I really wanted to like this book, but I think maybe I tried to read it too close to an ACOTAR reread. All I could see were parallels and similarities to ACOTAR and it started to leave a bad taste in my brain. I stopped reading this book since my mood had soured. I will try again in a few months maybe and see if I can get further in or complete it.

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars. This is the first instalment in The Four Winds series.

This is definitely penned for the ACOTAR girlies, and I am definitely one of them!

“I don’t want to return to Edgewood.” I haven’t wanted that in weeks. His throat bobs, and he lifts his hand, cupping the scarred side of my face gently. “Then what do you want?” Why do the simplest questions have the most trying answers? I have given the North Wind every part of myself save my heart, and now I give him one more thing. “You,” I whisper hoarsely. “I want you.”

AHHHH how much I loved that part.

I liked a lot about this book. I think that the fact that it was a standalone in particular is something that I enjoyed as sooo many fantasy books are series now which I love but also I dont really have the patience for six years. I also loved the fact that there were essences of other familiar fantasy stories and tropes, so this book felt very familiar but also uniquely its own. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers so that plus the fact that it was a slow burn made my somewhat masochistic heart really happy. I also love the sort of grumpy and kinda also grumpy but somehow tabby sprinkle of sunshine that is Wren and Boreas, Overall this book had the romantasy elements I know and love.

I do however wish the story itself had been a little more concise or focused. At times I found myself in it more for the actual romance than the fantasy aspects of the story. I think the concepts were clever, but the overall execution left me a bit wanting.

Overall I definitely liked this book!

I attempted to read this book multiple times, but the writing style just did not work for me at all. In the end I dnf'd the book.

A perfect Wintry Day read!

The dreaded God, The North Wind, who has ravaged the local land with permanent winter causing hardship and starvation, has arrived in town to choose his next sacrificial young maiden.

But our dear heroine, Wren, is not going to go quietly.

This beautiful Beauty and the Beast retelling was everything I had hoped it to be!

- Beautiful, atmospheric writing.
- A cast of characters I came to adore and won't soon forget.
- A love story full of drama.
- Imaginative events and action

If you love fantasy and fairy tale retellings, this should definitely be on your list. I can't wait for Book 2 which will feature connected characters (the God of Spring) and promises to be just as entertaining.

Honestly, the description is accurate. The North Wind is a the kind of story you want to be reading when the weather first starts to turn or snow is right about to fall. The atmosphere of this book is insanely strong: dark, cold, brisk. Because of that, it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but hey, to each there own and personally, I love an atmosphere like this. Besides the atmosphere, I think the mash-up description of Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone is a dead on description that was followed through well.

The biggest advice I would give anyone reading this or to anyone considering reading this is that it is not a smut book. So if that's what you're looking for, walk away. There are some new adult scenes mixed in, but this is not high up on the graphic scale of romance books if that makes any sense. I think I'm just throwing that out there because I have seen reviews about the lack of romance or that this is a boring book, and I worry that those people went into this book with the wrong expectations and therefore have given it a bad review. And I just don't think that's fair, because it is a fantasy romance book, and I think it's a pretty damn good one at that.

Plot:
I would say that there were two primary plots in this book: the love story and the issues with the Shade. To the first plot, I don't really have any issues with it. It moves at a pace as needed given the characters, which admittedly is a bit slow. However, I think the root cause is more related to the irritations I have with the characters rather than the development of that plot line. Before the love plotline can be sped up a bit, the characters had to be different or developed faster. So because of that, I actually think the progression of the love plotline is fine.

The plotline with the Shade is only fine. This is where the real interest of the story laid for me because it was the point that made this book unique to any other retellings of Beauty and the Beast/Hades and Persephone. But I think proportionally this plotline not only didn't progress fast enough, but that we didn't see as much of it. I would have loved to have dug into the history of the Shade more, maybe hear some odds and ends tragedies or adventures that the Shade has as its legacy, but the plotline was borderline only a tool to progress the love story plotline, and I just wish it had more opportunity to shine because I thought it was good and I wanted more of it.

