Interesting take on outsiders but honestly, it lost me. That's on me, not on Anipare who has created a world that merges reality with Japanese folklore and the supernatural. Just not my thing but it will definitely appeal to others who enjoy the genre. Cybelle is a Canadian woman of color who has been teaching English in Kansai, a small Japanese city, for six years. At the same time, Zaniel, a half American half Japanese, is a dream walker who works with Akkai, a demon. Their lives will intersect and well, no spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Yume is the debut novel by Canadian author Sifton Tracey Anipare, inspired clearly in part by her own experience as a foreigner teaching English in Japan. It's an urban fantasy novel featuring as a Black Canadian woman, like Anipare herself, teaching English to kids....and struggling with the fact that after years of being in Japan, she's still treated as a foreign curiosity (or worse) more than anything else. Oh and then there are the Yokai who thrive in people's dreams, and perhaps in the real world as well, and the boy turned man who found himself tied to one such deadly Yokai.

The result is a novel that is fascinating to read, and a really strong debut novel. The story deals with the difficulty in fitting in as a foreigner in a strange land, especially as an obvious one, how difficult it can be to stand up for oneself to one who might seem to be a protector at first, and how running away to a new place isn't going to make one whole and solve one's problems, even if it can result in some good. And while parts can be painful to read, as main protagonist Cybelle deals with the shitty treatment by her boss and fellow teachers as well as just general strangers, it can also be pretty fun as its Yokai protagonist encounters other yokai in her hunt just to consume...and for home.
------------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------------
Cybelle has spent the last 7 years teaching as a native English speaker in Japan for kids. Despite spending 7 years in the country, outsiders always act like she's just another gaijin who can't speak Japanese, and lately her coworkers - one ambitious one in particular - have been making it worse. Her school's manager is jerking her around, and some of the students are still acting afraid of the Black Canadian woman she is trying to teach them. With her contract coming up for renewal and her mother begging her to return home for Cybelle's sister's wedding, Cybelle feels unsure of what to do next, even if she doesn't actually want to return home. What she mainly feels though is hunger...for food...and something else.

Zaniel has spent the last few years in a dangerous partnership with a Nightmare Yokai named Akki who mostly lives in peoples' dreams. Akki demands Zaniel provide him with women for companionship in exchange for protection, and Zaniel is sick of the whole thing, and distantly wishes there was a way out. But when a strange new Yokai enters the scene, consumes Akki's house and begins eating more and more in Akki's own territory, Zaniel finds himself fascinated by the newcomer, and desperate to find them in search of his own way out.

But Akki and Japan won't let go of their holds on Cybelle and Zaniel so easily......
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Yume is a story that takes a while for it to become obvious what's going on, but the individual aspects of the story from the start work well enough for the story to grip you even before the truth becomes evident. The story seems to alternate between a third person perspective that mainly follows Zaniel or the new Yokai (with occasional bits from Akki's point of view) and first person bits from Cybelle's point of view, before things stop being so systematic later in the book. In essence the book seems at first to flip between a fantasy world and a real one, although the hints are there from the start that the two are more closely tied than they seem, with antagonist and nightmare demon Akki obsessing about Japanese purity and being blind to how much of what he thinks is modern Japanese is actually borrowed from other cultures.

But the star here is Cybelle, whose first person viewpoint carries us through around 60% of the book. On one hand, Cybelle is some ways well accustomed and enjoying life in Japan - she loves pretty much all the food, enjoys the television and anime (notably she will at times watch an episode of an anime before doing something or sleeping without even noticing that it's anything special), and well has been there 7 years. On the other hand, after 7 years, you'd expect her to be treated like something other than a black gaijin girl, especially by those who know her at work, which is not the case - her manager jerks her around, the newish teacher who seems to want the manager job makes constant demands on her that the manager can barely fight off, and that teacher and most of the others, except for one friend, act like she can barely speak Japanese (she's fluent of course) and is the uncooperative problem....even when most of them can barely speak english despite teaching at a school for kids to learn English. And Cybelle's role being as a "Native English" speaker doesn't help, since as part of it she's not allowed to speak Japanese at work. With those same teachers leading her to parties where other japanese men (and occasional other foreigners) act like rude lecherous creeps towards the foreign girl, it's a wonder that her mother's constant pleas to come home to Canada for Cybelle's sister's wedding aren't more appealing....except as Cybelle puts it memorably to one other character, it's not like running to a new (or old) place ever solved her problems - in this case being treated as an other.

