Shadow

Paper Gods #0.5

by Amanda Sun

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look. Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench. A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness. And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine. On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building. Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets. Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Short Stories, Romance, Mythology, Novella

87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - I love the idea of this storyline and I love the way it is written...

I was told about this book by a friend who had gotten it free at the time and I thought 'why not'. She gave this novel 5 stars, which surprised and intrigued me... However, I totally understand why she awarded full marks to Amanda Sun's book - it is brilliant!

Katie's mum dies and after a short while, Katie goes to live with her aunt Diane in Japan, she feels she does not belong and her world is raw and torn... Tomohiro lives in an everyday nightmare, his world seems to foretell death... Katie starts her new school, Tomohiro is in his 3rd year and their worlds are about to collide...

Fantastically written and I will be definitely reading the first book, Ink, when it is released.

[Shannon]

Oh! Oh! Oh!

Did you guys see that this is up on Wattpad for free?!

すばらしいね！

[Adriyanna Zimmermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the writing; it really focused on the detail and emotion. This was perfect for the backstory of Katie and Tomohiro. We're really in their heads, listening to their thoughts, worries, joys and I loved that the POV, which was first person, alternated between the two characters. I'd recommend reading Ink and then this novella just because of the way it's set up. Even though there's no spoilers about Ink, I think you'll like the backstory more if you read Ink first.

UPDATED REVIEW:

I loved the writing in Amanda Sun’s Shadow! In this particular context, I feel it really shined because of the way it focused on the detail and emotion. This is a prequel novella to Ink and was perfect for providing backstory on Katie and Tomohiro. I would say maybe one third to one half of the time we’re in the heads of the two and experience their thoughts, worries, joys in a most direct form. I loved that not only was it in first person, but it alternated between both Katie and Tomohiro! The reader gets to see Tomohiro in a new light.

It’s through Tomohiro that we get closer contact with the mythology of The Paper Gods world, somewhat differently than we did in Ink or Rain. I believe it being in Tomo’s POV allowed this. The ways we come into contact with the mythology was my absolute favourite part of the novella and I hope to see more of this in Storm. In addition, it fits with the title! Tomo is noticing all these shadows and having strange dreams related to the ink.

I’d recommend reading Ink and then this novella just because of the way it’s set up. There’s no spoilers so you can read Shadow then Ink, but I feel you’ll enjoy the backstory more. Plus, it was fun spotting all these references to Ink! With this novella the reader almost gets a meet-and-greet with the two main characters of The Paper Gods and I’ll be going into Storm (The Paper Gods, #3) with a new appreciation of Sun’s characters.

[Kristy (Book Nerd Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadow introduces you to the Katie and Tomohiro before the events of Ink.

Shadow, unlike Ink, is told from alternating perspectives - which I really enjoyed. It is the backstory as to why Katie ends up in Japan and her feelings about this life-changing event, and some much needed backstory of Tomohiro’s life and how he is dealing with his abilities. You get to see a whole other side of Tomohiro, one I actually preferred to how he appears in Ink at times.

Some prequels are best to read before the book, some are best after - this one, I am not sure about.

I think if you read this first, you will go into this with a better understanding of Tomohiro - as you get some his POV in this novella and you get to understand a lot about him.

However if you read this afterwards, you have stronger understanding of his anxiety in this book - why he is so scared etc.

It does not answer any questions you have after reading Ink - and in fact, it raises a few more - but all in all, I really enjoyed this novella as you got to know Tomohiro a little better, and you got to see more of the Katie that I liked at the beginning of Ink.

Review of Ink will be coming soon at www.booknerdreviews.com

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I was reading Ink I wanted to know what it was like for Katie before she went to live with her Aunt Diane. I’m glad Amanda Sun wrote about her life before. Katie didn’t immediately go live Diane because she still felt too attached to the U.S. due to her mom even though she is gone from the living world. She finally decides to live with Diane, but she hits hiccups on the way there that she can’t explain. To me, it showed that when she got close to Japan the ink started to affect her then. Not only are we experiencing this time with Katie, but also, Tomohiro. He is experiencing bad nightmares and feels himself start to lose control over the ink. Then Katie appears. This starts their journey together. Overall, I really enjoyed being able to see what happened to both characters before Katie made it to Japan and both of their lives changed because of it.

