I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

really loved this! I enjoyed the relationship dynamics both romantic and non-romantic, especially how realistic they felt for the situation.

Big fan of the Beauty and the Beast meets Hades and Persephone vibes this has going on. Absolutely devoured this one.

Where do I begin. This book tore my heart out and wiped my tears. It stomped on my intestines and rocked me to sleep. It ripped my arm off then bandaged my wound. This book is a sour patch kid. Mean at first and then nice. I have no words. I would run into a burning building for this book. I would sell my soul to read it again for the first time. I would do all the booktok things and it still wouldn’t be enough. This book murdered me and then saved my life. I can’t.

I was super excited for this book because it is listed as a Persephone/Hades retelling which is one of my favorite myths so I had high expectations. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat in my opinion- but keep in mind I am sure others might enjoy this, so read this if it appeals to you.
Anyway, my biggest problem with this was the main character and how much I disliked her. She was more like a (alcoholic) wild animal, full of rage and motivated purely by instinct, with no rational decisions. I spent the whole book wanting to shake her for her ridiculous actions and I never connected to her which made it hard for me to root for her. Also the story was at times confusing, the plot jumping around with no transitions and some mystical things barely described leaving me unsure what it really was.
I think the story had potential but it was not a great read for me, I probably would have stopped reading if I did not suffer from the flaw of not being able to DNF a book. That being said, I might read the next book in the series...

*Enemies to lovers
*Greek Mythology
*Fantasy
*Romance
*Battle

I will say I liked this book for the most part. I liked the spin on the story of Hades or "The Frost King" in this book. It was a love story with a twist. I did feel that some of this was rather long and drug out. I understood the story building aspect, however, I did not feel that it needed to be as long of a story as it was. Again I enjoyed reading this but it did require some patience. I am however, intrigued to read more of her work as I know West Wind is coming soon. I truly appreciated the ending of this story and I felt happy after finishing it.

Thank you Netgalley and Alexandria Warrick for allowing me to read this book.

Wren of Edgewood has thought of nothing but keeping her twin sister Elora safe for as long as she can remember. It has always been up to Wren to be the brave, fearless scavenger in order to keep them alive. But that is about to change.
The town of Edgewood has served this King for as long as they all can remember, by providing him wives. And the Frost King has come yet again for his bride to be. When Elora is chosen it is up to Wren to save her yet again by taking her place as tribute.
What will become of Wren, will she be sacrificed to a horrible death? As she is taken to the North Kingdom, reminiscent of the gates of hell, Wren is stunted to find out what the true purpose the Frost King brides serve. Wren must find a way to kill the king and escape this gothic castle like prison. However, the more time she spends with specters and the devilishly handsome king, Boreas, she just might find that there is a reason for staying.
Overall rating 5/5
Having a very similar plot line to that of ACOTAR and reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, this book was gothically delicious! I loved the Persephone and underworld type vibes this story gave, every time Wren took a bite of cake I was silently screaming NOOOO! The slow spicy burn and enemy to friends tropes were so well written and had me craving more. I can’t wait to read the next installment and secretly hope that Wren gets some magical powers of her own.

*Thank you to Alexandria Warwick, Saga Press | S&S/Saga Press, and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

In a world overrun by Beauty and the Beast retelling I found The North Wind to be a worthy but typical offering.

I didn't find anything inherently wrong here but the story is one readers have read time and time again. That made it an uphill climb for the author to really capture my attention. The Characters and plot all felt somewhat recycled from other tales and staying engaged and empathetic to Wren was somethings I personally struggled with.

I would be interested to see what this author would do with something wholly original...the writing was done well enough that I will look for future titles to explore!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I was immediately drawn in by the vibes - a touch of Greek mythology and Beauty and the Beast. The slow burn, enemies to lovers really worked for me, Wren was not a completely likable character but it worked in this context. She had her own vices and imperfections and the North Wind was a well written tortured, misunderstood “villain”.
I do feel like it all wrapped up too neatly in the end, but the final chapter from North Wind’s perspective was so delightful and fun.

Thank you to Saga Press for this review copy! My opinions are my own.

3.5

In the town of Edgewood, there is no shortage of suffering. The supplies are becoming scarce and with the looming threat of Darkwalkers appearing more and more, the people are scared.
Wren has always put her sister’s well-being ahead of her own. So, when the cruel immortal god, The North Wind, comes into town and chooses Wren’s sister to take as bride, Wren sets out a plan to take her place.
When she arrives at The North Wind’s citadel in the Deadlands, she has one goal- to kill the North Wind. However, over time she finds that her new husband might not be as cruel as she may have thought him to be..


