Red Winter by Annette Marie-> Restarting April 3rd 2018

[C.P.]

In a few short months, Emi's mortal life will end when she becomes the human host of an immortal goddess. 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 spirit of the earth and 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.

[♛Vanessa♛]

5% (view spoiler)[The kannushi seems very eager to please, and very nervous about Emi's arrival. Nanako seems very annoyed by Emi's arrival. Minoru seems very bound by duty.

Shirayuri Shrine appears to be old and worn down compared to the fancy shrine that she is used to.

She seemed very surprised to see that she knew her second guard, Katsuo. I don't know if this is good or bad.

Emi definitely has some deep rooted fear of the water. (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

32% (view spoiler)[So finding out that you've been lied to your whole life and that you are not going to become a kami, but sacrifice your life so a kami can take your body as their own is kind of scary. I would be beside myself. I can't blame her for wanting an experience that didn't involve being a kamigakara.

I think that what she did to save the kitsune was very noble. It really shows what kind of person she is. Selfless. (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

35% (view spoiler)[Well, finding out that the kitsune yokai has a human form makes things very interesting. I don't know that allowing him to repay his debt to her is the best idea. It just seems like it will put her in more danger. But, otherwise, she wouldn't find out the answers she seeks about the kamigakari. (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

39% (view spoiler)[Katsuo is so kind and thoughtful towards Emi. He really seems to care for her and her wellbeing. I loved the scene where he shows her the ayakashi. So sweet!

Shiro definitley seems wary of Emi's kindnesses towards him. I think that it makes him feel conflicted about her. (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

48% (view spoiler)[It seemed strange the Shiro did not remember that he has the weapons. He is very mysterious. I guess that more things will come to light once Emi removes the next layer of onenju.

I haven't made up my mind about the Tengu yet. He seems ruthless, but also he seems to care about Shiro. The way that he held Emi around the neck with his sharp talons was horrifying.

Yumei and Shiro seemed very confused as to why a miko could remove the onenju, since only a kami should be able to. Hopefully Emi's seret stays hidden. The Tengu is scary.

The disappearance of the Kunitsukami is something I need to know more about. It is obviously important to the story.

Now Emi's thoughts of Shiro are conflicted. Now she only thinks that Shiro brought her to Yumei so he could make her remove the onenju, since he could not because he owes her a debt. (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

56% (view spoiler)[I like the angsty relationship between Emi and Shiro. Their banter is adorable in its own way. There seems to be caring there, but confusion as well. Neither one really trusts the other one, even if they have each shown the other kindness.

I am surprised that Katsuo did not get suspicious when Emi starting asking him about defense tactics and defense ofuda. I am glad that he helped her, but I wish that he would have taken the hint and kept a better eye on her. I think that he could have been some help to her.

Emi shows Shiro even more kindness by feeding him, allowing him to bathe, and washing his clothing. He seems conflicted about her kindness.

Emi leaving with Shiro to go to Kigiku just seems like the worst idea. We'll see how they fare. (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

64% (view spoiler)[It was lovely seeing Emi make friends with a teenage girl. Emi has been raised so differently, and anything modern has been eradicated from her life since she was a young girl. I think talking with Miyako and experiencing some normal things with her is good for Emi. She gets to see some of the things that she has missed out on.

I was terrified for Emi and Shiro when the bus lurched and Shiro fell out of the bag for everyone to see. The passengers on the bus all seemed to think that he was some kind of dog. Shiro had said that humans only see what they expect to see. That Emi sees what he is because her eyes are open to the spiritual plane.

‬I suppose that I am not surprised that the kami they found wanted to kill Emi. Koyane told Emi the truth that she had been searching for, but tried to take her ki by force. I am glad that Shiro stepped in and helped Emi. At this point, I can't tell if it is because he has grown to care for her, or because he only needs her to remove the onenju to break his curse. When he told her that he would not let her die and asked her forgiveness when she was all but unconscious, it seemed more than just because he needed her to end his curse. And that kiss that he snuck in there that they shared was pretty magical. (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

73% (view spoiler)[The conversation that Emi, Shiri, and Yumei had about the Kunitsukami was pretty intense. A lot of information came from that conversation.

The fight scene with Ameonna and Sunekosuri was pretty intense. Emi released another portion of the onenju and Shiro's fox fire sprang forth. Shiro was injured, so Yumei used Emi and a conduit for his ki to save Shiro's life. Yumei didn't seem too terribly concerned about how it would affect Emi. He just told her not to die. (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

79% (view spoiler)[Katsuo was extremely concerned about Emi's well being. When she told him of the kannushi manual, all he wanted to do was run away with her and save her. His love for her is just darling. He was so flustered when Emi asked him to kiss her. She wanted to know if she got the same feeling as when Shiro kissed her.