Characters:
Wren -- I'm all for an unenjoyable main character, but this was just a step too far for just a bit too long. Her hypocrisy in calling out Boreas for being narrow-minded, and yet never herself trying to understand his motives and accept truths contrary to her beliefs, drove me up the wall. Maybe this is just some sort of pet peeve of mine so it was extra grating, but I really didn't like that. The alcoholism lasted for a bit too long I think, but ultimately, it was addressed and corrected. Likewise, her bullheadedness was also grown out of later on in the book, but I just wish these things happened a little sooner.

Boreas -- Very similar to Wren, the traits about him that I didn't like and the development of his character just all needed to be addressed a bit earlier in my opinion. I like the stoicism that he presents. It is a solid characteristic that not only was easy to grasp onto, but heightened the atmosphere of the book. But after awhile, that stoicism led to, not distance, but detachment, which I don't think is ever desired for a book character. Once we dipped into the second half of the book, that's where we got to see more of his background, see more of what he does, and learn about his emotional reactions to things. It just took so long to get there.

There are several other sides characters that tended to be a bit predictable, but overall served their purposes and were well written. Nobody else really stood out though. I think there's room for growth, certainly, which will be exciting to see in the second book (**cough clearly Zephyrus given book 2's name cough**) but for the most part, the story centered on Wren and Boreas, which I think is okay for this story.

Writing:
My biggest complaint of this book is that the first half of it seemed to drag on for far too long, when then as you can tell affects everything. Everything from plotline progression to character development to world building really started to pick up steam only in the second half of the book. Timing seemed to be the biggest flaw when thinking about the book as a whole. Despite the pacing being off, the writing was good. Different character expressions and emotions were well-captured. The description of the world and the matching tonal quality of the writing was very good. And when there was a critical scene, my attention was grabbed for the duration of that scene.

Final word of the day is that I would recommend this book to friends. I feel like I just ragged on it for the entirety of this review, but I don't want people to take away that it is a bad book. On the contrary; it's got some interesting designs to it, is good for a nice break from reality without having to mentally work hard, and is a sweet little fix for anyone craving a Beauty and the Beast/Hades and Persephone hit. Maybe just don't read this in the summer, given how chilly the atmosphere is, but overall, The North Wind was good and I want to read the second book.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book and giving me the chance to read and review it.

3.5 - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️

This is a Beauty and the Beast and a Hades x Persephone retelling, with more Hades than Persephone (to me the main character Wren wasn’t really filling a Persephone role for some reason). Wren’s sister gets picked by the North Wind, the Frost King aka Boreas, as his bride who he takes with him to his realm (which is basically the underworld). To protect her sister Wren disguises herself and leaves with him instead. This gets out naturally and these two spend alot of time hating eachother. There’s also the threat of the West Wind, his brother trying to overthrow and kill him and also Wren partially trying to kill her husband.

things i liked:

• their character growth: both of the characters went through hard things and alot of growth, they grew out of their at times annoying stubbornness
• how they handled wren’s addiction
• the slowburn
• “my wife” .. “wife” 💕
• one bed trope!! not once but twice!!
• they share a “horse” (kinda) many times
• “please don’t stab me for this” always hits
• the spicy scenes 💗 took us some time to get there but the wait was worth it


things i didn’t like:

• wren’s decisions and actions felt childish and immature at times but i don’t think it’s that bug of an issue considering the circumstances
• the timeline? or how time passed? the pacing? some parts really felt off to me

Overall I did really enjoy this, especially the second half and would love the read the next books in this series! (although I am not the biggest fan of Zephyrus right now)

TWs: alcohol abuse, mentions of rape

I really wanted to like this book but I just didn't feel like I connected with any of the characters. The romance was slow burn but painfully so. I get that it's a beauty and the beast/hades and Persephone retelling but I just didn't get the connection between them, I didn't feel the tension. I found myself skimming it at like 40% mark and ultimately DNFd at 59%.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a good one! I loved the world building and the characters. Yes, there were a few "been there done that" moments and it was a little long, but so worth it. I would be very interested in reading more in this world!

