Title: Rise
Author: Amanda Sun
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Borrowed from my mother
Check this book out on Goodreads.
Buy at: Chapters
A long, long time ago, before the world was as we know it, Izanami and Izanagi came into being. Two of the first of the ancient gods of Japan, they crafted the world from ink and their own imaginations. Izanagi wants, more than anything, to be with Izanami—but one moment of pride could tear them apart forever.
Yuki and Tanaka have been friends for as long as they can remember, but lately deeper feelings have been bubbling beneath the surface. How do they navigate the transition from friendship to true love without destroying the powerful bond between them?
Set a millennia apart, can these two couples, living parallel love stories, find their happily-ever-afters?(Source: Goodreads)
Rise follows 2 love stories. The original love story of Izanami and Izanagi, the original kami, and the love story of Yuki and Tanaka, two teenagers tangled up in an ongoing kami war. I thought this was a really interesting choice for Sun, taking on new characters rather than focusing on Katie and Tomohiro as she does in the main books of the series. I especially liked her versions of the kami stories.
The chapters in this novella alternate between the kami story and the modern story, which creates a kind of contrast between them, which I think worked to Sun’s advantage because it also created a lot of intrigue for me. I think if the book had been strictly about Yuki and Tanaka I would not have been so interested in the book. I obviously favored the kami story, I think it would be hard not to because it was just so different and so much more intriguing that this standard teen love story, not that Yuki and Tanaka’s is a bad story. I kind of an interesting bridge between novels too, and I’m looking forward to seeing the main story continue.
I recommend this series, it’s definitely unique in the YA realm. I also love support local authors and Sun lives in Toronto!
Ramble on,
Kimber
Have you read Rise? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Check out Amanda Sun at her Goodreads, Twitter, and website.
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