The Rainshadow Orphans

Rainshadow #1

by Naomi Ishiguro

Featuring stenciled edges and original art for the front and back endpapers.

The first novel in a dazzling fantasy trilogy inspired by Japanese folklore and Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away, set within a mythical archipelago brimming with dragons and Sun Spirits, high-tech hackers and bubble tea.

Life is hard for the inhabitants of Rainshadow City, a place where poverty and corruption are rife and where they are terrorized by an underground criminal organization known as the Lucky Crows.

Toshiko, Jun and Mei Kawakami are a family, bonded through loyalty if not blood, who live outside the increasingly corrupt law and who are seeking revenge for the murder of their beloved “aunt” Reiko by the Lucky Crows. Haru is the son of the Emperor, destined to one day rule over the Archipelago and uphold his mother’s ignoble legacy, but he is more interested in making friends with the magical Sun Spirits it seems only he can see. Theo, forced to leave his homeland, is a reluctant foot-soldier for the Lucky Crows. He doesn’t want to be a gangster, but as an illegal immigrant to the city, his choices are severely limited.

When Toshiko steals a dragon pearl from the leader of the Crows, it sets them all on a thrilling path which will determine the future of Rainshadow City. Tightly set across two days and peopled with unforgettable characters, The Rainshadow Orphans blends the anime fantasy of works like Pokémon and Studio Ghibli and the anime science fiction of revolutionary cyberpunk like Akira to explore what it means to stand up to corruption and take charge of destiny.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Cozy, Adult, Mythology, Cozy Fantasy, Japan

640 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2026

About the author

Naomi Ishiguro studied writing at the University of East Anglia and is a former bookseller and bibliotherapist at Mr B.’s Emporium in Bath. She lives in London.

Reviews

[Zana]

DNF @ 84%

Not another YA fantasy novel disguised as adult.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to DNF. I was hoping for a huge plot twist that would keep me reading until the end, but there was nothing interesting. This was one of those fantasy novels where everything pretty much played out like how you would expect it, beat by beat.

This is a fantasy world with magic, but there are real world adjacent skyscrapers and computer technology. Yet they missed out on the development of gunpowder and weapons beyond swords and bows and arrows. No vehicles either, apparently. But somehow there are bots and boba machines. Make it make sense.

At the end of the day, this was literally just about a bunch of kids doing questionable and stupid shit. Add in some authoritarianism with an evil monarch, redlining, forcibly displacing vulnerable populations, etc. and what you see is what you get.

While these are topics I enjoy reading about in fantasy novels, the tone felt like it was targeted towards YA readers. Everything is overexplained and infodumped. The villains read like moustache twirling caricatures. The MCs read like your typical spunky kid archetype and all of its flavors. Everyone here is either a teen or younger and they definitely act like it.

Unfortunately, even the cool dragons couldn't save the story.

Thank you to S&S/Saga Press and NetGalley for this arc.

[kylie’s been jinxed ౨ৎ]

˚⊱🫧⊰˚ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝑶𝒓𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒔 ˚⊱🌧⊰˚

ᯓ 🌧 ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀɪɴsʜᴀᴅᴏᴡ ᴏʀᴘʜᴀɴs ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴍᴀʏ, 𝟸𝟼 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟼!
⤿ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 𝟺.25 sᴛᴀʀs!! ★★★★☆
⤿ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪs ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ: ғᴀɴᴛᴀsᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ, ʀᴇʙᴇʟʟɪᴏɴs, ʜᴇɪsᴛs, ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ɪɴsᴘɪʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ!

ᯓ 🫧 ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs:

⤷ The Kawakamis. A found family: Toshiko, Jun, Mei and their cat. Toshiko is the athletic one, sent on a mission to steal a dragon pearl. Jun is the social one, charismatic and empathetic towards others. Mei is the smart one, using technology and the cat’s favorite. Together, they are looking for revenge for their Aunt Reiko who was killed.

⤷ Haru. The young heir to the emperor, who is far more interested in playing games with strangers and looking for magical Sun Spirits than gaining power.

⤷ Theo. The immigrant who is forced to work for the Lucky Crows, with his own secrets to protect.

ᯓ 🌧 ᴀʟʟ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs:
⤷ This novel is incredibly well written with compelling characters, beautiful world building and a fascinating plot! The action rarely stops and the atmosphere creates a dazzling start to a trilogy.

The story begins with an enticing heist by Toshiko to steal a dragon pearl from the leader of an organized crime group called the Lucky Crows. The entirety of the novel takes place over an exhilarating two days that will determine the entire fate of Rainshadow City.

Let’s start with the characters. They were incredibly well written and fleshed out. I could feel each individual's personality and their emotions. Each was unique and enjoyable to read about, with their own talents, struggles and motivations. The writing is descriptive and easy for me to understand and read. The book was well paced, despite the constant of the story - it flowed consistently throughout the entire book.

The Rainshadow Orphans completely transported me into a different place. Its world building is dazzling, filled with exquisite imagery and wonderful magic. This magic system feels unique, especially when set against this Asian cyberpunk series. It was interesting to see how the different genres blended together. I was intrigued to learn that this book is both fantasy and science-fiction. It works seamlessly to incorporate the stereotypical aspects of each genre and combine into something that feels novel.

ᯓ 🫧 ᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs:

I would definitely recommend this book to others who are looking for an atmospheric and Studio Ghibli inspired read. I just adore whimsical fantasy novels and this one was just to my taste!