When I first started reading this, I wasn’t completely sure what to think of it. I found Wren impulsive and completely reckless. I wasn’t a fan. However, that quickly changed the further into the book I got. What I didn’t like about Wren made complete sense with where the storyline was going. By the end of the book, she was my favorite character, and her fearlessness/stubbornness is one of the traits I love about her. She’s tough and her never-back-down attitude was a highlight of the book.

The romance is a slow burn and was well done. It felt organic and not pushed on us as readers.

This wasn’t a perfect book by any means. There are unresolved plots that I wish were resolved.

Overall, I recommend this to those who love enemies to lovers, found family, and a Beauty and the Beast retelling!

I’m excited to read book two!

"The North Wind" by Alexandria Warwick is an enchanting retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," infused with Greek mythology. The story follows Wren, who bravely takes her twin sister Elora's place as the North Wind's sacrifice. Instead of being sacrificed, Wren becomes the North Wind's wife, much to his displeasure. She plots his downfall with the God of Spring, leading to a tale rich in humor, warmth, and spice. The novel masterfully blends pantheon gods into the retelling, creating a unique and engaging narrative.

Warwick's world-building and character development stand out, particularly in Wren's dynamic relationship with her sister and the cold, distant Boreas. Wren is a fierce and flawed heroine, while Boreas, the North Wind, slowly reveals layers beyond his initial cruelty. Their slow-burn, hate-to-love romance is well-crafted, filled with witty banter and genuine emotion. While the ending may feel a bit rushed and overly sentimental, the overall journey is captivating, making "The North Wind" a delightful read for fans of magical realism and mythological retellings.

“Maybe we an be alone together.”
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick. This is a Beauty and the Beast inspired, enemies to lovers fantasy romance, and it definitely hits the mark. That description alone is what caught my attention. This story follows Wren, a village girl trying to survive the endless cold winter of Edgewood, doing everything she can to ensure her and her sister, Elora, survive the winter. When the North Wind enters the village to choose one woman, taken captive for reasons unknown, Wren will do whatever it takes to protect her sister, even if that means she has to make the biggest sacrifice to do so. Wren’s character is stubborn, strong, and witty. I appreciated the main characters developments and the banter between them kept me entertained. Wren meets some interesting characters along the way, portraying the importance of patience, love, and understanding. But of course with that comes struggle, disappointment and heartache. The story can feel like a slow burn at times and I do wish certain parts of the story were expanded on more, but it wasn’t enough to distract me from the story. There was a little bit of spice, but not too much for those who aren’t super into it. Some parts felt awkward but the romance in the story was definitely there. I thought the story had a great heart warming ending, and I can’t wait for the second book in the series. Not to mention the cover art is gorgeous. I have to give this one a 4/5 ⭐️

Describing this book as inspired by beauty and the beast as well as Hades and Persephone is honestly pretty accurate and it’s safe to say I ate it up. The enemies to lovers was so good you could cut their tension with a knife and it’s safe to say the slow burn paid off. This book is perfect if you like ROMAntasy books (that focus more on the romance than on the world building). However I still really enjoyed the world that was created in this book and the picture that was painted. Side characters like Orla were great and definitely reminded of the side characters in B&B. I appreciate the character development in both Wren and the Frost King and every time he called her “Wife” I screamed. The epilogue was also really heartwarming and endearing and I’m glad we got to see that side of their relationship.

This is a perfect read for lovers of ACOTAR, touch of darkness and plated prisoner series. A story of hades/persephone and beauty and the beast with some hot and heavy romance 🤤

Wren, a stubborn and resourceful heroine volunteers herself to the North Wind (aka the king of the dead/hades) to save her younger sister from being the King’s sacrificial bride in return for protection from the demons horrible ice age which seems to creep upon the town.

While Wren expects a dark, broody and cruel king, she is surprised with life in the underworld and all the hidden secrets of her husband and the realm itself.


I really enjoyed this read and the relationship building and world building was phenomenal. Honestly, the side characters are what made me stay…that and the steamy romance towards the end 😏

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

If you love a slow burn, forced proximity, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance with a ton of yearning from both sides, brooding, and not one but TWO There's Only One Bed scenes, in the style of Beauty and the Beast involving the Four Winds of Greek mythology, then this is certainly for you.

Admittedly, at first I didn't think I was going to like this one much, as it doesn't start out very strong, in my opinion, and while Wren is headstrong and fiercely independent, she is quite exasperating not just for Boreas/the Frost King/the North Wind, but for me as the reader. Boreas himself has his flaws but at least they're in the god-who-has-poor-social-skills realm. He broods and is the classic misunderstood softie type--an easy swallow (plus he gets a super cute trying-his-best epilogue). Wren, on the other hand, is so narrow-minded in her focus on killing him (and any of her adversaries for that matter) that she never stops to think of any real solutions to any of her or her world's problems. Eventually she (mostly) comes around, but I'll bet I sighed as often as Boreas did in response to her actions.