[Jg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This e-novella, a prequel to Ink (book#1 of the Paper Gods series), was quite an enjoyable introduction to the two lead characters, Katie and Tomo. Fans of Amy Plum's Die For Me trilogy will notice a very similar theme - American teenager Katie Greene's mom dies, and Katie ends up moving to Japan to live with her aunt (and the female leads have almost the same name too!). This similarity isn't a bad thing; if anything, it intrigued me even further. As this is only the prequel, Katie and Tomo have yet to cross paths, and I can't wait to read Ink and find out what will happen.

As a heads up, Shadow is free right now on B&N, which is awesome - a great way to introduce this series to readers. I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a prequel short story, I ended up enjoying Shadow more than expected. It gives a good deal of insight into the lead characters, especially their emotional and mental states prior to the beginning of the series' novels—and it teases just enough about the novels to get the reader eager to read them. For that reason, I'm quite glad I read Shadow before re-reading Ink!

[Lance Schonberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadow is a prequel novella to Ms. Sun's Paper Gods trilogy. I have read it before, when it first came out, but when I wrestled Storm (the final volume) away from my oldest daughter, I decided I’d like to read the whole set of stories as a single, continuous tale. I don’t do re-reads very often, and I haven’t done a trilogy in one go more than a handful of times as an adult, but I thought I’d like to do real reviews of each story in the sequence, and that makes Shadow a good place to start. The novellas will be shorter reviews, but still deserve attention.

So, taking it as the first piece of the story, Shadow introduces the two primary characters of Ink, Katie and Tomohiro, and it’s told in the first person for both, in thirteen alternating chapters plus both a prologue and an epilogue. The bookends are both from Tomohiro’s perspective, and we begin with a nightmare in progress. For Katie, we start with a different kind of nightmare, at the gathering right after her mother’s funeral.

After that, the two stories run in parallel. Katie starts to come to terms with her mother’s death, makes the move to Japan to live with her aunt, and starts school there. Tomohiro takes steps to remove himself further from the social life of a normal (Japanese) teenager and begins to make an effort to understand his dreams. The stories don’t quite come together, but do brush up against one another near the end, with the first day of school welcoming ceremonies.

Overall rating: 4 stars. Translation: this is a good establishing the background and character introduction story. It makes a nice prequel to Ink, but would have thrown the pacing of the novel off completely if it had been included. And since Ink is told entirely from Katie’s point of view, we would also have lost Tomohiro’s journey without it. You don’t need to read Shadow before Ink to enjoy either story. Actually, you don’t need to read Shadow at all to enjoy Ink, but if you’ve liked any of Ms. Sun’s other writing, you owe it to yourself to check it out. And, as of this writing, it’s available free in a couple of places.

[Shadowhunter's Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw that this was a free ebook on my ereader store and I have wanted to read something from this series, so naturally I decided to get this and sometime afterward I started it, and I read it all throughout my Spring break (which for me would be pretty good). And I enjoyed it.

One of the things I love most about this series right now is that it takes place in Japan and is influenced by Japanese mythology and culture and in YA literature we don't see it all that much. It was refreshing to know a little bit about Japanese culture, and I think that there will be a lot of reference to that and the mythology in the first book.

However, that was basically the only thing I loved about this book. Everything else I either liked or didn't care about.

The characters weren't that memorable, sure they were interesting and I cared about them, but I don't care about them enough to the point where I would be overprotective of them as the fangirl I am/can be. My favorite character would have to probably be Myu (I believe that's her name). She was just sweet and so really likeable to me. But the main reason I think I didn't like/care for them as much was probably because this was a prequel/novella and so I don't know the characters all that much, but I would have liked to care for them at least a little bit more.

I did like that we got to see Katie go from America to Japan and try to get accustomed to Japan's style and culture and language and was at least trying. And I did like that we saw Tomohiro struggle through his nightmares and the fact that he had to restrain from letting the monsters inside him take over since he is a demon god or a child of a demon god (I can't remember).

In the end, I gave Shadow 3.5/5 stars. It wasn't a terrible read, but it wasn't the best thing ever. This didn't wow me or anything like that, but it was a lovely reading experience and I still have plans to read Ink.

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie Greene has lost her mother. She had a fatal heart attack and now Katie's all alone. Katie has to get through the funeral and then there's the matter of where she's going to stay. Her family doesn't live anywhere near and her mother's friend can't let her stay forever. Her mother's will is clear, her aunt will have custody. Only that would mean moving to Japan and Katie isn't ready for that yet. Japan is her destiny though, but how will she be able to make a life for herself there when she doesn't even know the language?

