Red Winter

Red Winter Trilogy #1

by Annette Marie

Emi has spent her entire life hiding from the creatures that hunt her. The savage earth spirits are determined to kill her before she can become the living host of a goddess, so she stays hidden—until the day she saves the life of one of her hunters.

Shiro isn't the harmless fox spirit she thought he was. He's mysterious, cunning, unpredictable...and now hers to command. He's sworn to pay his debt to her, but he doesn't know who she is. If he finds out, he'll kill her.

But she can't send him away—not yet. Her future isn't what she thought. The lies surrounding her fate have begun to unravel, and she needs answers before time runs out—answers that lie in the spirit realm. Shiro can take her there...if she dares to trust him.

And only then will she find out how deep the gods' treachery runs.

Red Winter includes 10 full-page illustrations by award-winning artist Brittany Jackson.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Audiobook

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 21, 2016

About the author

Annette Marie is the best-selling author of over thirty books, including the expansive urban fantasy series The Guild Codex, epic urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, and romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter.

A 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist in Fantasy and an Amazon Charts Bestseller, Annette has sold over 2 million books. Her books have been translated into French, German, Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian, with readers coming back again and again for her addictive blend of fast-paced adventure, tantalizing forbidden romance, and unforgettable characters.

Annette lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad) with her husband and their furry minions of darkness. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in her garden or an art project while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.

To find out more about Annette and her books, visit www.annettemarie.ca

Reviews

[s · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear, I really don't understand why such an amazing, beautifully written book about Japanese mythology with rich and gorgeous world-building, strong female character that goes through SO much character development, shameless flirting, romance that makes you scream OTP!!!! and such an intriguing plot is SO !! FUCKING !! UNDERRATED !!!!!!!!

Like, what the fuck man, y'all missing out on a gem. This book is so so wonderful, fuck I'm still so high on this, I CAN'T WRITE. okay, I need to organize everything.

PLOT:
This book is about Emi, who was marked to become a kamigakari for a goddess names Amaterasu. A god or goddess can't come down to earth if they don't have a perfectly amazing host prepared for them, so Emi prepared for ten freaking years to become that amazingly perfect host. It's a huge honor and she's respected a lot for it. She's treated like a queen, but had so many restrictions when preparing that she's pretty much clueless to what girls her age do. Alright so all's fun and games until she finds out something about her being kamigakari which makes her question her future and fate.

There's many other terms and things revealed in the book, but I promise you, it's not going to be confusing. It's not going to be info dump, it's going to be revealed clearly, in a way you can understand and everything is so so beautifully described. But if you're still confused, there's a glossary with every Japanese word you need to know!! I personally didn't need it because, like I said, everything flowed so easily and I was able to understand it all perfectly.

Japan's mythology is GORGEOUS. I'm blown away!!!

Okay so let me tell you, some people might have a hard time getting into the first 20ish% of this book and that's because Emi's described as the perfect "chosen one" and it's talking about stalking boys and all the things she never experienced, how she's worshiped and all, some flashbacks to a bad event, and Emi being very bland, BUT, dude, I promise you it all leads up to important shit that will slowly be revealed. Give this time and once Emi meets Shiro, shit goes down.

I repeat:

Shit goes down so hard and you'll be slowly fucking dying and its going to feel fucking amazing. Death is great.

Trust me, I'm a professional, I know this shit well.

Everything is so fucking intriguing with so many plot twists, action, character growth and awesomeness.

Okay so personally I had no problem with the beginning. I actually really liked it, despite reading reviews on how the beginning was a struggle and that's probably why I enjoyed it so much.

CHARACTERS:
Emi is queen. I love her. She's naive, a little stupid in the beginning, but damn she grows so much and learns so much about herself. She doesn't become a karate master overnight and she could use some defense and fighting besides her magic, but honestly it's so realistic. Like, I don't understand how someone can become so good at fighting and motivate themselves to learn self defense and shit. (Lmao I can just feel the laziness thinking about taking lessons about self defense. I don't know how people do it.)

Shiro!!!!!!!! IS MY FUCKING HUSBAND !!!!!!. He's just so adorable and sexy and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M SCREAMING BYE. He's a shameless flirt and the way he makes Emi blush and feel butterflies in her stomach made me scream "OTP" once or twice while I read this. He also has a lot of mystery surrounding him which will also be slowly revealed. So fucking read it and find out for yourself mate!!!!

Also, Yumei is my fucking son. He's that emotionless bastard, but we all know on the inside he's a soft little cinnamon roll who secretly cares about Shiro and Emi because he's always there to help and fight for them and offer his protection even though he fucking says otherwise, this dickhead. Love him.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT FUCKING ELSE BITCH???? There's art. there is gorgeous art and it makes me feel like a talent-less potato.



how fucking gorgeous??? ^

The first one is my queen, Emi. Second is my hot son Yumei (I definitely spelled his name wrong, I'm sorry) and the third is my husband Shiro and his other temporary wife for the books, Emi. IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL OH MY GOSH, I'M SCREAMING???? 😍😍😍

anyways, read this oh my god please read this

----


review to come some day when i get off of this drug called RED WINTER.

[Lia Carstairs · Rating 5 out of 5]

i never thought it was possible for me to love this more than i did the first time, but it is.

best Japanese mythology based, slow-burn, forbidden romance book i've ever read🥺


this trilogy is so underrated and that's totally unacceptable. it deserves all the love. Like it has such a good trope trope, slow-burn strangers-to-lovers , AND it's based off of Japanese mythology which I've barely seen in the book world.

it breaks my heart seeing how only about 6.5k ppl have read this *sobs* it deserves more recognition, this beautiful book. (altho, my love may be a tiny bit biased since I love Japanese culture so much BUT ANYWAYS)

trust me or maybe dont, the beginning is pretty slow, but once you reach around the 20% mark (chapter 7), it gets really good. the world building also may be a little confusing with all the terms, although you get used to it throughout the story (there's also a glossary at the back of the book).

it's funny, i actually struggled with the beginning during my first read, yet with this reread i didn't mind the slow start at all and loved everything. the banter between Emi and Shiro is amazing and being introduced to my bby Yumei🥺 i cant not reread the rest of the series now that i've read this. I need more.


══〖✰〗══

“Because you are more to me now. Because you keep secrets like a kami and I’m curious what you hide. Because you are lonely and scared and I don’t understand why. Because you trust me when you know you shouldn’t. Because I believe you when you say you will keep your word.”

Emi is the kamigakari -- destined to become the kami (goddess), Amaterasu's, human host. As the kamigakari, Emi must remain pure both physically and mentally lest she be unable to receive the kami's power and spirit.

No impure thoughts or urges, being restricted to what she can eat (it must all be healthy), having nobody of the opposite gender even touch her, and more... ah, what a sad life. imagine not being able to eat pizza *shudder* the horror



The life she has feels complete to Emi... until she stumbles across something that changes everything. And with that, it all starts -- she meets Shiro, a suspicious shape-shifting kitsune (a fox yokai) who seems to be more than is shown. Yokai are spirits that are closely tied to nature and walk upon the Earth -- they're also known to be monsters or demons.

But Shiro, my love, is only the most amazing, swoon-worthy, and flirty yokai I know. The way I lived for his scenes with Emi🥺 i cant-

the question is... can you trust him? what does Shiro truly want? there must be some ulterior motive, right? this journey of trust and love throughout the trilogy is so, so beautiful. even if there was no plot, i would read this all just for these three <33


Yumei, aka the Tengu is also another yokai Emi meets. He's very cold and annoyed often by Emi and Shiro hehe but secretly he cares😏 or does he Also, he's very very sus. He doesn't appear as much as Shiro, but in the next two books, Yumei shall shine more and make me fall even more in love with him. I still say there should be a spin-off for Yumei🥺 im not giving up on that.

“Don’t forget me, Shiro,” she said hoarsely. “You’re not allowed to forget me.”

“You’ll forget me someday, little miko.”

“I’ll never forget you,” she told him. “I’ll remember you to my last day.”

“Do you promise?”

Her heart gave an odd little flutter. “Yes, I promise.”

why do i keep doing this to myself

ALSO, shoutout to Katsuo for being such a kind-hearted and sweet friend to Emi <33


i will never stop loving this series. and this is only the first book, so i can only imagine how amazing it's going to to be rereading the next two which are 10000 times better. altho... i'm scared to get my heartbroken, but that's inevitable ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

so ready for some more pain love✌


(also the art i posted above are only just a few of many illustrations in this book. ahhh another reason to read this)

══〖✰〗══

Buddy re-read with demon crisis krizzie, salty sofia, your hissingness, and lucid lucy <33

══〖✰〗══

First Read -> 4.5⭐

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”



I enjoyed the world-building going on in Annette Marie’s Red Winter, the first book in her Red Winter Trilogy. The downside was that even with a fair bit of action in the early going (including a friend’s death), it didn’t feel like the stakes were all that high. When it comes to our protagonist’s fate (which comes into focus a little bit later); however, the stakes are raised. For the last ten years, Emi has prepared to be a kamigakari, a vessel for the goddess, Amaterasu, and told that she would share her consciousness with the goddess. A few weeks before the ritual, Emi learns that her life is about to end before she really had a chance to live. Merging with Amaterasu will destroy her. She moves from resignation that this was her fate to despair and finally defiance. She feels betrayed and unsure what her next steps will be. Her decisions race this novel to its satisfying (not quite) conclusion. 3.5 stars

[Tweebs ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Edit: idk why i gave this 4 stars ?? am i dumb or wha?? **


“Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”

How dare you, Annette Marie, How dare you.

