I was really excited for this book, after seeing it all over book tok, but it's just a hype of it all. It took a while for me to get into the book, and having said that, I love retellings of Hades and Persephone, but this one took a bit to click. I honestly won't be moving forward to read the rest of the series, as I didn't care by the end of the book what really happened.

This book didn’t know if it wanted to be a Beauty and the Beast or a Hades and Persephone retelling or some sort of mix, but it definitely blended different mythos and stories together in an entertaining manner.

I enjoyed this story very much. Watching Wren grow and learn that she is worthy of love was wonderful, even if it persisted to the very end. It was surprisingly spicy and the author did not shy away from the tension.

If you like spicy slow-burn romance retellings with one bed, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers tropes then this is no one to miss!

It is book 1 in what I will assume is a series focusing on each brother, but this book read like a standalone with a conclusive ending.

Swoon-worthy quote:

“There is nothing I would not do for you. I would conquer cities in your name. I would lay waste to the world and place its greatest treasures at your feet. I would cross realms and topple empires and alter time, all for the promise of an eternity spend by your side.”

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review*

Unfortunately this book was not for me.

The North Wind follows a main character named Wren who is unfortunately, completely insufferable and annoying. We are in her head the entire time and she is so indecisive and contradictory it becomes a chore to read about. She will say in one breath “I must be nice to him to gain information” and two seconds later she’ll open her mouth and be a complete bitch. I don’t know if this was something the author did on purpose but it came across sloppy and unedited.

This book has a lot of similar vibes to beauty and the beast, so if you like that story you might like this one as well. I thought the premise as promising but it really lacked in execution for me. The main character is so unlikeable I felt like pulling teeth to get myself to keep reading.

The dialogue is also very stiff and inorganic. It feels like I’m reading someone writing down how they think medieval speaking sounds but it doesn’t feel like we’re actually like. Like corny Ren fair actors doing a caricature of the language.

Also the side characters didn’t have a single personality between them, they were just cardboard cutouts of each other with different names. And there was one side character who was completely useless except for in one scene and as soon as that scene was over she was never mentioned again. The continuity and believability of these people existing in the world outside the main character was null.

The way this story was written barely gave any useful world building, and any and all characters stopped existing as soon as the main character couldn’t see them any more. It didn’t feel like a fleshed out world or place whatsoever. There were some cool aspects that we got such small glimpses of and that was a shame. There’s a magical river with certain properties I wish we got more on and the gods of this world could have been so interesting if we had more back story and better motives for their actions. It just felt like a surface level draft. Didn’t feel polished or finished at all.

I think that I would check out more from this author in the future, in a different series if she ever writes something outside of this universe. Like I said there were some small glimpses of potential but it fell really flat in execution.

Mmph. I’ve seen this promoted around a bit and I was a bit wary— I keep telling myself I’m full up on retellings and New Adult fantasy. I wish I had listened to myself.

This reads a lot like a YA fantasy novel like Ice, etc., and probably would have performed better in this category. This is instead shoe-horned into an “adult” novel by aging the heroine up (to 23) and making her a sex-positive alcoholic. The romance, which could have been fine for melodramatic YA readers, lacked depth. The sexual elements (both the sex scenes and the character’s thoughts) were really strange— very specific about male anatomy, but vague about female.

The heroine always acts rashly, and it’s a source of constant frustration. She resolves to be quiet for her disguise. She immediately speaks. She decides to be silent. She talks again. She cannot make a plan and stick to it for more than five minutes at a time.

The theme of this book could be “hurt people hurt people,” and both characters do make some personal realizations that could lead to growth. It’s all hand-waved away, though, with a love-conquers-all bandaid. So what if he’s killed thousands of people and forced you to grow up in starvation? Doesn’t matter in the face of lOvE, right?

The heroine’s alcoholism seems a strange addition. Her sobriety does seem to be handled with respect, but it hardly seems necessary to add even more difficulties to her life— I don’t see the purpose this is supposed to serve. (Also, in a country that has been starving for 300 years of winter, how does this peasant manage to get that quantity of wine that consistently?)

Give this one a miss. eARC from NetGalley.

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a fantasy stand-alone inspired by Acotar, Beauty and the Beast and the myth of Hades and Persephone.
 