ᯓ 🌧 ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ:
⤿ 4.25 stars

ᯓ🫧 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ:
⤿ Water Moon (Yambao)
⤿ The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (Oh)

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Saga Press for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ 🫧 || ᴘʀᴇʀᴇᴀᴅ:
₊⊹⁀➴ this book is so pretty! i’ve been trying to read more japanese literature and this seems right up my street. also, i used to have a dog named “Toshiko” for smart girl, and this just feels right.🥺

[louise ʚଓ]

| rating: —
⤷ DNF’d at 53%

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

✎ᝰ.ᐟ review

Studio Ghibli, Japanese folklore, and Jade City meet in this tense, cyberpunk-esque fantasy set in a pseudo-Japan country that is plagued by industrialization, shadow gangs, and a looming artificial intelligence takeover.

The Rainshadow Orphans had an intriguing concept. Part cozy fantasy, part cyberpunk commentary on poverty and corruption in urban cities and the threat of AI development to marginalized communities. The mix of fantasy and science fiction gave an atmosphere that reminded me of Arcane and even Gachiakuta and I can very clearly imagine this book as a colorful yet gritty animated show.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with the plot or the characters. The pacing is incredibly slow. The Rainshadow Orphans is nearly 700 pages long and yet there was no significant development with the plot or the characters at 53% (roughly 330 pages). I was only mildly interested in three characters (Jun, Theo, and Toshiko), but I found the constant switching between POVs to be a detriment to the readers’ ability to connect with them. I also felt like there was a lot going on that needed to be addressed, but we never spend enough time in one place/POV.

I did think that there is a lot of potential for insightful commentary, especially when it comes to poverty, government corruption, and illegal immigration. There’s groundwork being set up that I’m hoping will pay off in the future.

I am not opposed to revisiting this book, but I think I’ll wait until the trilogy is finished.

Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for the e-ARC!

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

Start Date: May 2, 2026
Finish Date: May 11, 2026 (DNF)

[Mika]

*Ich habe ein kostenloses Rezensionsexemplar erhalten und gebe diese Rezension freiwillig ab.*

DNF bei 50%, Kapitel 12, Seite 226 von 446

Aus Fairnessgründen vergebe ich für dieses Buch keine Sterne, da ich es nicht vollständig gelesen habe und es daher nicht fair bewerten kann.

Einleitung

Die deutsche Beschreibung von „The Rainshadow Orphans“ sagt im Vergleich zur englischen Variante leider zu wenig aus. Ein bestimmter Abschnitt der englischen Beschreibung hätte mich nie dazu gebracht, ein Leseexemplar anzufragen:
„The first novel in a dazzling fantasy trilogy inspired by Japanese folklore and Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away, set within a mythical archipelago brimming with dragons and Sun Spirits, high-tech hackers and bubble tea.”
Hieraus lässt sich der Studio-Ghibli-Vergleich sowie die Inspiration durch japanische Folklore herauslesen. Zum einen lese ich keine Bücher, die sich mit Studio Ghibli vergleichen, da sie fast nie wie Studio Ghibli sind. Zum anderen wusste ich durch die kürzere deutsche Beschreibung nicht, dass es auch um High-Tech geht. Altmodische Traditionen und neue Innovationen vermischen sich für mich nicht immer gut.

Ich wünschte, ich hätte vor der Anfrage des Leseexemplars die englische Beschreibung und einige Rezensionen gelesen. Mir wurde schnell klar, dass ich nicht zur Zielgruppe dieses Buches gehöre.

Erzähltempo

Die Angabe von 400 Seiten stammt aus meinem NetGalley-Shelf. Jedoch hat das gedruckte Buch 640 Seiten. Das Erzähltempo ist stark langgestreckt. Schon der Einstieg und der Aufbau der politischen Fraktionen dauern zu lange. Beim Lesen wird einem schnell bewusst, wie viel kürzer diese Belletristik hätte sein können. Die Handlung zieht sich, obwohl es stets actionreich bleibt. Weil die erzählte Zeit so kurz ist, fühlt sich das Tempo schleppend an; nach 11 gelesenen Kapiteln ist in der Geschichte selbst kaum Zeit vergangen.

Schreibstil

Strukturell sind die Handlungsbausteine chaotisch in den Handlungsverlauf integriert, sodass dieser schwer zu finden ist. Da mehrere Handlungsbausteine parallel verlaufen, verliert man als Leser den Überblick und wird aus dem Lesefluss geworfen. Zudem werden unwichtige Details wie die Beschreibung der Umgebung in die Länge gezogen, während handlungsrelevante Ereignisse hektisch abgehandelt werden. Obwohl die Handlung voranschreitet, hinterlassen Entscheidungen oder Taten der Figuren keine bleibenden Konsequenzen. Dadurch wird der Handlungsverlauf offensichtlich und verliert jegliche Spannung.

Ton, Elemente & Atmosphäre

Ton
Dieses Buch fühlt sich wie ein typisches Jugendbuch an, dem es an Tiefe und Komplexität fehlt. Genau deswegen, habe ich auch früh keine Toleranz zur Beschreibung der Umgebung gezeigt, da diese keine grössere Bedeutung zugeordnet wurde.

Elemente
Mischung aus japanischer Folklore und High-Tech-Innovationen ist unausgewogen und misslungen. Insbesondere die Studio-Ghibli-Elemente wie Geister und Drachen wirken durch die High-Tech-Elementen widersprüchlich und unlogisch. Neue Erfindungen bauen meist auf bestehenden auf. Die Rainshadow-Welt vereint jedoch alte Traditionen direkt mit modernster Technologie. Die fehlende Zwischenstufe erzeugt eine massive Wissenslücke und macht diesen extremen Entwicklungssprung unplausibel. Enttäuschend ist zudem, dass die Studio-Ghibli-Elemente rein als Ästhetik dienen, wodurch die gesamte Atmosphäre künstlich wirkt.

