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A review by the_cover_contessa
Rain by Amanda Sun
4.0
I want to thank Harlequin Teen for providing me with an early copy of this book to read for an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.
Blurb from Goodreads:
American Katie Green has decided to stay in Japan. She's started to build a life in the city of Shizuoka, and she can't imagine leaving behind her friends, her aunt and especially Tomohiro, the guy she's fallen in love with. But her return is not as simple as she thought. She's flunking out of Japanese school and committing cultural faux pas wherever she goes. Tomohiro is also struggling—as a Kami, his connection to the ancient gods of Japan and his power to bring drawings to life have begun to spiral out of control.
When Tomo decides to stop drawing, the ink finds other ways to seep into his life—blackouts, threatening messages and the appearance of unexplained sketches. Unsure how to help Tomo, Katie turns to an unexpected source for help—Jun, her former friend and a Kami with an agenda of his own. But is Jun really the ally he claims to be? In order to save themselves, Katie and Tomohiro must unravel the truth about Tomo's dark ancestry, as well as Katie's, and confront one of the darkest gods in Japanese legend.
When I received Ink at BEA last year, I wasn't sure what I would think about it. So I just jumped right in and hoped it would be something I would enjoy. And I'm so glad I did. So you can imagine I've been waiting for this book to be in my hands for a while. I was so excited when I was able to get a copy to read because while the first book did not end in a cliff hanger that had me chomping at the bit, I really needed to know what happened next in the story.
If you haven't read Ink, then stop! This review may contain spoilers. So you've been forewarned!
The story picks up pretty much where Ink left off. Katie is supposed to leave and go back to Canada to live with her grandparents, but she changes her mind and decides Japan is where she needs to be. I'm glad she decided to stay. I needed to see what would happen if she continued to be around Tomor, how the Ink would react, and how he would react to it.
Katie continues to be a strong character. I love that she just can't keep away from Tomo, no matter how much she knows he may be a danger to her. Her bond to him is too strong to break. But that doesn't mean she's not somewhat scared of him. She's very curious about her own link to the Ink, though, and Tomo seems to be her connection to that. And Katie has so much more on her plate, now. She's been through so much with the Kami. And every thing she does in Rain puts her in more and more danger. But she is determined to get to the bottom of her connection with the Ink.
Tomo, he's so broken and hopeless. He knows he is Kami and there is nothing he can do about it. He knows he is not good for Katie, but he can't keep himself from loving her and wanting to be with her. No matter how much he pushes her away, they always end up back together. But the ink is taking over and he's becoming more and more erratic. He's also losing himself to it and it's affecting his relationship with everyone around him. He can't decide if he should draw or not draw, which would help him counter his reaction to the ink?
Enter Jun, who obviously has his own thing for Katie. But she is not sure if she should trust him with her secrets, even though he seems to be genuine about his concern for her and Tomo. Honestly, I didn't now whether or not to trust him and I still don't! He seems to have a good heart, with good intentions, but there's something missing in the way he goes about interacting with Katie.
Finally we have Shiori. I can honestly say I'm just not a fan. And I'm sure Sun meant for me to feel that way. She's very selfish and obviously in love with Tomo. He does everything to help her feel wanted, but he is honest in telling her that he doesn't want anymore with her. But she can't accept this and taunts Katie with the fact that she believes she's not good for Tomo, that she can't give Tomo what he needs because she is American and doesn't understand him culturally. I wanted to slap her most of the book (even though she's pregnant) and had absolutely NO sympathy for her whatsoever.
As with Ink, Sun's writing is, well, WOW. I really enjoyed how she was able to describe Japan. I've never been there, but I can really picture the places she describes in my mind. And the romantic moments and action moments and all other moments in the book had me running right along with the characters. I could feel their emotions: their fear, their love, their confusion.
I think my favorite part of the book was Jun's development. You see so much more of him in this book. And the twist you learn about his character makes you understand all his actions during the first and the second books. Some people who read this did not like the re-introduction of the love triangle we saw in the first book. Personally, I saw it as a necessary evil. When Jun's intentions are finally revealed in the end, it makes sense that Sun needed to have him close to Kate.
Like Ink, I really enjoyed this book. I have to say that the beginning was fast but it did have a dip of action and slowing down of pace in the middle. This didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book, though. Sun is able to infuse Japanese culture in a way that makes you understand it and doesn't overwhelm you. The romance is nice as it's not overdone. The interactions between Katie and Tomo are real and genuine. The paranormal element, like in Ink, is so different than any other paranormal you might read. Overall a great sequel to the story which left me wanting more!
