Synopsis

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 worldβeven if it means losing each other.
Review
4,5 stars
Never have I done three buddy reads in a row just because none of us three wanted to stop reading this series!!!!!!!!
So this was the last buddy read with Raven @dreamyaddiction and Jen @starcrossedbookbloggers and we had so much fun!
This series is highly addictive and once you begin you wonβt want to stop so clear up your schedule or suffer from withdrawal!
I already said in the second review that this was like watching anime and honestly it made me want to watch them again AND unearth my pens and brushes to draw because the art was really lovely!
But why did I love this third instalment so much?
- Because Emi never ceased to amaze me and to evolve. She is so far from the timid miko we met in the first book. Now she looks like a perfect mix of badass yet respectful and dutiful young woman.
I donβt know how Annette Marie did it or if itβs common in her books but Iβll repeat that the Asian vibe was strong and Emi was a perfect impersonation of a courageous warrior, ready to sacrifice her life yet imbibed with tradition of ingrained rituals.
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- Because the action never stops and this one had so much setback that I sometime wanted to scream or was left dazed thinking βBut, but, but β¦they were so close to succeed and at the last moment poof! All gone!β.
But you know what? Never did these characters, main and side lost hope. They battled till their last breath. It was the embodiment of tenacity and audacity.
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- Because the mythology was amazing and I certainly loved that a βmore than mere human but stillβ earned the respect of these deities by her actions. In the beginning the world was clear cut with a strong border between humans and gods. Humans revered gods, bowed to them and served them.
Even if Emi certainly respected them and wanted to serve, she developed a familiarity with them due to their shared adventures. Countless times she helped them, endangering her life without a care, only driven by the will to save the world and fulfil her duty. Thatβs something even broody and distant Yumei came to respect.
One of my most favorite scene was in the shrine when she walked among all these immortals and they treated her as their equal to the utmost bemusement of the miko, sohei etc.
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- Because there is characterβs growth and change of perspective!
Emi began with many beliefs that were ingrained for years about yokais being evilΒ and the heavenly gods righteous. Yet after talking, fighting and living with them she realized that things are not so simple. There is no black and white view of the world.
Shiro also changed enormously thanks to Emi. I donβt want to spoil the fun so I canβt give many details about his own change but letβs say that heβll become something so different from what he was βbeforeβ. Emi was his fire. And Shiro was her light.
Even Yumei evolved and came to respect or at least tolerate humans. Well heβll reluctantly allow Emi to hug him but β¦. LOL
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- Because of Shiro and because of the romance!!!!!
This was a slow burn throughout the three books but when the romance came to life β¦.swoon! Talk about star crossed lovers! Emi condemned to die when Amaterasu would descend and even without that fate, she would grow old while Shiro would never change!
I loved Shiro because he was mischievous, pushing everyoneβs buttons to get some passionate or irked reaction. He was a badass warrior and I love how protective of Emi heβs become. He also deceptively looked unbothered and shallow while his instinct and his mind were so acute! Donβt be fooled by the jokester he really hid his game. And of course, letβs not forget his hotness!!!!
Pfew I am stopping here with these words: this wonβt be my last Annette Marie and if you havenβt read it yet, what are you waiting for?
And another last word (no more after I swear!): thank you Jen for the invite and raven for the welcome! I loved reading this series with you ladies!!!
Have you read this series already?
Thanks for reading!
You’re so welcome and YES! It was that addictive! I never would have guessed within that first 20% of book one how much I would love this series! And yes the obstacles that were in their way blew my mind. I don’t know how Annette Marie packed that much action into just 3 books but she did lol! What you said was beautiful – Emi was his fire. And Shiro was her light – awwww I love it so much! Such a fun buddy read, I’m so glad we dived into this trilogy!
I love it when you find a series where the characters truly evolve through out the series, like Chakraborty with her Daevabad Series. Sounds like a winner here. π
It was Alexandra! I had so much fun π