(╥﹏╥)(╥﹏╥)(╥﹏╥)(╥﹏╥)(╥﹏╥)(╥﹏╥)

I love this author because she has this amazing ability to grab my heart and crush it with her enthralling plots, outstanding characters, soul-crushing romance, and amazing world building. Red Winter, has been on my radar for a while. You can blame it on the cover because it is absolutely gorgeous. And I may have drooled a bit. Can't blame me like it's #aesthetics. When I heard it was going to be a story based on Japanese mythology; I'm telling you that I screamed for 5 minutes straight.

someone hold me

LIKE Y'ALL CAN DETECT MY HAPPINESS THROUGH THIS, RIGHTTTTT ???

BECAUSE I AM HAPPY.

HAPPY IS ME.



Anyway.

Red Winter, is a tiny bit hard to get into the beginning for some people BUT I promise that if you push yourself then you will love it. It is entirely narrated by our MC, Emi. At the age of eight, she had been marked to become a kamigakari which is a human host for a particular goddess named Amaterasu. A goddess or god cannot come down to Earth without having a host and it takes roughly 10 years for a kamigakari to be prepared. For a decade, Emi had dedicated every moment of her life to become the perfect human host. She had a loooooot of restrictions which led to her having a somewhat isolated life. Like the poor girl couldn't live life. Couldn't even experience anything worthwhile. Being a human host meant taking no part in anything that could potentially bring harm to her. All of that changes when, Emi stumbled across the ugly truths concerning her fate and begins to doubt everything she has ever believed in.

Alright.

I absolutely loved Emi. She is strong, naive, wise, brave, loyal and courageous. Her character went through a looooooooot of development within this book. I wasn’t to pleased with her character in the beginning but once I started to progress through the story; she ended up growing on me. I may have or may not have adopted her like this girl was asking for it. I'm so thrilled to see what else Annette Marie has in store for Emi’s character.

Question: Do you guys have a piece of paper around you? because I will like you to write down the names of my future husbands and remember that they've been claimed by me. You can fight me on this but you're WRONG.

Are you ready? Get yo selves prepared for dis

*drum roll*

They are Shiro and Yumei.

*swoons*
*swoons*
*swoons*
*swoons*
*swoons*

I will not get into them because I’m afraid that will take forever. Unless y'all got 3 years to spare? Yes? No? Yeahhhhhh, I thought so ;p but prepare yourselves. They will wreck you. And quite literally fuck you up. Proceed with caution. Or not because y'all need to experience the pain I've been inflicted upon. God damn, I'm still recovering. But I still love you adorable bean sprouts.

Listen, that’s not what I wanted to discuss.

When I got my hands on this book and began reading it; I found out by surprise that Annette Marie decided to include illustrations inside. Like whaaaaaa..??? I didn't know. What the heck. Came out of NOWHERE. I wasn't readyyyyyyy for it. But who is complaining though?????

OH MY CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS LIKE LORD HAVE MERCY ON MY SOUL

My eyes thank you, Annette Marie.

These illustrations were so well done and captured everything I imagined these characters to look like. Especially, Shiro because *slow claps* It was as if the author went inside my mind and thought, "This is what Tweebs wants and this is what Tweebs shall get." Well, I wanted a drawing of shiro and I but.....maybe 2nd book? That cool with ya??? I was so unprepared like I was casually swiping to the next page thinking.......absolutely nothing like what was I suppose to think of when this plot was slaying me left and right......but NOPE! I was hit with illustrations. freakin illustrations y'all . I'm not exaggerating when I say this but I felt a tear drop like.....the beauty of these illustrations though. Wow. I'm not crying. You are. Yes, you. I see them tears. No need to deny it.

I hope you didn't think I wouldn't share these beautiful illustrations, did you?????? From this point on, your eyes will be blessed.

I dare anyone to fight me on this.





There's plenty more lovely illustrations inside the book and I'd love nothing more to share them all but the thing is...I'm cruel. Life ain't that easy. You have to read this book in order to see the rest of the illustrations ;p Am I good at this bargaining business or wha?

Hope you all love it as much as I did.........but that's unlikely!!!!

[Lucie V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

✅ Asian inspired / Rich world-building
✅ Japanese mythology
✅ Enemies to friends (to maybe more?)
✅ Characters
✅ New book boyfriend to add to your list
✅ Plot
✅ Pace and action
✅ Gorgeous illustrations
_______________________

Second read/listen: This series deserves to be more popular.
The first time I read this book, I found the beginning to be a little slow, but I really enjoyed it this second time around. Since I knew what was coming, I just took the time to appreciate the rich world-building and the slow building of Emi and Shiro’s friendship.

_______________________

4.5 stars

I love this book.

“Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”

Emi is the Goddess Amaterasu’s kamigakari. It means she is destined to become her human vessel once Amaterasu is ready for her descension, in only a few months. To ensure a smooth transition for her Goddess, Emi spent the past 10 years getting her mind, body, and soul ready to welcome Amaterasu and her immense power. Emi has lived by a strict regime of meditation and prayers, remaining pure of thought and body, not being allowed to eat unhealthy food, do anything that could be dangerous for her health, and not being allowed to be touched by any man. While this sounds like a sad life, Emi is happy with it and proud of the role she will play. That is, until the day she realizes that she does not know everything about Amaterasu’s descension and that Emi will not share her body with her Goddess, she will be erased to make room for her Goddess.

On her quest for answers and to discover and experience everything she missed out on for the past decade, Emi meets Shiro. A Kitsune who should be her enemy since he is a Yokai, and Emi’s Goddess is a Kami, and Yokai are Kamis’ enemies. But Shiro is more than he appears. After he saves Emi’s life and she saves him in return, they become entangled and the more time Emi spends with him, the more she realizes that not all Yokai are evil and that not all Kami are as pure and kind as she believed.

Here are a few elements of the world-building that can be confusing at first, especially if, like me, you are not familiar with the terms:
- There are 4 Amatsukamis: Izanagi, Izanami, Tsukiyomi, and Amaterasu (Emi’s Goddess)
- There are 4 Kunitsukamis: Suzano, Inari, Uzume and Sarutahiko
- The Amatsukamis and Kunitsukamis are like the yin and the yang, they are enemies, but they are both needed on earth to keep the balance.
- Yokais answer to the Kunitsukamis and are enemies of the Amatsukamis and their servants.

The beginning is a little slow, but keep on reading because it is really worth it! There is a glossary at the end, but mostly, the new words and concepts are introduced simply and clearly, and they mostly have to do with traditional clothing or the Gods and Goddesses. The mythology and Asian culture are present everywhere in the book. The world-building is great, without being overly complicated, and the descriptions are vivid and rich.

This story is set in a modern urban fantasy setting, and I kept forgetting about it because it just felt more like a historical fantasy (or straight fantasy) because of all the rituals and traditional clothing and weapons, so I was surprised every time they mentioned cellphones or buses. It is not a bad thing though, it just shows how the author managed to create an immersive world-building, and how removed from everything Emi is.

“Don’t forget me, Shiro,” she said hoarsely. “You are not allowed to forget me.”
He blinked slowly and something shifted in his gaze. His lips curved in his familiar crooked smile.
“You’ll forget me someday, little miko.” His voice was even hoarser than hers, rough and coated in a hint of animal growl.
“I’ll never forget you,” she told him. “I’ll remember you to my last day.”
“Do you promise?”
Her heart gave an odd little flutter. “Yes, I promise.”

The characters are great and the character development is well done. Emi goes from a perfect and obedient future vessel for a Goddess to a frustrated young woman trying to be the master of her destiny. She reminded me a little bit of Poppy from the FBAA series but without the rebellious streak. Emi is kind, demure, and very devoted to her Goddess… Maybe too naïve and even a little stupid at first, but she goes through a lot of change over a short period, I liked how the author showed her change, but also how she struggles to adapt to all the new things she learned and was experiencing for the first time.

Then there is Shiro, the kitsune that saves Emi and that Emi later saved, and I just adore him. He is mysterious, mischievous, and flirtatious, but you can also see that he is a good and loyal being who ends up caring about Emi, even though they are supposed to be enemies. There is still a thick aura of mystery around him and the reason he was bound. I have a theory and I can't wait to see if I am right.

Shiro and Emi are supposed to be enemies, but they find themselves thrown into dangerous situations time after time, and they develop a sweet and shaky kind-of-friendship that blossomed after so many near-death experiences. They come to care for each other, and there is a beginning of romantic feelings and heat between them, but their romance is a slow burn, that I am not even sure will end up being “consumed”, seeing as Emi only has a few weeks left to live. While they are supposed to be enemies, their relationship is not doomed from the start, but it does have a forbidden feeling to it for sure.

Her hand tightened over his. “Do you think you could ever forget me?” She asked with feigned haughtiness and a teasing smile. “After all we’ve been through?”
His brow furrowed, then he grinned. “It would be hard to forget how annoying it is to have to carry you everywhere.”
“And save my life all the time.”

There are gorgeous illustrations from Brittany Jackson throughout the book that add a special touch to the story and even add to the appeal of the characters because I could see what they looked like instead of just trying to imagine it.

Really I just couldn't put the book down. The end is not a cliffhanger, but it makes me happy that I already have the second book so I can continue reading Emi's and Shiro's adventures right away.


