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

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.

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Review:

Dark Tempest is the second novel in the Red Winter Trilogy by Annette Marie and is another fantasy rich and action packed story once again infused with Japanese mythology, excitement and swoon-worthy romance.

Emi has dedicated her life to being the perfect vessel to one day host the goddess Amaterasu but learning that in order to do so she must forfeit her own life changed everything. Now Emi finds herself struggling with accepting her future while also having been tasked by Amaterasu to help stop another goddess from destroying mankind. Setting out on a quest to find and release the imprisoned earth gods, Emi is joined by King of Crows Yumei and mysterious fox spirit Shiro who continues to struggle to remember his past. As their search leads them deep into the spirit realm, echoes of Shiro’s past begin to surface and with the truth more shocking than anyone anticipated will Emi be able to help the person she’s beginning to care deeply about? Or will she, Yumei and Shiro loose themselves in the dangers of their quest?

Once again drawing readers into a passionate and adventure filled novel, Annette Marie thrills with Dark Tempest. Continuing on where the first novel left off, Dark Tempest is full of all the luscious Japanese Mythology and exciting storyline developments that made me fall in love with its predecessor Red Winter. This series has been beautifully written so far and features the perfect balance of character development, action and building romance. I have genuinely come to care about the main character Emi and her quest so far and I’m besotted by her relationship with Shiro.

Annette Marie wonderfully tells this story. The storyline is forward moving and intriguing and has me eagerly reading along. Dark Tempest is highly addictive reading. There’s plenty of fight sequences, moments of humour and whispers of Japanese mythology woven into the novel. Emi is very personable and Shiro endlessly entertaining with his cheeky nature and sharp one liners littered throughout the story.  

Having now read two of the novels in the trilogy, I am thoroughly invested in Emi’s tale. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the highlight of the series is the romance between Emi and Shiro that has been enticing since they first met. I’m a romantic at heart, and their relationship is so very well written. Human and god, there are numerous reasons they shouldn’t care about one another, but the chemistry between them is off the charts and I devour any stolen kisses and moments between them. It’s very swoon-worthy romance!

Full of exhilarating adventure and sizzling romance, Dark Tempest reveals some developments that will change the course of the trilogy. Admittedly, I did kinda see Shiro’s past coming but that doesn’t mean I find it any less exciting. Annette Marie has everything primed for a thrilling final novel and I for one am ready to dive straight into the third and final novel, Immortal Fire.

Rating:
Source: Purchased by me through Kindle Unlimited

Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Format: Kindle ebook
Release Date: January 6th 2017
Purchase: The Book Depository | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Final Thoughts: I'm absolutely adoring this series--it's amazing!