Their romance is certainly the star of this story, though. I swooned *hard* reading it. Granted, this is my cup of tea, but woof are they poster faces for the tropes they're representing. There's even a cute in-text reference to Hades and Persephone in one scene, a romance that inspired this one. Which makes it sad that everything else happening in the story is merely set dressing or is only there as a stepping stone to their melting hearts. The stronger bits of lore are those borrowed from Greek mythology, which makes sense as it's highly transferable. Yet there's a whole subplot of "darkwalkers" (corrupted souls) invading the realm that is only really there to interrupt their revelatory moments (or cockblock them, if I'm being really honest) and to provide just enough outside conflict to have a subplot at all. It always lasts about a chapter or so, though, the real conflict of focus being that of Wren's battle with her own feelings as she grows into caring for and loving Boreas after unfairly hating him so much.

If you're into that passionate mutual pining and some really steamy scenes (be prepared for some graphic sex!), I encourage you to pick this one up. I'm curious about the other three Anemoi (the brothers of Boreas) as this is but one of the four planned for the series, but this is quite a high bar for any subsequent romances. Zephyrus, the West Wind, is featured heavily in this story and he did intrigue me; his book is coming soon as of the posting of this review. I only hope the lore gets fleshed out better.

While the book had some interesting elements which originally drew my attention to it, it ultimately fell flat for me. It took me over a month to finish as I kept picking it up and putting it down.

An interesting concept but it just didn’t really pull through for me! I didn’t find myself connecting well with Wren so I struggled in many parts of the book.

The North Wind is described as Hades + Persephone meets Beauty and the Beast, and it gives just that. It felt very nostalgic in that sense. The slow burn was slow burning to the point that the bits of spice that I was carefully fed left me giddily screaming in bed haha. Predictable, but not in a bad way. Great character development and multi-faceted characters. Would recommend!

There's something I find very comforting about a Hades x Persephone or Beauty and the Beast retelling. They typically aren't anything revolutionary, but the story always has great bones, and I generally have a pretty good time. This book was absolutely no exception. It did what I wanted a good Hades x Persephone retelling to do, to have a true enemies to lovers storyline. It bothers me a lot when the "enemies" portion is done halfway, and this book doesn't have this problem! They genuinely dislike each other, and it's a slow burn. So when the payoff happens, it's really satisfying. The characters were diverse and well fleshed out, and really seemed 3 dimensional, and the worldbuilding was really lush and atmospheric.

The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is it didn't do anything I haven't seen before, however the things it did it did well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I'm very glad I was able to read it.

~ Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

I loved the premise of this book, and I feel like it mostly delivered. It was hard for me to get into it initially, but once I did it got a lot better. It’s a sort of Beauty and the Beast retelling with some Hades and Persephone in there as well. I think that I did get those vibes, but it felt very isolated and kind of lost the plot for a minute towards the middle. There was nowhere near as much romance as I was expecting, however it is an enemies to lovers with the story only spanning the one book since the rest are focused on the other brothers, so there is only so much time to be spent on it. I was still a little disappointed at how little of the book had Wren and Boreas on like the same team, but hopefully we will see more of them in future books.

I’m still a little confused how the big bad villain was able to control the darkwalkers and the reveal wasn’t a huge surprise, but I am looking forward to seeing this person in later books and how they will come back from being such a bad person.

There were a lot of good things about this book that I liked. Wren is a pretty solid character, and I loved seeing her grow as a person. Boreas had his funny moments, and I enjoyed getting to see some of the other mystical beings that are in existence. The doors in the castle sound so cool! I wish I could have endless hallways of these doors myself, it would be so so so so fun to have those.

Before I mention the ending and some spoilers, let me say that this book is totally worth reading. It is a good book and perfect if you like strong female leads and frustrating male romantic partners (he gets better), and it would be an especially good book for fall given the whole underworld theme. I’m excited to read future books in the series and see how the writing and plot improves!

The ending! Oh, how I hated it. Be aware of * SPOILERS* , but I can’t not talk about the ending. I don’t entirely hate the whole ending- they end up together and have kids and it’s cute, he bakes her a cake, I love that stuff. But him giving up his powers?? Is that going to be the ending for every one of these books? Because how are the other three seasons supposed to have their guy in charge but not winter? Do we really need these guys if winter is going to happen anyways? I feel like this gave me more questions than answers, and overall I’m just never a fan of when main characters lose their powers. Also what is going to happen to their children? Lots of questions, and they may be answered in future books with the other brothers as the focus!