Zaniel is essentially our second main character (the Yokai is the third), being a half-Japanese man who fell into Akki's orbit due to his ability to dreamwalk, which made him vulnerable to yokai when he didn't have Akki's protection. But years later Zaniel feels lost, with Akki's demands to bring him women feeling more and more demeaning and yet, Zaniel can't escape them. But when he sees the Yokai effortlessly consume Akki's house and infringe upon Akki's territory, he knows he has to find her, to find a person who can just freely go through life enjoying things (and consuming them) without a care as to who's territory it is. Zaniel learns from the Yokai how to be free and how much he wants such freedom, despite him being a half-Japanese boy who used to be desperate for protection.

Naturally, it's not really a spoiler to say Zaniel and Cybelle's worlds do eventually collide, even if it takes about 60% of the book to get there - but it never really feels like things are going slowly because of how well the book writes each of their worlds, whether that be Cybelle's crappy one as a gaijin (and a black woman at that) in Japan who won't get the respect she deserves from teachers or students (one child treating her like a monster is a notably depressing moment) or Zaniel's incredibly colorful dream world filled with yokai of all types, which the book describes and brings to life incredibly well. And the book concludes on a strong note, with Cybelle realizing she can own her being a "monster" in some ways, and can find something to complete her no matter whether she's home, in Japan, or elsewhere, and Zaniel finding that freedom as well - even if certain things in Japan, and certain beings, remain the same. There are some things that don't really work - there's a lot of hints that certain characters in Cybelle's world are aware of the yokai world and are either part of it or have turned their back on it, and these hints don't really go anywhere and just feel kind of pointless - but for the most part this is a pretty strong first novel from a perspective that most readers won't have seen before.

Recommended.

Yume is a book that doesn’t fit neatly into a particular category, and that’s what makes it special. It’s a little slice of life story that converges with whimsy horror and Japanese folklore. We follow an African-Canadian woman named Cybelle who teaches English in Japan, and a man named Zaniel who is bi-racial and helps a boar god named Akki pick up women.

Their stories seem completely separate, and theirs characters also seem very different, but their stories and wants end up being very similar. Without spoilers, both deal with being outsiders and deal with people trying to hurt them. There are definitely some racial issues with how they are both treated in Japanese culture. This book has a strong literary vibe where it uses the way the characters interact with this society (both the present day real life Japan and the dream world where the gods and demons live) to show these issues. And while it’s not spoon fed to the reader, the context is not buried under layers of meaning that completely hide it from the reader. It’s a story with a strong plot and thematic undertones that are accessible to its readers.

I really liked how this was a story that was literary, but still a page turner. I also enjoyed that this book was original instead of reading like a recycled mix of tropes. I empathized with the characters and rooted for them until the end. However, even though the pacing was great through most of the book, there were some parts that dragged in the slice of life parts in the middle of the story. These parts did end up building up to the climax and were necessary, but at the time I wished they were a little more concise.

This was an okay book but not really my cup of tea. Easily forgettable and I just don’t find it interesting. Would still recommend to other people who particularly like this genre.

Much longer than I expected, this story has dual narratives that gradually get closer until the author brings the together, with a conflict between yokai (Japanese supernatural beings).

Story thread 1: Zaniel, a young man, brings attractive young women to the yokai Akki for Akki to have sex with, as part of Zaniel’s agreement with the boar spirit. Akki became Zaniel’s bodyguard years earlier when Zaniel was being mercilessly bullied by his Japanese classmates because f his half-Japanese, half-American parentage.

Story thread 2: Cybelle, a black Canadian, has been employed in Japan, for over six years, teaching kids to speak English, and while she loves what she’s seen and done in the country, has also experienced almost non-stop racism, including from some of her coworkers.
Cybelle begins experiencing huge, constant hunger and vivid dreams and nightmares, none of which make sense to her.

When a mysterious yokai comes to Akki’s notice, the boar spirit takes great exception to the unknown yokai, assuming she is trying to steal Zaniel from him.
As the two story threads come together, Cybelle begins, unknowingly, to see yokai in her daily life. At the same time, her work and life become increasingly chaotic, and violent, with things in the human and spirit worlds becoming clear eventually. I say eventually, as this story takes a while to get going. The author spends a good amount of time on setting up both worlds, so that you gradually understand what is likely happening about halfway into the book.
Even with its slow start, and chaotic events, I liked it. Cybelle works hard at throwing off her frustrations with her work and the xenophobia surrounding her, and unfortunately, spends much of the book not understanding what is happening to her, though it is clear to the reader. Also, this book was more heavy on plot than character development, but I liked this book, and its outsider view and experience of Japan.
The ending was shocking, and left enough questions open for more story, and I want to know what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was an interesting read. I would recommend it to anyone interested in fantasy and international adventures.