Atmosphäre
Obwohl dieses Buch als Cosy Fantasy vermarktet wurde, überdeckt die High-Tech-Atmosphäre die ruhige Studio-Ghibli-Atmosphäre vollkommen. Politische Intrigen und Unterdrückungen zerstören das cosy Leseerlebnis zusätzlich. Die Studio-Ghibli-Atmosphäre wirkt dadurch künstlich und in den Hintergrund gedrückt. Als Leser vermisst man jegliche Geborgenheit oder Wohlgefühl; das Buch entspannt nicht und eine magische Bindung zu den Charakteren fehlt.

Charaktere

Durch häufige Perspektivenwechsel macht es dem Leser schwer eine emotionale Bindung zu einen der Charaktere zu entwickeln. Außerdem führen die häufigen Perspektivenwechsel dazu, dass es jeglichen Charakteren an Tiefe mangelt.

Danke an NetGalley und Eichborn für das Rezensionsexemplar von The Rainshadow Orphans von Naomi Ishiguro.

Begonnen: 04. August 2026
Rezension verfasst: 04. August 2026

[Mai H.]

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press

[Shyames]

So, it promises a trilogy inspired by Japanese folklore and "Studio Ghibli vibes." Maybe? I guess the setting is very much Japanese, don't get me wrong, with the Sun Spirits and hints of god-centred mythology. But does it live up to the Ghibli comparison so far? I'd say not yet, perhaps by the next books, it will improve on that front.

Story-wise, I feel as though a little more world-building was called for. I know future books are coming and might bring more answers, but so far I'm still not sure what the centre of this world is or how it actually works. We're essentially thrown into the action from the start; some political relationships in the capital are explained while the power struggle is happening, and we learn about other locations only in passing.

Through the split narration, we follow the three Kawakami siblings (Toshiko, Mei, and Jun), a young Crow soldier named Theo, and Haru, the son of the Emperor. Each of the characters brings a different perspective on how things work in the Empire, what privileges they're missing, and what they are willing to sacrifice for a better world.

I quite enjoyed Haru's journey with his affinity for spirits, as well as Theo's internal struggle with morality and the consequences of his choices. I'm not so sure about the Kawakami siblings; apart from Jun, I find the sisters a bit irritating. But I guess that makes them more believable, given the circumstances they find themselves in.

It's a long one (640 pages), so it requires some patience, but the pacing is very good. I will pick up the next installments to see if my issues with the world background get resolved, and I'm curious to see where the story is heading, honestly.

Overall, a nice read that will hopefully improve with the next installments.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[NiftyReader]

DNF at 15%.

Everything is so over described and bloated with unnecessary explanation and backstory. Every time a character is introduced we are treated to their life story, delivered in the most straightforward way possible. And this doesn't stop at introductions. Characters can't take a step without 5 paragraphs of the thoughts that led them there. The book will switch viewpoints in the middle of what might otherwise be an exciting action scene, completely negating any build up.

The prose itself is very plain and lacking in urgency or tension. Two of the viewpoints (so far) are also very young, and this doesn't seem like the kind of story where children would get hurt, so I wasn't worried about the characters' safety at any point.

I checked the blurb just before stopping and saw that the story will apparently only cover two days, which is absurd for a book over 600 pages.

I do like what I saw of the setting, but I'm just too bored to continue.

[Maddie]

3.5 ⭐️

this book is marketed as an unlikely band of heroes banding together to fight against a corrupt leadership, and I think that it ultimately delivers on this premise. the book is easy to get into despite the various moving pieces it has, and I found myself genuinely caring about the characters as the story progressed. we also get a relatively strong beginning where you don't necessarily need to trudge through 100 pages of worldbuilding to be immersed.

however, i do think that the pacing suffers a bit at the halfway point, and the latter half was a bit less engaging than the former. there's also a series of unlikely events that shake out, and it does feel as though the conflict of the book was too easily overcome. there's also a bit too much confidence in the maturity of a 10 year old boy to lead a nation, imo.

that being said, I still found this to be an overall good time, and it was a charming read.

**thank you to Saga Press for the ARC copy**

[Siavahda]

Nope.

This reads like mediocre YA, where everything (including the writing) is overly simple, full of info-dumping and a lack of realistic thought from the characters. The aesthetic is nice enough, but it wasn't really leaned into in the first 20% or so (what I read before DNFing), and in and of itself it just wasn't enough to hold my attention. The characters are all incredibly one-note, and the adults all behave like teenagers. The dialogue is - it's clunky and forced, it doesn't sound natural, lots of it is just an excuse to tell the reader things about the situation or the setting.

The writing rhythm is awful - there's an over-use of commas, breaking every sentence into too many jagged pieces, so that the rhythm stops and starts constantly. If writing rhythm is something you can hear/care about, it's like nails on a chalkboard. The phrasing is often awkward; the meaning isn't always clear, especially when there's multiple people who could possibly be being referred to. Quotes below, though these are all taken from my advanced reading copy and so there's no telling if they'll be edited or even removed from the final published edition.

Alongside them was a hint of the night's hard labour they'd just passed.

What this is trying to say is that there's evidence of how hard they've been working all night scattered around them, but that phrasing is terrible to me.

Disguise now sorted as best as possible, she made her way back over to the warehouse.

Again, this is really clunky phrasing.

These people, it sounded like, were walking down the aisle to her left. They didn't seem like footsoldier Crows, somehow.

This is what I mean about too many commas, chopping up the sentences.

While Mei had done a good job of mocking them up false ID cards, which were fine for duping shopkeepers, along with the odd over-curious Imperial Guard, these still only partially connected to the all-important Citizenry Database, which remained, even with Mei's continued efforts, largely unhackable.

Again, it's the commas, the way it breaks up the sentences and creates a really jerky rhythm. I can't stand it.