This was a very gorgeous retelling of Hades and Persephone. The writing is very beautiful and lyrical. The tone is dark and eerie. It has a fairytale feel. The characters are very complex! I recommend this for fans of Cruel Beauty, The Goddess Test, and Goddess of Spring!

A fun adventurous read with well written engaging charcters.. I will like to read more from this author. Thanks Netgalley

I received an arc via Netgalley. Thank you to the author and Andromeda Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the story of this book. The magic system was interesting and well thought out. The characters were great! I liked that it had similar vibes to certain books that I love but was different enough to stand out. The romance was great and I’m excited for the next one!

I appreciate a good fairy tale or mythology retelling. Well, this one is kind of both!! Part Beauty and the Beast and part Hades/Persephone, this is one that captivated my attention from the start.

Wren and her twin sister Elora live in Edgewood, a small village on the border of a great barrier, the Shade. The land that Wren lives in has been encased in ice since before she was born, and in order to keep her sister alive, Wren must do unspeakable things.

The great barrier separating The Grey from the Frost King’s realm weakens every day, and horrible creatures sneak through the cracks and crevices. Only one thing can stop the Shade’s weakening: a mortal woman given in sacrifice to the Frost King, aka the North Wind of myth.

By all means, Wren is not a willing candidate for this sacrifice, but in order to guard her sister, she’ll do absolutely anything. What happens, however, when she can no longer guard her own heart?

I loved this one. I was given an arc from @netgalley in exchange for my review! My opinions and thoughts are completely my own. This one is available now, and included in with a kindle unlimited subscription!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The North Wind was such a good book! In it, you will meet Wren. Now her sister was supposed to be sacrificed to the Frost King. So, Wren does what any normal and overprotective sister would do - switch places. The day she ends up getting married to the Frost King is the day that she has no idea what has really gone down. Or does she?

Not sure how easy it would be to trick an actual god, but Wren did a great job. I don't think she really thought things through though because I don't think she ever saw feelings being developed. Which, thankfully they did. Seriously, these two had so much tension and chemistry. The whole enemies to friends to lovers was such a wild ride. Throw in some sibling rivalry and I was completely hooked.

Throughout the book, I definitely got those Beauty and the Beast vibes. First, she's there to save a loved one. Then she's thinking she will be sacrificed but it never comes. So, she starts to find friends and close allies within the kingdom. Only to discover danger lurking in every dark corner and not knowing who to truly trust until the betrayal comes too late.

Long story short, love conquers all and the Frost King conquers baking a cake. It was very cute and I'm happy that they worked things out. They said those three special words to one another, and I was swooning. Definitely happy that I got the chance to dive into this and I can't wait for the sequel.

When I first read The North Winds synopsis, I was instantly intrigued and knew this one was for me. I love retellings since they give new twist to something I already love. The Beauty and the Beast meets Hades and Persephone part of what drew me in, I was the story itself that made stay. The story was a enemies to lovers story with a lot of Greek mythology ties.  Wren is a strong female character that puts the ones she loves before herself, no matter the cost. The Frost King is an outcast who uses fear to control and is guarded. The need to learn to understand each other in order to be together and with barriers beginning to fail. Its only a matter of time until war will begin and bonds tested.

The only downfall of the book, for me, is that the events through out happen in order and with a feel of the events in beauty and the beast closer than I enjoyed.

I received an advanced copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andromeda Press, and Alexandria Warwick for the e-arc of The North Wind in exchange for an honest review.

