Book review of The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro

Since the death of their adopted aunt at the hands of a gang called the Lucky Crows, the three Kawakami siblings have rebuilt their lives with an eye toward revenge. But just when their target is within reach, Toshiko Kawakami blows her cover. In a moment of panic, she steals a magical pearl from one of the Crows’ chief lieutenants. 

The decision not only puts her family in jeopardy but also changes the lives of two others. For Haru, the young crown prince of Rainshadow Island and unwitting accomplice to Toshiko’s theft, the incident is a catalyst that will shake his trust in the emperor who has held him at arm’s length his entire life. And for Theo, a new recruit to the Lucky Crows whose legal prospects are hamstrung by his immigration status, the theft will force him to choose between committing to a life with the Crows and the moral compromises that brings, or to maintaining his humanity and forfeiting his life. Over the next two days, all five unlikely protagonists are pulled into a web involving advanced robotics, attempted political assassinations and magic beyond their comprehension. The question is not simply whether these individuals will survive. It’s whether Rainshadow City itself will ever be the same. 

The Rainshadow Orphans, the first in Naomi Ishiguro’s Rainshadow series, is a doorstop of a book that combines an imaginative technopunk setting with the hidden magical details of movies like Spirited Away to create a multilayered world as enchanting as it is dangerous. Rainshadow City is a dystopia ruled by a ruthless emperor on one side and a dangerous gang boss on the other. While its citizens reap the benefits of the island’s recent technological boom, generations of noncitizens live in the impoverished Keeper’s Crescent. The disparities highlight the two-tiered system that allows the fictional city to prosper, providing a timely real-world commentary on refugee and immigrant labor across the globe. These heavy themes, however, are balanced by moments of hope, whether through glimpses of the spirits that inhabit the island or the small moments of joy that unite the Kawakamis’ found family. Fast-paced and unrelenting, The Rainshadow Orphans is a perfect read for anime and cyberpunk fans alike.