There's a lot of moments like - Toshiko is trying to investigate this criminal gang, the Crows. So she's hanging out around one of their warehouses. And for no reason whatsoever is convinced that if she can find out what are in the boxes she can see being moved into the warehouse, she can use it against the Crows. Why would you assume that? There's no evidence that this isn't their normal operations, you could open one of the boxes and it'll most likely be the usual stuff they smuggle. Why are you expecting this to randomly be the time they're smuggling something super-extra-illegal?

And there's so much info-dumping - the way we found out about one character's magical power made me cringe, it was one long vomit of telling-telling-telling. We don't learn anything organically, everything from worldbuilding to character backstories are shoved down our throats instead. Everything needs to be over-explained and then emphasised by being repeated; it takes us five pages to cover what could have been a single paragraph. Somehow it feels like there are so many things happening, the book feels cluttered, and yet none of it is interesting or moving the plot forward.

So disappointed, because I was so looking forward to this one! But it's a huge letdown for me.

[Jefferz]

An intriguing blend of fantasy and science fiction elements, Naomi Ishiguro's the Rainshadow Orphans is a unique crossover novel full of Japanese cultural and folklore inspirations. Mixing a variety of concepts across the SFF genre umbrella, this book is an appealing and accessible read that feels like a throwback to YA fantasy novels of the mid 2000's modernized for current tastes. The start of a planned high fantasy trilogy, though the Rainshadow Orphans is quite lengthy and occasionally drags in places, it's an appealing start to a series full of great potential.

Highlights:
☕︎ Features a unique blend of SFF elements crossing over between fantasy and scifi. Japanese inspirations provided wonderful color and vibrancy to the story.
☕︎ Whimsical and nostalgic presentation gives the book a lovely Studio Ghibli-like feel (albeit occasionally limited in use) complimented by strong visuals.
☕︎ Imaginative and expansive world-building and lore that sets up the series well for future storylines and adventures.

Considerations:
- Multiple POV's, heavy world-building, and excessive details sometimes feel irrelevant or redundant, creating multiple places where the story drags. Pacing feels slow and start/stop.
- Wide variety of fantasy and scifi elements lack a bit cohesion and the story feels like it's spread too thin. Despite strong conceptual ideas, the overall narrative feels a bit juvenile and surface level.

Set in a fictional island archipelago and primarily taking place in the affluent Rainshadow City and the impoverished Keeper’s Crescent, the Rainshadow Orphans tells the story of young adult characters (plus Haru) caught amid the Royal Emperor Asayo’s revisioning of the island and the illegal gang activities of the Lucky Crows. Presented through multiple POV’s, the story is one that is part fantasy magical object and creature-based, and part futuristic technology-based with light hints of dystopian turmoil. The book covers the events of 48 hours that put the futures of many of the island’s neglected groups at risk as power-hungry groups jockey for control. The story follows three orphaned and adopted Kawakami siblings, Toshiko the scrappy adventurer, Jun the healer and info-gatherer, Mei the tech wizard, the ten year old royal prince Haru, and the undocumented immigrant and unlikely Lucky Crow member Theo. Split across different backgrounds, affiliations, and individual narratives, Ishiguro’s story sees their paths and narratives cross in a book about found family, loyalty, and one’s place in the grand Rainshadow City.

Before getting into the book's plot, a big highlight of the Rainshadow Orphans is its whimsical nature that the publisher aptly compares to Studio Ghibli movies. While the plot and characters are more straightforward fantasy and scifi faire vs Ghibli’s more relaxed and nature-based narratives, the fantasy visuals and focal sun spirits add a lovely warmth and dreamy, almost nostalgic feel to the reading experience. While Keeper’s Crescent is a rougher and harsh setting fitting for the book’s meatier narrative points and themes, the outskirts of the island and the quieter moments of the story are where the book is at its best. As the sheltered royal heir and one gifted with the heightened ability to see the island’s mythical sun spirits, Haru’s perspective is particularly pretty and magical, easily my favorite character and perspective in the book that matches Ishiguro’s writing style wonderfully. The dreamy feel also extends to Ishiguro’s visuals of the technologically advanced city, the emperor’s opulent palace gardens, and the endless sea that surrounds the island.

In addition to the whimsical feel of its magical beings and scenery, this book also features a unique blend of elements taken from across the SFF umbrella. While the book’s cover and synopsis involving a dragon pearl, magical powers, and mythical sun spirits are distinctively fantasy-based, the Rainshadow Orphans also features a slate of compelling scifi elements as well. There’s a mysterious failed experiment that released a toxic phenomenon on another island, automated service bots, high-tech communication devices, and Mei’s signature hacking abilities and aspirations to create the perfect boba-making robot. The story strings all these fantasy and scifi elements together through a story set around political corruption, poverty, and the neglect of the residents of Keeper’s Crescent, many of which are undocumented migrants who are unable to obtain a citizen pass to the nearby Rainshadow City. The discussions around classism, dependency on undocumented migrant labor, systemic exploitation of the poor, and limitless greed for power and resources are themes highly relevant in the current societal and political climate wrapped within a youthful and creative package.