This was a pretty hefty read – the paperback is expected to come in at 536 pages – with twisty and sometimes intense story lines. I am also not very well-versed in Japanese mythology, so I definitely took a while getting through this one. But it was certainly a wild and colorful ride!

Our main characters are Cybelle and Zaniel, although they don’t officially meet each other until the middle of the book. Cybelle is a black woman, originally from Canada, who has been teaching English in Japan for a handful of years now. Zaniel has a day job that is unimportant to the story… but by night, he finds human women for his boss, a demanding yokai named Akki.
How gorgeous is this cover?!

The world of yokai (mythical creatures of all shapes, sizes, and abilities) has been rocked recently by the arrival of a new creature. She grows larger and more powerful by eating – and she can also turn anything she wants into food to eat. At one point this includes Akki’s house, which puts her immediately at odds with the hot-tempered elder yokai.

Meanwhile, Cybelle is struggling to decide whether or not to renew her contract at the English school. The kids and parents are mostly ok, but she only gets along with one of her co-workers. She still feels like an outsider, at work and out in the world, even though she’s lived in Japan for over five years.

SEMI-SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!

The new yokai eating her way through the dream world is Cybelle, when she’s asleep. I say this is a semi-spoiler because I felt like it was fairly evident from early on… but Cybelle herself doesn’t understand it until the end of the story.

Zaniel, being well-versed in yokai, figures out the new yokai’s identity much earlier. This is what brings him to Cybelle’s school, acting like he’s applying for a job. He really wants to get to know her real life persona, and thinks that they can help each other.

Their adventures together are wild – both the ones they take in person, and in the mythical dream world. This is where the book really starts gaining speed, in my opinion. As Akki comes after them, and they need to fight to save themselves, things also start to get pretty gruesome.

One of the interesting things to ponder throughout this story is how Cybelle’s feelings – being an outsider, being different, being tired and hungry – seem like intangibles in the real world, but are then very real in the dream world. How much of her transforming into a yokai directly came from these feelings? Or was it something else entirely – a cursed object or apartment?

This was a fun read, although not a quick one. It is the author’s first novel, and the part about teaching English in Japan is autobiographical. This book comes out today, but I was able to read an advanced copy through Netgalley and Dundurn Press.

Yume follows the story of Cybelle and Zaniel, two humans with supernatural abilities in Japan. They can go to the dream world or Yume in their dreams and communicate with beings called Yokai. Zaniel is the servant of a powerful yokai who Cybelle inadvertently challenges. The both find themselves in danger after angering the powerful yokai and the rest of the book is how they save themselves.

While I found the plot interesting, the book was very long and hard to get through. The writing style is very descriptive which I liked because I have never been to Japan. It definitely helped me understand the plot and characters better. However, this book is very long (over 500 pages) and most of the book doesn't add anything to the plot. In fact, Cybelle and Zaniel don't meet until halfway through the book. While I like the descriptive writing, irrelevant scenes should have been edited out or condensed. It was also hard to understand what was going on at times because of the untranslated Japanese and because there were so many human and yokai characters that I couldn't tell apart.

2.5★

this gorgeous cover and the intriguing premise of this book instantly appealed to me. i'm always up for japanese culture and folklore but unfortunately this didn't live up to my expectations as much as i'd hoped, nor was it a very enjoyable experience.

for one, i couldn't connect with any of the characters, though i appreciated the perspectives introduced in the story. the premise behind the book is really interesting and had so much potential, but the execution didn't quite hit the mark for me. on top of all that, the story dragged quite a bit and could've been way shorter than it is! the writing style was not for me either; it felt clunky and awkward and confused the storyline for me even more.

overall, i just think this needed to be better edited and the story itself less vague and more concise and to-the-point. disappointed i didn't like this one :(

— digital arc provided via netgalley + edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

It is rare that I feel quite so under-qualified to review a book. While I do my best to read widely, I am aware that my interests are niche and among those niches, very British/North American-centric. I have not travelled far beyond Europe and North America, and I don't know as much about other cultures as I should. I feel like I have somewhat filled this gap by reading Yume, a book that does not dumb itself down for its Western readers. At first, I was a bit taken aback by the amount of untranslated Japanese in the book, but I quickly picked up words and phrases based on context in a way that flattered me by making me feel quite clever!

