The Rainshadow Orphans: The Rainshadow Series, Book One

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, Adult, Cozy, Fiction, Mythology, Japan, Cozy Fantasy

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

˚⊱🫧⊰˚ 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.🥺

[Mai H.]

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

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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**

[Shyames · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Jefferz · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Cups and Thoughts · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[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)

[Nia]

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.

[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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 :(

[Perax · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[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.

[Hannah (the.baristas.books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Bücherhörnchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,7*

Das Buch war wirklich nicht schlecht, und geht trotz der beachtlichen Länge sehr schnell zu lesen, aber ich habe dennoch ein paar Probleme damit gehabt.

Zum einen wurde ich mit keiner der Figuren wirklich war.
- Warum wir die Perspektive von General Mori bekommen haben in ganzen zwei Kapiteln war mir nicht ersichtlich
- auch Jun fand ich eher unnötig. Er soll nett und mitfühlend sein, und ab und zu gibt er uns Einblicke was dort passiert wo die anderen Charaktere nicht sind, aber echte Bedeutung hatte er für mich nicht für das Buch.
- Haru mochte ich am Meisten. Auch wenn er erst 10 ist liest er sich teilweise (nicht immer) etwas älter, aber das habe ich in erster Linie auf seine sensible und mitfühlende Art und auf die Umstände zurückgeführt.
- Theo mochte ich zu beginn nicht, aber ich denke er wird zum Ende des Buches hin einer der spannendsten Charaktere. Er entwickelt sich, aber er springt in dieser Entwicklung auch hin und her und ich weiß noch nicht wo er aufkommen wird.
- Toshiko war wohl der eigentliche Hauptcharakter. Und sie ist eh okay, sie geht einem beim Lesen nicht auf die nerven oder so, aber sie ist nun mal auch nicht unglaublich toll und spannend, finde ich.

Generell hat mich die Dynamik der Geschwister irgendwie gestört, es war an manchen Stellen sehr Rollenhaft und jede/r hat seine/ihre Aufgabe und daraus brechen sie auch eigentlich nicht aus. Das war von Anfang an nervig zu lesen und ich war froh, als sie im Verlauf der Geschichte teilweise getrennt wurden. Generell kann man das rollenhafte wohl auf die meisten Charaktere übertragen. Es gibt eine festgelegte Rolle die sie erfüllen und mit Ausnahme von Theo am Ende bleiben sie der treu, brechen nicht aus, und es passiert auch nichts überraschendes.
Das passt dann wieder zum ganzen Buch. Eigentlich ist die Geschwindigkeit mit der die Geschichte voranschreitet in Ordnung, aber es passiert einfach nichts was einen überrascht oder kalt erwischt. Die letzten 50 Seiten hätte man zudem meiner Meinung nach auf 20 kürzen können. Und es sollte erwähnt werden, dass die Katze eine komische Rolle einnimmt. Die wird einfach auf eine Mission mitgenommen bei der man sterben könnte... also so im Rucksack...

Außerdem ist der Aufbau ein wenig...innovativ. So ist das Buch in 5 Teile, dann in Kapitel gegliedert, die nochmals nummeriert in Kapitel (POVs) unterteilt sind. Wenn man sich daran gewöhnt hat ist das an und für sich kein Problem, aber es ist...anders.

Schlussendlich fühlt es sich auch nicht wie der Auftakt einer Trilogie an, da bis auf ein Thema alles gut verpackt wurde am Ende. Ich denke man hätte die Geschichte mit den Bots rausnehmen und aus dem Rest 2 Bücher als Dilogie machen sollen und das wäre dann besser.
Auch kann ich nicht sagen welches Genre das Buch bedienen will, ich mochte aber die Fantasy Elemente und auch, dass es zB keine Schusswaffen gab. Das ergibt Sinn für mich, da die Entwiklung der Stadt sich auf ein Mineral und nicht Elektrizität/Schießpulver gründet.

Insgesamt irgendwie spannend aber eben auch nichts besonderes. Das Ghibli-esque habe ich in dem Buch nicht gefunden.

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the german arc and ended up being really disappointed. I don't usually write a lot about the books I've read, but this is bothering me:

It might be a lot better in the original language, but in german it was clunky and the writing was unpolished. It felt like something a student would've written in school and there was no finesse or beauty in it. Maybe that is just the translation, but it did make everything a lot more boring.