While the book has a lot of different character perspectives and storylines meaning there’s something appealing for almost every reader, my main critique with the Rainshadow Orphans is that it sometimes feels like the story has too many narrative elements going on that don’t necessarily complement each other well. While I can see many readers enjoying the blend of fantasy with scifi flair and Ishiguro’s use of techy concepts powered by fantasy-based origins, I often felt like the book was trying to do a lot with different storylines and ideas but spread too thinly. Plot threads revolving around automated bots, machine vs living beings, and the very concept of the sun spirits come and go throughout the story which feels like it lacks cohesion and follow through on its individually interesting moving pieces. While far from being poorly written, the lack of focus results in the overall story feeling rather surface level in its development and lacking strong hooks to keep the reader engaged; there’s no real indication of what the story’s purpose or direction is until almost a third of the way in. Additionally, due to the expansive lore and ideas for the series, I frequently felt like the story’s pacing and plot were getting dragged down by the extensive world-building that sometimes felt like it was straying off-topic or taking too long to get to the point. To Ishiguro’s credit, I found the world-building presented was well-done and elaborate but questioned the relevancy of such extensive backstories that resulted in a kind of start and stop kind of build. In theory, all the book’s ideas and themes are quite compelling, but when put together, I found I appreciated the book conceptually far more than I did subjectively which brought down my overall reading experiences and score for the book. I also found the story to be quite simple and juvenile from a character writing and plot perspective. While not specifically marketed as a YA or adult novel, the characterizations, prose, and storytelling felt quite simplistic to me. Particularly the villains' motivations left a lot to be desired and overall, the story felt very YA despite the visual violence, themes, and world-building suggesting more mature literary aspirations.

Narratively, the events of the book take place over 48 hours which sounds like the setup for an exciting SFF fusion kickstarted by the Kawakami siblings’ infiltration heist and ending with a violent and dramatic clash of forces. This may also be an unpopular opinion, but clocking in at 640 pages, I felt like this book was probably about 200 pages too long. I believe Ishiguro’s intent was to fully develop and flesh out all three of the siblings, Haru, and Theo individually with their different skills and backgrounds. While I found Toshiko and Haru’s perspective consistently interesting and tonally distinctive, I often felt like Jun’s perspective was unnecessary and didn’t add much to the book’s narrative or storyline and Mei’s perspective to be the opposite where it’s so briefly used, the content could’ve been rephrased or incorporated into either Toshiko, Haru, or Theo’s chapters. The excess detailing is most noticeable when the book introduces certain backstories or lore in one POV and then recaps the same information again in another POV. The resident healer and pseudo family figure to the siblings Aunty Maile is an integral part of the story, but Toshiko and Jun’s lengthy introductions, backstories, and memories of Aunty Maile while contextually different felt repetitive and unnecessarily duplicated. The story also has sections of compelling action and developments such as the early heist, Toshiko’s conflict with the Lucky Crows, or her introduction to Theo, but then would go for lengthy sections of slow development with little progression. I personally would’ve preferred the story to be snappier or more focused especially considering it's not a standalone book that has to cover every detail and connection in one go. Additionally, the whimsical and Ghibli-like feel that I loved about the book and consider its best element to be wonderful when they would occur, but often felt completely lost and absent for most of the read. I likely would’ve preferred if the story was just Toshiko and Haru’s perspectives only with brief snapshots into Theo’s eyes rather than the book’s ensemble approach that felt bloated to me.

A unique blend of SFF ideas, an expansive high fantasy world, and a loving nod to Japanese culture and mythology, the Rainshadow Orphans has a lot of great appealing selling points. The conceptual vision of Rainshadow City and the sun spirits captures that special Studio Ghibli feel and it’s clear that Ishiguro has great ideas in store for future entries in the series. In particular, this is a great SFF book for readers looking for a safe and pleasant YA story with some unique twists and flavor. Unfortunately, the sluggish pacing, heavy world-building, and general overwritten feel for me prevented the book from living up to its full potential and was a bit of a disappointment. Additionally the book’s marketing comparing it to Pokemon (aside from being whimsical, there’s nothing in common between them and the sun spirits), cyberpunk Akira (the aesthetic is all wrong and the cyberpunk elements nowhere near as prominent to warrant the reference) , and anime in general feels like a poor comparison and setting up the prospective readers for disappointment; I frankly think that the only thing those titles and this book have in common are having Japanese inspirations and the marketing failing to understand what the anime style or medium is. My personal gripes with the marketing aside, the Rainshadow Orphans is a confidently written start to what looks like to be a promising new trilogy series.

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster via Netgalley.

*For more reviews, book lists and reading updates, check out my blog TheBookGrind!

[Elle]

I wanted to love this, but it did not work for me. The publisher & marketing team did it a wild disservice by claiming this was Adult. It's YA, and the younger end of YA. Perhaps it might have had more success with a younger audience. For this adult, the writing was too juvenile and the characters too flat.

It's the sort of novel where teenagers are the Best Ever At Their Chosen Field, eg. the fastest runner in the city, the best hacker of all time, etc. Poor orphans somehow have the money to be the best hacker-inventor ever and the best spy-thief team ever. And I can roll with that if the characters have depth and believability outside their near-chosen-one status. But in this novel, no one has even heard of Logic or Consequences. Every character acts without thinking or considering their surroundings/society/upbringing and then is Pikachu-shocked when things turn out badly.

In just the beginning chapter or two, we have:
- A spy who's sole aim/plan was overhearing information being goaded by someone on comms into attempting a theft at a Royal dinner where of course everyone would notice a person who shouldn't be there, and then wondering why her infiltration went so wrong. (Hint: it was you and your bad life choices.)
- The child crown prince is tricked into stealing a guest's ring and immediately running straight to the 'thief' to claim they did it, who then wonders why his Emperor mother isn't pleased with him and locks him in his room overnight.
- Literally no servants or guards or staff preventing the crown prince from running off from a Royal dinner where the spy could have kidnapped or killed him rather than tricked him. (I hope they all got fired.)
- Someone profoundly unsuited for gang grunt work being mad that people he admits are perfect for it got promoted before him, and then is shocked he might be in trouble in for not doing well (and for being caught spying).

