Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, just couldn’t connect with the story or the characters , the writing needs some work

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book was definitely was an eye-opener, I would love to say this has been a great read, but I can’t. I didn’t enjoy this story one bit, it disgusted me, the way this storyline went, and the characters, my goodness, they were like monsters to attack a young girl like that, disgusting.

DNF. Not because of the world building or plot but rather how Bran and Arrow are treating Jenna's trauma. I get what the author was trying setting up with Bran magically healing a part of her but really? You have to go all the way to second base to help her cope with being raped by 3 guys when two seconds ago she was sick at the though of a man being anywhere near her?? wtf? What really did it for me was that because Jenna was able to push Arrow he though it was okay to kiss her the next day because he was jealous that she kissed another dude like he hasn't seen her suffering for months. I thought this was suppose to be about healing and i personally don't like the way the author went about it. I's sorry for ranting like this but there was no other way for me to put this.

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Arrow's Wind by author Gina Manis published by BooksGoSocial a book about healing and self-discovery

Summary
Arrows Wind is the story of Jenna who is trying to escape her past by going on an adventure to start a new life. And the two men (Arrow an air elemental who wants to love Jenna and be part of her life forever and is willing to work hard for that love.) and (Bran also, an air elemental who can heal people of their emotional trauma and dream walk.) that are trying to heal her from her wounds so she can love again. (This book does contain topics of polygamy and rape.)

Cons:
Where do I start? I guess the first problem that I have with this book is that you don't know the Aesthetics of the world that the author has created. So I'm not quite sure how everything looks. All that I'm aware of is that there is no electricity and plumbing is not a given. It felt very Renaissance meets Appalachian Mountaineers.It left me very unquenched with my curiosity. The author doesn't go into detail as well about Elementals. Are they human or are they not human? Where do they get their abilities to control a particular element that they are tuned to? You don't get the mythology or the mystery of what they are, they just "ARE" in the book. When the book does go into anything about the Elementals it's very vague and quick. I believe that it is a standalone based on a particular world that the author created. So I suppose the reason she didn't go into detail is that she assumed that most of the readers are fans of her main book series and would know all the details to all the questions that I have. I think the ending is the only thing that I truly dislike about this book but the rest I could live with. I truly feel that the character of Arrow was cheated out of all the work that he had put into helping Jenna through her trauma. The character of Bran was not that exciting. I felt like he was just a bridge for Jenna to get through her pain and the author made him something that I don't think he was ever supposed to be.

Pros:
I really enjoyed this book because of Arrow and Jenna's relationship and how it grows and becomes this intense and beautiful love affair. The love and understanding that Arrow shows Jenna throughout the book are wonderful. I was just in love with him. The author really concentrates on their relationship and building trust between them. Though there is a lack of explaining what the Elementals are I did enjoy and did find it fascinating how Bran DreamWalks and would like to know more. I was very surprised and satisfied that the author showed what real trauma is with what happened with Jenna. Some authors have a tendency to downplaying it or overplaying it. Which usually makes the character unrealistic. The way that Jenna reacts to her trauma is realistic and heartbreaking.

Rating
I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. Jenna's journey through healing her trauma is very raw and real which really gave this book a lot of depth. The Story between Jenna and Arrow is beautiful and it really made this book great. But the ending really ruined my view of their relationship and lessened the love that I felt they had in the book.

Recommended Audience
Arrows Wind is a beautiful book about overcoming trauma and opening yourself up to possibilities after losing yourself. With a touch of fantasy and a lot of romance, this might be the book for you. This book has a very beautiful love story that deserves to be read.

2.5 stars
Some parts are good and worth 3 stars, but some details or events are bugging me, making the whole book good, but not that good.

WARNING : mentions of rape

This book is about Jenna’s journey of healing, and acceptance. Her life is shadowed by a traumatic event, and we follow her as she slowly learns to trust others and to love and open herself. I like that this story is about mental strength, healing, compassion, and hope, and I adore the fact that Arrow (a family friend who’s had a crush on Jenna for a while now) is so patient and kind with Jenna.

The ideas are there, but the book lacks a little finesse, and some parts were quite lengthy. The dialogues are jerky at times, the descriptions are very basic, and the plot (and the characters too at times) lack depth. We are given the basics, and whatever information we need to understand the story and the characters, but nothing more. It was hard at first to see the bigger picture, we had just enough information to understand the basic story. It got better as the story progressed, and there were flashbacks that helped us understand Jenna, but I still had trouble getting attached to her.

