This rather depressing graphic novel depicts the horrors of life, seen through the eyes of immigrants trying to move to where they can live a better life. I thought it rather lengthy (cut in half and it would be better), and found it confusing at times as it introduced fantasy characters like trolls. I take many of the characters to represent those preying on the poor, but the graphic nature of the pictures is more of a turn-off than an intriguing read.

---Thanks are given to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review---

The Shadows is this sad very melancholy tale of a boy, refugee 214, retelling his story to a man at a desk in hopes of gaining entry into the Other World. The story starts out throwing the reader right into the midst of Refugee 214 starting his story and immediately you are introduced to these shadows demanding he tell the real truth. Your pulled right into the story by wondering who these shadows are, can anyone else seem them, how do they connect to the boy, what is their real story.

Then the boy starts his tale, the real tale and the reader is then taken on this very heavy, melancholy tale of what this boy has gone through, the places he has been, the places he has seen, the people he has met, and every little story is fit in perfectly with just enough coverage that you don't feel overwhelmed by them but you also don't feel underwhelmed. Just the right amount of time is spent on each moment of the story. One element I did appreciate was when they boy made the attempt to deter from the real story, the present moment was drawn back into the readers focus and were shown the shadows getting angry with him. The jump from past to present was always seamless and placed in just the right moments. 

The other thing I really appreciated was the stylistic choice in character creation, the characters are very simple with mask like faces as the only real way to differentiate them  but many of the panels aren't zoomed in on them and this really helps to focus on the story at hand and less on the characters as its the tale that is important not what any of the characters look like. You don't come out of this story with a favorite character as that was clearly not the intention. 

The art in general is a very interesting style that I feel like will only reach a certain demographic and that saddens me as the tale itself is very beautiful and the style really fits it, The wordless panels were seamless and did an amazing job at explaining what was happening through the use of the art, not once did I ever feel lost or confused. I will say the scenes on the boat were one of the more "creepy" aspects of the story and art but it worked well for what was being told. Its not a "Pretty"  art style, but I personally don't think its "ugly" either and I feel this will fall heavily in that category by many and they will ultimately lose out on reading a genuinely interesting melancholy tale.

The tale does deal with darker themes, such as death, mention of rape, sickness, loss, but I do feel it was presented in a beautiful manner, and I honestly loved the ending, it was such a realistic heavy handed ending that just makes you sit back and go "oh man" 

Refugee 214 doesn't have an easy story to tale but its an important one, a truthful one that needs to be told, and this is his sad, harrowing tale.

Sorry to say the advance reading copy had no other pages than the cover page and two more pages to say thanks for downloading and reading.

At the end of an arduous journey, refugee 214 finally gets his chance to enter the Other World. But to see his wish granted, the boy must first tell his story. He and his sister were forced to flee their homeland to escape a band of bloodthirsty horsemen. Frightened and helpless, they crossed forests, deserts, and seas, encountering creatures each more mysterious and frightening than the last: the capitalist ogre, the smuggler-snake, and the ever-present shadows from the great beyond... The boy's story must be told in every detail—but will the truth save him, or condemn him? This is the odyssey of a brother and sister who are forced to fight for their freedom and survival at every turn, all while trying not to forget about where they've come from, and what they've left behind. A subtle and captivating tale about exile and refugees today
The artwork was really interesting and the story was unique.