Apart from that, the book is trying way to hard. There are so many plot points going on and everything feels shallow. Some things are really contradictory, like bots, that are close to living beings, and boba machines and trackers but no cars, they ride with horses into battle. No guns, only swords and bows. And no phones, but computers and stuff to hack a plenty. Some themes are there, like immigration and morality, which would make it interesting, but because everything else about the book feels very juvenile and YA, it's not that well done. The book also had no bussiness being 630 pages long and the time spanning like two days... way to many pages for such a short time.

The other thing that really bothered me, was the way the chapters are done. There isn't the typical one chapter = one POV, but the chapters are like three pages long or even less and then the POV switches. That was pretty unpleasent to read, because it broke the reading flow and felt choppy af.

For being hyped up in media campaigns and hearing a lot of praise, it is sadly really disappointing.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

The world building in this book was beautiful and very well done. I loved the mix of things familiar to the modern day, as well as sci-fi and fantasy.

However, I found the pacing and story just too slow for me to immerse myself and I found myself avoiding the book in favour of other reads.

It was a big undertaking, to only explore a 48hr period in a 600+ page book. As a result, there was a lot of time spent in the characters’ thoughts and musings, some cross over in plot across characters and repetition in story.

I found the characters deeply believable, and unique in their own voices. The way they all converged together was really interesting and I was drawn to them.

For me, the barrier was with the pacing and the plot, I just needed more and it seemed like a strangely placed “cozy” (?) fantasy. The stakes seemed too high and serious for cozy, but as the pace was so slow it gave mixed signals.

Loved the world and characters, but the plot just didn’t feel evenly paced for me personally.

✨Thank you very much to the author and NetGalley for this eARC, all opinions are my own and I was under no obligation to submit this review ✨

[Wessy Acrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC from Simon & Schuster/Saga Press of

The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro

Once I got past the deep world and character building, I couldn’t put it down! This story seems like it is going to come at just the right time: a time when loving your neighbor, regardless of status, color, or background is at an all time necessity for our world to proceed. This book melds sci-fi and fantasy into a story that heavily interconnects magic with nature and technology all at the same time.

The 3 main characters: Toshiko, Jun, and Mei are lovable and complex from the first page, taking readers into a complex society not unlike today’s modern politics. Other characters such as Theo and Haru also deserve the credit of main characters, as their own personal development throughout the book greatly impacts the result of the story.

Without giving too much away, the paths each character takes leads them to one ultimate question: can conflicting communities team together and overpower human-made evil?

Can’t wait to see more from this series!

[Megan]

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the e-ARC.

I was very excited to pick this one up due to the premise and marketing - an adult fantasy combining Japanese mythology and Studio Ghibli with some scifi sprinkled in - however I ended up DNFing this one.

I enjoyed the world building and beautiful descriptions but I couldn't push through the characters, slow pacing and plot conveniences. The POV characters read very young and while I found them relatively realistic for their ages, they weren't particularly compelling to read about nor gave me reason to be invested. Toshiko had the most promise but I found her inconsistent. I also found elements of the plot that I read to be full of convenience, especially in the first chapter surrounding the jewellery thefts, which made character descriptions not match their actions. The writing style had promise but as I was struggling with other aspects of the book, it wasn't enough to keep me engaged. All of these things combined made me think it wouldn't be fair for me to continue as I wouldn't be reading with the expectation of enjoyment. I also believe this book would benefit from being marketed as YA instead of adult based on what I read.

I do think that there is an audience out there for this novel though. If you enjoy slower paced, immersive YA fantasy with a Asian mythology backdrop and beautiful descriptions I think you should give this a try. Overall, it just wasn't for me.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

The Rainshadow Orphans is for Studio Ghibli fans - specifically, for fans of Studio Ghibli’s commentary on war and oppression told through a fantastical lens. Our protagonists range from illegal immigrants fighting to eke out a living to the Crown Prince himself, all struggling not just to survive, but to make Rainshadow Island a better place. One of the main storylines revolves around returning stolen land and property back to its people, which feels very poignant in today’s climate.

One of the best parts of the story for me was Ishiguro’s ability to humanize characters on all sides of the conflict. As the heroes of the story, Toshiko, Jun, Mei, and Haru obviously are treated well by the narrative voice, but even more complicated characters like Theo are given space to explain their choices, which are often made in the face of impossible odds and slim chances of survival. (And I’m rooting for Theo. Especially after that ending, I’m excited to see where his story goes.) Theo’s perspective draws readers into Haru’s way of thinking - how many of the Crows act the way they do because they see it as the only path to survival? Is bloodshed the only way forward?

