Immortal Fire

By: Annette Marie

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Once, Emi believed the heavenly gods were righteous and wise, while the earthly yokai spirits were bloodthirsty and evil. But with a traitorous deity poised to destroy her world, and the yokai standing as humanity's only defense, the lies of her upbringing have toppled to reveal a far more terrifying reality.

Despite the looming threat, Emi can't escape her greatest distraction: Shiro, the fox yokai who has so deftly claimed her heart for his own. Soon - too soon - she will have to break the curse that binds his magic and memories. And once the ancient power inside him awakens, the yokai she loves will be changed forever.

As the earthly gods gather to wage war against the heavens, Emi and Shiro must gamble everything to turn the tide against their immortal, all-powerful foes. Together, they will find a way to save her world - even if it means losing each other.

©2017 Annette Marie (P)2017 Tantor

An amazing conclusion to an amazing series

Talk about a story that rips your heart out, stomps all over it, then kisses it better before putting it back. Seriously, I’m pretty certain I cried like a baby through at least three-quarters of this book, but the ending was so worth all the emotional torment we suffered to get there. I’ve genuinely grown to love Emi, Shiro, and Yumei, and I’m going to miss them. (Psst, Ms. Marie; if you could find it in your heart to give us a Yumei spin-off, I’d be eternally grateful. He needs some Talk about a story that rips your heart out, stomps all over it, then kisses it better before putting it back. Seriously, I’m pretty certain I cried like a baby through at least three-quarters of this book, but the ending was so worth all the emotional torment we suffered to get there.

As I mentioned in a previous review, the Red Winter Trilogy isn’t a straight-up romance—there’s way, way more going on—however, the theme has grown much more prevalent. By the time we get to Immortal Fire, things between Emi and Shiro are on fire in the best possible way. Despite the looming threat of Izanami ending the world and Amaterasu descending, a pleasant amount of page space is devoted to Emi and Shiro figuring their relationship-shit out. And it wasn’t just Emi and Shiro that grew closer; her friendship with Yumei blossomed and matured, too, and there were some hilarious moments between them (Yumei not understanding how hugs work was the best). Seeing the aloof, inhuman, and so-powerful-it’s-terrifying Tengu interact with all the messiness of Emi’s humanity was pretty damn cute and it helped to lighten the mood. They had their serious moments, but he turned out to be incredibly faithful to her.

Ms. Marie’s writing style continued to shine, and she wove an even more nuanced, complex story than in the previous books of this series. Struggle, conflict, and moral decision-making in a gray area were central to the plot and the action just wouldn’t quit. The world and magic are rich and detailed and it was so easy to get swept away. And Ms. Zeller continued to wow me with her stellar performance and he ability to truly bring the charactes and story to life. Definitely one of my favorite narrators!

Review first apeeared on Red Hot Books

Bottom line: *happy sigh* Immortal Fire was the perfect wrap-up to the Red Winter trilogy and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. For those who love urban fantasy with an oriental touch, beautiful love stories, and for those who can handle some pain in the journey, I can’t recommend this series highly enough. Have a box of tissues ready to go, though, because you will definitely need them!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

A fantastic, epic finale to a heart pounding series!

I cannot say how much I have been enveloped by these books. My heart soared, pounded, and broke won many times that I did not know how to feel. I feel that personally know each character. Emi's character has become a close friend of mine and a heroine that I hold dearly in my heart. Shiro/Inari is the fictional boyfriend of the year for me. Even Yumei, although I wasn't too impressed by him at first, he grew on me and I come to fall head over heels for him. This plot is so epic and unpredictable that in what to listen/read it all over again. Bravo, Annette!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Waiting on a movie

I love this series I couldn’t stop reading it I couldn’t put it down I was so happy that it was on Audible so that I could even listen to it on the way to work and from work I am thoroughly hoping that this comes out as a movie so that I can see it this book was so emotional I was happy when she was happy I cried when I when I felt she was crying I really got into this book

An adult blend of 2 Popular anime

If you like Inuyasha and Kamisama Kiss, this is the series for you! It is a delightful,more adult, blend of the two.

The author did take a lot of liberty with the different kami and yokai elements and relationships, but it worked well within the universe of the book. The fun with both being that even within the lore, us mere humans forget details about kami and yokai.

I could not rest until the Trilogy was completed. Make sure for Book 3 to have a box of tissues handy and be prepared to have puffy red eyes all day. Totally worth it!

Whiny Heroin

I know the author wanted to show suspense and give weight to the situations, however, the main heroin didn't go strong mentally, physically or in magic. She just kept restating... re-whining about the same things . I love the concepts of the story. I think the main heroin needed to grow up in all things.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Soul Food

I needed this series. A beautiful build, rich details that brought the romance and adventure to life. it felt like listening to a fantastic anime.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

AMAZING!!!

This was the perfect ending. This trilogy has become one of my favourite books that I can easily re-read over and over again. Annette Marie is a phenomenal writer who pulls your heart in so many directions and Emily narrates the story beautifully. I want more Shiro and Emi.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

AMAZING! So well done

This was an incredible finale to a fabulous trilogy! All three books are worth the time, I flew through each of them!
This one sets up the end of the story and wraps it all up beautifully. As the end nears the suspense never drops, you are still guessing what will happen next. Even after the final battle, the author takes the time to wrap everything up. No cliffhanger.
I'll be honest, I got very emotional towards the end (which I dont do often). I have grown to love these characters, through all their challenges and achievements I was cheering them along. Incredibly well written and designed. I already plan to relisten in the future

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

couldn't put it down!

I loved all three books and this was a wonderful finish! The narrator did an amazing job with the subtle nuances of each character and I'm impressed with how many different characters she could portray!

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing

Everything about this book (SERIES) made me never want to stop. My heart was so intwined with each character, I cried when they cried and rejoiced when they did. This book is definitely great for those who love the Japanese culture or for those who love manga and anime. The narrator was fantastic. I never got bored or confused with the voice. She was so creative with each character and definitely made you feel every emotion they went through. The author did a great job making me SEE everything that was happening throughout the story. This is one of the best audibles I’ve listened to in a while.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful