I found this book hard to rate.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is firstly and foremost a Beauty and the Beast retelling. It’s a romance heavy fantasy. This is ultimately its downfall because the characters are rather unlikeable it’s hard to get swept up and then the world building at times lacked and things were never really explained outside of “because”

That said the characters are flawed for a reason - while I may have wished them to be a less flawed in ways that specifically annoyed me I also see that they needed those flaws to have a romance.

If you like romance heavy retellings this is your story - if you like fantasy heavy with a touch of romance then this will not be your vibe.

In the end I thought about this book when I wasn’t reading it so it’s one that good or bad you will have it sit in your memory and capture your imagination

The book was a hate to love romance slow burn but once I was halfway through I couldn't put it down. I thought there was going to be a love triangle with the West Wind like in the twilight series. I loved Wren's attitude, fighting spirit and never give up attitude. I would have liked to have more insight into Boreas's thoughts, feelings and past. Boreas making a cake made me giggle.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this story. As much as I enjoy a beauty and the beast retelling, Unfortunately this missed the mark for me. Some parts felt underdeveloped yet at the same time the pace was incredibly slow. Would give it a solid 2.5 stars as I feel I wasn’t the intended reader for this story.

This being a Beauty and the Beast retelling had me intrigued, but it was the witty banter that kept me up at night nonstop reading this beauty.

This book follows Wren, a feisty woman doing everything she can to keep her and her twin sister safe, and Boreas, the nefarious North Wind. This book is filled with hatred, revenge plotting, self-loathing and a whole lot of growth.

I found the world easy to digest and understand, however I would have loved to have seen more depth and perhaps questionings of things that were happening. I found some of the scenes felt kind of out of the blue. Perhaps with even a sprinkling of some details or conversations, parts of the read would have had a more seamless flow to them.

The characters really make this book the fun and interesting book it is. The side characters offer support, love, and confliction, all of which act as tools for our main female protagonist to develop and grow in a really beautiful and honest way. Both Wren and Boreas are both flawed characters in need of a really good wake up call.

The tension was phenomenal, the sass, hilarious, and I loved that even when the main characters grew closer that snappy banter didn’t turn into sappy lovey mush. And this is not to say they don’t have gentle moments with each other because they absolutely do. But the fun essence of the relationship thankfully doesn’t get lost.

The characters were memorable but the overall setting perhaps not the most front of mind. The pacing I would say is in that medium realm. This book also has quite literally the most wonderful epilogue I have ever read.

Worth a pick up if you love a good enemies to lovers. Or more simply if you enjoy Beauty and the beast the parallels are done really well.

This book was interesting. I really enjoyed it for the most part and it had some exciting storylines. There did seem to be a lot of filler which could get boring every now and again. I won’t lie, when I read what the epilogue was about I thought for sure I’d be bored but I thought it was a nice touch. The characters were well written. I loved Wren’s personality and Boreas cracking funnies. All in all it was a good book and I do recommend checking it out.

It turned out okay, but I really wanted a more likeable protagonist and less fingerbanging.

I feel like, if this had focused on being a fantasy story instead of trying so hard to be romance as well, it would have been so much better. The romance felt forced and led to some incredibly awkward, questionable moments. I could rant, but I'll try not to.

The story is a rather blunt Beauty and the Beast retelling, where Wren is taken from poverty by the beastly North Wind. She assumes she's to be sacrificed but instead she's married off to him, for some awfully thin excuse of his needing her 'royal' blood to fix a barrier around the land. He takes a woman roughly every thirty years but none of this is ever really explained properly.

From the start, Wren is a detestable character. There's a really interesting commentary on feminism and the idea of women being accused of being 'too much', but Wren destroys any sympathy for the argument by being an utter contradictory nuisance. For example, she was allegedly raised in poverty, having to do everything for her twin sister because her parents always looked after one sister more than the other (this is never properly discussed, either), but as soon as she gets servants she's ordering them all around like a queen? It didn't sit right with me.

Also, the cake obsession was so stupid. Don't preach to me about how hard her life has been and then tell me how important cake is to her.

There were so many times when I found myself really caught up in the story, only to be jarred out of it by things that didn't seem to match the characters at all, and it was so incredibly frustrating.

As far as the romance goes, maybe people who are really into romance will appreciate it more, but it made me incredibly uncomfortable. A lot of it didn't make sense to me (especially when Wren spends at least 2/3 of the book insisting she still hates and wants to kill this guy) and it also went into far too much detail when so many other details were missed. I also really didn't like that towards the end there was a throwaway comment about something quite serious. I felt it was messy and disrespectful and glanced over an important topic that deserved a lot more attention.

Sigh.