0.5 Prince of Shadows ⭐⭐⭐⭐


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[Nancy •͙͙✧⃝•͙͙✩ͯ {Comment restriction} · Rating 4 out of 5]

──⟡⋆˙✩ 4.5 stars ✩ ⋆˙⟡──

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ 𝔸𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕤𝕟𝕠𝕨, 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕜𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕠 𝕤𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕒 𝕡𝕦𝕕𝕕𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕕. ⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

I might have found my next 5-star series of 2025. Hopefully the upcoming books will keep the momentum and not disappoint me by slipping downhill. Honestly, the way I ended up picking this up was nothing short of a miracle. Teru recommended it to me. At the same time, I was getting burned out on romantasy with Fae everywhere—I needed something different, something that would really engage me. So, I figured I’d give this one a try.

Did I have high expectations? Absolutely not. I had zero. My mindset was very much, “Well, trying it won’t hurt, right?” I was fully prepared to finish it in a day or two, slap a 3-star rating on it, and move on with my life.

Yet here I am… about two seconds away from fusing this book with my life force.

Setting: Based on Japanese mythology—a dazzling world of Kami, Yokai, Kitsune, and more.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 βօօҟͲąցʂ 𓍯𓂃

➽ Enemies to Lovers
➽ Forbidden Romance
➽ Slowburn
➽ Lies and Deception
➽ Human girl × Fox boy
➽ Sheltered FMC
➽ Cunning, manipulative MMC

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕀𝕤 𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥: ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝔼𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ᯓ★

Basically, Emi is destined to become the vassal of a goddess (Kami) when she descends to Earth during the solstice. All her life, Emi believed it was an honor—she thought she’d gain powers and become invincible—only to find out two months before the ceremony that she was actually meant to be a sacrifice. They all lied to her. She (the book explains this much better than I just did, I promise) finds herself in the forest, where she ends up saving a little Kitsune—a fox yokai. Think of Yokai as demons: everyone worships the Kami but despises the Yokai.

And that “little adorable Kitsune” she saved? Yeah, he transforms into a man (a very handsome one, at that), and that man just so happens to be an utter piece of shit but the attractive kind, so it’s forgivable.

The first 50–60 pages are a bit slow and require more than two brain cells, since you’re being thrown into an unfamiliar world. But once the exposition is done and Emi learns the truth about her fate—that’s when things get interesting. And of course, the book only gets better when she saves the Kitsune. (◕‿◕✿)

Here’s a scene with him:

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨. 𝘼𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙭 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩. “𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜?” 𝙄𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙.

AWWWWWWWW. ISN’T THAT SO DAMN ADORABLE?! My heart melted on the spot. If it were me, I’d have scooped him right up and brought him home.

ೃ⁀➷ Emi: He was a liar, she reminded herself. He was tricking her, playing on her emotions to win her sympathy. He was a liar

She starts off as this perfect girl—always obedient, always following the rules, always dutiful. She does exactly what she’s supposed to do, no questions asked. But once all the lies are exposed, that perfect exterior cracks. And beneath it, we finally see the real Emi: the girl who has been so lonely all these years, isolated from everyone. The fiery one. The one who cares with every fiber of her being. The one who can get angry. The one who can be stubborn.

And it was glorious. Not only did I discover her—she discovered herself.

I have really high hopes for her in the coming books. She’s honestly so lovable. I especially like all her choices—the things she says, the things she does. You know how sometimes female leads give you secondhand embarrassment? Or you sit there thinking, “Ugh, why would she do that?!” Yeah, that never happened with Emi. I was on board with her 100% of the time.

ೃ⁀➷ Shiro the Kitsune: “Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”

HA.

Okay, this is where I start sounding completely deranged because I’m telling you—when I say this man had me on a chokehold, I ain’t lying. I was a max-level simp the ENTIRE book. I was simping so hard, diffusion wasn’t enough to distribute the intensity.

When he’s in his fox form, he has silver fur and ruby eyes. And he’s smol enough that Emi can carry him. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

And when he transforms into his human form squeals and dies… his hair is silver, his eyes are red, and he has SOFT, FURRY FOX EARS ON HIS HEAD. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

He looks a bit like THIS:

𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥, 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧.

YOUR HONOR, he was made for me! Yes, I do operate at that level of delulu—why do you ask?

And his PERSONALITY-
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Okay, so he’s like… blushes and rolls around the bed for five minutes he’s very flirty. Like, this guy acts like he INVENTED flirting. And he’s very… physical. Like, he REALLY gets all up in Emi’s business multiple times. I allow you to get all up in my business too, sir.

Anyway, he’s wicked. He’s manipulative. As I said before… fans herself my next obsession.

“𝘼𝙝, 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙠𝙤, 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙞?” 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥, 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣. 𝙃𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠. 𝙃𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙖𝙬, 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙧. “𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙧.

I am a bomb that’s just been thrown. Explosion incoming in 3… 2… 1—



“𝙀𝙢𝙞,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣.
𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝. “𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚?”
“𝙈𝙚?” 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙭 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙. “𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙤.”

Swoons and dies

𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙, 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙚. “𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙙, 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙠𝙤?”

Raises hand. Looks around. Then lowers it before anyone sees. Okay, but my bed is totally empty, you know. Or it will be once I kick my sister out.

“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚.”
𝘼 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬, 𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧. “𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙨, 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙠𝙤, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙.”

Dies again

“𝙎𝙤 𝙖𝙢 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙧𝙞’𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙞 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝?”

Corrupt me with your foul touch too. ♥‿♥ I volunteer as tribute.

Y’all at this point: throwing eggs and rotten tomatoes at me.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 ᯓ★

As I said, Shiro’s a bit… he’s in need of some character development, let’s just say. Bro thinks everyone is a piece of shit like him. That if Emi is seemingly nice, she’s secretly plotting something—manipulating him, tricking him. He’s totally projecting, I tell you.

He clearly cares for her by the end, but he hides it behind his unserious flirtations. You know the type—flirting to cover up his fears, his hurts, and all of his true feelings. Flirting seems to be his coping mechanism.

And I love how Emi is with him. Let’s just say… me in my state of utter DISREPAIR whenever he’s around? Very much related to her. We were both simping together.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚.

I get it, bae. Trust me. He doesn’t even look at me at all, but I still find it hard to breathe!

More than that, she takes care of him. When he’s exhausted but won’t admit it, she gives him a place to sleep. She brings him food. She tries her hardest to protect him. And he’s baffled by it—this human who genuinely seems to look after him, with no ulterior motive. He can’t imagine such a thing.

(*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ・Ꮖᥒ Ꮯꪮᥒᥴᥣᥙ᥉เꪮᥒ・

Okay, fine. This review has been total and utter shite. You’ll forgive me for making you read all of this, won’t you? I’m just feverish over Shiro and I don’t know what to do about it. Hopefully talking it out helps me get it out of my system

(｡◕‿‿◕｡)

That said… LET’S SEE WHAT THE NEXT BOOK HAS IN STORE FOR ME.

“𝕯𝖔𝖓’𝖙 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖊𝖙 𝖒𝖊, 𝕾𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖔,” 𝖘𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖆𝖎𝖉 𝖍𝖔𝖆𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖞. “𝖄𝖔𝖚’𝖗𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖊𝖙 𝖒𝖊.”
𝕳𝖎𝖘 𝖑𝖎𝖕𝖘 𝖈𝖚𝖗𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖋𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖆𝖗 𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖔𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖘𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖊. “𝖄𝖔𝖚’𝖑𝖑 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖊𝖙 𝖒𝖊 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖉𝖆𝖞, 𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊 𝖒𝖎𝖐𝖔.”
“𝕴’𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖊𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚,” 𝖘𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖑𝖉 𝖍𝖎𝖒. “𝕴’𝖑𝖑 𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖞 𝖑𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞.”
“𝕯𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖊?”
𝕳𝖊𝖗 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖌𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖆𝖓 𝖔𝖉𝖉 𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊 𝖋𝖑𝖚𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗. “𝖄𝖊𝖘, 𝕴 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖊.”

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

₊𖥔 Connect with me on Instagram ׄ໑୧ ׅ𖥔ׄ

[AℳY♔Queen of Fat cats♔Ain't no lie Baby Byebyebye · Rating 5 out of 5]

GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
This book is a #Mustread!! The best book by Annette Marie and one of the BEST BOOKS EVER!
What are you doing that you don't read this book?

GUYS IN THE KINDLE UNLIMITED ELITE!!!
QT'S IN THE KINDLE UNLIMITED ELITE!!

For all of us in the Kindle unlimited Elite it's



We look so so so so smug now!!


SMUG 'cuz it's FREE for us!!

Guys without Kindle unlimited!!!!, the price for this one is really reasonable!!! Just $2.99 but if you're unsure try a first month KU for free!!!! JOIN THE KU ELITE!! We're having so much fun!!!

I usually HATE overhyped YA but this one is really really good. It's an ALL TIME FAVORITE. That's how good this one is.

I have nearly 2000 friends in goodreads. And guess what? All of them will receive a book recommendation. I think I'll be sending recs onto next week and it's gonna be a lot of work, but THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS BOOK.

I love love love love this book SO MUCH that if you don't like it, but you don't justify a negative rating with reasonable arguments against this oh! so unreasonable, blown-away (by the magnificence of this book) BESSOTTED girl...

....I'M GONNA BLACK LIST YOU!!!

I'M.
NOT.
JOKING.

♥ If you don't like a book I luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuvvvvvvvvvvvv, that's fine

♥ If you say, I don't read books in that genre, that's fine

♥ If you see this GORGEUS COVER and read a synopsis and think, maybe not, that's also fine.

