“The North Wind” is a standalone classic enemies-to-lovers \ Beauty and The Beast/Hades and Persephone retelling . The magic system was interesting and I loved The Frost King (MMC) who is a dark god and Wren (MFC)who is a strong and stubborn mortal. The banter between the two was pretty entertaining too.
I really enjoyed reading this book it was a bit long but the storyline was interesting and I really wanted to know how it ended. It does end with a HEA. This story had a very slowwwwww burn romance but it was worth the wait because it was perfectly executed 🥵
Overall I enjoyed reading this fantasy retelling .
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️🔥

Thank you to NetGally and Saga Press for proving a digital copy of The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick in exchange for an honest review.
A stand alone, fantasy romance, slow-burn, enemies to lovers that had been completely transfixed - YES, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!
This was a really great Beauty and the Beast retelling with some Greek mythology. Our FMC Wren would do anything for her beloved sister including giving herself to the North Wind, man with a heart of ice, in her place. The Library scene…. truly every romance readers fantasy come to life. I cannot wait to read more within the interconnected series.

I really enjoyed this book overall, and thought that the FMCs struggles with addiction and self worth felt very authentic and relatable, and I absolutely loved her personality and the banter that she shared with the MMC. This definitely lived up to the Beauty and Beast + Hades and Persephone retelling that was described, which was really fun to read. My biggest issue with this book is that I had a hard time really understanding the magic – I didn't really understand the magic and rules around the sacrifices that had to be given to the barrier, and the ending made me question a lot of the magic that had been previously set up and made me ask, "what now?". I felt that the magic could have either been simplified OR expanded upon to be given more detail – instead, it felt like I didn't get enough to really feel immersed in this world and was left with a lot of questions.

This was a great beauty and the beast retelling. And it was still very unique. It was a little slow at first. But it picks up a lot as you go through the book.

The North Wind was a slow start for me, but once I hit 40% into the book I FLEW through it!! So good, and cannot wait to see what happens next!

Although this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it didn’t make the story boring or predictable. I liked the heroine Wren; she was strong and smart and stubborn. The beginning gave me Hunger Games vibes as it opens with her bow hunting and escaping an attack from a darkwalker. She then takes the place of her sister after the North Wind chooses her sister Elora to take back with him to the Deadlands. There is a romance and spice but there is an interesting plot and well developed supporting characters, too. If you like romantasy, you will enjoy this book. I will definitely read the next book in the series.

Writing - 4 stars
There were a lot of moments that I enjoyed Warwick’s writing, and it was mainly in her descriptive sections. She has some clear skill in use of imagery and figurative language, but I felt like the writing lacked some umphh (for lack of a better word) in say, the action scenes.
Ex. “The chill in his tone crystallizes, and I swear I feel it scrape against my skin.”

World Building - 3 stars
I got the gist of the world and that dark walkers were bad. Can I picture a dark walker in my mind? Absolutely not.
I appreciated the references to Greek mythology with the Four Winds but other than that, the Deadlands and the Shift and the world itself felt like it pulled from a lot of vague, general fantasy tropes.

Character Development - 3.5 stars
Wren was laugh-out-loud hilarious (honestly) but Boreas was either frosty or warm… he lacked a true “warming up” to Wren. It also felt like their “romance” went from zero to sixty real fast. Honestly, I think with Bóreas being the Frost King, a true slow burn as opposed to random graphic sex scenes may have been more true to his character, but that’s just me. It did not read as romance, it read as desire and not Boreas ever truly wanting Wren as a person, just her loving him and him being there willing to accept sexual advances.

Example of Wren cracking me up: “Truly, he bears every marking of perfection. What a shame he has an intolerable personality.”

Overall Impact - 4 stars
I enjoyed the book and I felt like the beginning of it moved along at a good clip, but the pace seem to slow in the middle. I enjoyed seeing Wren’s personal growth, but I struggled with what felt were missing pieces for me in the Wren-Boreas love story.