The concept of this book sounded absolutely amazing, and it started off very strong. The protagonist Wren cares for her two sisters after her parents passed away and she is no stranger to hunting. They live in a very rough world that is very close to the fae world. This was very promising even though it’s almost the same as the start of A Court of Thorns and Roses.
 
One day the North Wind who is a fae king comes into the town in order to search for a mortal wife and this tradition is required every 300 years in order for this kingdom to survive. He sets his eyes on Wren’s sisters and Wren does everything to spare her sister including tricking the North Wind. The North Wind is very grumpy, unappealing, and self-centered and I disliked him from the beginning. He is completely entitled and until he spends more and more time with Wren and at some point, has the same development as the Beast. But this happened from one day to the other and was very unrealistic to me. Pretty much from the moment they arrived at his castle, the story went downhill for me, and it was too predictable and therefore became uninteresting.
 
Overall, I expected more from this book, and I wish it would have been a bit more unique and it weren’t as similar to other fantasy stories. 2 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

This was a true Beauty and the Beast retelling. If Belle was sassy, stubborn, and strong willed and Beast actually showed his annoyance more often.

This book had its tension and steam in the first half, and once we got to the second half, noticing how Wren was accepting of the change she was making in her heart and defending him to everyone including her sister. Boras had his moments of doubt and it took him a long time to understand what he really wanted out of their relationship.

I loved every minute of it. Also can we get that cake recipe? You know which one.

A wonderfully creative mashup of Beauty and the Beast with the myth of Hades & Persephone. There were plenty of unique twists on the tale that kept me invested in the story. I found the initial world building & the story's ending to feel a bit rushed, but the majority of the story was well paced and intriguing.

I read this in a little under two days. It’s very easy to read. It’s a Beauty and the Beast/HadesxPersephone retelling. In general, I am one who enjoys fairytale retellings so I went into this expecting to like it.

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the main character and the MMC. I tend to like unlikable characters, so her being prickly was not a problem. I enjoyed the inclusion of her drinking problem to cope with the death of her parents and responsibility she felt for her twin. I think the character work in this is done well. The relationships grow organically. The FMC and her sister had a realistic love along with sibling resentment.

My only overarching issue with this book is the world building. Primarily, the ending. I don’t feel like the end of the book properly concludes the ramifications of the main characters. The world building in general is probably the weakest aspect of this book. Most of the time, I’m fine with sprinkled world building but there wasn’t enough explanation for the end of the book for me to feel fully satisfied.

That being said, this was fun and good. What spice there was was well done. The character work held up well, and in romance focused fantasy I generally don’t mind the light world building.

I plan to read book two.

4/5 stars

Thank you so NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this early release copy. While immensely appreciated, it does not impact the contents of my review.

Thank you to NetGallery, Saga Press, and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.25 stars! I absolutely LOVED this first stand-alone fantasy romance in The Four Winds series. Wren sacrifices herself to take the place of her sister when she is chosen by the North Wind, an immortal god, to be taken captive and marry him since it is known that the blood of the mortal woman bound to marry the North Wind will stop the weakening of the magical barrier protecting the townsfolk. This is a true enemies-to-lovers with captor/captive and forced marriage. The concept of this world was fascinating with the setup of the four immortal brothers, known as the Anemoi, each in charge of their realm. The world building is done throughout the book so it flows easily and I enjoyed all the backstory reveals into the four gods and this world.

The shining star of this book was the evolution of Wren going from someone who sacrifices everything about herself for her sister, no matter the cost, to recognizing that she is worthy and deserves a life she wants if only she is brave enough to take it. Your soul will be crying as you learn all Wren has endured and sacrificed to ensure her sister is always taken care of without expecting anything in return. Wren is strong-willed, resilient, resourceful, determined, and flawed and you cannot help but root for her the entire time. As her relationship with the North Wind, aka Boreas, changes she constantly doubts that she is deserving of any kind of love. Boreas is the cold and ruthless tortured hero type and as time progresses, they each start to break down the walls the other has built. The slow burn will have you begging them to just submit, and the reward will have you blushing. My HEA heart was fully satisfied at the end, and I was so happy to see Wren get everything she deserves and realize her self-worth!