But

♥If you won't give a chance to this book because ANNETTE MARIE SENSEI isn't as famous as other authors...

♥If you RUDELY IGNORE MY HEART-FELT RECOMMENDATION without even glancing at it...
or
♥If you post unjustified negativity against this master piece....

...I'll hate you.

One thing is saying, it wasn't the book it was me.

One thing is saying, this book is good but I couldn't connect.

A very different thing is posting negativity for the sake of negativity. Or when you say: "avoid this book" I hate when people tell others DON'T READ THIS BOOK. Let people make their own mind, shall we?

'Cuz believe me. There's NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with this book. It takes its time to develop but once it's there it's AMYzing!!The story, the characters, the art is just so good. I love the art!!! I'm buying this on print for sure!! You may like it, you may not 'cuz, admittedly, not everyone is a JAPANESE CULTURE freak as I am. But this book IS GOOD! REALLY GOOD!! I wouldn't recommend it to you if it wasn't. I only recommend good books and you can ask my friends, they usually love the books I recommend.

My only problem is that this doesn't have sex!! I'm hoping the sequels have steam because I'm shipping H and h, so badly!!

Guuuuysss!!!! This is a #mustread.

♥♥♥UPDATE 4/23/2020
I FINALLY BINGE READ THE TRILOGY. Believe me you need to read this series prefererably back to back. You don't need a kindle just your KU app. YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!!!

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, the covers of these books are beautiful and I love the artwork inside as well. I would love to have the physical books.







I love the characters, with Shiro being my favorite, of course. I can’t say for the rest of the series, but I wish they would turn them into an anime movie or series.

Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[krista ☽✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”

first time reading ; 2017 yep yep , remember really loving this whole triology
Second time reading [ which i wrote this revieuw from ] March 2021
Buddy read with Demonic lia Creature who is also rereading , Salty Sophia aka Sofia and Lucid Lucy < 33

This revieuw is spoiler free , it has some explanation for the worldbuilding in it as it can be a little confusing

Overall this is a pretty good book too a promising unique triology , it has many great elements but it was definitly a built up for the rest of the books , as most first books are. Overall this book has a super cool unique urban fantasy worldbuilding that is inspired by Japanese Mytology which i loved , this has somuch anime vibes too it. This book doesnt have any infodumps in it and the world is explained in my opinion at a really well pace and not all at once so it was easy too come intoo as we learn a bit more chapter by chapter. The book is slow in the begining and took some time too actually pick up but arround page 100 it picks up and has a lot of action scenes and banter and some romance. So if you are struggeling with the begining , hold on , hope is not lost. there is light at the end of the first 100 pages hehe. Also this book doesn’t have stupid tropes like ; love triangles , insta love or girl on girl hate.

This book follows Emi who is a Kamigakari which is a human host picked out by the gods in this world , the Amatsukami which is the first of the two kami species in this world that lifes in the spirit realm aka heaven ish. too be prepared for their entire life too remain pure and become the host of the god this person is chosen for , in this case Emi is a Kamigakari of the one of the 4 amatsukami's called Amaterasu the kami of the wind. both kami species [ the other one i will explain in a bit ] provide the ballance of the world and the ballance of nature but too truly do that the kami's have too be in the human world , thats why they claim their human vesel who has prepared too host them aka Emi. But is everything the people who raised Emi and helped her prepare for true ? or is it one big lie... ??? Who knows , who knows. well you will if you read this book.

Allong her journey too seek answers aboit her fate Emi meets two Yokai who are also kami's but kami's that live on the earth who are called the Kunitsukami they are mostly seen as demons in this world by the followers of the other kami's , the ones from heaven. But both the kami species need eachother too create ballance in the world so are they really demons ? or not.
Yokai one is Kitsune Yokai Shiro aka my sarcastic charming bby and the second one is Yumei master of crows aka mister grumpy But besides Emi wanting too learn her true fate there are more things going on , the 4 Kunitsukami are lost and havent been seen for a while which is disturbing because they are needed for the ballance , so what is happening?

Charracters At first Emi is a bit tough too like , at least for me. She reminds me a bit of Poppy from , from blood and ash because she also has no experience with any normal things etc. because of her duty too the gods and her preparation for it. She is a bit naive in the begining of the book and a bit whiny but she does has charracter development and troughout the story she grew a little bit more too me and develops less naiveness and more strenght , i know because this is a re-read for me that she has more development in the next book which is great. I Really do love Shiro who is freaking charming and sarcastic + he has mystery too him which is slowly revealed which i find intersting too read about. I also enjoyed Yumei he kinda reminds me of kell from a darker shade of magic a bit and matthias from six of a crows , he is like this mister grumpy lmao. but we can all see that there is more too hikm and he is actually a cinnamon roll.

Dymanics , romance This has enemies too lovers and i really like it aaah somuch banter and shiro constantly flirting with emi which gave her butterflies lmao. I like it. I also love the banter between Yumei and Shiro and their hate relationship but actually caring for eachother.

Also the writing is pretty good especially the action scenes are really well written and the interactions between the charracters and banter.

I also love the fact that this book has illustrations in it aaah. they are pretty.

Overall this book is a good book too the begining of a unique fantasy triology with unique worldbuilding , banter , slowburn enemies too lovers and some great friendships. since this is my re-read i already know this is my least fav in the triology and the second and third are much better as Emi develops more in those and dynamics between charracters grow and the plot gets taken too another level but if you want something a little more unique in its worldbuilding with easy writing then pick this up : ) also no insta love and no love triangle , girl on girl hate and other tropes I find annoying.

a little list of important terms in the book
- Amatsukami - the 4 gods aka kami who live in the spirit / heaven realm and take care of the balance of the world with the other gods that live on earth.
- Kuntisukami The 4 kami who live on earth and are mentioned being the bad ones out of the gods , they also take care of the ballance of the earth
- Yokai the under creatures of the kuntisukami who live on earth , spirutal beings
- Ki - energy of life force , everyone has ki in them. this is the force of power the kami can use but is also human their life energy.
- Kamigakari - the human host for the amatsukami so they can be present on earth too take care of the balance of earth.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: —> ♾️/5 Stars

• RE-READ #2— September 20th, 2023:

This is one of my absolute FAVORITE series of ALL TIME. It absolutely changed my freaking L I F E! It introduced me to one of my absolute FAVORITE authors of all time, as well! Annette Marie is a master of both Romantasy & Urban Romantasy! I suspect that I first rated this 4-4.5 Stars because I wasn’t as familiar with Japanese mythology as I now am, and this DOES have a bit of hand-holding in the beginning, to introduce you to the Japanese mythology-inspired vast world. But once it does… it hooks its expertly written claws into you, and never lets go… and I wouldn’t have it any other way! The developing relationship here def is slow burn AF, but omfg do I LOVE THIS FORBIDDEN ROMANCE! The adventure is LEGIT👌🏼, as is the additional character building, plot, & world building!

The book delves into all sorts of topics lovers of Japanese culture/folklore/mythology, manga, & anime lovers are sure to be obsessed with from moment one! Esp if you like anime/manga like Kamisama Kiss, Inuyasha (in fact Shiro kind of reminds me of Sesshōmaru from the Manga ver!), Noragami, etc., but ANYONE could EASILY fall in love with this incredible ancient world of wonders hidden in a modern day Japan-LIKE fantasy world! Like any high fantasy novel, it just takes a little bit to get its footing to introduce you to the basics & intricacies !

(🤔 My first go round with this kind of reminds me of my relationship with ACOTAR book #1, where the true action doesn’t begin until halfway in… but I have to give this book more credit actually, because at least it’s sprinkled in early on, and action does start earlier, more like 25% in? Which isn’t long for a 300 pg book!)

Now, I absolutely could not imagine my life without this book in it. I mean that truly & wholeheartedly!
I would guard Emi, Shiro, & Yumei with MY LIFE. They OWN my HEART!

I recommend this book with everything in me, but for those of you not already familiar with Japanese mythology, just be wary of what I said up there^^^ bc this Romantasy DOES 👏 NOT 👏 DISAPPOINT👏! Oh Shiro, what I would do for you… 😏☺️🥰
♥️♥️♥️

With that said… No regrets on my current Kickstarter campaign pledge for a STUNNING new hardcover omnibus of the Red Winter series that has so many bells & whistles, it truly brings this independently published book the adornment & absolute stunning perfection it deserves in the current ~24 day left Kickstarter campaign! If you are interested I will post the link in the comments ;-). There are so many backers it’s WILD! These precious characters that I love so wholly & completely finally are getting the recognition they truly deserve!!!

• RE-READ #1— July 26th, 2020
ALL THE STARS! Shiro owns me, currently. 🤭♥️

FIRST READ— June 7th, 2019:

Star Rating: —> 4–4.5 Stars

I absolutely loved this!!!// I definitely recommend!

MAN do I LOVE Japanese mythology. It is one of the most interesting and extensive (never a shortage of new information to devour 😍) topics in existence, in my opinion. I was just introduced to it (well, more than just extremely basic facts with no knowledge of the formal names for anything within it- except kitsune; oh and, ☺️ that a lot of anime is based upon it, obvs) last year... and I’ve had a thirst for it ever since... and I’m never lookin’ back!