Yuu Tomohiro has horrible nightmares. They're too vivid to be just dreams and he knows that at some level they are real. He loves to draw, but horrible things are happening when he does. He's got a darkness inside him and he's afraid to lose control. There's a dangerous shadow, something that haunts him. He can't control what happens when he's around. That is why he keeps people at a distance, it also means he has to push his girlfriend Myu away. He likes her, but if she comes too close she'll be in danger. What's happening to him?

Shadow is the first part of Amanda Sun's The Paper Gods series. It's a prequel that introduces the reader to both Katie and Tomohiro. It's a great way to get to know them a bit better. Katie is really sad, she misses her mother terribly. She's lost everything she holds dear and there's no going back. Tomohiro tries to keep people safe, but his friends keep managing to get into trouble and they ask him to pull them out. He's someone with a good heart who pretends to be insensitive and cold, just because he wants to protect everyone. He thinks there's something awful inside him. After reading this prequel I couldn't wait to start reading Ink. I immediately liked Katie and Tomohiro and I was curious to learn more about the shadows. I think Shadows makes Ink (the first full length novel) a better book and can't wait to read more of the series. Amanda Sun is a good writer and I love the world she's created.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I read "INK" by Amanda Sun I wanted to look further into Katie Greene and Yuu Tomohiro's background to gain an insight into their relationship and his power so I read " Shadow" the prequel to the book. In this paranormal novella Katie's devastated by the loss of her mother and is forced because of her grandfather's illness to live with her Aunt Diane. Adrift in despair and wanting some sense of belonging, she travels to Japan having little knowledge of the language and culture.
Likewise Yuu Tomohiro's haunted by nightmares of his dark power as she tries to find normalcy in his life and protect his girlfriend Myu and a desperate Shiori who's being bullied at her private school. Into this mix add Tomohiro's encounter at school with the mysterious woman of his dreams and his immediate magnetic attraction to her.
As captivating as "INK" Amanda Sun uses her knowledge of the culture of Japan, the use of Japanese words , the taste and smell of its unique cuisine to give the stories depth and color although the ending in both leaves more questions than answers.
In the novella Katie's desolation at the loss of her mother and her relationship with her aunt and her grandparents are explored as well as Tomohiro's desperate need for normalcy in the face of his growing power. In the story we see a little more of Sato's jealousy because of Tomohiro's relationship with Myu, and encounter Katie's friends the outgoing Yuki and studious Tanaka. This novella is enjoyable and well worth reading.

[Angélica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm...abrupt ending. Katie's role in Tomohiro's story, though, is intriguing and left purposely vague. Fine. I have to read the book now. I am still very much irked by the sometimes unnecessary use of Japanese words.

---

I was checking my updates feed when I saw one from The Holy Terror saying that the author posted some chapters of this prequel on Wattpad. As of this writing, a prologue and four short chapters are available online. So far, nothing much is happening. What ticks me off at times is the author's use of Japanese terms and expressions verges on the superfluous.

And while I know this is the prerogative of the author, I think Yuu isn't used as a surname that much. But...I'm not an expert on Japanese nomenclature anyway. And there are instances of two first names in other languages too, so I don't think Japanese would be not much different. I simply though it unusual. But Myu as a name? I really cannot remove the thought that it looks better spelled Miyu. But that's just me. I am weird like that. I'm conscious of how a word looks.

Another thing, but I'm just nitpicking. When Katie arrives at Japan, she's gonna enroll in a cram school? I still don't know what year she's in. Oh, she's a first year. Silly me.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I wish I had read this before Ink! Shadow starts while Katie is still in the US, the day of her mother’s funeral. We get to see the moments that pushed her to staying with her aunt in Japan and we get to see the beginning stages of her attempting to start her life over in a foreign country. As an added plus we get treated to chapters in Tomohiro’s point of view, where we get to see the nightmares that haunt him and his strained relationship with Myu. I loved that this gave him a chance to explain his personality more and I think that if I had read it prior to Ink I might have warmed up to him a bit quicker. I really enjoyed the added depth to the story and it’s always nice to see what happens directly before the main book starts. We get to see what drives the characters into making the decisions we get to see first hand in Ink. It’s a cheaper novella (free when I downloaded it) and so I think that if you enjoyed Ink or are curious to see if you might like it then give it a shot. Everything has the same feel too it and you get to see how the writing style is for the Japanese culture, which isn’t for everyone as it does use some Japanese words here and there.

