4.5 ⭐ This Hades and Persephone/Beauty and the Beast inspired story had me hooked from the start!

The FMC, Wren, sacrifices a lot and has a lot of demons, and I loved her journey. I really appreciated the POC representation as well.

The MMC, Boreas (The Frost King), is complex and battles extreme grief. He and Wren together are true enemies to lovers. It's definitely a slow-burn but there is some great spice.

This book is being rereleased and I definitely plan on reading the next one. It can be read as a stand alone but I like how the book has set up the next story (following the Frost King's brother). Thank you to the author, Netgalley and S&S/Saga Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

TW: Alcoholism, mentions of rape, mentions of prostitution, murder, violence (war), blood and gore

4.5 - 5 stars

I came across a quick little Booktok clip on The North Wind and it seemed right up my alley with it's Hades & Persephone vibes with a little bit of Beauty & the Beast twist. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did because I hardly ever have good luck with Booktok, but it was actually a really fantastic read and very entertaining.

The North Wind is a dark fantasy romance about the Frost King who has come to take his next sacrifice from the village of Edgewood. Unfortunately for Wren, her sister Elora has been chosen, but Wren has taken care of Elora her whole life since her parents passed and Wren would literally die for her so of course she steals Elora's place and becomes the Frost King's sacrifice...err rather his new wife.

The Frost King, a.k.a. The North Wind, a.k.a. Boreas appears cold and aloof at first but like any good hero, beneath his frozen hard exterior dwells a man of soft marshmallow fluff. Wren is anything but a goody two shoe princess hero (you know the type). She has more flaws than I can count and she actually disgusted me in the beginning with her hygiene and table manners but I came to love her as the story went on. The romance between these two is firmly enemies to lovers and it's a really slow burn but it's so delicious. The story starts to really take off towards the halfway point and the tension is just so so so good. There's loveable side characters, attempted stabbings, fantastic spice, and so many libraries in Boreas's house...what's not to love?!

The world that the author built was fantastic and easy to follow and based on the Greek myth of the Anemoi, I'm really intrigued to know more of the background story of the four brothers and how the whole coup took place. I will definitely be following the rest of the books, though Zephyrus is really starting off on the wrong foot with me.

I would recommend this book to any fans of Greek mythology, fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Scarlett St. Clair, or Laura Thalassa.

Thank you so much to Saga Press for providing me with a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!