Read for market research. 
 This was a hard one. As some reviewers stated, the book was very slow building. I normally like that, but not this time. The characters were often told of in narrative, rather than shown. Also, other than Suzume (the main character), there wasn't much character development. 
 On the upside, the descriptions (of very mildly changed) of Japanese-esque landscapes and culture were gorgeous. 
 Suzume, the main character, was rather whiny and irritating, and then passive for the last third of the book. 
 The scenery and the concept of shadow-weavers (essentially illusionists) were fascinating, and were the best parts of the book. Overall, I just didn't care-and I wouldn't read a sequel, or another book by the author.