Kannushi Fujimoto was livid with Emi for what she had done. His words to her were cruel. I don't think that he expected what she had to say back to him about "sacrifice". (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

85% (view spoiler)[Finding Tornado, or Tornando finding her, and leading her to Yumei wasn't a coincidence. I thought that Emi was very badass when she broke Yumei's barrier and climbed his tree. This proved to him that she wasn't just a miko. Emi entered Yumei's Tsuchi realm to find out if Shiro was okay. She felt that she could not forget about her bargain with him. Her honor really drives her in the second part of this book.

I was a little confused about Yumei's comment to his yokai pets telling them to leave Emi alone because "she belongs to the kitsune". So many thoughts going through my mind about that.

Emi was terrified when the Tengu announced to her that he knew that she is a kamigakari.

Emi touching Shiro while he was sleeping was just a little creepy. Slow down, girl! (hide spoiler)]

[♛Vanessa♛]

Finished! (view spoiler)[When Emi asks Shiro if he just wants to eat her like the crow yokai does, and Shiro says "not like the karasu", I was totally fangirling. =P

The commotion when the kami were killing the Tengu's crows jump-started a fast an exciting ending to the book. I didn't really expect Izanami and the scene that ensued after the fight scene with Ameonna. I was shocked when Izanami actually stabbed Emi, claiming to give her an honorable death. It's a good thing that Amaterasu showed up and helped Emi. Although I am unclear as to how it even worked since her possession of Emi's body is supposed to kill her mind and soul. I hope that it explains this more in the next book. Amaterasu's help actually almost cost Emi her life. But Emi asked Amaterasu if they would save Shiro together, and Amaterasu said yes, together.

The part when Emi woke up and realized that she was wearing something different than before was hilarious. "You undressed me?", she asked Shiro. Shiro said that he didn't and Yumei did because Yumei didn't think that he was trustworthy for such a thing. Shiro's devious grin in that scene says it all.

In the end Emi promises that she will remove the onenju from Shiro, and he says that he will hold her to that promise. Amaterasu gave Emi a task - to find the missing Kunitsukami. She has vowed to herself to help her kami by saving them.

I'm really excited to read the next book! I need to know more! I want more Shiro and Emi, and I'd love to see Emi also grow close to Yumei as friends. (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

****Restarting today April 3rd****

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

Man I am going to have a tough time with these names. Holy cow. -.-

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

I'm lucky I read a lot of manga so it'll be business as usual for me. :)

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

Damn, I wish. There is a pronunciation guide in the back. But since I'm reading on my phone it'll be too annoying to keep going back and forth. So I'm sure I'm just going to butcher these names throughout the whole book. Lol.

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

You could post them here and check here instead if that helps. :)

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

That's a good idea. But there are so many names and I'd have to type them all out! Lol. I'm just gonna wing it. Haha :D

And also, I'm not liking that this is 3rd person. -.- I hate 3rd person POVs. Bleh.

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Felicia wrote: "That's a good idea. But there are so many names and I'd have to type them all out! Lol. I'm just gonna wing it. Haha :D

And also, I'm not liking that this is 3rd person. -.- I hate 3rd person POVs..."

I don't mind either 1st or 3rd. It depends on the author. :)

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

BOOK! I am having such a hard time reading this. It's just so boring! I am totally 100% dragging my feet while reading this. -.-

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

Alright Book. I am FINALLY into this book. I'm about 50% in and stuff has finally happened. So I'm not bored anymore. :D

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

80%(view spoiler)[Shit has officially hit the fan. And I don’t even know what to think! I cannot believe Fujimoto backhanded her!!

And poor Katsuo. He was so sweet to her. But I love Shiro even more. 😍

And now she’s treckking through the forest to find him! How adorable. I hope nothing happens to her while searching. Yumei doesn’t seem like the type to not make her suffer. (hide spoiler)]

[Felicia, Head of Team Quarterly & BOTM]

Finished. (view spoiler)[Man! What an ending that was. The ending definitely made up for the boringness of the beginning.

Shiro is definitely my favorite. He is so sweet and adorable. And naturally has the signature YA crooked smile so how can I not fall for him? Lol.

I wasn’t sure that I was going to finish the series even after pushing through the first book. But I think I will continue on. 😁 (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina, Head of Monthly Challenges & Keeper of BR Threads]

Chapter 5: (view spoiler)[God, this book is so slow! I feel like I could take a nap for 3 days before I finish a chapter. Other than that I feel so bad for Emi. Like why is everyone so mean to her? Does she have cooties? Chicken Pox? WHAT DOES SHE HAVE?!?! (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 10: (view spoiler)[SHE HASN'T HAD A BURGER?!?! IN HER LIFE?!?! HOW?!?! See I have trust issues with her already. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 15: (view spoiler)[RUN EMI RUN! (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 20: (view spoiler)[Okay this book got a lot better... but who the fuck names their horse TORNADO!?!? It was a horse right?!?1 What a stupid name. (hide spoiler)]
Finished: (view spoiler)[UGH Shiro and Emi give me lifeeeee. I love their bantering. I need more of them. Why couldn't this whole book be exciting rather than the last half?!?! WHY!?!?! (hide spoiler)]