Thanks to Netgalley and Barclay Publicity for giving me this book to review.

Red Winter is an enjoyable paranormal fantasy book based on Japanese mythology which I really liked, however, when I started reading, I was surprised that it was set in the real world as the description implied it was set in a fantasy setting. The story was a bit slow to start but I did start to pick up. I also really liked the art in the book as it helped me picture the scene and the characters.

Emi is very innocent and dedicated but she also has an inner determination and loyalty. Shiro is such a flirt who seems very carefree but he is one big mystery which is not fully revealed. Katsuo seems like the only person, before she meets the Yokai, who truly cares for Emi rather than who she will be.

I enjoyed this book and is was good reading an urban fantasy book based upon Japanese mythology. I would recommend Red Winter to those who liked The Secret Fire by C J Daugherty and The Hundredth Queen by Emily R King.

Red Winter by Annette Marie is a beautifully woven and highly delightful story infused with Japanese mythology, adventure and hints of romance.

Eighteen year old Emi has devoted her life to the goddess Amaterasu. Blessed as a child, Emi knows that soon her mortal existence will end and she will become host to the goddess of the wind. All of Emi choices have been motivated by her desire to serve her goddess, making her body, mind and heart as pure as possible, but in the lead up to the solstice ceremony, Emi learns that not everything she thought she knew about her destiny and her future may be what is seems. Hidden away from those that would do her harm Emi finds herself meeting Shiro, a yokai and god of the earth who is also an enemy of the goddess Emi will soon host. The devilish kitsune is without a doubt harbouring his own agenda but after she saves his life, his debt to Emi may be the only opportunity to has to discover the truth about what awaits her. Setting out with Shiro, Emi will have to delve into yokai territory but as the solstice approaches there may be bigger dangers to Emi than the earth gods she believes want her dead…..

I have to say, I found Red Winter to be a really enchanting novel about Japanese mythology, especially towards the end where the novel really stepped up in the action and excitement category. The concepts and world introduced by Annette Marie is a blend of modern fantasy and Japanese myths. Including some beautifully depicted graphics and detailed descriptions, this world of various Japanese gods and goddesses was honestly enthralling. The characters including main character Emi and the yokai gods she meets are highly entertaining and bring a lot of life and personality to the story and the dialogue.

Emi is one of those protagonists that grows on you. From her devotion and blind faith at the beginning of Red Winter, we see Emi begin to question what really happens to those who become host to a kami, and as such we see her become bolder and more daring. Emi is quick thinking and fairly smart, and I appreciated seeing her use what she already knew in response to the dangers that she was facing. She came across as a normal teenage girl in some areas and her innocence was endearing. I genuinely want the best for her, so it makes her easy to follow as the story progresses.

Featuring a kitsune named Shiro as the possible love interest for Emi, Red Winter was reminiscent of Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series in the sense that Shiro reminded me of the trickster Puck with his sly and cheeky nature. I very much adore Shiro already with his mysterious history and cocky attitude. His inability to remember his past has me intrigued. I honestly believe he and Emi are going to become closer as the series progresses and with their chemistry already alluring and addictive, I can’t wait to see how strong they come to care about one another.

Building towards a strong and dangerous ending, Red Winter was very satisfying. The start of what seems to be a very underrated series, I’m surprised more readers haven’t heard about and been won over by the fast paced storyline, magical elements and promises of romance found within Red Winter. Annette Marie definitely has me keen to read more and I look forward to continuing on with Emi and Shiro’s journey when I have the chance.

Wonderfully written, very colorful and vivid. I am glad I read this and I can’t wait to see more from this author.

I fell in love with Annette Marie after reading this book. I received it through Netgalley and gobbled it up in a couple of days! I love mythology of any type and had recently been introduced to Japanese mythology by a different author, so it was good to know a little already and learn more and become even more infatuated with it! Can't wait to read more!

I have been waiting for this book all year! Annette Marie's Steel & Stone series is one of my all-time favorite series! Once I finished the series I was in serious book hangover for the longest time. I have been counting down the days for her new release, and it was well worth the wait!