There's a lot of info-dumping and yet I still feel like I don't properly understand the city or society. A lot of description that doesn't advance things, just bogs down the important facts and action. Both of these together make the pace of novel crawl, and it feels like it takes forever for anything to happen. It definitely needed more editing down, and giving some of that cut word-count to fleshing out the characters more. As it is, it was a chore for me to slog through.

I think the author had a lot of interesting ideas, there's just too many trying to be crammed into this one novel (which is also a debut) for any of them to work. It felt a bit like the author had more "influences" she wanted to include than an actual clear plot or strong characters to drive and display those beloved influences.


Rating: 1 star - Too ambitious for a debut, and prose/style far too young to be marketed as Adult.

[Cups and Thoughts]

Thank you Simon & Schuster for an e-arc of The Rainshadow Orphans!

I saw "Studio Ghibli" and went "say no more"! I went in expecting a whimsical, magical, somewhat cozy Fantasy story with some adventure elements thrown in and kind of got that.

We follow a few POVs switching between one another - a young and playful heir to the throne, a rebellious spy going on missions to find out who killed her beloved aunt, and a labour worker who gets hired to work for the Lucky Crows. All follow very different pathways but somewhat get intertwined with one another.

I thought the world building was interesting. There were lots of familiar,dreamy magical elements like cats, luscious gardens, lively markets, and even a bubbletea-making robot! There's a spin in Cyberpunk Asian Fantasy that has a lot of potential, but.... ends up feeling kind of flat, unfortunately.

For one, the writing is juvenile and choppy. We get introduced to so many amazing things but no further background/context on how they are relevant to the plotline. Not that everything needs to be connected to the plot, but there needs to be a level of immersion for you to feel like you're actually there seeing, tasting, and feeling whatever's surrounding you. As a result, this ended up being a very slow read. I think this could have easily been 300+ pages long rather than 400+.

I did love the found family elements. The sibling relationship between Toshiko, Mei and Jun were also top tier! I loved how they looked out for each other and had different traits that defined them. I wish there were more focus on these three alone. The author is doing a lot with the world building but I personally think the characters should’ve gotten more focus!

Anyways, there was a lot to love about this but a lot of elements just didn't quite gel well together.

[Saylor Sardine]

I wanted to love this so bad
Imo it needed better world building and better character arcs
The book is labeled as adult but it felt like a younger YA novel
I still don’t really understand the magic system
And it took until page 200 to figure out the main objective
The idea was sound and I wanted more depth in the main antagonist
But man was this a struggle to get through 😭
2.75 ⭐️

Language 0/10
Violence 1.5/10
Suggestive content/Romance 0/10

Recommended age rating (id say 12+ but I feel like a 12yr old won’t have the attention span to read this 😅)

[kaz.brekkers.future.wife]

3.5

This was a really fun cute little book. I loved the world, and was rooting for the characters the whole way, especially Toshiki and Haru. The problem was that the book was a little bit messy at times, kind of meandering, and it could've been slimmed down a whole lot, cut and half and it would've been steadier.

But I will be reading the rest of the trilogy when it comes out.

[Stacey | read.with.stacey]

DNF at 20%

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the paperback arc 🫶

I really wanted to love this one because the synopsis sounded so good, but it just didn’t work for me. I did enjoy that the book had multiple POVs, but it just wasn’t capturing my attention and nothing had really happened to make me invested in the characters or the story. This is also marketed as an adult book but it was reading very YA to me. I hope it finds its intended audience!

[Lia Carstairs]

DNF @ 20%

There's nothing particularly bad about this book and I think it has a fun premise but I'm just not feeling it in my current reading mood. (Like I've DNF-ed 3 books in a row now...)

I do think Toshiko's POV has been interesting so far but I don't really care for Haru or Theo's POVs.

Hoping to come back to this and give it another shot at a different time though!

Thank you S&S/Saga Press for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Quilted.reads]

This book was everything. I went in expecting Studio Ghibli vibes and somehow it delivered that and more. The world feels magical but also very real in the way it talks about poverty, power, and survival.At the heart of the story is Rainshadow City a place ruled by corruption and terrorized by an underground crime group called the Lucky Crows. We follow Toshiko, Jun, and Mei Kawakami a found family bonded by loyalty who are trying to survive outside the law while seeking revenge for the murder of their beloved Aunt Reiko. Alongside them are Haru, the Emperor’s son who would rather befriend Sun Spirits than inherit a cruel legacy, and Theo, an immigrant forced into the Lucky Crows with almost no choices of his own. When a stolen dragon pearl sets everything into motion, the story turns into this fast paced, emotional ride that all unfolds over just two days.What really got me was how beautiful this book felt. The writing is vivid and cinematic in that Ghibli way soft magic, quiet moments, found family, and big emotional stakes mixed with cyberpunk energy that reminded me a bit of Akira. I truly could not put it down. The characters are unforgettable, the world is immersive, and the themes about standing up to corruption and choosing your own destiny were inspirational.I loved this book so, so much. It was heartfelt, thrilling, and visually stunning in my head the entire time. If you love Studio Ghibli, anime inspired fantasy, or stories about found family and resistance, this is absolutely a must read.

[Star]

Edit: I did end up powering through it, and my thoughts haven't changed. I feel like there were too many POVs, especially for the battle sequence. It was way too long. Not gonna continue the series.


--
I’m so sorry this is a dnf. It’s taking too long for much to happen. This isn’t really cozy. It really isn’t action packed. It feels like there is no real focus in the first few chapters where it should be trying its hardest to grab the attention of the reader, and I can’t find myself even getting invested in the characters. The lucky crows have killed two of the characters' aunt, so they are seeking revenge. And there’s a heist, but it was just like 'OH a heist' and then back to vibing! I feel like by now with the setup and being 40% through I should be way more invested than I am.