Yume is a story which appears to take place in two settings. In the present, we follow Cybelle, an English teacher living in Japan, as she negotiates the difficulties of being a black Canadian gaiko (foreigner) in a surprisingly xenophobic Japanese society. In a more fantastical world, Akki and Zaniel, a demon and his lacky, work out their quickly souring relationship as it's disrupted by a new Yokai (demon) who, among other things, has a penchant for house-eating. The two story strands converge with fairy tale-like results.

To begin with, I found the present-day narrative much more engaging and easier to read. I happened to be reading this book to the background of the Tokyo Olympics, and was fascinated by the apparent duality presented by the two 'texts'. Cybelle's story of dissatisfaction at work, of being constantly under-appreciated, of difficulty relating with her family, felt much more familiar to me. The fantastical narrative was much harder to follow at first, and while I love a good dream world, there were elements that seemed to be taken straight from my weirdest cheese dreams (one memorable moment was a demon floating off into the air, using his testicles like hot air balloons).

But as I read on, and the stories started to converge, the fantastical stream really grew on me. In my rubbish Western frame of reference, it made me think a bit of American Gods, of the way strange old beings rub up against unfamiliar, newer creations. The last quarter felt like pure fairy tale and delivered a very satisfying conclusion.

While it took me a little while to get into Yume (a fact for which I take full responsibility -- the writing and imagery is excellent throughout), the more I read, the quicker I read, and by the end, I struggled to put it down.

With thanks to the publishers and Netgalley.com for an e-advanced review copy.

This was a good book overall! I appreciated the Japanese folklore aspect of the book and I thought it was a very unique concept! I would have preferred a slightly faster pace though.

This book was very confusing. I think this story would have been enjoyed more by someone who is more familiar with Japaense culture. I found it odd that the text contained Japanese phrases that were never explained in English. I could have typed them into an online translator but I wasn't invested enough in the characters to really care. The cover is stunning but for me, that's where the beauty of the book ends.

DNF at 15%.

I really disliked the writing style. It felt clunky and weird. I felt the story line was too loose and I got majorly confused with the different yokai, as none of them got any other names than yokai. Also, I know some Japanese, but there's too much untranslated for me to enjoy reading the book. Footnotes might have helped.

This didn't meet my expectations.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yum by Sifton Tracey Anipare is a story set in Japan that follows Zaniel, a man that can dream-walk and Cybelle, a Canadian English teacher.

The first chapters with Zaniel really pulled me in. I was intrigued how the world of dreams and yokai was going to be expanded. But the first couple chapters of Cybelle’s story slowed me down. It seemed to be two very different stories that had no connection.

I was also struggling to connect with Cybelle’s story. It wasn’t until something dawned on me. Of course, this is the story of a Black woman teaching English in Japan, being an other, a foreigner, a demon… I connected the dots and the story pulled me in.

The writing in this story is very well done. The descriptions were vivid and made me hungry (you’ll see…). I didn’t understand a few plot points but perhaps upon a second reading they would connect. I also feel like there could be a potential follow up that could further explain.

Overall, a really great read! Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book to review.

Frankly, I started reading this book with no high hopes, but I like my anime & Japanese culture, so I gave it a shot. Unfortunately no hopes were exceeded. Which is quite surprising, with author´s big team of helpers.

Yume (jap. Dream) is a fantasy novel based on real life of author (you can see parallels there) with second dream-life. In the real one, Cybelle, main protagonist, is an English teacher in Japan for few years now. She goes very detailed about her day-on-day life, what´s happening in English school, what food she buys, etc. I can see Sifton Tracey really experienced these things.

But at night, there´s whole new world in dreams, full of yokais. Here we meet another (supposedly) human – Zaniel with strange eyes and his “protector” demon Akki. Confusing thing was, that word “yokai” was used for all yokais AND the protagonist yokai, and for the ¾ of book I wasn´t sure about who are we talking about in this or that sentence. Yokai world was quite gruesome, not recommending it to children. I liked shifting of dreams and some of the dream world. I give a thumb up for yokai´s research.