Read this if you love:
💫Enemies to lovers
💫Captor/captive
💫Only one bed/horse
💫Epic battles
💫Slow burn
💫Forced proximity
💫Gods and mortals

Every few decades, the village of Edgewood must give a sacrifice to the North Wind, the god who rules over winter and the Deadlands. When the tree in the town square blooms, the women draw lots to decide who will be chosen.
Wren, a strong and determined young woman, does not fear being chosen; not when her scarred face marks her as undesirable. But when her sister, Elora, is chosen as one of the offerings, Wren knows she must do everything she can to save her sister. After all, that is what she was raised to do: protect and provide for Elora. She takes her sister's place as sacrifice, and resigns herself to an early demise. But when everything she thinks she knows of the North Wind is turned on its head, what will she do?

I loved this book! It was fast-paced and excellently written. It gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes, and I was here for it! The MC's were so enjoyable, and I liked that you got to truly learn about and know the MMC alongside Wren. I picked this up every spare moment I had and found it very hard to drag myself away from the story. It hooked me from page 1 and never let me go!

If you like fantasy romance with enemies-to-lovers, strong plot, and great characters with just a dash of spice, then I highly recommend The North Wind! It is the first in an interconnected standalone series, which means no cliffhanger!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press, and Ms. Warwick for the opportunity to read this book. An honest review was requested but not required.

Apparently this was published almost two and a half years ago and is now being re-released. I have no idea what (if anything) was changed for the edition I was granted. Romantasy is hot right now and this certainly fits the genre.

Wren's sister, Elora is chosen by the North Wind, King of Frost, Boreas as his sacrifice/human tribute/bride/etc but Wren, determined to protect her sister (and to kill Boreas, if possible), goes in her place. Boreas discovers the deception but marries Wren anyways and thus begins a very slow enemies-to-friends-to-lovers progression.

Strengths here were the slow friendship between Wren and Boreas, which seemed organic, and the nuanced sibling relationship between Elora and Wren. Wren's thorny, complex mixture of feelings - resentment, devotion, love, guilt, protectiveness, fatigue - was really well portrayed and surprisingly nuanced for a book in which that relationship was not at all the focus. Boreas' understanding of and patience with Wren's dysfunctional relationships with both Elora and alcohol were also very moving. I would go so far as to say that characterization in general was a major strength in this book. Wren herself was more or less (but frequently more) unlikeable, quick to anger, quick to judge, quick to blame, quick to act and speak without considering. Frankly I thought that was in keeping with her character: like her substance abuse issues, her hot temper will take her time and patience to work through.

The weakness for me was the world building. I really did not understand how the Shadewalkers work, how or why human blood makes any difference to the barrier, how someone becomes or ceases to be a ghost/spirit, how godhood in this world works, and other issues. Who was Boreas fighting against? Who was leading the opposing army? For that matter, how come Boreas had so few people in his own army? How does one travel from one wind's realm to another? So. Many. Questions. Most of them unanswered. I assume that the series continues with the other brothers and some of the questions are addressed. Eh.

4 stars for the characterization and 2 for the world building. Average: 3 stars.

A fun and engaging new adult romantasy!

The Frost King is on the hunt for a bride, and Wren's desperate to save her sister. She's whisked off to the Deadlands, where she has to keep the realms from collapsing. Will this marriage break her, or will she fight to reclaim her home and life? We've got two flawed characters navigating their messes, and it's a delight to watch. The slow burn romance had me yearning for more (IYKYK). Both the Frost King and Wren’s character growth was impressive, turning darkness into light with banter I couldn't get enough of. The spice was perfectly timed and didn’t overshadow the plot.

If you're into Beauty and the Beast or Hades and Persephone vibes, this one's for you. Even if you're not, you should still give it a shot. 😉 I couldn't put it down!
4.5/5 stars

3.5⭐️
This book started with a bang with wren Taking her sister spot as the frost king came to town. The tradition that has gone on every 30 years that the frost king must choose a wife… to kill

I will say the first 200 pages were fine. I thought we were going somewhere much more exciting the story to me is more of a contemporary romance than it is a romantasy. The reason i say this is because it felt like we were focusing on the characters themselves and there issues more than the outer world issues
There is a fantasy world with four brothers that are God this book is about the Northwind. There is a war with deathwalkers but nothing seems super urgent ti thr end

The main female character was just a little bit unlikable. I felt like she was extremely childish for her age, even though she did come out a better person at the end of the book I still found it hard to connect with her the main character was my favorite, but he was still, not a very rounded character. Overall, it was very slow moving fantasy so if you like slow moving fantasies, this book will be for you. I personally enjoy more fast pace with a lot of adventures happening and a lot more world building.

