though some parts throughout the novel become boring, and the plot holes and love triangle made the road to reading the book quite unsettling, I did come to enjoy Rain by the end of the novel. I hope that the unanswered questions that Amanda Sun has left at the conclusion of Rain are answered in the final installment of this series, and I honestly do not know what to expect in this final novel, but I can''t wait to find out.
Rain starts out with beautiful and vivid imagery of Japanese culture regarding the clothing that Katie and her friends, Yuki and Tanaka, are wearing as they make their way to a firework festival, something that I cannot wait to attend when I study abroad in Japan. Amanda Sun thankfully provides some recap surrounding characters and the end of the first novel, Ink, helping me remember what had happened at the end of the previous book after a year of reading it.
But after the first few chapters, Ink starts to become very patchy. Some chapters focus on finding out information about the Kami, the descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu; some chapters focused on Tomohiro's blackouts and breakdowns; some chapters focused on school life; some chapters focused on Jun and Tomohiro bitching at each other; and some chapters focused on Katie's wavering feelings between Tomohiro and Jun. Meanwhile, I felt that a lot of information was dropped abruptly just to make things finally click after chapters and chapters of filler. And then plot holes, mainly Tomohiro's pregnant friend Shiori, and Jun, popping up all over the place unexplained just to cause conflict. And Shiori's conflict was just positively irking.
The relationship conflict within Rain happened to be, what I believe, the main travesty of this novel. The love triangle relationship that Katie doesn't stop herself from falling into. The extremely bitchy jealous girls on both Tomohiro and Jun's side because they both fawn over Katie. And just Katie's overall actions surrounding her relationship with Tomohiro whether it be her going behind his back to see and speak with Jun, or her sparking feelings for him/her dreams with him that frustrate me because of the unnecessary addition of a second potential love interest in this novel when the star-crossed lovers aspect of Tomohiro and Katie is working out so well! Tomohiro is such a sweet, gentle, and protective person around Katie and only wishes for her happiness and well-being her even if it means that they cannot be together. Why does Jun need to be added to the mix? It is fine to leave the fact that Jun likes Katie, that is all well and dandy, but don't ruin a perfectly good relationship between Tomohiro and Katie by having her start to feel things for another boy. It is just so redundant in YA that it's ridiculous. And even if Amanda Sun was going for a manga-esque feel with her novel, even the love triangles in manga are over played.
I wish there was much more involvement with the secondary characters because they were much more interesting than the conflict between Tomohiro and Jun and Katie. Yuki were absolutely stupendous as Katie's best friend. And Ishikawa, who I thought was going to be bedridden the entire novel, his appearance and interaction with Katie and Tomohiro made him interesting to get to know. And as a main character, Tomohiro, I felt, was extremely realistic and an outstanding guy for Katie despite his fatal flaw, being a Kami, and the evil forces that are after him and his power. He, despite his feelings, understands the importance of her safety and her happiness, even if it means that he cannot be in the picture. But we all know that Katie is too stubborn, and will do anything to help Tomohiro control his Kami side. And Katie's dedication is her double-edge sword that both makes her and breaks her character.
The one thing that I really enjoyed in Ink that they didn't keep in Rain was the little flipbook pictures in the margins of the pages. This is just my personal preference, but what I enjoyed about those images was how the reader could flip the pages and make the pictures move, just like how the characters can make their images move in the novel. Making the readers Paper Gods was such a cute and inventive idea, that I'm sad they didn't keep in the sequel. Though, the artwork in the pages does continue and is still stunning as ever.
Final Summation: Rain, though did not live up to my expectations, did captivate me. Though some parts throughout the novel become boring, and the plot holes and love triangle made the road to reading the book quite unsettling, I did come to enjoy Rain by the end of the novel. I hope that the unanswered questions that Amanda Sun has left at the conclusion of Rain are answered in the final installment of this series, and I honestly do not know what to expect in this final novel, but I can''t wait to find out.
venuzx's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0