One of the things that I have come to expect and love from Annette Marie is phenomenal world building. She weaves an intricate world with layers upon layers of details. Her worlds are masterfully envisioned, and she has a magic touch that brings them to life in indescribable ways. The amount of time that goes into her planning must be immense.

I am going to be honest and say that my initial feeling about the first thirty percent of the book was that it was rather boring. I think that at first I was a bad reader because I fell into a nasty habit of comparing this book to another. Annette Marie's Steel & Stone series starts off with immediate action that just keeps on going, and this one not so much. It doesn't make it bad, but it is what it is. I definitely need to clear my mind and not immediately judge a book by something else the author has written. The last half of the book is full of action. While there isn't much action in the beginning of the book, there is an enormous amount of character development.

On that note, we really get to know the main character, Emi, and her inner workings. I really liked experiencing her struggle with her. She was a greatly admirable character. She felt bound to her duty as an Amagakari, but she also felt a great loss for the childhood she sacrificed and the experiences that she missed out on. She was quite sheltered most of her life, so she wasn't very timid and delicate. Even though she couldn't match the strength of others, she was bold enough to speak her mind. I very much enjoyed Shiro's character. He was mischievous and flat out adorable. I loved his development as well. Yumei is a character that I was unsure of at first, but he definitely grew on me. I am still unclear what his intentions are, but I am hoping that they are for the best.

One of the things that I like most about Annette Marie's books is her writing. The writing is so smooth and the words flow together flawlessly. The author has the writing gods on her side, because her writing is beyond compare. I cannot applaud her enough.

I loved the romance in this book. It was a little bit angsty, and a little bit sweet. The coming together of the two main characters was a pleasure to see unfold. I couldn't get enough.

Overall, another spectacular novel from Annette Marie! I just want to shout from the rooftops to all of you that you should read her books! I cannot contain my excitement for the next book in this series! I am so eager to find out what happens to Emi and Shiro, and to uncover all the mysteries from Red Winter. Pick this one up and give it a try! You will not regret that you did.

When Emi was eight years old, her fervent prayers to the goddess were answered. Emi spent the following years training to become the purest vessel she can so that the goddess may indwell her. She is the kamigakari, to be the purest union of goddess and human. Many other gods and spirits will do anything to stop the union from happening. And now, weeks from the ceremony to fuse them together, Emi discovers a terrible secret - that she - Emi, the soul - will not survive the goddess's indwelling.

Red Winter was pretty good. I love, and have seen too much of, the traditional, European, medieval fantasy. Red Winter is a refreshing break from that trend. Red Winter uses an Asian (Japanese?) pantheon and a modern nation. There was magic, gods and goddesses, nature spirits, spells, and shapshifters. It really was interesting, and since I am not too familiar with that particular pantheon, it was all new and refreshing. But as a side note, I would mention that it was sometimes difficult to keep track of all the new terms and foreign names.

I really liked the story. Emi struggled with doing fulfilling her destiny, which included strict rules, and living the life she dreamed of. She had to go on a literal and metaphorical journey to learn and decide what to do. One thing that had been outlawed was love. She was not allowed physical contact with anyone on the best of days, much less to kiss a boyfriend. Yet, Emi had two young men seeking after her. Her affection for them made her decision to follow or flee the goddess much more difficult.

The characters were great. I enjoyed the main characters very much, but I think I liked the side characters more. The side characters had the funny quirks and eccentricities that come with being a god or goddess of a particular thing. I loved it.

I really enjoyed Red Winter and look forward to reading the next in the series. It is a teen fantasy, and I recommend it as such.

I received a complementary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own, and I did not receive compensation.