This is a Beauty and the Beast meets Hades and Persephone retelling and I think that is an accurate description. We follow Wren from Edgewood, a small village located next to the Shade. The Shade is what protects the Gray from the frozen waste of the Deadlands beyond. It has been that way for three hundred years. But now, the Shade is fading and the monsters are coming through more frequently. The only thing that can strengthen the Shade once again is a mortal woman from the town marrying herself to the Frost King, the North Wind. When he sets his sights on Wren’s sister, Wren will do whatever it takes to save her and take her place.

Wren is a very strong protagonist. I love how willful she is. Even though she is scared of the Frost King, she doesn’t cower and give herself up to her fate. The slow build relationship between Boreas and Wren is also very well done. We see hints of them falling, but they are always resisting, adding in that little bit of tension that makes slow burns so torturous. In the end, this is a beautiful story of two broken people trying to figure out how to cope with the hand that they have been dealt.

I’m very much looking forward to picking up more from Alexandria Warwick, especially in the Four Winds series.

I really enjoyed this book. It definitely has some ACOTAR and Beauty and the Beast vibes but it is also a book that is something I thought was wholly unique. The enemies to lovers, slow-burn romance between Wren and Boreas was to die for. The author does some fun things with these tropes that I thought really paid off (for example, a twin switch and Boreas being tricked into marrying Wren). Both characters had their rough spots and flaws in this book and I really loved the character development between them both. The atmosphere and world-building in this book are so great. It really is the perfect read for the winter season. And the steam! There is nothing sexier than enemies to lovers romances and Warwick capitalizes on that for sure. The writing is phenomenal and definitely leaves me more interested than ever in the authors other books and super eager for the next book in this series! THE NORTH WIND is a story about accepting love that we deserve even when it comes from unexpected places.

The official synopsis indicates that this book is clearly something that falls in my wheelhouse. I have a soft spot for enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance. There, I said it. This book definitely itches that spot. At this point, I still haven't read anything by J.L. Armentrout, L. Thalassa, or S. St. Clair. However, right away I got Sarah J. Maas vibes a la A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Wren is the sole provider for herself and her twin sister, Elora, after losing their parents. At times she treks miles to hunt for food because winter continues to encroach and worsen in Edgewood. Each venture is a risk because of darkwalkers, which feed on souls of the living. Every 30 years or so the Frost King arrives in Edgewood to claim a bride, and that time is now. He claims Wren's sister, but Wren refuses to let her soft sister be taken to the Deadlands. So instead she disguises herself as Elora and leaves with the Frost King. As you might imagine, he was not pleased when he discovered the deception after their marriage.

Why the Frost King didn't ask Wren to remove the scarf covering her face for their marriage, I have no idea. There are several scenes of this nature throughout the book where I raised an eyebrow at the simplicity of the situation. And, while Wren is a headstrong, female main character, I did roll my eyes at a few of her thoughts/scenes. For example, she and the Frost King have a moment in their tent at camp before preparing for battle. (Does this sound familiar, A Court of Wings and Ruin fans?) Yet when someone alerts him to incoming danger, he shifts his attention to the impending battle. This prompts Wren to voice that he's choosing battle over her. Um, excuse me?

I think this book could benefit from one more round of editing to clean up some word choices and consolidate the plot a bit. The book is a bit long, in my opinion. The benefit to this is that the relationship between Wren and the Frost King develops at a realistic pace. However, there are only so many times I want to read about how much Wren wants to kill him. The surprise ending, while I didn't mind it, confused me; I wasn't clear how the magic/magic system allowed for this event.

Finally, one of my favorite things about the plot is that Wren decides to choose herself. She comes to realize that her sister used her all these years, never lifting a finger to help. (Again, sound familiar, A Court of Thorns and Roses fans?) Though a painful realization, Wren finds the strength to do what's best for herself and confronts her sister with how she feels.

Overall, this book is well-written and is a solid 3.5 of 5 stars. This will satisfy fans of enemies-to-lovers and Hades and Persephone retellings.

The North Wind is a dark take on classic Disney-style storytelling. Where the author takes inspiration from is abundantly clear, however, I'm not sure if that is necessarily a good thing as it invites direct comparison.

