Dark and wholesome!

Shadows House is a manga that I only purchase for my library because of the gorgeous book covers. These covers immediately caught my eye, and I had to read them after seeing how atmospheric and creepy they looked. I’m quite pleased I picked this up!

Kate and Emilico are a newly formed team of a Shadow and a living doll. Shadows are a large noble family that cannot be seen. They emit soot and look like walking shadows at all times; thus, their faces and bodies can not be identified. Since they’re unable to be seen, they employ living dolls, which are humanoid dolls made to reflect the personality and looks of the Shadow family member, acting as the human embodiment of the Shadow. It’s a wild concept but fascinating. Emilico is determined to make her Shadow, Kate, proud of her by being a good living doll, but she has a lot of her own personality and struggles to reflect Kate’s.

Most of the first volume of this series revolved around the setup and giving the reader the necessary backstory to understand the world. It’s an intriguing premise and did a great job of pulling interest to the point where I ordered the subsequent three volumes already. I love a good, wholesome, but dark-themed story, and I look forward to seeing the relationship between Emilico and Kate develop.

Title: Shadows House, Vol. 1
Author: Somato
Format: Paperback
Pages: 160
ISBN: 9781975345921

Three Descriptors: Creepy, Dark, Wholesome