I absolutely adored this. A fabulous little treasure, full of love and friendship with a whole host of life lessons to take away. Sometimes we have to acknowledge that life isn't about the money, that what we wish for isn't always what's best for us, and that the relationships we build can take us further than we realise. So beautifully told!

A light Ghibliesque tale for fans of East Asian whimsy

Reminiscent of Sophie's World but with far less philosophy, The Rainfall Market is an odd duck: not quite an adult's book and not really a children's book despite the young main character, but it introduces to literary fiction the classical dokkaebi (in Korean 도깨비), a more traditional version than the one K-drama fans will know from Gong Yoo's starring turn.

In a series of episodic adventures, teenager Serin navigates a mysterious realm where she can sample new lives before accepting the one she wants. From a poor home, Serin has few chances in life and so she grasps at this lottery, but as she lurches from one comic situation to the next, she experiences things that might be better than her own wishes. But what will she ultimately choose?

The mysteries in the book are relatively easy to make out, and Serin's ultimate choice was always going to be the one that Dorothy makes. Tied in a nice neat bow, I think that this book will have less to say to British/Western readers than it did to South Korean ones, where this is almost a perfect reflection of their competitive society: where social advancement relies on students (or, rather, their families) being able to afford additional tuition, and getting good jobs on being from the right school or knowing the right alumnus.

It's fine for what it is, but what is it exactly? The magic is too light to be fantasy, the coming-of-age themes are barely resolved, and the peril is mild to say the least. I wanted more, and read the whole of the slight book waiting for the story to shift a gear, but it never did, staying at a steady pace throughout.

The Rainfall Market by Yeong-Gwang You is a Korean bestselling fantasy that has just been translated to English - but unfortunately reads more like a cute middle book than a bestselling adult fantasy. This one gets 3⭐️ from me but if marketed as a middle grade book would easily get 4⭐️+. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Michael Joseph, for the ARC.

Seren is pretty miserable. She's dirt poor, has no friends, is struggling academically, she and her mum are facing potential homelessness, her father isn't around and her younger sister has run away from home. To top it off, she was even mortified in front of everyone at taekwondo training. So when she reads about the mysterious Rainfall Market where she can trade her misfortune for a bright new life, she send a letter detailing everything that's wrong with her life in exchange for a ticket. On the first day of the rainy season she enters the market... and has until the end of the rain to find the fortune she wants to trade for. But there's something else afoot at the Market, and it's tracking her down...

So let me start by saying that I'm a big fan of Korean media - I love Korean webnovels and manhwa as well as animation and K-dramas. So I was really excited to read this, and really grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for approving my ARC request. And I really hate that I have to be negative, especially to kick off , but I need to get this out there first.

Unfortunately, despite being marketed as an adult fantasy (and an adult bestseller in Korea too), this absolutely does not read like adult fantasy. The vocabulary is basic, the sentence structure is simplistic, and the description of characters and setting is incredibly limited. And I was so excited to hear description of a Rainfall Market, that name evokes so many ideas and emotions - but all I know about it even now is that none of the buildings looked the same.

The main character is childish and immature - she's meant to be nearing university age but reads more like 10-14 years old, which is the opposite of what you'd think a girl with her background would be like. The mistakes she makes are frustrating and unconsidered: she's very narrow-minded and hyper-focused on her future job as her new fortune, when you'd expect an 18 year old living a tough life would be thinking a bit more deeply about their future even before getting the ticket to the market. And we get told a lot rather than shown, especially early in the book.

All that being said, I suspect it's possibly an issue with the translation, rather than the source. I suspect we lose some of the whimsy and magic from the original Korean, because there are hints of it there, particularly in the characters of the Dokkaebi, the magical humanoid Market-dwellers with their odd, magical little businesses (I absolutely loved them, and I can see how these characters would absolutely make a middle grade fantasy novel).

The other character I loved was Issha. I'm a sucker for a magical pet sidekick, and Issha the magical cat spirit guide delivered on that big time. He was very cute and I loved the importance of his role developing throughout the book, although the epilogue was fairly predictable early on.

This was a quick, cute, light read that I did get into enough to want to see how it ended - but Serin was never really compelling as an adult or even YA protagonist, and the lack of description really ripped out what could have been the vibrant heart of this story. Furthermore, as an adult, it came across too preachy with the clear lesson it was meant to teach. If I was reading this to my child, I'd rate it a solid 4/4.5⭐️, but targeted as adult fantasy I just can't rate it that highly. But there's also a lot to like here, so I'm feeling quite conflicted over this one.

This book is for you if you're a middle grade fantasy reader, and enjoyed the likes of Kiki's Delivery Service.