Take for example the opening of the novel; I felt like I was reading a funhouse-mirror version of A Court of Thorns and Roses. We have a female main character who is a huntress and the sole provider for her family. And a gruff enemy male of power and wealth who sweeps into town with the sole purpose of taking one of the women back to their home.

And like Nesta from the ACOTAR series, Wren is extremely headstrong and loves to read smutty romance novels.

Thankfully, the novel carves its own path after Wren takes her sister's place as The Frost King's bride/stowaway and after you move past the worldbuilding that is served up rather all at once.

What I enjoyed about the novel:
- Our main character, Wren, is both a woman of colour and a BAFM (badass mother f-er)
- The North Wind/Frost King smells like cedar, which is my favourite scent in the entire world
- The enemies-to-lovers setup is done correctly. They really do despise one another and Wren threatens to castrate him in one memorable scene.
- I was obsessed with the dinner scene where hilarity ensues between The North Wind's extremely picky eating and Wren because characterized as 'The Beast' between her drunkenness, complete lack of table manners, and smelling like "a dead animal" because she refused to bathe

What I felt let down by:
- The pacing. The novel has numerous moments where it seems to flounder
- I wish everything didn’t have numerous names for the same thing, i.e. The Four Winds/Anemoi or Boreas/The Frost King/The North Wind
- I love a good slow-burn. But this? Readers have to wait until the novel is very nearly done to see the payoff. If you have that kind of patience, fabulous. This tested even my resolve to keep going.
- There were loads of things that simply did not make sense. See below

>>> Stop here if you don't want to see major spoilers <<<

Things that didn't make any sense
- Wren says “I’m growing familiar with...” things related to Boreas. But at this point in the novel, she's only been there a week and 80% of that time was spent alone in a dungeon.
- Why did she insist on holding the party? Surely that's a ridiculous thing to do given they're all in mortal peril.
- Why invite her sister to the epicentre of all the danger?
- We’ve spent 90% of the book witnessing Wren grow and evolve and fall in love with Boreas. But then The West Wind shows up and she’s actually considering killing him still? Like, what?
- The entire storyline with The West Wind. How would Boreas have casual dinner with him when he’s the reason his wife and son died? Make it make sense.
- Wren cracks her head against the stone and when she pulls her hand away, she's bleeding. But yet, immediately after this, she slashes the inside of her palm in order to coat the arrow in blood.
- Why did she never think of using the god-touched bow and arrow to kill Boreas? This was lazily explained as, essentially, 'I forgot.'
- Why is she never fearful of Boreas being a darkwalker? We get this big reveal, and then Wren pretty much shrugs it off. Huh??

All in all, this novel definitely has its problems, but I know there will be readers who absolutely eat this up and can look past most of the issues.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Please read TW/CW for this book!

When I say that this book consumed my every thought, I mean it. I spent my waking moments waiting to be able to snuggle up in bed and continue reading and then, I dreamt about these characters for about a week.

This book has everything I wanted from an enemies to lovers/slow burn/fantasy romance. The character development and relationships (I'm referencing many types here) are well written and progress at what I feel is a very realistic pace for the circumstances. Boreas and Wren have my heart.

Wren: She is strong, brave, witty, sarcastic, and really likes to get under Boreas' skin, which makes the tension *chef's kiss*. She also has a healthy mix of flaws that are relatable and dealt with (by the end) in a healthy way. Wren holds people accountable for their actions and *communicates*. I LIVE for that.

Boreas: He is a broody, cold, withdrawn, lonely, and proud man who needs to be humbled (and is sufficiently). I enjoyed how hateable he is at the beginning. It shows the true enemies to lovers relationship I was yearning for. I love when male characters are observant and quietly show it and Boreas is the epitome of that.

I can't believe I fell for a man whose entire identity is about winter and all things cold. Who am I?

I am devastated I have to wait so long for the next book, but I am so excited.