The streets of Tokyo are different at night.
There is darkness behind the glitter and the neon lights, and people who prefer to stay in the shadows, to dwell in the underworld – whores, gangsters, the homeless, the lost.
People like Sato.
He’s part of this world, he always has been, but a feeling of change is lingering in the heavy air of the bustling city. A feeling brought to life by fateful encounters of solitary souls.
Shadow Shinjuku is a dark, yet magical journey into the depths of Tokyo’s nightlife and the depths of the human soul.Ryu Takeshi’s first novel is both a crime thriller and urban fantasy.
It’s a unique and mesmerizing blend of the imagery of Japanese animation and film, the colors and details of street photography, and the mystical lyricism of soulful music.
But above everything, it is a gripping story that doesn’t let go.
We spent a week in Tokyo, so how was our stay?
12th October
Review by FanFiAddict, “There is a lot of back alley dealing, and almost everything takes place at night. I have always loved getting lost in a good noir, and this book really scratched that itch.”
Extract at Over the Rainbow Book Blog, ““Akira Yamaguchi”. Most people knew the name, and most people feared it. Even Kobayashi-san. I was one of the few who didn’t. I feared something else.”
13th October
Extract at Jazzy Book Reviews, “It’s not entirely true that I didn’t have anywhere to sleep. I did have my cardboard box, like all the other homeless people in the vicinity of the Tokyo Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku. Mine was the average size, I would say, but as I was only ten, it looked like I had more living space than the others. You could say I was well off. It’s all relative, right?”
14th October
b for bookreview puts Ryu in the spotlight as we learn when and where he prefers to write, would he prefer to be a goodie or a baddie, how he picks the covers for his books and so much more
Review by Rajivs Reviews, “The author has a beautiful writing style where introduces magical and fantasy elements into the storyline.”
15th October
Review by snowphiethebookworm (IG), “It is the kind of crime thriller that grabs hold of you and doesn’t let you go , I have read a lot of crime thrillers and this is one that stands out by miles! It is beautifully written , the illustrations are amazing.”
Review by Jessica Belmont, “The plot of this novel is intriguing. I thought the fantasy/supernatural elements added a really fun spin to what was already and entertaining idea.”
16th October
Extract at The Magic of Wor(l)ds, “I only go after midnight. There is a secret to Golden Gai, you see. Every night, exactly at midnight, a portal opens. It’s hidden in a narrow alley between two small houses, and it resembles a large mirror.”
Review by Sharon Beyond the Books, “I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building, we get to see the dark, gritty, underbelly of Tokyo and I felt like I was there, immersed in Sato’s world by his side. The world-building, plotline and characters all add up to an intriguing fantasy/crime thriller that is an immersive and quite addictive read.”
17th October
Review by twilight_reader (IG), “I was so quickly gripped by the plot of the story it shocked me. This is a quite big read too so for it to keep my interest throughout was amazing.”
Review by Pauline Render, “As a debut novel it fulfilled everything I want in a crime thriller as well the fascination of finding out a bit about another culture. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Ryu Takeshi in the future.”
18th October
Extract at LoupDargent.info, “According to Kei, artificially removing ideas is risky. When you remove them, they don’t disappear, die, or self-destruct. No, they stay. More precisely, they go back to the “Sea of Thought” – the source of all ideas.”
Review by Cheryl M-M’s Book Blog, “The story is infused with magical realism, elements of fantasy, which is combined with a strong urban crime vibe. Set in a vibrant pulsing city in Japan the author has managed to give it a Sam Spade dark underbelly feeling, and the juxtaposition is the magic the reader is unable to define or put a finger on.”
And that is well and truly a wrap!
Thank you ever so much to everyone who has taken part in the tour!
Shadow Shinjuku is out now and available to buy from Amazon UK, Amazon US
Until the next adventure xxx
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