The spice was towards the end and it was pretty good!


I think the book was overall enjoyable not my favorite. I probably will continue the series because the character for the second book interest me more!

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was full of exciting twists! Wren is a very headstrong gal, who is incredibly thoughtful and selfless for those she cares about. Not giving anything away, I thoroughly enjoyed Wren's character development through the book.

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is such a beautifully written slow burn love story! A mix of hades/persephone and beauty and the beast. I loved Wren so much. So much of emotion and heart while being so fierce! And I'm such a sucker for a brooding cranky man with a secret heart of gold. Can't wait to read the stories of the rest of the brothers!

Hooked me from the beginning, and I finished it in 1 day. This is a Beauty and the Beast themed spicy romance, with many callbacks to the Disney version we are all familiar with. The comparison to Hades and Persephone is limited to the land being trapped in winter, and the male lead is a god who has been banished and judges the dead.

There is also some cross-over with ACOTAR #1, if you like strong heroines, who are the main providers for their families that find themselves forcefully taken to the more magical side of their world.

Stand out tropes: one horse, one bed, enemies to lovers, godXhuman relationships, grumpy/grumpy, caregiving, strong heroine, she keeps trying to kill him, but he's super patient.

I love the Beauty and the Beast formula, and this book does it very well. But in this story, both the MMC and FMC have their own darkness and issues to work out. The burn is slow as both characters find themselves falling in love, despite her goal to kill him in order to give the land reprieve from winter.

I totally look forward to reading the rest of the series and recommend this to anyone who likes spicy fantasy romance.

I loved this book! Hades and Persephone retelling with a bit of beauty and the beast vibes! I loved the growth that Wren goes through - as well as transformation Boreas shows. The world building was so well done. And the characters - even the side characters were so good!
•Stand alone series.
• Feisty FMC - broody MMC
•Slow burn
•Enemies to lovers
I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

The North Wind is a Beauty and the Beast retelling seasoned with some Greek mythology. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. The world building was novel, and the characters multifaceted. The MMC, Boreas is a God with issues, and the FMC, Wren comes to the table with some quirks of her own. If you are a fan of Sarah J Maas, you might enjoy this novel as well. It actually reminded me somewhat of her Crescent City books, due to both the unique world building and the fact that they start slow, and build, getting really rolling towards the end. By the last 100 pages or so, I was all in and really rooting for these two to come together and kick some butt.

Both of the main characters are imperfect and they both grow throughout the book. I am a reader who comes for the plot, but stays when I fall in love with the characters. I love the way the Grumpy/Sunshine trope was subverted into more of a Grumpy/Grumpy situation. Since the reader goes in knowing it is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, they are probably expecting, a sunshiny beauty, rather than the emotionally and physically scarred and prickly Wren. I love FMC who give as good as they get, and she has serious moxie.

Side note-the epilogue is a delight and gave me Disney Sleeping Beauty vibes.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc,

For fans of Beauty and the beast and hades and Persephone retelling.
Wren has been taking care of her and her sister since her parents passed away so when the winter god comes to her village to collect a wife and her sister is chosen she switches spots and is off to his castle. Wren discovers not all is as it seems living with the winter god and although she plans on killing and escaping him it getting harder to set the plan in motion the more she’s around him.

Overall I did enjoy the book and I loved the slow burn romance it fell a little bit flat for me towards the middle and I wish the ending had more action. Will definitely still read the next book in the series.

I devoured this book much quicker than I anticipated. The enemies-to-lovers romance was well done. So full of tension and doubt from our narrator that I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Wren's character is so deeply flawed that it affects her perception on everything. Her unwavering urge to help those around her, even while battling her own demons and addiction, is beautiful in a tragic sort of way. It really speaks to the responsibility she felt obligated to endure and gives insight into how deeply her trauma has affected her. However, she begins to learn to think for herself and truly examine the world around her as she heals from her past.

It's easy to spot the comparison to Hades through Boreas. He's dark, mysterious, brooding, presides over the dead, and is deeply misunderstood. His own trauma helps mold him into the fierce king the world sees him as, but he suffers below the surface for connection in his life. The world slowly begins to shatter as they push each other towards healing and each other.

However, the ending left some things to be desired. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way because it left too many questions for this particular storyline. Hopefully some are answered in later books or I might go crazy.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I will be subjecting my tear ducts to the other three as they become available.