Also, I feel like there is a marketing mismatch here. This does not read like an adult fantasy, and all of the main characters are teenagers. I feel like I would have completely different feelings towards this if I went in expecting the younger characters and the VERY YA tone that the writing had.

All that aside, this world is the strongest part of the book for me. And the potential here is high for this to be an amazing story. I just think it needed some more polish. I’ll 100% come back to finish in the future but for now it’s an unfortunate dnf :(

[Eva]

I have mixed feelings about this book. In short: it was okay - the writing style was not my favorite, but it was quite a whimsical book.
I was really impressed by the societal issues mentioned in the book, such as (im)migration, asylum seeking, segregation, religion and the social implications of these things.
What I didn’t like was that the overall story and characters stayed quite surface-level. The book only covers 4 days. Somehow super intense relationships are formed in the span of hours. Some traumatic things also happen, which at first seem to affect the characters, but then they shake it off and continue with what they were doing like nothing happened. That felt a bit iffy.

[Vaso]

Η Τοσικο ζει με τη Μέι και τον Τζουν, στη Νεφελώδη Πόλη προσπαθώντας να επιβιώσουν. Όμως, σε μια αποστολή αναγνώρισης, η Τοσικο κλέβει ένα μαργαριτάρι από τον Σάιτο, τον στυγερό αρχηγό της συμμορίας των Τυχερων Κορακιών που επιβάλλεται στους κατοίκους, ένα κυνηγητό ξεκινά. Κι από τη άλλη, υπάρχει ο Χάρου, ο νεαρός πρίγκιπας, που ανακαλύπτει ότι μπορεί να δει τα πνεύματα του Ήλιου, κι ο Θίο, ένας μισθοφόρος που κρύβει το χάρισμα του πολύ καλά. Όλοι τους θα μπλεχτούν σε μια περιπέτεια που δεν την είχαν καν φανταστει, ελπίζοντας να καταφέρουν να βγουν ζωντανοί.

Η κόρη του Kazuo Ishiguro, αποφασίζει να γράψει ένα μυθιστόρημα που συνδυάζει τη φαντασία με αρκετά στοιχεία ιαπωνικής κουλτούρας, σε ένα καταπιεστικό περιβάλλον όπου κυριαρχεί η κατάχρηση εξουσίας μα και η απληστία και η διαφθορά. Οι ανισότητες μεταξύ των κατοίκων κι η σύμπραξη της Αυτοκράτειρας με τον υπόκοσμο, έχει οδηγήσει τους κατοίκους σε άθλια κατάσταση. Το κυνηγητό που ξεκινά με την Τοσικο, δείχνει αυτή ακριβώς την έκταση της διαφθοράς. Οι δυνάμεις που ενισχύει το μαργαριτάρι, δείχνουν τις δυνάμεις που έχουν κρυφτεί, ενώ η τεχνολογική εξέλιξη έχει ανέβει σε άλλο επίπεδο.
Ο κόσμος που χτίζει η συγγραφέας φαντάζει πολύπλοκος, αλλά δεν είναι κι η αφήγηση γίνεται από 3 διαφορετικές οπτικές, βοηθώντας τον αναγνώστη να κατανοήσει όσα συμβαίνουν αλλά και να γνωρίσει τους χαρακτήρες καλύτερα.

Ευκολοδιάβαστο βιβλίο με έντονα στοιχεία ιαπωνικής κουλτούρας αλλά και φανταστικά πλάσματα!!

3,5 αστέρια

[Speetwie]

Would definitely recommend!

A wonderful book that combines elements of Japanese folklore and urban fantasy with Studio Ghibli Vibes🐉🔮


I really hope there will be a sequel 📖

[Benjamin]

Wonderful! Magical! I can’t wait for the next book!

[Perax]

dnf @52%

Ich hatte mich so auf das Buch gefreut, aber leider war es einfach nicht mein Ding. Das liegt aber nicht so richtig am Buch, sondern einfach an mir und meinem Geschmack. Ich kann mir deshalb auch sehr gut vorstellen, dass das Buch seine Fangemeinde findet, ich gehöre aber leider nicht dazu.

Der Schreibstil ist sehr bildgewaltig und blumig, was mir von Anfang an richtig gut gefallen hat. Im ersten Kapitel war ich deshalb auch sofort überzeugt, dass ich das Buch in kürzester Zeit verschlingen würde. Die Charaktere waren ganz gut ausgearbeitet und der found-family-Aspekt hat mir auch ganz gut gefallen. Das Buch wird aus mehreren Perspektiven erzählt und obwohl ich in ein paar Rezensionen gelesen habe, dass die Perspektivwechsel zu oft und schnell erfolgen, empfand ich das gar nicht so. Das liegt aber vermutlich daran, dass das Buch in meinen Augen ein allgemeines Problem mit dem pacing hat. Die ganze Geschichte spielt sich innerhalb von zwei Tagen ab, allerdings hat das Buch auch 640 Seiten. Hätte es die ständigen Perspektivwechsel nicht gegeben, hätte ich mich (noch mehr) gelangweilt. Alles wird einem in den kleinstmöglichen Details erzählt und das wäre für mich ja noch ok, wenn nicht zusätzlich auch noch vieles wiederholt werden würde. So kann man hier in den Szenen, in denen nicht gerade irgendwas actionmäßiges passiert, locker nur alle zwei Seiten lesen und man würde trotzdem kaum etwas verpassen (habe ich ausprobiert und hatte keine Schwierigkeiten dem Geschehen zu folgen). Das hat bei mir leider dazu geführt, dass ich kaum noch zum Buch greifen wollte und auch eher schneckenmäßig voran kam. Die Einleitung war z.B auch über 200 Seiten lang. Die Spannung, die bei den meisten Lesern hier aufkam, konnte ich deshalb leider gar nicht nachvollziehen. Das mag auch zusätzlich daran liegen, dass die Geschichte irgendwie keine Überraschungen für mich parat gehalten hat: Alles lief genau so ab wie erwartet.

