Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Series Review: The Red Winter Trilogy


*I received this series for free from Xpresso Book Tours*
Oooh look a fun fantasy trilogy filled with mythology!!

Book One: Red Winter
Goodreads/Amazon

Red Winter was a fantastic start to the series! First, I was surprised by the BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS included. Seriously, they were gorgeous. And I loved all the mythology and world building. I wasn't sure if I would like Emi at first, but I loved her character growth. The reader watches Emi start to become her own person instead of seeing herself only as a vessel for a kami.

Also, I loved Shiro!!! He was my favorite character throughout the series. I enjoyed watching his character growth and learning more about him. Romance was not at all front and center in this first book... which I like because I've always preferred slow burn.

Book Two: Dark Tempest
Goodreads/Amazon

In this sequel the pace does not let up! While this book was my least favorite in the series, I still really enjoyed it. I, of course, continued to adore the illustrations and all the characters.

My favorite part was the blossoming, slow relationship between Emi and a certain fox spirit. Also, there were some surprising revelations about Shiro! And a lot more characters were introduced and the fictional world continued to expand. I loved the atmosphere... it was tense and exciting. The readers get to delve deeper into mythology and the past. Basically, we got to know all the characters more and really geared up for the amazing grand finale!


Book Three: Immortal Fire
Goodreads/Amazon

Immortal Fire was my favorite book in the trilogy! It was all high stakes action and a panicked count down until the day Emi will end her mortal life and become Amaterasu. There were also some really cute and bittersweet sections. I was so touched by the scene at the beach.

The ending chapters killed me! It was so emotional and I was very distraught for a bit. However, *spoilers* I did get my happy ending and it was soooooo sweet *end spoilers* Immortal Fire was a powerful, well written conclusion to an excellent series. I was so sad to say goodbye to Emi, Shiro, Yumei and all the characters.

Overall:

The Red Winter trilogy gets 4/5 stars from me. In the future, I will definitely pick up more of Anette Marie's books! I would not hesitate to recommend this series to fans of mythology, beautiful illustrations, and sweet romance.

Also, I didn't included all the book synopsis's (so that this post wouldn't be mammoth) so click here to access all the books and descriptions on Goodreads!


Monday, July 3, 2017

BREAKING NEWS: I Just Read The Six of Crows Duology

WHY HAS NO ONE TOLD ME HOW AMAZING SIX OF CROWS IS? *scrolls through goodreads* Oh wait all my friends have rated it 5 stars and have shouted its praises. Huh.

Well, anyway, I have just finished bawling my eyes out at the ending of Crooked Kingdom and I have been obsessively pinning fan art on Pinterest. It's safe to say I am obsessed.


So let's talk about some special things from The Dregs... six to be precise. (This list is pretty much spoiler free... There's nothing you won't get from the first few chapters of SoC)

1) KAZ BREKKER
OK I have feelings about this boy. He is the most anti-hero of all the characters and yet I still love him to pieces.... I love his viciousness and his cane and his cunning schemes. Bardugo make him worthy of some sympathy and even a bit of admiration.

2) INEJ GHAFA
Inez is wise, moral, and has amazing acrobatic skills. She's called the Wraith and is, of course, made of strong stuff. She's Suli and throughout all her traumatic ordeals still remains very close to her Suli heritage... often spouting out Suli proverbs to Kaz. To summarize, she is amazing.

3) WYLAN
Precious Wylan is dragged into the Dregs and it's the cutest thing ever. He's from a respected, although rather horrible, family... and this new criminal life takes a while to adjust to. He's also a whiz with chemicals.

4) JESPER FAHEY
Jesper!!! I love Jesper and his pistols and sarcasm... and how he flirts with Wylan! He also has a gambling problem, unfortunately. I wanted to shake him by the shoulders so many times. I LIVED for his chapters.

5) MATTHIAS HELVAR
Ahhh, now we are at big grumpy Matthias.  My favorite Fjerdan! He's really just a giant teddy bear. (Okay, he's actually not but I can pretend.) He and Nina are perfect for each other... even though they are kinf-of not-really mortal enemies. Oops.

6) NINA ZENIK
Okay! I'll admit it. Nina is my favorite character. I love her strength and her love for waffles and her ability to be bright and happy in her gang of dark criminals. And her grisha powers as a Heartrender are amazing.

IN CONCLUSION 

So, basically, if you are like past me and haven't picked up Leigh Bardugo's masterful SIX OF CROWS duology let me say one thing: you are missing out on all the fun shenanigans in the Ice Court and Ketterdam. Come meet my flawed babies. The characters and world building and heists are freakin' spectacular. Also Bardugo's writing is dazzling and a lot more sophisticated than my review.

Now, excuse me, I'm going to go like all my favorite quotes on Goodreads. And cry over that scene in Crooked Kingdom.