[Literally Lesia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Думала, дочитаю цю частину трилогії і на тому все. Але ні, треба братися за наступну, бо фінал дуже сподобався 💜 вся історія здалася мені трохи нуднуватою, ніби чогось постійно бракувало (є вірогідність, що за минулий рік я звикла до обʼємних світів з безліччю описів, а тут все якось надто поверхнево, типу, «ось вам рівно стільки, скільки треба для розуміння головної лінії»). Однак на кону зараз стоїть дуже багато, а тому дуже цікаво, як тут завершиться історія.

[Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”


I’m so happy I enjoyed this book! especially because Lia and Krizzie would have killed me otherwise. There are some things that I hope will be improved in the next two books in the series, but I’ll get to that in a moment.


Buddy read with Krizzie, Angel Demon Lia, Salty Sofia and Her Hissingness Erin


Red Winter follows Emi who is a kamigakari - a human who hosts a kami’s spirit within their body - and she in a couple of months from the beginning of the book her mortal life will end and she will become the host of the Wind Amatsukami, Amaterasu. All her life she has prepared herself for this moment and she is ready for it, until she uncovers a truth she didn’t want to know. We also have, Shiro, a yokai, a spirit of earth, who is an enemy to the goddess Emi will soon host. But when Emi saves his life, their paths became more intertwined than either of them thought.


This book was more of an introduction to this world. There was a lot of world-building in this and you can clearly see that the author put a lot of thought in the book. And because of this the first half of the book was pretty weak. There was just so many info-dumps and I just felt so bored and confused (thank you Krizzie for explaining this world to me haha). The pacing was a bit weird in the beginning and I was having a hard time making myself pick up the book. But as soon as I reach the halfway point, the pace picked up and the plot got 10 times better. I was so invested and I needed to know how the book would end.


The ending was amazing. It was so actioned packed and so many things has started to make sense, a lot of our questions were answered and it ends in such a way that you feel like you need to pick up the sequel immediately.


"Death is natural and expected. If you are not strong enough to survive, you either find someone stronger to protect you or you perish.”


I love the Japanese mythology in this book. I’m a sucker for mythology books and I’ve never read a book focused on Japanese mythology. I loved learning more about this side of Japanese culture and I wanna read more books like this in the future.


I had a strange relationship with the characters. In the beginning I couldn’t care less about either of them, but by the end of the book they all started to warm up a bit to me.


Emi

I hated Emi in the beginning. She was so naive that it was just painful for me to read about her. I could see an improvement in her character by the end of this book, but it wasn’t enough for me to actually love love her character. I’m waiting for that character development that Lia has promised me in the next book!


Shiro

I was a bit suspicious when he was introduced, but as I saw him interact with Emi, I just started to fall in love with him. There is a lot of mystery surrounding him and even after finishing the book there’s still a lot about him that we don’t know and that I need to know. I cannot wait to read more of his storyline in the next two books and I need more interactions between him and Emi.


Yumei

Yumei, or the Tengu was an extremely interesting character to read about. He is this grumpy, moody boy although I think he is over 1000 years old, but whatever and I’m curious to read more about him. I wanna know more about him!


I really liked the romance in this book. Enemies to lovers is one of my all time favorite book troupes. I don’t know why, but I just love it, especially when it’s done as well as it’s done in this book. I’m so excited to read more about this.


Another thing that I loved about this book is that it has art through out it! The art that I've used in the review is actually the art that we see in the book too. It's just so gorgeous and there are more in the book. I cannot wait too see more of them in the next books.


This is an amazingly underrated book and more people truly need to read it. I didn’t really expect to like it as much as I did, but here I am. This book just surprised me and please pick it up since it deserves more hype!


"Some things were more important than her life, but that didn’t mean her life didn’t matter at all."

___________________________________________

Krizzie and Lia were indeed right. This book is really good.
RTC.

___________________________________________

Krizzie and Lia love this so I better love this too.

Buddy reading this with Krizzie, Lia, Sofia and Erin

[Darcey · Rating 5 out of 5]

REREAD UPDATE: I STILL LOVE THIS BOOK. I also love my buddy read babe, Diana!

---

(review that I wrote when I finished this book above the wiggly dashes, more in-depth series review below. but no spoilers!)

AHHH OH MY GOD.
THE LOVE MY HEART HOLDS.
THE. LOVE.

so. i've found my one true love. it's Shiro, y'all. and i don't give a crap that Shiro and Emi are perfect together and meant to be, because i am in love and i will never stop! another book boyfriend has emerged, and he might even beat Julian from Caraval (honestly they both give off the same vibes... it's clear i have a type, and it's lying, mischevious boys who can't be trusted. oop).
anyway this book was AMAZING. a true hidden gem. it's about to become one of my new favourite series to sigh over as a great feeling of content fills me, i can just tell. i love it!
onto the next book ;)
thanks for all the recs, especially yours Ash, as you forced reminded me to read this stunning book hehe xx

~~~

This series is AMAZING. Beyond amazing. The characters are relatable and their development is stunning, the romance is *chef’s kiss* and the storyline is addictive, unique, full of plot twists and easy enough to follow! Also Annette’s writing..... she weaves the most crazy addictive stories and she draws you in with every page and never lets you go.
These characters will always hold a place in my heart, so let’s talk about my main three babies. Emi, Shiro and Yumei. Oh, how I love them. Emi is our MC and, though she may not be Celaena Sardothien badass, she’s amazing in her own way and she’s so ready to do what she needs in order to live her own life. Honestly the start of this story reminds me of From Blood and Ash, as it’s a girl who’s trapped in a destiny she no longer wants, who can’t do certain things because of what she is and what she means for the world. So if you love From Blood and Ash (and everyone seems to love it) then check this out! Anyway, Emi. Her character development is magnifique and she’s the sweetest, loveliest darling, who also happens to be smart and brilliant at making sure that she and her friends stay alive. Her relationship with Yumei is so gorgeous (I’ll talk about her and Shiro later) and I really love watching how she grows up and overcomes her problems, and becomes friends with Yumei while she’s at it. Yumei may be a prickly cactus of a guy, but he’s caring in his own way, and he protects those he cares for with everything he can. Though Yumei may hate Emi at the start, she breaks through his iron walls and pushes her way into his frozen little heart, and makes sure that Yumei always knows he’s loved and never forgets about her. And then there’s Shiro..... laughing, mischievous Shiro. I love him with all my heart and soul. He hides the fact that he can’t remember anything in his past behind a wall of humour and flirtation (much like Lyre from Steel & Stone actually) and his character develop meant is the sweetest, but you know what’s sweeter? Him and Emi. They’re adorable and full of love and chemistry and absolute swoon-worthy romance. They make me want to cry everyday because I want that love, but I don’t mind, because I can just reread this series in order to feel the love oozing out of the pages.
Oh and the storyline! The Japanese mythology! It’s all wonderful and it’s all unique but also easy to imagine, which makes this the perfect series. I don’t want to mention much about to storyline to avoid spoilers, but the mythology is definitely stunning and has clearly been researched, and it really adds to the overall appeal of this series.
Now I want to reread.....
Oh, and for those of you who have a kindle, this entire 3 book series is for like 10AUD (something like 8-9USD?) on kindle so it’s great value! And it’s well worthwhile to buy the whole series, trust me ;).

[majo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread 2020.
Shiro will always be the yokai of my heart.

My soul will not rest until this book and this series get the recognition they deserve. This is my favorite romance fantasy and whoever is not reading it is committing a crime.

--------------
why is this book so unpopular??????

Nearly two years ago, I dnf'ed a book that was supposedly inspired in Japanese culture. It was a HUGE let down because I was expecting a book about a plot centered in the japanese folklore, with amazing characters and an amazing japanese-inspired story. That book was Ink and when I read it, it was just your typical and super average insta-love YA story. I was sad. I was angry. Because I really wanted to find a book with a good japanese setting, because japanese culture is so interesting to me. So why, I ask myself to this day, the author had to ruined a good concept with the tropes everyone hates in YA books???. I didn't like that. And I was so bitter about that, until now: my tragic book story ends with a happy ending!
You see, I found this book. This stunning, incredible book that was everything I wanted Ink to be. Thanks to the book gods that this exists. I FREAKING ADORED THIS BOOK IT WAS AWESOME!!!!

All the characters are asian, and all the plot is inspired by japanese gods and mythical creatures. There are a lot of yokai, (who are the traditional spirits in this culture, if you didn't know) and there is a super interesting plot about kami conspiracies. The main setting of this book is the traditional japanese shrine you always see in this culture and the woods that surrounds it. IT WAS SO GOOD. And this book also has beautiful beautiful beautiful illustrations that make the story ten times better. and to make the story even better THE LOVE INTEREST IS A FOX BOY. (well, technically there is a sort of a love triangle, but I root for the fox boy because, just look at him)



(These are some of the illustrations inside the book. they are so beautiful!)

I can't believe this book has so few rating, it definitely deserves more love!

[Khadidja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so so soooo grateful that I've chose to start 2018 with this book i think it's the ONE right decision i made in my whole life.
This book is beautiful (i mean when i say Japan the first word that cross my mind is Beautiful.), delightful, catchy, fast-pacing (i didn't get bored while reading AT ALL and that is, dear friends, a miracle).
The fact that only a countable number of people read this book is a crime against nature.

Red Winter is an urban fantasy set in Japan, it's about this girl, Emi who was chosen by a Goddess named Amaterasu to be her Kamigakari -A god or a goddess cannot descend to earth if they don't have a perfectly perfect prepared host- by the age of nine.
Emi has given up all her life for this honorable task, for she believes that she is quite lucky that she was the chosen one and not an other miko. She is then sent to a small shrine to be kept hidden from those who want to destroy her in other words the enemies of Amaterasu.

SO, open your eyes and listen to me (don't ask me)
I loved Emi, she is brave, smart-ish, loyal to everyone especially her goddess, she is also naive but not dumb-naive like some MCs who makes you want to go inside the book SLAP them, hug the love interest and then come back to real life and finish your tea.
She goes through SO much character development and i love her.

Okay I WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS MOMENT YALL I CAN'T KEEP IT INSIDE MY CHEST ANYMORE YALL GET ON YOUR DRAGONS to get yourself comfortable of Course AND LISTEN TO ME
There's two beautiful, charming, drool-over-worthy, swoon-worthy Yokai :
The shameless flirtatious Kitsune Aka Shiro
And the dark cruel Tengu Aka My husband.....I mean Yumei
I LOVE THEM, I AM BLIND BY THEM, AFTER THEM I WILL SEE NO MAN AND BECAUSE OF THEM MY MOM NEARLY THROW THE MAGICAL FLIPP FLOP AT ME
Because after seeing them i screamed for one hour straight.

How did you see them you ask? (Even if you didn't ask you still ask) well there's some freaking gorgeous illustrations that makes me remember what a talentless watermelon i am.
No am not going to show you how amazing they are because i don't know how the hell am i supposed to upload images because i am forcing you to go read it and see it for yourself.

Annnnnnd if you do read this book i will reward you with :
1) A cookie.
2) A hug.
3) both.

The choice is all yours.

