If I can summarize this final book in the Red Winter trilogy in one word, it would be: Heartache.

This trilogy, this book in particular, at the risk of sounding exaggerated, reconnected me with my love of reading. Reconnected me in being so emotionally invested in these characters lives and defeats and triumphs and glories and power and most of all their loves. I have read a lot of books this past year and have loved many, but this quiet series, went beyond. It made me feel things I had never felt with other YA books now except maybe Pendragon when I was a kid. Maybe it's because this is what my anxiety riddled brain needed, or it's a testament to the quaint beauty of this book.

Seriously Immortal Fire is soooo good! It might have even surpassed books 1 and 2 with some incredible, sob-inducing moments at points. Yeah, maybe some people will think it's cheesy and melodramatic and boring and weird and derivative and soppy, BUT I LOVE THIS STUFF! It feeds something in me no other book this type has done before. I actually believe in this love. I don't have a logic conflict with the characters and their feelings and how they reason their sentiments bc Annette Marie was so natural and true in her writing. The only really questionable thing here is the eternity-old age gap plus the fact he's a freaking fire GOD and she's a human girl; not a common one, though, bc she's a kamigakari soooo not a simple mortal. Like her love is something more, that equals her practically demigod status. But anyways. I believe this story thawed my cold (aromantic) heart and means so much to me.
Also, I love the message here, purity here isn't some imposed male centered idea, it's oneself, our convictions, our faith, and the decisions we make.

But I think what really sold this book series to me was the dedicated care to not only focus on Emi and Shiro's love story but keep an engaged action plot with fantastic fight scenes, high stakes quest adventures and most of all, the beauty of platonic relationships with tender friendships being one of its strongholds. This was so effective for me it kept me glued to my kindle. I suffered with Emi. (Though I'll admit there were moments when she got on my nerves lol) I sobbed with Shiro. I adored my Tengu hubby. I rooted for the Kunitsukami and Amaterasu but at the same time felt really sad for Izanami and her misguided desperation. All the characters had their unique and endearing charm or dreadful immeasurable power that seemed to jump out of my kindle's screen. With once again, the phenomenal, enticing illustrations by the Kunitsukami of the Arts, Brittany Jackson, bringing them to 2D life, for further impression.

I don't know what else to say but repeat myself on how much I LOVE this trilogy and in particular this last book with such a beautiful, well developed ending. I love that Emi got to live all the experiences that were denied to her and that Shiro's loving sacrifice gifted her. I love that she had a much needed break from all of the supernatural and lived the mundane, even through an anguished heart. That she had a break from her love and that once she lived new experiences, since her love was true, and the circumstances ended up conveniently in her favor, she could go back to him. Also wanna give a shout out to Katsuo, the best guy BFF I've ever read. I love how he always respected Emi and her boundaries and her autonomy. So much so, even though I'm a hard Emi and Shiro shipper (what would be the ship name? Emiro? Shiremi? FireWind