The most vivid non-protagonist example of this is the Santos brothers. Hiroto and Daichi’s stories touched me in a way I didn’t expect. Yes, they were cruel in the ways they went about wielding what little power they held, but they were people too - brothers who lost a sister, their parents, who didn’t want to lose the last family they had. Their moment of kindness with Jun, the hesitancy to use their weapons even after all their swaggering around with them - they were just children trying to survive in an unkind world.

I can’t wait to see how Haru’s vision for Rainshadow unfolds, particularly when the Sensei seems to be gathering strength for another blow.

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books)]

I'm so sad that I wound up deciding to DNF this novel, especially as it was one of my most anticipated releases for the year. I personally just didn't find any of the elements in this story - the worldbuilding (a mix of magic & technology in an archipelago setting); the characters (no individual really stood out); the plot (a lot of threads thus far are not unexpected given the set-up; I've seen it done in other novels) - to be subjectively enticing. This might have to do with the fact that the narrative structure includes constant perspective switches and those, in turn, make the pacing feel clunky and on the slower side. TThough there are some potentially interesting themes to be explored (namely in terms of governmental control and corruption, technological advancement and immigration status), I just didn't feel compelled enough by the execution to persist in reading the rest of the novel.

[Knihomolka mezi listy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sirotci dešťových stínů je knížka, která mě už podle anotace moc lákala a nemohla jsem se dočkat, až vyjde. 🤭

Celkově musím říct, že si nejsem úplně jistá, jak bych knížku zhodnotila. Příběh byl super, hrozně mě bavila ta politika, gangy atd. Jenom mě mrzí, že celý svět nebyl lépe vysvětlený. Autorka nás vhodila do něčeho, čemu trvalo docela dlouho porozumět. Kvůli tomu prvních sto stran se stalo fakt nudou a dost zmatením. Chtěla bych ale naopak vyzdvihnout originální přístup k psaní! Naomi Ishiguro totiž psala jednotlivé kapitoly vždy z několika pohledů. Díky tomu jsme mohli vidět různé perspektivy a příběhy.

Postavy byly top! Moc mě bavilo sourozenecké pouto mezi postavami, milostná linka a taak. 💗 Autorka dokázala vytvořit přesně takový ten pocit, že tuhle postavu nesnáším a tuhle zas zbožňuju. 🤭💗

Celkově bych knihu zhodnotila 3,5 ⭐️. Ikdyž bych řekla, že byla skvělá, tak mě částmi nebavila a přišla mi tak nějak celkově moc dlouhá.

[emmak]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book!

My Ranking: just not for me.

DNF @50%

I went into this book with high hopes. The premise sounded unique and intriguing, and I was looking forward to reading something reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. However, I found myself struggling to connect to the characters. Although the world was interesting and the plot was pretty exciting, it wasn’t fast paced enough to make up for the fact that I didn’t feel for the characters. They felt almost like caricatures or ideas rather than fully formed individuals to me. Because of this, I have not felt drawn to pick this book up and finish it. Ishiguro’s writing is beautiful, so I am open to reading more from this author in the future. The particular book is just not for me, and that’s okay.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley for a chance to read this in advance. I found the premise of this incredibly intriguing- with more traditional customs mixed with a high tech world on a beautiful island. However, for me, the pacing of the book was almost disjointed and felt too slow to get into the proper flow of things. The multi-POVs were also maybe one too many and just as I was starting to get into the flow of one, it would switch again. There was also quite a bit of repetition amongst the POVs. These all contributed to a DNF around 32%. Beautiful description of the story but it just didn't execute for me.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Book!
Naomi Ishiguro tells a story of orphans who have formed a family. They are living the hidden life of immigrants in a kingdom that is corrupt. This story is full of magic, adventure and action. Her writing is beautiful, gentle and to the point. I cannot wait for the next two books to arrive on my shelf.

[Amy Portsmouth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!! The found family and political themes were done really well. Also loved the blend of Sci Fi and Fantasy - but sadly I found the writing quite boring and the characters were flat and very childish in some ways. It was still an interesting storyline and I think book 2 will be better!

[Jean C Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It is fantastic and magical! I hope to read the rest of the series.