~~~
I am off searching for a Kitsune and a Tengu . Who joins me?

They both are hot as hell so i can't pick one
RTC!!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend NOT doing the audiobook, because then you would miss out on the really wonderful illustrations that are dispersed throughout the story:




I have basically almost no background knowledge about Japan so going into this book I was, and still am, a bit confused about how much of the story is based on real Japanese folklore (kitsunes) and how much is made-up fantasy. So ignoring that aspect, since I don't know the answer to it, all I can is that I enjoyed this story of duty/honor/truth/destiny. This story basically deals with the idea of what you would do and how would you feel if you spent almost your whole life dedicated to achieving a certain goal, only to find out that actually obtaining that goal will be nothing like you were promised. Yet the achieving the goal is still vitally necessary to everyone else, regardless of whether or not you still desire it, and there's nothing you can do to stop it now. It's a conundrum that I greatly enjoyed reading about. This is YA fantasy though, so of course there is a bit of romance thrown into this plot too and it's part of a trilogy. I'll definitely be reading on!

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY CRAP THIS BOOK WAS F*CKING AWESOME.

I can't really think of a single way this book could be improved. The only reason it's 4 stars and not 5 is because I am certain the sequels will be even better and I want to reserve full marks for them.

But let's slow down a bit and find out why this book is so good.

18-year-old Emi is a kamigakari, a human girl who's been raised her whole life to become a vessel of the Japanese goddess (kami) Amaterasu. Since she was eight years old she's lived a life of physical and mental purity, preparing for Amaterasu to descend on the winter solstice in a month's time and take over her body. She isn't sure exactly what the ritual entails, but it's a huge honour to have been picked and she can't wait for the solstice.

It's also made her a target. The yokai, dark earth spirits, are invested in ensuring that the kami can't descend, so they've been trying to take her life for the last decade. For her own protection she's sent to a tiny shrine in the middle of the wilderness, disguised as an ordinary miko (i.e. shrine maiden). But when she saves the life of Shiro, a yokai kitsune supposed to be her enemy, it sets into motion a chain of events which shatters her complacency in the future.

The romance is toe-curling. Shiro is my favourite kind of hero - a sly, mocking, charming trickster who keeps making the innocent and sheltered Emi blush. This is slow-burn, so nothing much happens in this book, but their connection is developing and its intensity takes my breath away.

Since the book is from Emi's (3rd person) perspective we get to know her very well, and it's a delight to see her blossom over the course of the book. She goes from a painfully reserved, law-abiding girl to one who's rebellious enough to infuse each chapter with life, whilst not becoming unrealistically brave.

Marie's use of mythology is on point. Now, with the disclaimer that I'm not Japanese so I wouldn't be aware of any errors, I loved the depth and complexity of the world which is woven for us in the novel. Miko, kannushi, Amatsukami, sohei, marugata... all these terms were thrown at us and achieved the perfect balance between info-dumping and not being explained enough.

Overall

Plot and characterisation are both spectacular. If you haven't yet, go read this book!

[Blog] - [Bookstagram]

[Hiba · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”

3.5 stars

Red Winter has been on my radar ever since I saw that beautiful cover and I kid you not, this book is just as beautiful inside as it is outside-apart from Emi, that is, she was not that beautiful but we're going to discuss that later. Not only it has rich world building based on Japanese mythology, great characters(not including Emi) and great action there are also many beautiful illustrations sprinkled throughout the book making everything more interesting!

This is the story about Emi, who is soon going to become kamigakari for goddess named Amaterasu. Emi has lived 10 years preparing herself to become a perfect host for her goddess. She'd been sheltered throughout her life fdom impurities of this world. She can't wait to infuse herself with her goddess but just two months before Amaterasu desends, Emi discovers some dreadful truth about herself that had her questioning her whole life.

She get to meet Shiro, a kitsune. Now kitnsunes are Yokai, who are enemies for Emi's goddess, therefore completely forbidden for Emi but she had saved his life once, therefore he is indebted to her. As the story unfolds, Shiro and Emi find themselves working together trying to save eachother from enemies that are emerging from totally unexpected places.

Shiro is, I bet, everybody's kind of perfect hero. Handsome, mischievious,making our heroine blush and then occasionally forgetfull because of some events in his past. There is light romance between Emi and Shiro and I'm so excited to see how it develops in the next book.

“Because you are more to me now. Because you keep secrets like a kami and I’m curious what you hide. Because you are lonely and scared and I don’t understand why. Because you trust me when you know you shouldn’t. Because I believe you when you say you will keep your word.”

So why only 3.5 stars? Because Emi. The protaganist was just a bit too naive and stupid for my tastes. At first I almost dnf'ed it because Emi got so annoying but so many reviews said that she is goung to get better in the end so I had to continue but unfortunately, Emi didn't develop as strong and independant person as much as I hope she would.Though her naivety was understandable,she'd been brought up sheltered from everything all her life, it did not make it better to read about a girl who deliberately walk into danger all the time and then constantly needs saving. BUT, on the bright side, there is hope that she would develop further in the next book and learn to protect herself without help of Shiro or Yumei and Katsuo. In this book, theee were changes in her thinking, she was realizing there is more to herself then just be a kamigakari but she still got on my nerves all the time. Ugh.

I just hope in the next book Emi put her thoughts in action and stop needing men to save her ass.

[Mel Anie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5! And all the stars in the universe!!

Red Winter was such an amazing read which made it hardly possible to put this book down. Ever since the very first page, I was captured in this magnificent story which takes place in Japan. Main character, 18 years old Emi, is a kamigakari, a to-be-host for one of kami (god/ness). Ever since she's been chosen at the age of 8, Emi's been living in shrines where she's been trained for her role. In next few weeks, her life as a mortal will cease and she will become one with a goddess. Everything would be amazing, but one-day Emi finds a passage in a book which tells her that everything she's been taught won't be so amazing.

Annette Marie did an outstanding job in writing this book. I'm in awe. World-building with all those elements of Japanese mythology and with all those mythical creatures - I'm in love with this book. I simply can't praise this book enough.



PLOT:
The story follows the life of Emi, 18 years old girl which 10 years ago was marked by the Goddess of Wind named Amaterasu. I dare to say that she doesn't have her own life, everything she does must be controlled. Kami can only be hosted by a pure person. This is why Emi needs to eat special food, bath two times a day, keep her body fit and healthy, pray and meditate.
Despise all those requirements Emi is happy and proud to be chosen. She cannot wait until the day of solstice when Amaterasu and she will become one. Well, until one particular day...



CHARACTER:
Emi - Strong characterised protagonist of the book. She sometimes might appear naive, but worry not, she will say what's on her soul if she is pushed over the edge. I truly like the way she is portrayed in this book. Her personality is well balanced. She is caring, but she knows well when she should stop caring about something or someone.

Shiro - May I mention that I love his name? (idk, I have something to this word, no matter what language it is). He is a kitsune, a fox yokai. A shapeshifter. I really adore his attitude. He can be cold, he can be cute, and sometimes he can be too forward in his action. He is also really cute on the outside. My fav character in this book.

Yumei - A raven, the Tengu. Friend to Shiro. He is a little bit biased when it comes to Emi. He has his cold demeanor. Clever and really powerful yokai.

There are also many other characters throughout the book. I've only picked 3 of those which I thought that are most valuable for the story.



ROMANCE:
Here happens a lot, but I will keep it short and as spoiler free as possible
There is chemistry. There is a philosophy of yin and yang, two opposites. This was probably my 2nd fav aspect of this book after the mythological elements. The building of this ship is so so on point. It not exasperated nor lacking in anything. It's sweet and cute. It's forward and a little naughty. It's simply really good.



Illustrations in this book by Bea are simply magnificent. I'm in love with them and with her skill.