But back to confusing things, spoken language was one of them. Sometimes they spoke English, sometimes “yumego” (which I found out in the middle of the story what is it), sometimes Japanese. I have to warn readers right now – there is a lot of Japanese – sometimes unnecessary, sometimes easy phrases – without any translation. I´m not sure why, and okay, most of it was easy, but not everything and I don´t understand why it was even there? Toward the end of story there were some small explanations of Japanese phrases, but in first half of a book almost none. Did author wanted to flex about her Japanese abilities? I like this language too, but sometimes I cringed. Also the story was not properly explained, who was protagonist yokai??? It was Japanese folklore? Or Canadian? Or Ghanaian? And Lieko??? Zaniel & Cybelle´s story had flaws too.

What was also quite annoying, was that 99% of Japanese people Cybelle met, was afraid of her (“mite, gaijin, kowai”) because of her dark skin, and a lot of people gave her “nihongo jouzo desu ne”. I´m not sure if the author really experienced this with 99% people she met or it was exaggerated, but I didn´t need to read about it on every few pages, sorry for your bad experiences. (There was also one small problem with vegan choices of food, but unrelated to story. )

Maybe I would enjoy this book in my teens, when I started to learn Japanese and watched a lot of anime. Or maybe not, who knows. I can´t write a lot compliments about this book, I mostly remember its annoying things and was confused half of the time, sorry.

But thanks to NetGalley for eARC. I promise I will choose wiser next time.

There's an interesting story here, but it took entirely too long to get to it. The first two thirds of the book feel like nothing more than exposition to fill space, and the pacing is off. Not one I really enjoyed, though I wish I had.

This was a bit slow and could have used more polish, but I appreciated the perspectives introduced in the story. The idea is a fascinating one, but the execution didn't quite hit the mark for me. I would recommend it to foreigners looking to live in Japan who like [urban] fantasy.

Independent of the book, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!

This was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed the fantasy aspect but felt that the storytelling and development were lacking. The pacing was hard to follow at times, it was too slow at times. I thought the Japanese folklore elements and culture were a great edition and I liked learning about them.

The book's cover and summary immediately appealed to me, but somehow the story developed into something I didn't expect. For someone who's amazed by Japanese culture and folklore, I sadly didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped. The story dragged a bit and could've been 150-200 pages shorter and might've been better overall! Also, I didn't quote enjoy the actual chapters about the Yokai—the parts where our protagonist tells the reader about her day and her life where the strongest.

So unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. Maybe another time would've been better to read this.

This story's cover and synopsis pulled me in immediately! But, eventually, I became sidetracked while reading, which is something that occurs to me when I'm not fully involved in a book. I believe there is something truly unique here, but I couldn't get into it.
Yume is difficult to put into a genre or sub-genre since it seemed like a fascinating mash-up of diverse ones that don't always work well together. The author, on the other hand, makes it work in this case by including many points of view into the story.
If you are a fan of the Japanese stories, or more specifically, the Japanese anime with yokai (supernatural monsters and spirits in Japanese folklore) such as Noragami, Kamisama Hajimashita, and Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha, you will see the application of the spiritual world into a more contemporary style in the book and even enjoy the whimsy of the dream world Anipare creates.
The book also takes a closer look at what a foreigner, particularly a person of colour, would experience in that country. There is a lot of emphasis on racism towards people of color, cultural differences, and workplace dynamics, which I felt was a unique perspective on the issue.
Anipare creates a sophisticated Japanese fantasy that carries readers across reality and the world of dreams. Cybelle is a Canadian who lives in Japan and teaches English. Zaniel, a young man with the ability to travel between reality and the dream world, spends his nights assisting Akki, a demon. As she gets engulfed in this fantasy realm, Cybelle must fight for her survival.
The story was in two parts, and while the second part picks up its pace, the first part was rather slow and mostly devoted to world-building. I love a good world-building, but even the character Cybelle felt rather uninteresting and her POV isn't as engaging.
Given her unpleasant and friendless experience, Cybelle feels conflicted about going home, but we don't get any insight into why. I definitely missed a lot of nuance because of the TON of Japanese. It wasn't only the names of foods or creatures, which is honestly fine for me since I already read up on these regularly; but whole conversations would take place entirely in Japanese, with no translation or background to assist interpretation. I had to use Papago a lot when reading the book.
Otherwise a great novel, but I personally found the representation of the Japanese culture too harsh and the writing style wasn't doing it for me!
Regardless, I would like to thank the publisher for providing me for an Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley.