Red Winter

I picked up the first book on a whim – the entire trilogy is free on Kindle Unlimited – and I am so, SO GLAD I DID. This trilogy is amazing. It's a little anime-like – the illustrations are definitely drawn in anime style and there's about ten per book – but it's simply beautiful writing, blending elements of Japanese mythology with a beautifully sweet romance and an epic fantasy task. (Release trapped gods and goddesses and stop a goddess.) The main character was likeable, sweet, and a little naive, but she realizes why she is naive and consciously works to overcome that.

The first book starts with a revelation – Emi has been training for ten years to receive her goddess into her body, with the expectation that their personalities will meld – only to discover that the goddess's divine energy will instead destroy Emi's mind and personality. She will be dead while the goddess inhabits her body. Which will be happening two months from the book's beginning, so she doesn't have much time to change her fate. The goddess herself is not unsympathetic, and wishes it could be different. I loved the interaction between Emi and her goddess. The compassion, love, and regret shown by Amaterasu means it's impossible to dislike her, even though we know she'll be the agent of our protagonist's death.

But all is not as it seems among the gods, and Emi is attacked by someone who should be an ally, and defended by those who should want her dead. Conspiracies unravel in the second book, as Emi and her friends race to finish the task set them by Amaterasu – a task that must be finished before the winter solstice, when Amaterasu will descend into Emi's body and destroy her mind. Dark Tempest ends with the task still uncompleted, and Immortal Fire picks up immediately. (I read almost the entire trilogy in one sitting – I finally set the third book aside and got some sleep before the final confrontation.)

I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to spoil anything. I liked Emi, I absolutely loved Yumei, the dark, standoffish Crow Lord, and Shiro the kitsune was an amazing character. Reveals and pacing and dialogue and action and exposition were all excellently done. This is a gorgeous, absorbing trilogy and I highly recommend it.

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The beginning was slow but necessary to really ram home how bland, controlled, sterile, and routine Emi's life was before all the magical powers started flying around everywhere. Once I reached a certain point, I kept reading and reading until I'd, surprisingly, finished it.
Highly recommend. Look forward to the next book.

4.7*