I really enjoyed this book! I haven’t read the North Wind so wasn’t too sure what to expect but this was a great book. I thought it was empowering and whimsical and intriguing the whole way through. I did feel like the ending dragged out a bit and I didn’t need the epilogue but other than that, I had so much fun with this book and will be reading the north wind asap! I wasn’t sure I was going to like Zephyrus as the MMC but I ended up really loving him by the end (though I was confused a lot of the time about whether I was meant to like him or not 😂)

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!
I am very grateful to have been able to continue this series as I also received an ARC of The North Wind - which I promptly went and pre-ordered. I'm looking forward to having The West Wind on my shelves too.

The cover designs of these editions of this series are stunning!

I enjoyed the slow burn storyline with Brielle and Zephyrus. I liked that we got to learn more about Zephyrus in this book, that he is "deeply flawed, a man in the midst of transition".
And we got a tiny bit more about the other brothers. The connection between this book & The North Wind was felt good.

I'm personally not a fan of the more explicit elements of these stories, I think they would hold their own without the spice.

Following a set pathway through an organised religion, versus freedom of self-discovery & expression. Lost love, loyalty and betrayal.
4.5 stars

The fair folk’s king requires his tithe every 7 years. Every 7 years the daughters at the Abbey pay with their blood. Brielle, a noviciate and daughter, works as a bladesmith to ensure the iron daggers are ready for the journey to the Under to appease the Under King.

Brielle is obedient, subservient and sure of her God.
Until she stumbles across an unconscious man who makes her question everything she believes and holds dear to her heart.
Zephyrus is an outcast God. Known for his manipulative and selfish characteristics. When Brielle unwittingly assists his recovery she creates a debt that must be repaid.
Will this debt be both of their undoing?

I am surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. I didn’t struggle through the introduction and world building like I did with the North Wind.

I love Brielle, while innocent she is not naive to the world. As a plus size FMC she is written so well! Her journey through her faith is explored in a respectful way that makes sense to the experiences she faces as a character.

Zephyrus, Zephyrus, Zephyrus… I adore him. Even after his choices in the North Wind and I’m so glad we learnt more of his back story and reasons why he is the way he is. I will forgive him for any of his shortcomings.

Alexandria Warwick is a master at writing some unlikeable characters in short frames and boy did Harper make my blood boil. How she does this needs to be studied.

If you were on the fence after the North Wind don’t let that stop you from picking up the West Wind. It’s worth reading. It still encompasses all the fantasy tropes and locations while taking us on a unique journey of faith, love and redemption.

Such a great story! I loved The North Wind but I think I like this one even better
Thank you for the ARC

I enjoyed this book a lot. I read the North Wind prior to reading this, and I definitely enjoyed the storyline of this one so much more.

Yes it is a longer read, but I felt the storyline, the growth of the characters and the ending to be great.

Brielle is a strong woman, she has her faith and has dedicated her life to the abbey - she is determine to become an acolyte. To become an acolyte you must remain pure - you must have never touched a man - and Brielle is set to do this.

But Brielle comes across an injured man in the forest, and Brielle cannot walk past him without helping him. She soon discovers that this man is an immortal god - Zephyrus or The West Wind - Bringer of Spring. Can she stay true to her faith?!

In the North Wind we are introduced to Zephyrus, he is sneaky, charming and deceptive. I actually didn't like his character in the North Wind, but this book shows his growth as a person and by the end of the book I definitely changed my tune on him.

The world building in this book is great, and it was very easy to follow.

You don't necessarily need to read the North Wind before this, but I definitely think it will help - especially with mention of some characters in this book (and to help with the world building too!).

I'm intrigued to see what the next installment has for us.

The premise was wonderful, I enjoyed the prose and the world was fascinating. However I did not feel like this was a coherent sequel to the North Wind, as the world, and even the characters, felt very different to the first book.

The pacing was a little weird, but The West Wind felt much less ACOTAR-inspired, and I really enjoyed the direction the story took. I look forward to the next installment!

“The West Wind is a force, and helplessly, I’m swept downstream.”