Because of a mysterious illness that killed many females a few years ago, every girl in the kingdom has to marry a first time when they are 19 years old, and a second time before they reach the age of 21 years old. Jenna is a single young woman living with her sister Beth, her husband Thomas, and their three children. Jenna doesn’t want to have anything to do with any man (except Thomas that has been a fatherly figure for her), especially after she was raped by three men, so the idea of having two husbands is a nightmare for her. Decided to take her fate into her own hands, she leaves her town, hoping that she can find a peaceful and quiet life in the mountains, only to discover a few days after she left that Arrow is following her because he promised Thomas to look after her and that he won’t leave her until he is sure that she is safe and well settled in her new life. While traveling, Jenna and Arrow will also meet Bran, an elemental with a special set of skills that will allow him to help Jenna heal.

The storyline is okay, but overall not that impressive. The ideas are good, but the execution is lacking. The whole “healing” thing between Jenna and Bran (an elemental that she meets while traveling) was weird at first honestly. She can’t stand the touch of a man, even one she’s known for years, but she suddenly decided to trust him because he knew what she went through and the name of the man who betrayed her. It seemed rather convenient, and out of character that she would just blindly follow him, even though she explained that she had no idea why she trusted him so easily. I am not a fan of Bran, so I was also not that satisfied with the ending of the book, even though it is a happy ending for Jenna.

Jenna is being forced to marry a man she does love and decides to change her fate and make a run for it into the mountains. She is followed by her brother in law's friend, Arrow, who decides to travel with her. This situation is problematic because Jenna has a history of being sexually assaulted and is repelled by a man's touch so being near Arrow is very difficult. As the story unfolds, she discovers that Arrow might be the one person who can help her through her trauma and heal.

I loved every minute of this story. Jenna was so broken and wounded, but you could see her light trying to shine through and her strength to get better. Her and Arrow's relationship was so beautiful and I loved how patient and understanding he was as he helped her work through her traumatic experiences. Bran was my favorite character of all. I adored his loving relationship with Jenna and how his healing powers played into her recovery. The only thing I wished for was a little bit more background information about the magical elements at play.

''Learning to trust is the beginning of a long road, but I am determined to live again.''
As soon as I started the book it got me wandering and curious to find out what was happening. Then, I got impressed by the way the author chose to narrate the story, moving us from one point of view to another also providing flashbacks in a smooth and nice way that literally made me cry by how touching they were.
I loved the fact that the author shed light on a sensitive topic in our real world and managed to join it to fantasy regarding women being raped and the destructive effects it has, and was able to describe and share the journey of Jenna's healing with the help of Bran and Arrow.
While reading, I really felt every emotion the author was trying to deliver and felt sorrow for all the women out there that might have suffered at least one third or more of what Jenna has suffered from always being cautious about her surrounding to losing trust in the opposite sex, and not being able to love .However, the most important thing is finding it impossible to heal when always being haunted by nightmares. But at the end, Gina refuses to set Jenna as a weak girl and shows that her challenging past made her a fighter and a survivor.
I adored the relationship between Arrow and Jenna especially the way he earned her trust by being patient when he waited three years for her to turn eighteen and then kept his distance from her through their journey. Moreover, by caring for her with simple gestures. For example, when he used to save her the berries she loved.
There are a lot of romantic and touching scenes in the book but, I felt sorry and annoyed for Arrow by the way Jenna was attached to Bran at the beginning and that the attraction didn’t stop even after she healed.
This story got me emotional and I was looking forward to the ending but was surprised by the twist the author added to the story at the end and although some found it a happy ending I didn’t.

This book contains a mystical journey towards the acceptance of oneself in a world of trauma. Emotion collides with the shadow of memories for the female protagonist where help comes from surprising sources.

In a fantastical realm, Jenna is a character who must first learn to love herself before she can love anyone in return. Her interactions with Arrow were really sweet while her encounters with Bran had a mysterious edge to them. With the help of these two characters, Jenna's healing process took her to unimagined heights where love flourished along with desire.

Gina Manis has created an amazing story dealing with loss in an interesting way with certain paranormal twists and turns. Overall, I loved this book. I can't wait to read more books from this author.