Finally closing this review, I'm really happy that I've read this book. It was amazing. I wasn't bored at all. This book has mythology, Japan, fantastical creatures, really good plot, well-made world-building and it doesn't lack in action - all the aspects I enjoy.

I really look forward to reading remaining books of the trilogy!

[saania jamal ✧]

ASHDKSLSJSR GET IN MY HANDS NOW I SAY!

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”

This is my first time reading a Japanese fantasy, and the only thing I found disappointing is why I didn't pick it up sooner. I started listening to the audiobook, when my friend told me there was cool illustration in the actual book. So I ended up purchasing the ebook and I am SO GLAD that I did. I'll post a few of the art below.

This story follows a girl named Emi, whose sole purpose in life is to remain untainted by anything bad in the world in order to become a human host for a goddess. In other words, she can't do anything fun or even remotely dangerous in order to protect herself. So no boys, no adventures, no playing sports or running around, basically anything that could result in physical or emotional harm is a no go. Although, she is proud to be the chosen host, so she never complained about all the things she been forced to miss out on. Most who are chosen die at an early age. Our protagonist Emi, has lived and survived for much longer. So everyone is counting on her to protect herself until the time to give her body for a goddess has come.



When she decides to do a bit more research to help in any way, she stumbled upon information that has been kept from her her entire life. Suddenly Emi finds herself questioning everything she has ever lived for.

Shiro is our male hero. This man is mysterious and everything she has been taught to stay away from. He is basically the enemy of the goddess Emi is supposed to be a host for. But when she saves his life one day, he finds himself indebted to her. Soon, both Emi and Shiro are testing the limits to their power and finding ways to work together.



This book has the best action and very light romance that I am excited to see develop in the next book. This is a new genre for me. I've always enjoyed fantasy, but Japanese fantasy is not something I've deeply thought about. The closest I've ever gotten to Japanese tales was the whole kitsune story line from Teen Wolf. That just shows how stupid and ignorant I was lol. Because this book is a whole new level of Japanese fantasy. I enjoyed how the author used folklore and made it her own. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment.

[Rizza✧˖° · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not new with Japanese mythology because of my obsession of anime/manga when I was younger. Moreover, I am quite familiar with some of the terms that were used in the book such as miko, kami, yokai, kitsune, tengu and the like thanks to a manga that I've read few years ago called Kamisama Hajimemashita which I recommend btw if you love reading manga and want to know more about Japanese mythology and the plot of it is almost the same as this book. Well, it does have the same concept anyway. Almost. But this story still blew me away.

The first third of this book is world building. Because Japanese culture is so vast, rich, and magically wild that you should know more about it before actually learning about the plot, in which the author did quite well.

But for me who knows quite a bit about Japanese folklore, the beginning was slow and dragging. That is the reason why I only gave a rating of four stars. But don't get me wrong. I still learned a lot about Japanese lore and I'm willing to learn more about it. And I was impressed that the author was able to give main details about Japanese lore in only one thirds of the book.

The characters were well-written. I love how the author portrayed her characters such as Emi, Shiro, and Yumei. Emi is the kamigakure or someone who will become a vessel of a kami or god. Shiro is a yokai or a demon, more specifically, a kitsune or fox demon. And Yumei, another yokai, who is a tengu or crow demon.

I loved every interaction between the three characters. We have Emi who is naive but selfless, Shiro who is sly and mysterious, and Yumei who is serious and firm. I am looking forward to reading more about them, especially Emi and Shiro. I love the thing that is brewing between them. I am quite sure that there is more to their story than what I read in this book.

What I also loved about this book is the gorgeous art that is presented in some of the chapters. It helped me a lot because I was imagining the characters of the manga that I've mentioned above when I was reading the book, and this confused me a lot because the personality of the characters of this book and that manga is very different. But the drawings made me move on from the manga and focus more about the book. So it was very helpful in ways more than one.

More people should read this book because it is so good and I definitely recommend this book to those who loves fantasy with a side of a slow burn romance.

[Sophie "Beware Of The Reader" · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars

This was my first book by Annette Marie and a buddy read with Jen @starcrossedbooklovers and Raven @dreamyaddictions.
Thank you Jen for reaching out to me because I would have missed a delightful read!

Let's begin with the most important: I want more and we are already planning to buddy read the second book!

The cover is beautiful but the art inside the book is even more gorgeous and it made me realize that I missed watching animes!
The art combined with Annette Marie's writing teleported me inside an Asian country. I imagined being in Japan, on a mountain in late Fall surrounded by snow, forests and silence.
The shrine took the appearance of one of these temples you can see on postcards or movies.
I WAS IN!

In the beginning of the story Emi was the dutiful and reserved Miko. She behaved like the devout maiden she's been groomed to be, ready to welcome a goddess in her body.
I confess that the mythology and the cast of deities with their reign and complex relationships felt foreign to me. Yet it was part of the appeal and exoticism of this story.

I told Jen and Raven that Emi was angry when people doubted the importance of her calling, telling her she missed so many things.
And that's true to survive the goddess she had to prepare her body and mind for years. Honing them with healthy food, exercise and no temptations.

I had to stop reading at 20% in the book to read an ARC and my buddies laughed, telling me I stopped just when things began to get really interesting.

And boy were they right!

It was a turning point, sending the story on a whole other path!
Emi outgrew my expectations! Way to be a dutiful Miko, untrained in the art of war and still be incredibly resourceful to kick behinds!!!
I think that's one of the things that I loved most: Emi is no warrior but she is so strong willed and smart that she uses her brain and her will to fight bad Yokay and kami! This is my favorite kind or heroines: not born a warrior but resourceful! Brain over brawn if you want!

Let's not forget some mischievous and Uber hot kitsune and an impassive yet lethal Tengu!

You have the perfect mix of fantasy and ancestral tradition in a modern world.
Secrets, betrayals and unexpected alliances.
A quest and a mystery to solve.
A beautiful and resourceful heroine.
A hot kitsune.
What I hope will be a romance of course!
And lots of action.

The writing flows effortlessly and it's a book that is meant to be devoured thanks to the plot and its interesting characters.

 

I loved it so much that I ordered the three paperbacks (and I’ll holler for Jen and Raven to read the second instalment as soon as I get it!).

 
Have you read this series?
Thanks for reading!
Sophie

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[mith · Rating 4 out of 5]

YOUR HONOR I LOVE THEM.
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hi guys i just reread this and [clenches fist] i love these characters SO MUCH.
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If you guys liked the Steel & Stone series, you're definitely going to like this book.
I've only begun reading her books last year but in that short time, she's already managed to become one of my favourite authors. I love how she writes, both her characters and her plots. Each character is unique and you think you know them, their intentions, but then she slyly reveals that there's so much more to them. And her books always have a way that make you want to read the book in one sitting, no matter what.
I confess, I was a little bit wary in the beginning of the book. It felt a little slow and I was worried there wouldn't be as much action as her first series. But soon enough, it picked up and it was another wild roller coaster.
The book takes place in modern Japan. Emi, the main character is a kamigakari, a person who is meant to host her goddess, Amaterasu. She's lived a lonely life in the 10 years she's spent preparing--no physical contact, no real friends, no normal things to ensure her purity and safety for the goddess. And she's believed it was necessary all that time too. Until she comes across a bitter truth, that is.
I saw some parallels between this and Marie's other characters. But like I said, they were unique. Emi wasn't as capable with weapons as Piper had been, but she was still strong in her own manner. I loved reading from her POV and I can't wait for more of her adventures with Shiro!!
Shiro was just such an amazing character and I'm so excited to find out about his past but also afraid to know what he's been through. He's sly and strong and very, very intriguing. He sort of reminded me of Lyre and honestly, I can't even complain. They're both A++.
There is a romance in this book but it isn't the most important thing, which I loved! (but at the same time, I would have liked more because I already love the two of them together and it's killing me.)
You can tell Marie did her research well! Each term is explained thoroughly, and though it did sometimes feel like info-dumps, it didn't matter to me because at least I understood, which I consider more important. I'm very excited to see where she takes this series because it's so full of rich Japanese mythology. Combined with her writing talent, the series is going to be very interesting.
Also! Before I finish off, there's art in this book! And it's SOO beautiful and perfectly goes with the story. So you get to see the characters and the setting and it's wonderful. It'll definitely make the reading experience better!
So! All that being said, this is a solid 4 stars. I hope the next book comes out soon because n e e d.
I received an advanced copy from the author's ARC team in return for an honest review!
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Woooow, Annette Marie does not disappoint. I'm kind of sad I finished this so quickly--the wait for book two is going to be devastating. Full review to come soon.
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I NEED THIS

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.75/5 stars*

The inside of this book is just as beautiful as the outside is and if that doesn't convince you to read this book than please look at the cover again.

I very much enjoyed the easy immersive storytelling. It's one of those books you can easily read in one or two sittings. It especially kicks off after Emi first ventures outside the shrine. Some instances were reminiscent of anime, so I think fans of it will definitely enjoy this one. But I know that someone who isn't way too familiar with it (aka like me) will love this one as well.

I loved the feel of the setting - this book is set in Japan. And the fantasy world this author created is so lush, otheworldly, vicious and intriguing.

As well as he characters. Emi had such an amazing character journey in this one! Plus Shiro was the absolute best. Such a flirty fox! I really really enjoyed the subtle, witty, slow burn romance.

There are also, as an added bonus, some gorgeous illustartions in this book!

All in all: Read this. Just read it now.