Brielle, a dedicated novitiate of Thornbrook, only dreams of becoming an acolyte and dedicating her life to the Father. Her world is thrown upside down when she comes across an injured man in the forest, Zephyrus, the West Wind. Her encounter with the Bringer of Spring takes her on a journey through Under, and Brielle must confront all she knows, and battle between her faith and her heart.

“You would do well to heed my warning, young novitiate. Do not trust Zephyrus. He will use you for his own gain.”

Having read and enjoyed The North Wind, I was looking forward to this instalment focusing on the trickster Zephyrus, and I was not disappointed! I really enjoyed the adventure and quest aspect of the story, it added excitement to the plot, as the romance is a slow burn. The depth and growth of both Brielle and Zephyrus is well done, and I loved being on the journey with them. This book is foremost a romance story, but it is also a story about self-growth and the courage needed to be vulnerable.

“‘I believe there are few good things in this world,’ he says, ‘but the kindness of your heart might be the best thing I have ever experienced, in any lifetime.’”

The Four Winds has become a loved series of mine and I will definitely be continuing. Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for this ARC.

I had high hopes for this book as I really enjoyed the first in the series. Sadly, it didn’t really live up to my expectations. It wasn’t a bad book, and the plot is good, but I found it to be too long and ponderous in places, and some of the characters’ development was hard to believe. With tighter editing I think it could have been really good.
3.5*

This was beautiful, I’m speechless honestly I don’t know what to say besides the fact that this was amazing.

This is my pick for my bookstore’s romance book club that I co-run. After loving the North Wind I was especially excited for Zephyrus’s story. I will admit, I enjoyed the North Wind a lot more, though this was still enjoyable enough.
We follow Brielle, who is essentially a nun in training who gets swept up in the West Wind’s antics after saving him from death (or close enough.) Brielle was an interesting main character - she’s large and strong, working a masculine job at the abbey as a blacksmith. Her struggles with her faith were what kept me reading.
I felt that the pacing of the story was all over the place. It felt like something significant happened on every page with no time to comprehend or sit with it. As such I struggled with the first half, though I very much enjoyed the latter half.
I am very interested to hear what my book club will say about it, and I hope to encourage them to pick up the North Wind.

“It takes courage to walk a new path.”

Following Brielle on her journey was both intriguing and enjoyable. Having already met Zephyrus in the North Wind I went in with a preconceived notion of who I thought he was. Understanding the complexity of his character completely changed my perception of him.

There were moments where I audibly gasped and shook my kindle and moments where I cheered. Overall I really enjoyed The West Wind and can’t wait for more of the series.

I went into this book with a large dislike for Zephyrus after reading The North Wind... And I'm leaving it absolutely loving him.

The character growth for him in this story is incredible. As well as for Brielle as she struggles between her faith and following her heart.

I was pleasantly surprised at how different this story was to the first book despite being set in the same world. I loved the journey Brielle went on.

The epilogue for this book is just as perfect as the one from the first book. Sure to make you laugh.

The west wind is an Enemies to lovers slow burn romance, the perfect book for romantasy fans. Well written.

I came for Zephyrus and what I got was a whole lot of boring, annoying Brielle and wayyyy too much religion for my liking. That's definitely a "me" problem, but I assumed that the religion would be a cover for something more sinister and a way of manipulating and controlling Brielle, and she would realise this and leave that life. But nope. Religion the whole way through.

I don't mind a slow burn but I didn't really get the chemistry between our two main characters and I was honestly bored and didn't even care if they ended up together.

I loved Zephyrus in the first book and was looking forward to his redemption story, but even he was pretty boring. We didn't get much of the devious, charismatic trickster vibe, just a lot of self-pity.

I really enjoyed this first book, but sadly, this one was not for me.