Blurb from Goodreads:
American Katie Green has decided to stay in Japan. She's started to build a life in the city of Shizuoka, and she can't imagine leaving behind her friends, her aunt and especially Tomohiro, the guy she's fallen in love with. But her return is not as simple as she thought. She's flunking out of Japanese school and committing cultural faux pas wherever she goes. Tomohiro is also struggling—as a Kami, his connection to the ancient gods of Japan and his power to bring drawings to life have begun to spiral out of control.
When Tomo decides to stop drawing, the ink finds other ways to seep into his life—blackouts, threatening messages and the appearance of unexplained sketches. Unsure how to help Tomo, Katie turns to an unexpected source for help—Jun, her former friend and a Kami with an agenda of his own. But is Jun really the ally he claims to be? In order to save themselves, Katie and Tomohiro must unravel the truth about Tomo's dark ancestry, as well as Katie's, and confront one of the darkest gods in Japanese legend.
When I received Ink at BEA last year, I wasn't sure what I would think about it. So I just jumped right in and hoped it would be something I would enjoy. And I'm so glad I did. So you can imagine I've been waiting for this book to be in my hands for a while. I was so excited when I was able to get a copy to read because while the first book did not end in a cliff hanger that had me chomping at the bit, I really needed to know what happened next in the story.
If you haven't read Ink, then stop! This review may contain spoilers. So you've been forewarned!
The story picks up pretty much where Ink left off. Katie is supposed to leave and go back to Canada to live with her grandparents, but she changes her mind and decides Japan is where she needs to be. I'm glad she decided to stay. I needed to see what would happen if she continued to be around Tomor, how the Ink would react, and how he would react to it.
Katie continues to be a strong character. I love that she just can't keep away from Tomo, no matter how much she knows he may be a danger to her. Her bond to him is too strong to break. But that doesn't mean she's not somewhat scared of him. She's very curious about her own link to the Ink, though, and Tomo seems to be her connection to that. And Katie has so much more on her plate, now. She's been through so much with the Kami. And every thing she does in Rain puts her in more and more danger. But she is determined to get to the bottom of her connection with the Ink.
Tomo, he's so broken and hopeless. He knows he is Kami and there is nothing he can do about it. He knows he is not good for Katie, but he can't keep himself from loving her and wanting to be with her. No matter how much he pushes her away, they always end up back together. But the ink is taking over and he's becoming more and more erratic. He's also losing himself to it and it's affecting his relationship with everyone around him. He can't decide if he should draw or not draw, which would help him counter his reaction to the ink?
Enter Jun, who obviously has his own thing for Katie. But she is not sure if she should trust him with her secrets, even though he seems to be genuine about his concern for her and Tomo. Honestly, I didn't now whether or not to trust him and I still don't! He seems to have a good heart, with good intentions, but there's something missing in the way he goes about interacting with Katie.
Finally we have Shiori. I can honestly say I'm just not a fan. And I'm sure Sun meant for me to feel that way. She's very selfish and obviously in love with Tomo. He does everything to help her feel wanted, but he is honest in telling her that he doesn't want anymore with her. But she can't accept this and taunts Katie with the fact that she believes she's not good for Tomo, that she can't give Tomo what he needs because she is American and doesn't understand him culturally. I wanted to slap her most of the book (even though she's pregnant) and had absolutely NO sympathy for her whatsoever.
As with Ink, Sun's writing is, well, WOW. I really enjoyed how she was able to describe Japan. I've never been there, but I can really picture the places she describes in my mind. And the romantic moments and action moments and all other moments in the book had me running right along with the characters. I could feel their emotions: their fear, their love, their confusion.
I think my favorite part of the book was Jun's development. You see so much more of him in this book. And the twist you learn about his character makes you understand all his actions during the first and the second books. Some people who read this did not like the re-introduction of the love triangle we saw in the first book. Personally, I saw it as a necessary evil. When Jun's intentions are finally revealed in the end, it makes sense that Sun needed to have him close to Kate.
Like Ink, I really enjoyed this book. I have to say that the beginning was fast but it did have a dip of action and slowing down of pace in the middle. This didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book, though. Sun is able to infuse Japanese culture in a way that makes you understand it and doesn't overwhelm you. The romance is nice as it's not overdone. The interactions between Katie and Tomo are real and genuine. The paranormal element, like in Ink, is so different than any other paranormal you might read. Overall a great sequel to the story which left me wanting more!