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚]

oMG, THIS BOOK LOOKS AMAZING. I. MUST. READ. IT. NOW

[Scrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing.”

Ten years ago Emi was marked by Amaterasu to be the vessel as her human host to inhabit. Since then she has been preparing her body and soul for the moment that the kami will join with her. One day she finds out a secret that unravels everything she was led to believe. With the help of her natural enemy, a yokai, she decide to get the truth about the impending ritual and what it means for her life.

The Story
Guys this was so good. At first I was a little skeptical. I originally started this because Sana & Tweebs were all gaga for this book, but my initial reaction was this is pretty good…but boring. My dear friend Amanda got the book though, and she’s a ridiculously fast reader and blasted through the series and insisted I continued on. I trusted her enough to do it and thank fully I did. Seriously, I was enraptured by the world building and visual aids in the book, but nothing really happens till 75 pages into the book. From that point on it was rather exciting as Emi discovered more about herself and what it means to be a kamigakari. I don’t want to give away too much about this book but let me just say that if you are a fan of manga/anime that involves yokai, then you need to read this book. Seriously, the Inuyasha and Kamisama Hajimemashita vibes are strong, but not in a rip-off sort of way.



I don’t normally say this, but I ship the characters SO hard even though the romance is very minimal. The story itself focuses mostly around Emi and her inner struggle as she ultimately decides if what she has been working for her entire life is worth the sacrifice. In the midst of her self discovery, she makes some new…allies and together they uncover a secret that connects them in ways they didn’t imagine.

The World Building

So a lot of you probably don’t know this about me. But I am what one might consider a Japanophile. I am a big fan of anime/manga (though haven’t really kept up recently). I studied Japanese and spent a few months over there studying culture. In fact, it’s been exactly 5 years since I went, and I miss it dearly. (Clearly this is a picture of me getting to wear a traditional kimono while I was there)



Anyway, what I am trying to say is that I really enjoyed the Japanese infusion in these books. There are so many cultural aspects that are accurately (at least to my knowledge) used here, and only a great deal of research or knowledge could have brought this all together. As a fan, I greatly appreciated it all. Again, if you are someone who is a fan of manga/anime surrounding yokai, you will probably really get a kick out of this.

For those on the less obsessive scale, the book provides a glossary in the back with not only help pronouncing the (real) Japanese words, but also with definitions for them. On top of that the writing was so visually stunning, while I was reading I almost wanted to close my eyes in escape into my memories of my visits to the shrines.

One of the extra awesome parts of this book were the visual aids. The book has beautiful pictures!



Art is provided by Brittany Jackson and she is super talented. The book isn’t overrun by the pictures. It really just adds the extra dash of pizzazz to the book and it is just extra special for it.

The Characters
This has some of my favorite things. I mean, strong female character paired with a snarky kitsune? Be still my beating heart! I. JUST. CANT. I love them so much.

Emi-She’s so sweet and innocent at the beginning and I was like, look at this little prim and proper princess, live a little. Boy, does she live a little. I mean, she doesn’t go all buck wild..but she might as well have all things considering. Her responses to some of her first experiences are so cute, like not knowing how to hold a freaking hamburger (Just for your reading sake, I am say that as “ham bah gah” like I would if I was speaking Japanese and I am giggling to myself as I write this). Anyway, despite her lack of her experience in life she is so eager to be more than just a vassal, and I love her for admitting to herself that she didn’t even have a personality because of her preparation. Like yay, you’re special without having to be some amazing snow-flake. What’s so great about her though? She’s compassionate to her enemies and brave and tough despite her lack of fighting experience.

Shiro- You know how people have got it bad for sparkling vampires, werewolves, fae of the night court? Well I have it bad for kitsune. I blame the manga/anime Kamisama Hajimemashita . (excuse me if I disappear to binge watch it all over again)



Shiro is so cute with in his vulnerable state with his lack of power (and multiple wounds, poor guy!) I loved how much he intentionally just wanted to get on Emi’s nerves by saying things to make her blush. He may be sneaky, but he is still loyal to a fault and very protective. I just adore him.



I love Yumei too, but let me just say I am a sucker for those fox ears. I can’t wait to see what this Miko and her yokai friends get into in the next book!

Soundtrack
宇野実彩子 – どうして恋してこんな (Misako Uno – Doushite Koi Shite Konna)


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[Beatrice in Bookland · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Actions change our course, influence our futures, but intentions define us, empower us. Without intent, we are nothing."

4.25/5

First of all, why isn't this series as famous as it should be??



It has literally everything you could ever want from a ya fantasy book:
- Emi, an amazing main character who grows and learns from her mistakes
- Shiro, the swoon worthy love interest (i love himmmmmm)
- Amazing and constantly developing worldbuilding
- Japanese mythology (I think it's supposed to be a retelling of many Japanese myths, correct me if I'm wrong!)
- Yumei, that one character who acts like a stone cold bitch but you just know he's a softie <3
- SHIRO
- A sweet and flirty AND FORBIDDEN romance , with no trace whatsoever of instalove.
- S H I R O
- ok but did I mention Shiro?

Overall, I loved it - just in case it wasn't obvious. I'm starting the sequel as soon as possible.

[Minni Mouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

#1.) Red Winter: ★★★★★
#2.) Dark Tempest: ★★★★
#3.) Immortal Fire: ★★★★★

I stayed up until 3AM finishing this and well, that was just fantastically unexpected. The first 20% had me expecting some quirky Chosen One silliness but we soon morphed into a delightfully entertaining story filled with Japanese mythology, adventure, shameless flirts, intimidating dudes, and fantastic character growth for our heroine.

Emi is the Kamigakari - a human who will be the vessel for a powerful goddess at the next solstice. This means that between now and the next solstice, she has to stay out of trouble and she can't let many people know who she really is. Except that she keeps attracting and looking for trouble. Like Shiro, who is a mysterious spiritual being called a yokai. Yokai are bad news. Usually. Doesn't help that Shiro has trouble and secrets and mystery and smolders of his own.

THE GOOD
1) I was delightfully entertained! I don't read a lot of books about Japanese mythology, but this one was wonderful! Loved the terms, the descriptions of the attire, the mythology.

2) Emi is a bit of a sad damsel in distress in the beginning. She's scared of water, she's hopeless and lonely, she trips over her feet, and she's timid. By the end, though, she finds the steel will to be fiercely loyal to her word, brave, and empowered. She's not a ninja or stealth assassin, but her character growth is just enough to be believable while still leaving room for more. And I liked that - I appreciated at this girl didn't become Xena Warrior Princess overnight.

Emi had complained to herself that no one ever treated her as a person, only as a kamigakari, but she hadn’t realized she was just as guilty as them of the same oversight. She’d molded herself into the role of the kamigakari so deeply, so completely, that she was now discovering something horrifying: she didn’t know who she was.

Emi the Kamigakari was a person she knew well, but Emi the Girl was a total stranger. What did Emi the Girl like? What did Emi the Girl want to do? What were her interests and passions? What did she care about?

2) Shiro is just all kinds of smolder and smirk and shameless flirt, and I am loving every bit of it. His backstory is so mysterious; the hints that we pick up tease that he's a real powerful and slightly dangerous dood, but the not knowing keeps us interested. But most of all? He's a cocky, shameless flirt and I love it.

“Are you?” She met his eyes, trying to see the truths he kept so carefully hidden. “Who are you then? Why are you bound by a curse so powerful only a Kunitsukami can remove it? Who bound you?”

He returned her stare, unblinking. Then he gave her a lazy grin. “Such intensity, little miko. Is it your desire to know me so intimately?”

3) There isn't outright romance - one kiss and subtle hints of a future love triangle - but it's the attraction and smolders that got me swooning. Shiro courting Emi is just like a much more subtle, slow-burn, G-rated version of Rhysand and Feyre from A Court of Mist and Fury.

4) The story itself was fun! I was intrigued meeting the Tengu and the kami vessels and sneaking out with Emi and Shiro to go on another adventure. I'm also pulled in by what we don't know - the beef that the oni have with Shiro specifically as well as who Shiro is, what happens when his curse is lifted, what's going to happen to Emi and what decision she will make now that she knows what's up. How are Fujimoto and Katsuo going to factor in next book, what other yokai are out there besides Shiro, etc. So much to look forward to in the next book!

THE BAD
The first 20% of the book didn't quite match the tone of the rest of the book, which was misleading. In the beginning of the book we had giggling schoolgirls, spying on cute boys, and a dull heroine. After that, we had action and adventure and monsters and we barely saw those giggling schoolgirls again. In fact, I'd say that the first 20% was largely overdrawn-out exposition because we don't truly start the story in motion until Emi meets Shiro...at the 30% mark. It's at that point that we learn a startling relegation about him and when Emi cashes in on a debt he owes her...which kickstarts everything into high gear.

THE VERDICT
I liked it! It was light and entertaining with plenty of easy adventure and light fantasy and shameless flirting to make this a wonderful delight. I will definitely be picking up the sequel.

Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley and publishing crew!

[Morgann Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in a spree of romantasy books and although I didn't LOVE this one, it was still a fun read. I'm a sucker for an "I'm supposed to kill you and then you saved me" it didn't disappoint. Emi's naiveness annoyed me for a large portion of the book, but Shiro's witty personality made up for it.

Do I think I'm going to read the rest of the series? Probably not. The plot was a tad too bland for me and on top of that, I still managed to be confused at some points. It just wasn't my cup of tea. But am I still glad I read it? Yes.

3.5/5 stars