To be completely honest, I didn't like Zephyrus from his appearance in The North Wind so I was skeptical going into this story. The world building was solid - easy to visualize the abbey and its surrounds, Under was well thought through. But that's where the enjoyment ended for me. I struggled to find common ground with Brielle and her plight. <spoiler>Basically wanted to murder Harper from the get go. I'm all for an antagonist to push others to be better but what a biiiiiiitch. The pacing was all over the place as well and I suffered whiplash from Brielle and Zephyrus' interactions. I know she was struggling with her vows and her faith but it was unbelievable. And the ending.. well I guess they got a happy ending but Zephyrus didnt deserve one.</spoiler> The story held my interest enough that I wanted to see where it went. Not sure if I will go on to read a third in the series though

After reading the first book the north wind I was so pumped to read this one!

And I wasn’t disappointed i loved the characters development from the first book they grew a lot I can’t wait for this to continue

Full review coming soon! Full review coming soon! Full review coming soon! Full review coming soon! Full review coming soon!

The West Wind by Alexandria Warwick
3.5⭐️
1 🌶

Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC.

After reading The North Wind, I had to get my hands on this. The MMC was introduced as the villain in the first book, so I was intrigued to see how this book would play out. Zephyrus definitely redeemed himself.
I admit, at the start, I was worried I wouldn't get into it. It starts with a lot of religion, which isn't my thing. I pushed through and am glad I did. It was a bit slow throughout by I enjoyed the world building of "Under" and all the mythical creatures. I look forward to the next brother, the South Wind.

Thank you to Netgalley, Alexandria Warwick, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review

Brielle has been raised in the Thornbrook Abbey since the age of 11, and works as the resident bladesmith. For ten years she has strived to become an acolyte so that she may deepen her relationship with The Father and work to spread his word to others. However, when she comes across the broken body of a man in the forest, she smuggles him into her room to help him recover - despite males being prohibited from setting foot on the abbey premises. Little does Brielle know that this is no man, but a god, and Zephyrus, The West Wind is as manipulative, selfish, and tricksy as they come.

I loved the parts of the story that took place in Under! I was enchanted by the eerie environment, the strange and magical fair folk, and the rules that mortals must abide by to remain as safe as possible during their time below. The characters we meet in Under, most notably the Orchid King, are really interesting and unique, and I love how the villain ties into Zephyrus’ backstory and shapes the person he has become.

However, the parts of the story that take place in the Abbey didn’t hold my attention as well. I found Brielle’s constant inner thoughts about faith and The Father and becoming an acolyte to be rather tedious after a while. I understand this is important context for her character development but it felt a little over the top in places. I do love that she learns to practice her faith in a way that is balanced with the other joys life has to offer, as opposed to all encompassing devotion to The Father and The Text.

While I thought the first half of this book was rather slow, once the pace picked up in the second part it was really good! Overall, I did enjoy this book and I’m looking forward to the next one, I’m hoping to learn more of Notus!

Starting with an intriguing premise and a world rich in folktale and church dynamics, I enjoyed the prospect of seeing both characters' quests to the end. I was, however, horrified with the way the story was chosen to go.
With an underworld that is practically a 24/7 orgy, and a church that drains blood from their young woman to appease a bargain with said underworld, I was utterly revolted. And instead of choosing a compelling and dynamic aspiration for our protagonist, who is a worthy blacksmith and was striving to become a nun, it seems the point of her journey was to believe the church was refusing her the right to have sex, and the cure was to do whatever she wanted, and with whoever she wanted. Um, what about devotion? Purity? Striving to become a servant for something that you believe in? Nope.
Perhaps more permissible if she had desired romance, or family, or saw value in a life outside the church-- I could get behind that. But every time these two characters met it seemed like nothing but lustful desire, a gross prelude to what they wanted to do to each other, and never *with*.
I was so uncomfortable that I could not finish, and honestly, I had no desire to. There once was a time where stories could stand on their own, with merits and values, but this work clearly shows that the book industry has chosen to substitute compelling plot and morals with grossly graphic, immediate gratification. It breaks my heart that this is the state of fiction these days, and that authors are either using their works as an outlet for dark desires, or believe that it will be the only thing that will get them sold. This story would have had value and strength without it.
As it is, I'm afraid I could never recommend this to anyone.