Red Winter

Red Winter, Book 1

De: Annette Marie

Narrado por: Emily Woo Zeller

Emi is the kamigakari. In a few short months, her life as a mortal will end, and her new existence as the human host of a goddess will begin. 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 yokai, a spirit of the earth, 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.

©2016 Annette Marie (P)2017 Tantor

wonderful all-around listen!

Firstly, the trilogy is amazing. Full of romance, humor, abd nerve-wrCking moments. You also learn a lot about the Japanese culture. (the kindle version has pictures through out and meanings of Japanese words at the end).

The narrator is the BEST female narrator (Nick Podehl being one of the best male narrators). She bas the best male voices and I can truly believe the characters. She doesn't just read eitger... her inflections and natural ability at narrating makes the story feel real, like you are THERE watching it. It does not seem "fake". She is truly amazing!

Both the great story and amazing narration contribute to this being one of my top audible books and I have quite a huge variety (over 1,000 audible books).
I actually wish this was not a trilogy and more books were coming....I just fell in love with all the characters!!

Seeps into your bones

Japanese mythology
Slips into the soul
As Sakura falls on snow

As someone who grew up with Black Belt Theater and Saturday morning cartoons heavy on anime,
I loved the Asian atmosphere. As they tend to, the stories start slow and restrained, focusing on a day in the life of Emi, sheltered and prepped to become a vessel. I considered giving up after a few hours because it was just so much clueless girl bumbling into danger. Halfway thru the first book, however,
I realized the story got ahold of me.

Oni (demons), fox and crow Yokai (shape shifting spirit folk), Qi (soul/life magic), and the battle between gods … by the end of book one I was invested in Emi, Shiro, and the fate of this fantastical land.
Sure, there are times when it was a bit YA heart eyes, but to me that matched the anime sentiment.
I don’t know if the author spent time in Japan; she certainly captured the essence of Asian fantasy.

If you need fast paced action and the more traditional snark and bark fantasy, try the author’s various Guild Godex series. If you want something different, that will stick with you after the last page,
give this a go. I found it well worth the investment.

Fun Story

I read a lot of fantasy and this one is so different. I love this series and really recommend it.

love love love

at first I was hesitant and lost because I have no knowledge of the culture.. but I soon was hooked.. action packed loved the reader.. I highly recommend..

Overly Dramatic Narration Ruined it

I usually like Emily Woo Zeller, but her narration for this book was WAY over the top. She acted out Every. Single. Word. Even when it didn’t make sense to do so. She also made the FMC sound more whiney and wimpy than I think the author intended. Overall it was distracting and took away from the story for me.

As for the story, I love Annette Marie and I think she is wonderful at world building and painting a beautiful picture in the reader’s mind, but this story wasn’t my favorite of hers, it started out on the slow side and I didn’t really see a reason for the romantic build between the two MCs. I hope we’ll get more to develop their relationship/connection in the next two books. I know her fans love this series so I’m keeping with it in the hopes that it gets better as it goes along.