After reading this, I still can’t figure out who the target audience is. The writing is plain and simple and while that opens the range of readership, adult readers who enjoyed the culture and intricacy of translated fiction might find this bland. In the end, I decided to rate this as if it was geared toward the same audience as Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono. Considering the factors I’m about to outline, I hypothesize that this might land best with a middle grade audience.

What worked for me:
• This book has a beautiful, atmospheric, and inviting cover
• It starts strongly with a good hook that made me excited to see where the story would take me
• I genuinely loved everything about Issha

Before we get into what didn’t work for me, I’d like to caveat my thoughts: I read this book as an adult reader who loves magical, slice-of-life translation books and this feedback is based on that context. If this book was pitched as a middle-grade book, many of these points might cease to be the issues I found them to be.

What didn’t work for me:
• At first, I got Spirited Away vibes from this but the world-building wasn’t as rich as I’d hoped and there wasn’t a strong sense of place at the Rain Market as I’d hoped there’d be.
• Serin wasn’t a very interesting character. At first, I thought she was around ten but she has to be closer to 18 given how preoccupied she was with university and jobs. She came across as a bit whiny and far younger than I think she was supposed to be.
• I didn’t like how boring and job-centric Serin’s orb wishes were. She was simplistic, narrow-minded, and too specific with her wishes which was frustrating. Why didn’t Serin ask for something that would solve her problems now rather than trying to guess what would make her happy as an adult? It was frustrating that she didn’t give it a little thought before going to the Market. The heavy handed-handed morality lesson didn’t work in the context of an adult book.
• The scenes in the Orbs were very cynical and seemed to only show the worst-case outcomes? This is acknowledged but never addressed.
• Plotholes: for example, (spoilers removed)
• Overall, I felt the book lacked the heart of books in the arena of adult, magical, Korean translations like The Dallergut Dreams Department Store
• Since the sense of place and time wasn’t fleshed out, and Serin and the Dokkaebi used a lot of British spelling and phrases, it felt more British than Korean.
• There was a bit of desperation in the author’s note that made me feel slightly uncomfortable giving honest feedback about this book.

This book was listed as an adult fantasy for which I’d rate it a 2.5. However, as a middle-grade book, it’s is a solid 4/5. If Rainfall Market is targeted at the correct group, I think it will do well.

I was privileged to have my request to read this book accepted through NetGalley. Thank you, Michael Joseph!

An enchanting fantasy about a magical market where people can exchange their trauma for a brand new life. Simple, fast paced with a clever premise, it reads more as middle grade than YA with very simplistic writing, although perhaps this is due to the translation. An easy read but nothing groundbreaking. Great cover too.

This one grabbed my attention right away with the plot and the title and the cover!!
When it's rainy season in Korea, a secret marketplace opens up and you can go and exchange your misfortunes for a life you really want.

It was really cute and had the best rainy season vibes. The pacing of it made it feel more like a YA book or perhaps even an anime. But overall, good times for a sweet and short read.
Midnight Library meets The Cat Who Saved Books. Comes out 28th November!!

This is a lovely, easy to read, YA/teen novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is well written and I really enjoyed following Seren on her journey to discover the best life. The characters were fun and the story swept me away on a magical adventure. I would definitely recommend it for young teen readers.

*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own*

TLDR: The Rainfall Market is a cosy, simplistic story that gives strong Studio Ghibli vibes and could be enjoyed by all ages. Well worth the read and has an absolutely gorgeous cover!

I loved The Rainfall Market way more than I expected to and think it will definitely be a story I come back to again - this is made easy by the simplistic writing and the quickness in which you can read it. I believe I took around or just under 2 hours to finish but it never felt like it went too fast and I was satisfied with the ending and didn’t feel like I needed more than what I was given.

This book was translated from Korean and I felt like it was a good job, everything made sense and there were no strange phrases or stutters that you can sometimes get when books are translated to different languages. The language is very simple and childlike, but I’m unsure if that is the way the original was written or if it’s a byproduct of being translated as my previous Korean translated book was similar. I didn’t find any issue with this but I know many have, so if you’re wanting complex storytelling or writing, The Rainfall Market won't be for you.

Also note that while this has been marketed as an Adult book, it could easily fit into childrens and young YA, so again, temper your expectations around that. I think it could resonate and be enjoyed by all ages, similarly to how Studio Ghibli movies are. I know many have not been happy at the genre choice but I am personally happy as I wouldn’t have read or even looked at The Rainfall Market otherwise.

Overall, an amazing book and well worth the read by people of all ages and reading ability. Just be aware that he writing is very simplistic and the story leans childlike.

This is such a lovely heartwarming story. It’s an easy read and I finished it very quickly.

