Shadow (The Paper Gods, #0.5)

by Amanda Sun

[Angie]

Shadow is a quick prequel novella which serves as an introduction to Katie and Tomohiro. While it's told in dual POV, Ink is actually told from only Katie's perspective, so it was nice to get a bit of Tomohiro's story through his own eyes first. What I liked best about this was that we're thrust into Japanese culture right along side Katie. After her mother's death, she's sent to live with her aunt in Japan. She has the option of staying with a family friend across town, but ultimately decides to take the plunge. It's overwhelming to her at first, since she barely speaks the language and definitely doesn't read it. Plus a lot of stuff is just different. Luckily, Aunt Diane is there to point these differences out and explain them to Katie (and to the reader). I'm definitely glad I read this first, since it gives us some foundation and background about the setting before diving into the main novel.

I wasn't quite as into Tomohiro's chapters. The first one was a bit confusing, so I had trouble settling into his story. However, as it moves forward, it's clear that something strange is happening to him. I had no clue what, since we're just told that he's been "marked" and chosen for something. We also get a peek into his relationship. He's not that into her, or at least he doesn't act like it. He doesn't like getting close to people because of what's happening to him, so he regrets starting this relationship. Of course, it's obvious that he's going to be the love interest, and therefore needs to break up with her.

I just don't think Shadow did as well of a job as introducing Tomohiro as it did with Katie, other than giving us an explanation behind his standoffishness. I'd still suggest giving this one a read before Ink though, since it helps ease into the Japanese culture and has a handy glossary at the end.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.