Dark Tempest - Book Review

Dark Tempest - Book Review

Annette Marie

YA Fantasy

(Red Winter Trilogy #2)

Other Books in the Trilogy:

Red Winter

Synopsis:

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 hid 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.

Review:

I am totally addicted to this series! Although this second book gets off to a slightly slow start, when the action does kick off it does so with a bang! The drama, the mythology… the romance (did I mention its the forbidden, heart-racing kind) Ah, I just want to jump about and squee! It’s so so so good!

Picking up shortly after the last book, Emi now finds herself in an even bigger predicament. Tasked with freeing the Earthly Gods before the solstice, Emi must fight against strong enchantments and powerful demons - all while maintaining her purity - but even as she struggles to control her ever-growing feelings for Shiro, the handsome Kitsune demon, she knows her first duty is to her Goddess Amaterasu and the world, but love might just prove to be Emi’s biggest weakness yet… 

This story really blew me away and I devoured it in less than a day. The action (once it starts) leads into a super fast-paced plot, all twined with elements of humour, romance, backstory and underlying intrigue. 

While the main plot really captures attention, it’s the slow burn romance between Emi and Shiro that has really hooked me. This second book see’s their relationship growing stronger and they are becoming more vocal about their feelings. It’s all made even more delicious by the fact that fate and Gods are vying to keep them apart. So dramatic! 

There is also a lot of character development. Emi now uses both her wits and growing magical skill to help in battles. She has earned the respect of the Yokai travelling with her and all the while she stays strong, despite the many burdens on her shoulders.

Shiro is still the sarcastic fox we came to love in book one, but we get a deeper look into his past which offers up a more vulnerable side to him. His interactions with the crow demon Yumei are totally comical and all the characters in this book deserve a huge applause. 

Dark Tempest, like its predecessor, also has lots of Japanese culture woven into the story. Words, food, etiquette, mythology and so much more - they all combine to make a really authentic tale that reads just like an anime in my head. 

And isn't the cover for this book just gorgeous? And the illustrations inside… they are all beautifully done and really help bring the world to life. I honestly can’t gush over this series enough. If you haven't already, go check out the first one, RED WINTER, it won’t disappoint. 

An easy 5 stars!

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Have any of you read this series? If so I would love to hear you're thoughts in the comments :) May we all gush over this book's awesomeness together :)