So yeah. The romance sucked and ruined this completely for me.

There was a decent story lurking in here, but it just tried so hard to be another A Court of Thorns and Roses that it fell flat. Which is a shame, because there are some really great ideas in here that I wanted to explore further.

I guess if you love romance with a side of fantasy, you'll appreciate this. If you're okay with a thin plot holding the sex scenes together, you'll get your kicks here. But fantasy lovers will find better B&B retellings elsewhere.

With thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC

I was very intrigued by the description and excited to receive the ARC for The North Wind on Netgalley!

I dove in straightaway and was enjoying it so much that I went and preordered a signed paperback edition from Booktopia!

I really enjoyed this Beauty & The Beast fairytale retelling and the atmospheric writing by Alexandria! Also aesthetically, the book is stunning! (And blues are my favourite colours!)

I am so happy to now own a physical copy to be able to return to the story time and again!

Thank you for allowing me a copy via NetGallery. This hades and Persephone retelling reads so differently from the usual books I’ve read and kept me on my toes throughout. The world building could have been more in depth while we were waiting for the slow burn to…. well burn but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed the romance and the plot!


More on the romance… I loved our main characters and I always enjoy a stubborn female protagonist and a black cat with golden retriever tendencies male main character. Let me leave you with this quote to rope you in!!

"I'm not sleeping on the floor," he continues. "If anyone is sleeping on the floor, it's you. You're young. I'm many millennia old. I have back pain."
"You do not have back pain!" I cry, whirling around. If he has back pain, then I'm a snail.
Then I notice the shape of his mouth, its subtle upward curve. "Did you just make a joke?"

Wren’s town has been stuck in the dead of winter for the past 300 years; life is difficult and cold. Orphaned a few years ago, Wren bears the responsibility of keeping herself and her twin sister alive. She hunts for food and sells her body, all to save her sister from the same fate. Every thirty years or so, seven suitable women are chosen from the town to offer theirselves to the greatly feared North King. Each time he selects a wife, he takes them away and they are never seen again. This year, Wren’s sister Elora has been selected as one of the seven women to present herself to the North Wind, and Wren will do anything to save her.

The beginning of the book had strong A Court of Thorns and Roses and Hunger Games vibes, and that made so excited to be reading this book. However, I felt let down by the fantasy elements of this book. I felt that there was a lot of focus on the romance, but not a lot of world-building, leaving the fantasy element feeling unfinished. I would recommend this book to Beauty and the Beast lovers (and Hades and Persephone lovers), and to those who prefer the romance element of Romantasy. Please be mindful that this book contains elements that may not be suitable for Young Adult readers.

2.25/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

This was a beautiful retelling of a classic with some fresh updated themes. I really enjoyed spending time in thos world that I purchased the audiobook so I can experience it again.

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a romantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I loved it! The way the world is described allowed me to really picture it and enjoyed watching the characters slowly reveal themselves.

While it is a Beauty and the Beast theme, it was done quite differently and introduced different characters that will be seen in upcoming novels.

I can't wait to read more of this series!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC!

The characters are relatable
Brilliant moving plot with lots of action and emotions and connections that seemed real
The Godly world was well fleshed out

I loved this book! Once I heard it was inspired by my all-time favourite Disney movie - Beauty and Beast, I had to read it!
I am new to the romantasy world, this was my second book in this genre, and I'm completely obsessed!
The spicy scenes were fire! The writing was outstanding. I couldn't put this book down!

This is a slow burn, enemies to lovers' book.

I can't wait to read about the other brothers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 🌶️/5
Tropes:
❄️Enemies to lovers
❄️One bed
❄️Slowburn
❄️Beauty and the Beast inspired (kind of more of a vibe?)

Wren and her sister Elora are struggling to survive the upcoming winter and that’s when the north wind (Boreas) arrives to take his new sacrifice/bride. After a quick double cross Boreas is left with Wren as his wife… will he warm up to her? Yes, but it will take quite awhile.

This was a solid book with some pretty solid world building, although I did find myself getting confused with names every now and again. The slowburn was icy until it wasn’t, and I liked the character development despite not loving Wren as much as I thought I would. Wren is headstrong and gave up a lot to ensure her sister never went without and Elora ended up resenting her for it? I grew to hate Elora (your sister literally gave up everything for you) and I’m glad Wren named her horse after their mother before Elora had the chance to name her child.

This was a very easy read and I found myself engrossed in the story ( I read it in one sitting) and if you’re a fan of ACOTAR and beauty and the beast retellings (loosely based on) I think you will enjoy this book. I desperately want to read the West, East and South Winds (what is he hiding behind the hood? I need to know… I’m intrigued) and thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for this ARC.