Red Winter is the first book in the Red Winter Trilogy by Annette Marie. Emi is the kamigakari. In a few short months, her life as a mortal will end and her new existence as the human host of a goddess will begin. Carefully hidden from those who would destroy her, she has prepared her mind, body, and soul to unite with the goddess, and not once has she doubted her chosen fate. Shiro is a yokai, a spirit of the earth, an enemy of the goddess Emi will soon host. Mystery shrouds his every move and his ruby eyes shine with cunning she can’t match and dares not trust. But she saved his life, and until his debt is paid, he is hers to command, whether she wants him or not. On the day they meet, everything Emi believes comes undone, swept away like snow upon the winter wind. For the first time, she wants to change her fate, but how can she erase a destiny already wrought in stone? Against the power of the gods, Shiro is her only hope and hope is all she has left.

Red Winter starts out slow, but once you get about a quarter of the way through the book it becomes much more engaging. While Emi is sheltered and a little naive- she is also smart and strong. I will admit to not liking her at all in the beginning, part of why I had a hard time getting into the story, but as the action kicked in she grew on me. I liked that Katsuo is more than a protector- and acts as a friend and support in a variety of ways. Shiro might be a late entry into the story, but his character is what really sets things into motion and makes the story come alive. Then comes Yumei, making things more complicated and challenging for Emi. Once things start getting intense there are fantastic fight scenes, romance, and significant character growth. I loved the research that must have been done to achieve this level of accuracy about Japanese mythology and culture, and that there was wonderful artwork included. The artwork is extremely well done, and captures the atmosphere and emotion of the book perfectly.

Red Winter is a book I thought I would adore, but had a hard time getting into. I am not sure if I was not in the right place to read it- or if it was something about the writing style. I tried a few times before forcing myself to stick with it, and I am glad I did. Once I got a good way into the story it took hold and I could not put it down.

Red Winter is an outstanding novel. Even though it had a rough beginning, the book ended up being absolutely amazing. Definitely worth it.

Emi is a kamigakari, soon Amaterasu will descend to Earth where Emi and Amaterasu will become one, sharing her body and helping heal the planet, at least thats what Emi has always believed. When Emi comes upon a book, telling her that when Amaterasu descends, she will destroy Emi's mind and soul, taking Emi's body for herself.

The first time I started reading this book I ended up putting it down and forgetting about it. I didn't get very far, but I was already bored with the story and the characters. Emi was one of the worst main characters ever. She was selfish, annoying and extremely weak. She basically has no backbone, and lets everyone else talk her down and decide her future for her, its almost like she doesn't even think for herself. The part that really broke my heart was the fact that she became so obsessed with becoming the kamigakari that she completely ignored her parents, and didn't even realize that her mother was dying of cancer until it was too late.

While the beginning of this story was lame, as soon as you meet Shiro, the kitsune the whole book basically changes. Shiro is one sexy fox. You instantly fall in love with him and his personality, he makes the story so much more interesting. The moment he enters the story theres action, theres adventure and the story takes off and becomes AMAZING.

The plot past this point gets really intense. Tons of action, new characters and you really get to see the rest of the world that Annette created, its captivating and absolutely beautiful. I want to take a moment to recognize how much work Annette Marie did for this book. She must have spent hours researching and planning, usually when authors write stories about other cultures they tend to mess it up, but Annette got the Japanese culture down perfectly, the history, the characters, it was all amazing. Annette did a fantastic job with this book.

Near the end of the story, I started warming up to Emi. I still don't really like her, but she's finally learning to take action into her own hands and she's fighting for her future. Her character development has gone very far already, but I'm hoping to see more in the future books.

Overall, I'm really impressed with Annette's writing style, and how much work she puts into her books. This would have been a 5 star book for me if it wasn't for the main character. I still highly recommend this book, especially if you love fantasy and/or Japanese culture. I can't wait to start book two.

This book is amazing and I can't wait to read part two.

The world-building is really well done, seamlessly interweaving modern life with Japanese mythology. Emi is an interesting protagonist. She is proactive, has a believable internal struggle, and great character development.

The male characters are also developed fairly well and the set-up for parts two and three is well done.

I loved this book! While I thought it started out a little slow, I loved the chance to get to know the characters, and to see a part of Emi's live before everything changes. A stunning start to the trilogy, I am eagerly waiting to see what happens next! Great for fans of Asian culture and folk-lore this is a fun story told in an interesting way.