Mein zweites Problem hatte ich mit Haru, dem 10-jährigen Protagonisten, dessen Perspektive wir mitverfolgen. Einerseits hatte er für einen 10-jährigen überaus erwachsene Gedanken (fand ich manchmal schon echt ganz schön unrealistisch) und andererseits gab es innerhalb seiner Perspektive die ein oder andere Szene, die auf mich sehr unbeholfen gewirkt hat. Z.B. diente eine Szene mit ihm nur dazu dem Leser zu erklären, was Sonnengeister sind. Mehr Inhalt kam nicht wirklich dazu, wurde also für mich eher ein bisschen merkwürdig dahingestellt und nicht natürlich in die Geschichte eingebunden. Das ist vielleicht Meckern auf hohem Niveau, aber in Kombination mit allem anderen hat es einfach nicht dazu beigetragen, dass mir das Buch gefällt.

Alles in allem werden hier natürlich spannende Themen angesprochen wie Zusammenhalt, Gut gegen Böse + Arm vs. Reich, Korruption und Machtmissbrauch, aber auch Technik und KI, nur war es mir im Prinzip einfach zu langatmig und langweilig. Schade!

[Lindsey Lowrey]

Studio Ghibli meets Pokemon meets Avatar: the Last Airbender???! SIGN ME UP!

Was my thought when I spent $35 in this book, and I’m so sad I bought this 😭 This should have been a library book, but I got hooked by the tagline and how pretty the cover/edges are💀 But this book WAS NOT GOOD and I hate to say that because I had good feelings about this book. But it did not hold up. I couldn’t connect to ANY of the characters (except for Haru, loved that little boy🩵), the plot was ALL OVER THE PLACE, and everything just felt so surface level and not flushed out. I thought about DNFing so many times but pushed through because I thought maybe it would get better at the halfway point?? NOPE😩

[Jojo]

Never EVER had I expected to DNF this. The premise sounds sooo good! But where is the whimsy? Where are the Ghibli vibes I was promised? And where is the actual cyberpunk? Why is every sentence so long it needs at least 4 comma's? Lots of text is being used to say very little and I couldn't drag myself past page 120.

[Hannah (the.baristas.books)]

Firstly, I am thankful to the publishers for sending me a copy of this.

However I did DNF at 15%, which for this book is almost 100 pages. I really tried, and I wanted to enjoy it because the premise is so intriguing. Inspired by Ghibli, dragons, and a sci-fi fantasy blend? By all accounts I should have loved it. But I didn't.

There was something about the writing style and the grammar that actually made me research as to whether this was written by AI. There were 3 em dashes across just two pages - surely there's a better way to articulate something (see what I did there?).

Unfortunately the characters felt flat and although the book started with a fantastic scene, I didn't feel carried along.

Hopefully I'm in the minority of those who feel this way, and I hope many more people find the adventure and joy that should be here.

[caffeinated_reads3]

To say the least, I struggled to finish this book. It was the type of book that I was ecstatic that it was over and would be happy never to think about it ever again. The writing was inflated, too much fluff, pacing was hard to follow because it was that slow, It was very cumbersome and had a lot of information dumping that is going to happen at times in epic fantasies, but this was just too much at once. The concept is there, but unfortunately not well executed.

Thank you Netgalley and Saga Press | S&S/Saga Press for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

[Chris]

DNF at 10%. Thank you Saga Press and Net Galley for the eARC. I think this book has a lot of good world building and plot but I think it was marketed wrong for its audience. The writing feels very YA for me, almost like it’s meant for teens and I just didn’t feel like it was made for me. This would be something I would’ve read at a younger age. If she came out with an Adult fantasy I would still be interested in that.

[Louisa]

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro is a bit of a mixed bag, throwing us into a quasi-steampunk fantasy world with the three Kawakami kids. Each have their own strengths, which are put to the test when they seek revenge on the gang who killed their adoptive mum. Revenge gives way to a bigger plot and changing their island for good.

The first 250 pages were compelling, the world-building was reasonably strong and interesting, and there was a palpable rising tension that kept me turning the pages. The characters, however, felt very YA in their interactions and dialogue (and ages) which is not really my cup of tea. I was strongly reminded of Six of Crows, not least because of the seedy underworld and 'outcast' area of the city, but the ruling gang named the Crows. However where Six of Crows was tightly paced and plotted, this fell down.

The story began to drag after the midway point, becoming somewhat repetitive, and the extended battle sequence near the end completely threw me off. It was very very long, a lot more graphic than the earlier part of the book and honestly pretty boring. For 640 pages, it felt at least 200 pages too long.

I’d be interested in exploring more stories set in this world, but I wouldn't put myself through 600+ pages to find out more. It is interesting, and I do love political intrigue in a fantasy world, but this was a bit too heavy-handed and lengthy for my tastes. A solid 3 stars.

[Viivi]

Myönnettäköön ihan alkuun, että urbaanifantasia ja mafiateemat eivät kuulu suosikkeihini, eikä tämä kirja muuttanut mieltäni. Ishiguron luoma maailma ja hahmot ovat tuskastuttavan naiiveja (huokaisin ääneen kun eräs hahmo pohti keskellä väkivaltaa, että kai tuossa tyrannissa on syvimmillään jotain hyvää 🤮), juoni oli ennalta-arvattava ja hahmot yksipuolisia ja ohuita.