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5
Pub Date (US): 5/21/24
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Trigger warning for alcoholism

I loved every second of this enemies to lovers hate to love slow burn romantasy. The slow burn was slooooow but it was so worth it. If you relate to the survivor type, you’ll love Wren. I absolutely loved her fire, headstrongness, stubbornness, and banter with the frost king. The spice was great, so well done, and so worth the wait (with no spice until about the 75% mark), not to mention the one bed trope that added to the angst. And the frost king what’s not to love sexy, brooding, and loved his vulnerable gentle side. This book was perfection, I couldn’t put it down and never wanted it to end. Easily my favorite book I’ve read this year and will likely reread many times in the future. Pre-order this book ASAP you won’t regret it.

If you love enemies to lovers, hades and Persephone or beauty and the beast retellings with some spice this book is for you.

"Inspired by Beauty and the Beast and the myth of Hades and Persephone, this lush and enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Scarlett St. Clair.

Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. With her parents gone, it's Wren's responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter, but if the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for much longer.

For three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice as the Shade, a magical barrier that protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond, weakens. Only one thing can stop the Shade's fall: the blood of a mortal woman bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules. And the time has come to choose his bride.

When the North Wind sets his eyes on Wren's sister, Wren will do anything to save her - even if it means sacrificing herself in the process. But mortal or not, Wren won't go down without a fight...

The North Wind is a stand-alone, enemies-to-lovers slow-burn fantasy romance, the first in a series sprinkled with Greek mythology."

I've always been a sucker for anything Beauty and the Beast related, throw in the gorgeous cover and I'm sold.

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the gifted arc in exchange for an honest review.

“I am a creature whose teeth were sharpened on suffering, and above all else, I will survive.”
-
⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨one bed
✨forced marriage
✨enemies to lovers
✨beauty and the beast retelling

I think this book has a lot of promise! I love the ideas she had for this world and the writing style is also really engaging. I loved the inspiration from beauty and the beast!

Our MMC, Boreas, is a broody immortal with a very cold exterior (my fav kind of mmc 😌). I really enjoyed his character depth and development! He is slow to trust and guards his heart, but once his frosty exterior is melted, he loves fiercely.

“I would do it all over again, give it all up, if only to spend another day in your company.”

Our FMC, Wren, is strong and selfless. She’s battled a life of hardship and loss. I love a strong and sassy FMC, so she had me from the start! However, I thought it was odd that she completely trusted zephyrus at the start. It felt out of character, considering she is so distrustful.

I think the romance and characters saved this book for me. Those aspects were well written and kept me engaged. However, the world building was definitely lacking. There really wasn’t an explanation for why things were the way they were, like the eternal winter. I thought we were building up to a reasoning multiple times but it just never came. It also felt like there were some inconsistencies to the world (for example, mentioning the devil). I also thought it was odd that it’s marketed as a hades x Persephone retelling, but boreas is already his own Greek god. I think this could’ve been improved by Warwick creating new, unique gods or simply sticking with hades and Persephone. I think it just overall lacks originality. I saw a lot of parallels between this book and acotar (wren being a sassy hunter, opening scene is very similar to acotars, and elora is basically just elain). I know they are both beauty and the beast retellings, but it’s just too similar in my opinion!

Overall, I think this series has a lot of promise!

Thank you Alexandria Warwick, NetGalley, and Sage Press for proving this ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a fantastic piece and is the first book apart of The Four Winds series. This book is republished and has been slightly edited from when it was first released.

This is a Beauty and the Beast mixed with a Hades and Persephone retelling. It also reminds me a little bit of The Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa (which I absolutely adored).

I absolutely loved reading this book and ai couldn't put it down!! I loved the story of Wren and Boreas and it was amazing to see the growth of both characters as individuals and as a couple as well. The book is relatively fast paced as well and super easy to read and understand the world that they live in.

I can't wait to read more of The Four Winds in Warwick's next books.

Content:
❄️Beauty and the Beast Retelling with a little bit of Hades and Persephone
💨One Bed
❄️Arranged/Forced Marriage
💨Stabby FMC
❄️Cold, Grumpy MMC
💨POC FMC
❄️Standalone (but apart of a series)
💨One Bed
❄️Forced Proximity
💨Enemies to Lovers
❄️Gods, Specters, Mortals & Monsters
💨CAKE!
❄️Spice

I love this book and I love this series!
This was a reread for me as I read the indie published version right after it was first released. I really liked the small but, in my view, very good changes. No major plot points are changed but the story is polished up.