[Stacia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the backstory for Ink, which has one of the most gorgeous covers I've seen in ages. Katie has just lost her mother and has to move halfway around the world to live with her aunt; Tomohiro is a young man with a dangerous secret. At the end of Shadow, they encounter each other for the first time. It's a fairly conventional setup, but the setting is a bit different.

I'm hoping I read the unedited version of this book; if not, I don't have high hopes for Ink. Even in a novella, the use of "smiled" and "giggled" and "laughed" and "smirked" in dialogue tags was annoying--an entire book of that would drive me nuts. Also, I'm hoping that in Ink the author will stop explaining every difference between Japan and the United States. I get that readers who are interested in Japanese language and culture will find it interesting, but in a novella like Shadow, it's info dump that gets in the way of the action--and there's little enough of that as it is.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I am planning to read Ink in the next two weeks I thought that I would check out this prequel.

Shadow is thirteen chapters, plus a prequel and epilogue. It alternates chapters and follows Katie (starting in the US) and Tomohiro (in Japan).

Katie's mom has just died (her chapters begin at the funeral) and she finds out that she is supposed to go to Japan to live with her aunt.

Tomohiro lives in Japan and is tormented.

I thought that the prologue was a bit confusing (it's written totally different from most of the other chapters).

I definitely enjoyed Katie's chapters more and wonder if Ink will be alternating narrators as well.

From this prequel it seems like there are two different books. One seems like a contemporary romance. And the other seems like a fairly confusing paranormal fantasy.

But that said I definitely enjoyed reading about Katie and Tomohiro. And I really enjoyed learning about Japanese culture. I look forward to reading more about both in Ink.

[Misao · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this novella before to see if I would give a try to Ink. It was good, pretty interesting actually and there are possibilites that I give a try to the book when it comes out (I can only waste time and I still have three months left to go back to college so it isn't a problem).
I don't speak japanesse or something but as an otaku as I am and after getting used to hear japanesse through anime for ages, I found myself noticing a few things which confused me with the use of the language. I apreciate that the author uses japanesse words but they're usually followed by the translation in english mostly so it seems a little repetitive (what's the purpouse of the glossary then?). What annoyed me too was that Katie was constantly reminding herself and others how she barely understands the language but then she comes to school and she understands everything.
I don't expect really much from the book but since I love Japan and that stuff at least I'll be reading something japanesse relating (I hope so).

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a prequel novella to a book that I've really wanted to read, Ink by Amanda Sun. The novella is told in dual POV with Tomohiro and Katie telling their tales. Honestly, I wish I had read this after Ink. It didn't get me very excited for the book at all, and although it was a decent novella, it wasn't anything special. There's a lot of character development, but not much else is given. The mysterious vibe that surrounds the two- Tomohiro especially- didn't really engross me. I think that I might have appreciated everything that was going on, but it felt as if I was dropped into the middle of the story and not given enough time to connect with the characters or see any world development. The novella didn't make me feel as if I need to read Ink immediately after, but I do want to read Ink. I think I'll like a full length novel more than this prequel novella, although I'm glad I picked it up anyways.

Violet
Paper Worlds and Swirls of Ink

[Ruthsic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadows, the prequel to Ink in the Paper Gods series, tells the story of Katie and Tomohiro in a dual perspective. Set before Katie comes to Japan, it delves into the sadness and despair of both the characters and how troubled they are.

Katie has just lost her mom and there are these choices to be made but she is stuck in that moment, not able to move forward. Hoping that coming to Japan wouldn't be any worse, she finally decides to join her aunt. But life in Japan is much more confusing than she had anticipated.

Tomohiro is fighting his inner darkness, is being tormented by dreams of death and demons. While you have to read Ink to actually know what Tomohiro is and why he is going through it, it gives you a glimpse of his vulnerability and his thoughts - why he does what he does in Ink.

For the beginning of the series, it doesn't give out much for the plot of Ink but the backstories certainly help out a lot in Ink. Good writing and great introduction.

[Mairéad (is roaming the Undying Lands) · Rating 4 out of 5]

{Feb 10th 2014} UPDATE retrying attempt to write this, but too frustrated to bother at the moment unfortunately, since GR made my almost finished review disappear again, will attempt to write this review tomorrow most likely.