It’s a story about love, friendship and discovering what is really important in life.

Beautiful.

My thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This was adorable. I’ve seen a lot of comparisons with Studio Ghibli, and I can definitely see that. The story structure, the whimsical writing, the many fantastical characters, and the plot, which somehow seemed both high and low stakes at the w same time.

We follow a young g girl, who gets invited to a magical market to essentially “pick a new life”. She sells her old life, and travels the market searching for her perfect new life.

It’s a simple premise, it doesn’t do anything shocking or special, but it’s a great little novella if you want to curl up with a drink on the sofa and read something Ghibli-esque.

4⭐️

serin, earns a ticket to the rainfall market where she can exchange her bad luck for good luck.

this book is a simple and fast read, yet at times i found the writing and plot quite juvenile.

the book itself is enjoyable but it felt more suited to children/ young teens rather than adult fiction.

In this book, the author intended to create, ‘something that left readers with a lingering sense of warmth even after they turned the last page. A light, fun read that was still packed with meaning. A book that could heal wounded hearts and cast a ray of hope into the darkness’ - this book is all these things and more. I adored it. Please do read it, it is such an inspiring and wonderful story.
The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang. #TheRainfallMarket #NetGalley

A quick and enjoyable read, with an enchanting storyline. I came to care for Serin very much. I'm loving that so much Korean fiction is being translated into English!

This book was enchanting! I’ll be honest and say this was definitely read because of the absolutely stunning cover, when I saw it I fell in love.

When I actually got to start reading it, I ended up really liking the story as well. I think Serin is a very relatable character and her adventure to seek a new life is something that people can relate too. Not only that, but I loved the fantastical elements of the story which really made the story more intriguing.

Overall I had a great time reading this book. Only thing that caught me off guard was that the writing was a little young. However, if people knew that reading it for the first time I think they would have an amazing experience with this.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc of this book.

The Rainfall Market
You Yeong-Gwang
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5

Firstly, I would like to thank Penguin Random House and Netgalley for providing me with an early review copy! The Rainfall Market will be available on Nov 28th this year!

The Rainfall Market is a magical tale of a girl named Serin, who is made an offer from the mysterious Rainfall Market- she can trade her unhappy life for any another if she can find her perfect life within one week. Accompanied by Issha the cat, Serin embarks on a magical journey through the rainfall market in search of true happiness.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I got major Studio Ghibli vibes- the mythical world, magical animal companions and the fun plot made it an absolutely enchanting book! The plot was very fun and whimsical and there are lots of cute little sub plots as Serin goes on with her journey. The conclusion of the book wrapped all the sub plots and clues up nicely and it was overall quite touching. There are also plenty of glimpses into Korean culture, which build the world and add to the whimsical atmosphere of the story. I like the message behind the story- it reminds us that everyone is fighting hidden battles and there is no such thing as a perfect life, so we should be grateful for the joy that we do have instead of perusing perfection.

Now, I do feel like this book could have been quite deep given it is in the ‘adult’ section but I found the writing to be overly simplistic. I am aware that this book is a translation, so this could have impacted the writing style but to me it read like a childrens book- which is fine, but not what I expected. The message of the book was still conveyed, just in a more obvious way. I still very much enjoyed the light-hearted, magical story and I recommend it if you are looking for a fun, Studio Ghibli-like story.

When lonely and unhappy Serin hears of the Rainfall Market, where one can exchange their life for a new one of their choice if invited, she takes her chance and writes to them, pouring out her struggles and hoping for a response. To her surprise, she gets invited; and with special honors, as it seems.
This story was very whimsical and made a nice cozy read, but the plot and the language in general felt very simplistic, almost as if this was told in the style of a fairytale. The way the plot was moving felt a bit predictable, as did the conclusion of the book. However, if you do like books of this nature, I'd encourage you to give this a try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quick and easy read. it was fairly enjoyable although I felt it was little basic which was a bit disappointing

i read this on my commute and it was perfect for that - very easy and quick to read, and not too hard to take in.

i do think it was a little overly simplistic at times, but this may be a result of it being translated.

if you’re looking for a fast-paced, light-hearted read this would be perfect for you

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

I really wanted to enjoy this because I thought the synopsis was so interesting and held so much potential. Unfortunately I was unable to connect with the characters and I found that the story was a little too immature for a general fiction book. Perhaps this should be aimed more at YA? I found the language a little too simplistic, and each of the chapters seemed to offer a repetitive theme.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc!

This book was a very quick and easy read, and had an intriguing plot- however, the language felt overly simplistic (perhaps due to it being a translated piece) and read as a book for younger readers, which personally put me off. I was just unable to connect with the story and quickly lost interest due to this lack of complexity in the phrasing.