This book is the slowest of slow burns. I really enjoyed how both Wren and Boreas had to improve as people separate from each other. They didn’t change per se they just worked through some of their bigger character flaws.

This is also a true enemies to lovers. They were very much disgusted with each other in the beginning and their relationship slowly grows over the course of the book.

This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling but I enjoyed the changes Warwick added to the basic structure. I love Greek mythology so any sort of reference to it makes me very happy.

I am very ready for the new entry in this series, The South Wind.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Although it is outwardly described as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, I found myself bored with the similarities in the first several chapters of the book.
I was quickly won over by the slow burn romance and heavily entertained as the story continued to unfold.
I did feel disappointed as we reached the conflict climax that was in my opinion, too quickly resolved.

Overall, 4 ⭐️ because I’m a sucker for a happy ending.

🌶️ warning.

I have to say that this book was fairly frustrating because it was so close to being great.

I thought that both Wren and the North Wind were complex and flawed characters that I really enjoyed getting to know. Their romance was well developed, and I appreciated that they helped to heal one another.

However.

I felt that a lot of the conflict of this book could have been resolved by Wren either asking questions or just engaging in conversations with either the North Wind or West Wind. I also didn't understand why she went from trying to convince the North Wind about the importance of context for someone's actions to completely agreeing with his point of view even when it was wrong. Like she acknowledges that his forcing forever winter on her world resulted in her parents dying and her people struggling. But she's later fighting for him to keep his power because she wanted his dick? I was so confused. Why was she so convinced that Zephyrus was evil when he was fighting for his realm, the same way that Boreas was fighting for his? She didn't think to go investigate his claims of winter invading the spring realm before passing judgement on him? It was just so hypocritical and really kept me from giving this book a full endorsement.

Reviews going live on 4/29 on Goodreads, Storygraph and Instagram

I really enjoyed this romantasy novel featuring the story of a god and a human forced together through circumstances. A twist on the classic enemies to lovers troupe that is very well done. There are points that you want to yell at the characters in frustration as they willfully or ignorantly miss the others intensions, but they are all well rounded. By halfway through the book I tore through the story to find out what would happen at the end.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 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 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦."

I love a grumpy man and his stabby, violent wife. there was a bunch of the usual fun romantasy tropes and I was also pleasantly surprised about the representation of people who suffer from addiction. Wren wasn’t always painted as the pretty, perfect heroine and seeing all the gross nitty gritty aspects of her living life was refreshing

Overall, I think this is a solid beach read with a plot that's familiar but still entertaining to follow along- I read it in a day and could probably have done it in a sitting. I think the strength of the story came from the side characters and the action playing at the edges of the character's awareness throughout- Orla and Pallas were standouts in that respect. I couldn't really pin Wren down, as she went so hot and cold that her characterization felt inconsistent. She was constantly backtracking in her actions and feelings, because the "enemies" portion of this romance would have been too short-lived otherwise. The North Wind/Frost King/Boreas (not a slam, we're drawing on a lot of mythology here and I thought that was fun!) was an inoffensive love interest with a character arc we're used to. I think the part of the story I struggled with most was the writing quality. I'm pretty sure this story has been around in different forms for a while, and there are some glaring errors (like an entire repeated paragraph) that pulled me out of the story. The writing also relies very heavily on clichés to explain the character's thoughts and their romance, which made this feel very YA- they both read as being about 16, not 23 and immortal. Once you know what you're getting into, it's enjoyable and diverting.