[Katie's] heart pulsed like the earthquake, like the turbluence on the plane. [She] looked at the bloom in [her] hand, brushed [her] fingers over the soft petals. [Katie] lifted the flower to [her] nose and breathed in the sweetness, feeling like [she'd] been dreaming all this time.

Feeling like [she] was about to wake up.

3.5-4 Stars.

Japanese culture has always fascinated me for as long as I can remember.

{TO BE CONTINUED}
My deepest apologises!




[Tomohiro] woke to the sound of [his] clock ticking in the darkness. [He] woke to shadow, and silence, and the uncertainty of what was to come.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing prequel! Sun's writing style kept me glued to the story and aching for more! There is also so much to learn about the Japanese culture in these 69 pages, so I can only imagine what there is to learn in the actual book.
In the prequel we meet the main characters Katie and Tomoshiro. Tomoshiro has so much going on and yet he can't explain any of his issues to anyone. Katie's mother has just died and she has moved to Japan with her aunt. Suddenly, weird things begin to happen to the both of them. Things they can't explain... It serves as the perfect lead in to the actual story.

[Zeph · Rating 4 out of 5]

January 2014: 4 Stars
I thought I'd already reviewed this, which is why I'm only doing it now.
A good addition to the series. I know that it's technically a prequel novella, but I'm very glad I read this AFTER reading Ink. The beginning is so strange and the whole jumping back and forth from Katie to Tomohiro's lives was so disorienting and impersonal that I probably would have been put off. As it is, reading it AFTER reading Ink was nice; it was a good way to leave the series' world while waiting for the next instalment, and it felt like it was filling up little holes in Ink's backstory, which I suppose was Shadow's entire purpose.
It's worth the read if you enjoyed Ink!

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this story again, I'd basically forgotten it in the just under a decade it's been since I first read it, and I can't wait to read more!

*First Read August 15th, 2013*
Oh, good short story, enjoyed the intro to this world, and can't wait to read Ink!

[Kim at Divergent Gryffindor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand that this is merely a prequel to the actual first book, Ink, but it felt very much incomplete. The story was very confusing too, but it certainly got me interested in Ink. It's a good thing that I have a copy from Netgalley!

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies]

Browsing through an online book is boring, I'm putting this on hold for now. Stopped at chapter 9.

[Julianna Helms]

I wanna gobble that cover up

[-Bookish Gal- · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually I am not one for paranormal love stories as much as I love reading anything that involves the likes of ghosts or gremlins or anything out of the ordinary. Anything supernatural – a fantasy, based in either a real world or a fictional or where both these worlds co-exist, the real world usually unaware it is even connected to another, one where creatures we thought as mere fantasy exist, where things thought to be unnatural or imagination happen, where things we deem fit for nightmares dwell and lurk for real.

Even so I despise, where fantasy or the elements which come along when dealing with the genre are not used properly when writing a book, especially romances which seem to not use it accurately. Its like the author doesn't want to utilize the opportunity to use the abundant scope that writing fantasies provide or milks it too dry. Its like fine so here is a vampire, and you guys fell in love with each other - deal with it. Like really O_o. Hell even normal couples, where both partners are humans have issues how can a couple where both partners are from different species (perhaps?) just deal with it. Its a load of crap totally, how is that even possible ? Just because you are smitten with a 100 year old virgin who has fangs does not mean you should lose your marbles. Losing your cherry should not be directly proportional to losing your head.

Hence I was skeptical even to pick up another one of these paranormal romances – author Amanda Sun’ Ink which has such a gorgeous cover art that it immediately caught my eye when I was looking for new releases on Goodreads earlier this month.

But then I decided to read the summary and see whether I wanna even bother reading the book or just be content with admiring the stunning cover art.

Japan – that’s right Japan was the word that immediately drew me in, it’s not (thank god) another werewolf, vampire, shapeshifter, marshmallow man love saga. What a relief !

The culture of Japan is fascinating, one of the oldest in the world. So when a book dealing with the paranormal was based there, it would definitely be something different from the norm, that I was sure of. Hence when I found out about Shadow, the prequel to Ink, the first installment of the Paper Gods series I thought it would be a good way to get a glimpse into the author’ style and perhaps avoid another catastrophe, if it is indeed one. Two terrible reads in a row can do that to you, frighten you to the possibility of completing a hat-trick.

Shadow, I found was a bit slow but not a dull read. It’s a short book – even free from Amazon, at the moment; and is the story of Katie dealing with the death of her mother, lost in her grief and terrified of starting life anew in a foreign country, now that she has to live with her aunt Diane, her mom’ sister, her legal guardian as per her mom’ will.