This story is described as a Beauty and the Beast/ Hades and Persephone retelling and that’s exactly what it is. It quite literally opens with the same scene as a different Beauty and the Beast retelling (yes the very popular one) and it sets the mood for the whole story. While the writing isn’t bad, I feel this book itself lacks originality, there’s nothing that makes it unique or special. I struggled to pick up this book because I didn’t really want to read it as I felt like I knew exactly where the story was going. It was boring, not a lot of plot happened and it lacked action. The only thing I can mention that was unique in this book was the FMC was an alcoholic and I haven’t read that in a book before. Everything else was very simple, already-done Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone vibes. The plot could have been interesting, I do feel as though there was potential, but unfortunately the world-building and character backstories were lacking in information. And a lot of, what I feel were basic questions, were not answered and we weren’t given the information for them, so there definitely were holes where information or world building could of been given but wasn’t. I’m guessing there will be a second book but potentially featuring a different couple, if that’s so I hope the author provides a lot more world building and information and takes the time to fully flesh out the characters.

I LOVED this book! It had me in a chokehold the entire way through. The complex main character, the realistic friendship and slow burn built between the two main characters, the interesting world, everything! Wren was such a feral and determined main character, and I loved seeing how far she would go to get what she wants. I feel that the epilogue let her down as a character (it was too generic), but I've a known dislike for epilogue so it's possible it's just me.

Overall, I would strongly recommend this book for fans of ACOTAR, Beauty and the Beast retellings, and true slow burn, enemies to lovers stories.

Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering, and with her parents gone, it her her responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter. If the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for much longer. Already we have a character portrayal of the older sister trying to keep herself, and her sister, safe and well in a world that would see them perish.

For three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice, but the magical barrier that protects the townsfolk is beginning to weaken. Only one thing can stop the fall of the barrier” the blood of a mortal women bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal who’s heart is said to me a frigid as the land he rules. There’s nothing one could love more than a morally grey immortal who clearly has no capacity for feelings, or love, but will potentially fall for the feisty main character anyway.

And now the time has come to choose his bride. When the North Wind sets his eyes on Wren’s sister,Wren will do anything t save her, even if it means sacrificing herself in the process. But mortal or not, she won’t go down without a fight. Not only would one be obsessed with the fire and ferocity of the main character but the lush and evocative world the author has created. There is something beautiful about a world encased in ice that will always be appealing to me.

And there is nothing more a reader would love then a wholly earned enemies to lovers romance with just enough spice to keep the sparks flying in this cold world. With a clear and distinctive fairytale influence the world building is still new and atmospheric. It was everything one would have wanted from a epic romantic fantasy in a world designed to destroy where love would blossom.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬

I chose the book because it was described as being a ‘beauty and the beast’ cross ‘hades and Persephone’ retelling, and these are two of my favorite stories.

It is so much more than that. Complex world and character building with beautiful writing that had me staying up late to finish. In all honesty, I forgot I was reading an Arc, and w into go search for the next release date. Suffice to say I was disappointed this had only just come out. Needless to say, I recommend giving it a go wholeheartedly

3 Stars

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy in exchange for my review*

I started this as audio and was about to DNF at 25% before deciding to give the ebook a try first. I found what I enjoyed the most about it was the writing style and that prompted me actually continue and finish.

The North Wind is the story of Wren, a scarred woman living in a small village with her twin sister, Elora. When the Frost King comes to their village looking for a young woman as a sacrifice and chooses Elora, Wren disguises herself as her sister and takes her place. Instead of being sacrificed however the Frost King makes her his bride.

This was a dark, richly written fairytale about old gods, eternal winter, and overcoming adversity through love. In addition to the writing style, I enjoyed the exploration of toxic family, alcoholism, and judgement in death. Most of the characters made me apathetic, but I enjoyed the love story between Wren and Boreas.

The story was slow but the writing engaged me, and although the climax and resolution felt lacklustre I was satisfied by where the story ended.

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick was wonderful read- once I got a feel for who the heroine, Wren, was I was sucked into the story. I enjoyed the Beauty and The Beast, enemies- to-lovers tropes, set in a fantasy inspired world. Warwick wonderfully showed the development of the characters - most especially Boreas/The North Wind. Keep in mind that I am not someone who reads a lot of fantasy and can't really comment too much on the world itself etc etc.
My only real criticism of the story is that I felt like I needed a little more out of the ending - not in the sense that the ending itself was different, but more so that there was further explanation of the events leading to the resolution. Possibly more on what the consequences of the ending/resolution were to the world and it's people. (Perhaps these are explained in other books? This is not something I have yet investigated)
All in all a wonderful read, well-developed characters and some steamy, slow burn romance. 3.5/5