**Features:**
-Explores themes of addiction, sacrifice, and trauma informed relationship building
-Slow burn, enemies-to-lovers (captor/captured) romance
-Blended retelling of Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Pespehone with other influences mixed in

A tale as old as time but with some interesting new twists! This book is a blended retelling of both Beauty and the Beast and the myth of Hades and Persephone. The mix of these stories works really well and there are definitely influences from other fantasy stories as well. However, everything fits together very cohesively in this slow burn romance. The romance between main character Wren and Boreas (The North Wind) is definitely the focus of this story and it takes time for things to start to thaw between them. There was enough going on with the plot that I was able to stay interested even when their relationship seemed at a standstill and ultimately, the whole evolution of these characters was worth sticking around for. There are occasionally some inconsistencies in the story and world building that can be a little confusing, but it still manages to have a strong identity overall. This is definitely one romantasy lovers will enjoy as long as you don’t mind waiting for things to heat up.

**Pro: Slow but satisfying**

Every few decades, the immortal known as The North Wind descends upon Wren’s village and selects a young woman as a ‘sacrifice’. Nobody knows what happens to the women who are selected, only that they are never seen again. Convinced that nothing but the purest of evil awaits those chosen by the being responsible for the cold, Wren is thrown into a state of panic when her twin sister, Elora, is chosen. In a last bid to protect Elora, Wren tricks The North Wind into taking her instead. Given these circumstances, it is little wonder that things are off to a rocky start.

Wren spends the better part of the book plotting The North Wind’s (Boreas’s) demise, even as they start to warm up to each other a little more. Both characters are selfish and hard headed in their own ways, but there are also reasons behind their behavior that make it understandable even if it can get a little annoying. A lot of their journey as a couple is just as much about growing past their trauma-informed behaviors as it is about connecting with each other and I found the way they do so very enjoyable. We don’t get a lot of Elora after the beginning of the story, but the way she is woven into the later parts of the story is very well done and supports the growth of the other characters in a meaningful way. It takes a little longer than I would like to start seeing these shifts, but it is worth the wait!

**The Breakdown: What story are we in now?**

From the first few moments of this story, I was drawn into this world of ice and the characters trying to survive within it. However, if you look closer, you start to see all of the little cracks under the surface. To me, it feels like Warwick has a clear idea of what the world and characters look like as well as how they want to represent the key elements they are drawing from the source material. However, they don’t always know how to connect these ideas or what things should be at a more micro level and it leads to small inconsistencies throughout. A very good example of this is early in the book when Wren makes an off comment about a three headed dog guarding the river/entrance to the Deadlands (Underworld). Where the parallels to Greek myth are clear at this point, this comment felt out of touch with the world being established. Nothing else from Greek myth has been so directly mentioned to this point and the concept of a traditional Cerberus in a wintery world plagued by Deadwalkers feels almost comically out of place. Even if the intent was to reveal Wren’s lack of knowledge, there were a lot of other options that would feel more cohesive.

This moment and others are quite small, but world building is all in the details. Though I appreciate the story took its time, there are definitely moments where things stalled and became repetitive in a ‘loading screen’ like fashion while we transitioned into the next big ‘scene’. Most of the inconsistencies happen in these off moments. Perhaps what I am missing most is a clear cultural touchstone in this world. There is definitely a history and lore guiding the events unfolding, but we never get a real sense of how this history has seeped into culture in consistent and meaningful ways. This might have helped make the broader plot clearer and more compelling while also giving Wren more clear and powerful motives. Overall, I was very immersed in this world but found myself a little lost in the woods at times.

Are you too in yet another reading slump because nothing makes your cold heart beat after finishing Sarah J Maas's catalogue? Although Alexandria Warwick's book is not the 6th ACOTAR it is an incredibly swoon worthy enemies to lovers with a growly MMC and touches of both Beauty & the Beast AND Hades & Persephone so really what more could you ask for? I lost track of how many times our girl Wren attempted to put an end to her enemy and yet I was salivating over the North Wind just as much as her (if not more).. This first book promises an excellent continuing of the 4 book series and I personally will be first in line to pick up The West Wind when it drops!

I liked the book for the most part, but I did often find it difficult to empathize with Wren and Boreas. I liked the plot, even if I did guess some of the ending fairly early on. The characters had decent growth towards the end. And I did like the happy ending provided. I can see reading any sequels that come along, provided Wren doesn't back track on being emotionally vulnerable with Boreas.