While on the other side of the world Tomohiro, a high school student who has a difficult relationship with his father and also had lost his mother deals with his own woes. He is haunted by demons of the past – quite literally, as was his mother; which he now realizes. Tomohiro has nightmares almost each and every night, about a legendary demon son, who brought about utter destruction and ruin around him everywhere; I suppose Tomohiro is a reincarnation of the man he dreams.

To keep people at bay and safe as well, Tomohiro doesn’t socialize much however he does have a few friends, though none he trusts enough with his secrets. A girlfriend Myu, who he is with, only to ensure a facade of normalcy in his life. He does however have a chink in his armor – a girl named Shiori, who he is protective about a lot. Shiori, for some reason is being bullied by her fellow students in an all girls school in the worst possible way.

For some reason, Katie and Tomohiro have a connection. Perhaps in a previous life they were lovers, most likely and the book ends as a dumbfounded Tomohiro notices Katie amongst the freshmen of his school during the welcome ceremony and immediately recognizes her as the woman who frequents his dreams, prophesying death and destruction wherever he sets foot with the only difference being in his dreams, the woman is raven haired while Katie is a blonde.

The writing of the book was good enough, though sometimes the use of Japanese words did slow me down as I had to look up for meanings when they weren’t clear by the context or when the author did not explain those, especially with Tomohiro’ chapters as Katie’ being written from a foreigner’ POV – words or titles that came up were explained usually in the next few sentences.

Katie’ character – that of a girl whose mom, whose healthy enough mom, suddenly dies is written in a way which does justice to the premise. She isn’t whiny, nor in a position where you can expect her to be a burst of sunshine. She is coping, dealing and it is evident she is terrified and confused which is expected of her. She wants to live with her grandparents, but they seem to be declining each day, especially her grandpa who is having a cancer relapse. And even her granny is slowly having troubles due to her age.

Tomohiro, was a bit of a regular angsty character, however I did like his dry sense of humor, for eg – at one point in the book even he thinks its dumb his girlfriend wants to date him because he has this mysterious bad boy persona going on and is perceived by people as someone who is shady. He likes to sketch and is quite talented with the pencil but avoids it since his sketches come to life or become haunted somehow, and mysteriously he has these ink blotches oozing out of nowhere when he touches things or people sometimes.

Though I didn't exactly understand the meaning behind those nightmares or their cause I would nonetheless read Ink to see if any hint or explanation as to them is provided as I am intrigued enough, hoping I am not let down.

This review can also be found at One reader A thousand lives

[Ria Bridges · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prequel novella to the Paper Gods series, Shadow‘s chapters are told in the first person from alternating viewpoints, Katie’s and Tomohiro’s. Obviously, it takes place before the events of Ink, and doesn’t really reveal anything that didn’t get mentioned in the main novels of the series, so it’s hardly essential to the major story as a whole. However, it’s still interesting as character-building, as we get to see not only Katie’s grief over her mother’s death and her transition from a familiar life in the States to a rather unwanted life in Japan, but we also get to see things from Tomohiro’s perspective, trying to fight against his nightmares and hide his kami powers from those around him.

So interesting, absolutely, but really only if you got invested in the rest of the series and wanted to see a bit more of how it all began. Otherwise, there’s no harm done by skipping Shadow.

[Billie · Rating 1 out of 5]

In short, Shadow focuses on the events happening in Katie and Tomohiro's lives months before Ink up till (I would assume) just before Ink begins. The chapters alternate between the two protagonists and for the first time ever, we finally see how each of them really handled their tragedy/predicament. Katie mourns her mother's death all the time in Ink but never in a way she does so in Shadow. Whereas with Tomohiro, we never get to see how he is handling his situation until this novella. However, in spite of these sliver of information (probably to build character into Katie and Tomohiro), I really don't see a point in this novella. It does absolutely nothing for me for what's to come. If you ask me, I will tell you not to waste your time with this novella.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

I'm currently going through all the novellas I bought as a teenager and have stored up on my kindle, and I have to say that Shadow has been one of the best. I barely remember anything of Ink, the first book in the series, and yet a lot of it came back to me as I was reading this little prequel. Though definitely an extended prelude to the first installment, Shadow was enjoyable to read and lets you dive into the world of the Paper Gods really quickly. A nice accompaniment.