Shadows House Volume 6 Review
Warning: Spoilers
“Shadows House is a den of kidnappers.” The Noble Robe.
In an attempt to subdue the rebellious sentiments stirring among the youngest Shadows in Shadows House, instigated by Miss Kate (and ably abetted by her living doll, Emilico), the Star-bearers, led by the formidable Barbie, impose a distribution of the ‘special celebration’ coffee to all the living dolls – and Emilico has no choice but to take part. She returns to Kate in a cheerful but hyperactive state, manically insisting on cleaning, and Kate has to resort to desperate methods to get the coffee out of her system and restore her to normal.
The four pairs who passed their debut together, led by Kate, continue to meet to discuss their plan to uncover what’s really going on. They now know that the living dolls are human children, spirited away to serve Shadows House. They have suspicions as to who the adult Shadows are. But they still don’t know what has become of Christopher, ‘the greatest Star-bearer ever.’ Louise and Lou meet with Shadow Mary-Rose to ask what happens when they’re summoned to live with Grandfather. “Faceless Shadows pass the debut, and come of age as ‘Faced’ Shadows. Then when we’re summoned, we become adults!”
Louise asks if there’s a test, like the one at the debut but Mary-Rose doesn’t know – and adds that speaking of Shadows who’ve gone to Grandfather’s side is “against the rules” adding, “adults never come back.” As Louise, frustrated at the lack of information, stomps off with Lou in tow, Mary-Rose adds, “Louise. Be good to your Face.” Is Mary-Rose friend or foe? Can she be trusted? And what’s the story with her living doll, Rosemary (once Emilico’s team leader and said to be still suffering from soot sickness)?
Kate sets up a meeting with the Noble Robe in which she, Emilico, John and Shaun learn some terrible truths about the Shadows’ origins. Kate has guessed the Noble Robe’s true identity and calls them out. It’s Mary-Rose – and she and Rosemary, her Living Doll, have been ‘summoned’. But they don’t want to submit themselves to the cruel process that becoming an adult means in Shadows House – they plan to escape. And even though they’ve shared their secrets with the younger ones, they now reveal how ruthless they’ve had to become to make their bid for freedom. Will they get away? And will the traps they’ve set for Kate, Emilico, John and Shaun place them in danger – or even implicate them as their allies?
Those who have seen the anime TV series will recognize the build-up in this volume to one of the most horrific and shocking revelations in Shadows House so far – a real game-changer (and a moment of graphic horror worthy of Junji Ito). If there was any doubt in Kate’s mind about her need to rebel against the cruel and authoritarian regime imposed by the Noble Shadows, it’s dispelled by the meeting with the Noble Phantom. The four young Shadows and their Faces are also becoming used to working together to find out the truth behind the stories they’ve been ordered/coerced to believe, and although John still proudly declares his love for Kate at every opportunity, we learn that the disdainful Patrick has secretly fallen for Emilico, even though he silently resolves that he’ll never let anyone find out.
Somato delivers another fascinating, disturbing volume of their gothic fantasy. Kate and Emilico meet more inhabitants of the Children’s Building and learn some hair-raising truths about the Shadows when Kate confronts the Noble Robe, the mysterious cloaked figure that has been secretly communicating with them. Their future looks more and more uncertain. But Kate is resourceful and determined to bring about change – which means she must always stay one step ahead of the Star-bearers and, of course, the cunning and ambitious Edward who suspects her of being a troublemaker. It’s also fascinating to see the rivalry among the elite Adults as Edward and his two allies Eileen and Jerald are confronted by Thomas, the previous administrator of the Children’s Building, who has been supplanted by Edward and is not at all pleased about the demotion.
So this is a pivotal, must-read volume in the series and Somato’s art is as intricately detailed as before, enhancing the sombre, menacing atmosphere in Shadows House. Many of the pages are packed with little panels – but the big reveals occur in half and full-pages for maximum impact. Yen Press have again included delightful colour pages at the front and end of the volume, reinforcing the ‘feel’ of an old storybook. The only slight problem is that some of the splash pages within the book (which were originally in colour) are so dark that they are difficult to make out; luckily these original colour pages are among those included at the end. Also at the end is the very useful/helpful three-page character guide, dividing the cast into their various groups and hierarchies, from August Grandfather down to the youngest Shadows and their Faces.
The translation is again by Taylor Engel and deals effortlessly (as before) with all Somato’s fantasy terminology, making the dark world of the Shadows very clear for English readers. The lettering, by Lys Blakeslee, is also excellent, conveying all the varying emotions of the cast as the story gains momentum.
The series is up to Volume 16 in Japan but Yen Press won’t be bringing us Volume 7 until September which is quite a long time to wait to find out what happens next!
Our review copy from Yen Press was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.
