Review: Dark Tempest (Red Winter Trilogy #2) by Annette Marie

Title: Dark Tempest

Series: Red Winter Trilogy #2
Author: Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Publication Date: January 06, 2017
Pages: 350
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Romance
Source: Kindle Unlimited
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Emi has dedicated her life to becoming the perfect vessel for the goddess Amaterasu, but the insidious betrayal of another deity has changed everything. Now Amaterasu has charged Emi with an urgent mission: to find and free the earthly gods before mankind is brought to its knees beneath divine tyranny.

At her side is Shiro, the mysterious fox spirit. When she first saved his life, she could never have imagined that behind his cunning and confidence, he was lost—his power bound by a devastating curse and his memories obscured. His veiled history is somehow tied to the missing gods, but he can't remember how or why.

As their search leads them into the murky depths of the spirit realm, the shadows of Shiro's past begin to emerge. With each brief awakening of his true self, she loses a little more of him. The fate of the heavens and earth rest in her mortal hands, and she must find the missing gods before time runs out for her world—and for Shiro.

MY REVIEW

This book was such an adventure! This is definitely a must-read series! Annette Marie has been on my insta-read list since I read her Stone & Steel series. (Which is phenomenal, btw.) Annette Marie is an independent author, but you really wouldn't know it. Her novels are so polished that you would swear up and down that you are reading something from a major publisher. That's one of the things that I love about Annette Marie's books. Her attention to details. Her passion is all over her books.

Okay, so the adventure. There is a lot of it! I love how active and fast paced the book is. If there is something that Annette Marie can do exceptionally well, it is fight scenes. For real. They get me so pumped up and excited. They are so descriptive and concise. In some fight scenes it is easy to get lost along the way, but Annette Marie has got it down to a science. The plot is really imaginative and it has so many evolving elements. There were a lot of surprises in the story that I didn't see coming. I loved the mythology and the Japanese culture. I just plain loved this story. 

The romance in the book is pretty perfect. It is slow moving, but in a good way. It's just the right amount of romance. It isn't too much too soon, but it's also not lacking. And the other relationships in the book are so well written. I love the friendship between Emi and Yumei. It has come so far from her first meeting with him. 

The characters are so well written. There is so much growth, especially for Emi and Shiro. I love seeing how much Emi's character has transformed since the first book. She was just a kamigakari in the first book, following orders and doing what was expected of her. She didn't really have an identity of her own. It's awesome to see her gaining some self existence. 

This book also included some illustrations throughout the book that were a delight! They were so gorgeous and really brought so much to the story. I loved the visuals so much. 

I cannot recommend this book and this series enough! It is such a wild ride, with incredibly complex characters and a wholly original fantasy world. Annette Marie is definitely one of my favorite authors, and if you read any of her books you will say the same. If you are a fan of fantasy, you need Annette Marie books in your life!

Do you enjoy any books based on mythology? If so, what are your favorites?