Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro, which is the start of a new fantasy trilogy. I was instantly drawn in by the beautiful cover on this one, and the citation of Studio Ghibli, Pokemon, and The Legend of Korra as inspirations sealed the deal for me. Did I love this story as much as its cover? Read on to find out!

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.

***Thank you to Saga Press for providing an advanced copy of the book. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

The Rainshadow Orphans is definitely a book that rewards patience. While I was enamored with the world-building from the start, the pace felt glacially slow at times with this whole book only covering a few days’ worth of time. That being said, I was never bored and things were happening steadily. I was just antsy for things to move forward, and the frequent POV changes sometimes left me frustrated because I just wanted to see what happened next for a different character. At 640 pages, this chonky beast of a book had a lot going on with a wide variety of plot threads and characters, but the author managed it well and brought everything together for a satisfying resolution to this first installment.

The world of The Rainshadow Orphans was really freaking cool. The combination of fantasy and tech elements was unique, and the society felt complex and lived in. There was something whimsical about it all despite the harsh realities faced by the citizens of this Empire. The dragons, sun spirits, and magical powers added a layer of wonder atop the dystopian society populated by a ruthless emperor, ambivalent elites, exploited immigrants, creepy android bots, and a powerful gang up to no good. The author did a great job of providing vivid descriptions that made me feel like I was walking through this world with its characters.

As with most multiple POV stories, I liked some characters in The Rainshadow Orphans more than others. Theo and Haru had the most distinctive voices. Theo was an outcast from another land trying to stay alive and deal with his burgeoning magical powers. He had joined the Crows gang in search of a home and for access to a better life but quickly found out how much of a cage that membership truly was. He struggled so much between choosing what would keep him alive and what he thought was morally right. On the other hand, Haru was a sheltered 10-year-old prince. Over the course of the story, he learned that the world was not nearly as simple as he thought, and he came to realize how difficult choices were a constant companion of being a leader. The Kawakami’s were also interesting characters. I adored Toshiko’s willingness to always jump headfirst into danger to help others. Jun cared deeply for others and did what he could to make their lives easier, mostly via cooking and the healing arts. Mei had a spunkiness that often made me smile, and her cat Mochi was the best sidekick ever. The Kawakamis didn’t feel quite as complex, though, even if they were the change agents that set the whole story off.

The Rainshadow Orphans tackled so many timely themes. Front and center was the exploration of how horrible immigration policies impact people and the systems of the society in which they are centered. For example, refugees to Rainshadow City were not allowed to become citizens and were only allowed to live outside the city on a small sliver of the island. The horrible conditions were rife with poverty, drugs, and a breeding ground for crime, which fed directly into the power of the Crows gang. So many horrors stemmed from the closed-door immigration policy that ultimately had intense ramifications for the city and the Empire as a whole. The story also illustrated both the good and bad of technology and automation. Lost work and the ability to use artificial intelligence as a weapon were key parts of this story, and they have obvious parallels to the modern world.

My favorite thing about The Rainshadow Orphans, though, was how it showed the power that comes from community. So many impossible things were accomplished in this book, and it all stemmed from disparate people coming together to make them happen. The found families in this book were its heart, and I just loved how much they cared for and looked after each other.

All in all, The Rainshadow Orphans was a great start to a new fantasy trilogy. It had stunning world-building, interesting themes, and characters I wanted to learn more about. I think this could have been a 5-star book for me if it had been 100 or so pages shorter. I’m definitely looking forward to whatever comes next in this world! Therefore, I rate this book 4.25 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro. Does this sound like something you would enjoy? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!