There is a lot of debate as to whether a review needs to spoil the reader. In many ways reviews are designed to spoil you. We tell you the plot points, what we like and do not so that you go in with some preconceptions – some of which you then agree with and others you do not. There is one school of thought that the review should be prepared to discuss everything in the story to really grapple with how it works or not and tell you it all as a book should work even if you know the big spoilers. I think I take the view that as I’m often in the privileged position of early access to a story it seems a shame I can’t leave some things for readers to experience the reveal being just as much in the dark as I was when I first turned the pages. This is long way of saying that when it comes to reviewing Ai Jiang’s fascinating fantasy novella A palace Near The Wind this is going to be difficult because this is a story where we like the main character starts to find the entire world is not quite what they thought it was. What seems a simple folk tale retelling becomes a much more complex tale in so so many ways.

Liu Lufeng is Feng loyalty amongst the Wind Walkers of the forests, a race of tree-like beings who live as one with nature and natural beauty but are increasingly threatened by an ever-expanding human settlement concreting and changing the world with technology. The solution to prevent more of the land being destroyed has been to marry one of the royal family to the human King. Lufeng’s mother and two sisters have already been married and have vanished into the mysterious palace and now it is Lufeng’s time to be married to stop a further encroachment. She says goodbye to her youngest sister and beloved grandmother, but nothing will prepare her for the strange sights of the Palace, their love of nature and how much of the world is not quite what it seems

Based on the summary above you may be thinking ah this is a folk story retelling a noble sacrifice and a bridge between two worlds? The first act certainly supports it we get Lufeng’s perspective, her emotional investment in saving her family and the beautifully described world of the Win Walkers whose non-human nature focused world is drawn beautifully in contrast to the human city dwellers who use machines, wreck land in their strange crawling devices and live in walls of bone and it feels lifeless as does the enigmatic king we meet who just sees the marriage as a political alignment. If this was a simpler tale no doubt LuFeng’s heart would melt the human word and all would be well? Jiang though much prefers to instead surprise us constantly with revelations that start to make Lufeng and the reader realise this world is not at all what we have seen in other such types of stories. The revelation of the King and their agenda is fantastically delivered and that is a reveal you deserve as readers to experience as a shock yourself its really well done and instantly darkens the whole tale.

Talking more obliquely this is a story about how two worlds collide and is a metaphor about how people can be both tempted, managed and controlled into living a very different type of life to the ones they knew. Lufeng gets shocked into a world where people eat meat, wear clothes and use technology. Some of which is horrific for her - the description of her eating a formerly living creature that likely dwelled in her first is shown to us as a moment of horror, but you can also see what for some this is a world of new experiences and delights that allows people to change and expand. But there may also be a cost too. This is a world of surveillance and one that has a lot of secret controls in place. What is the human interest in the Wind Walkers and as we find out there are more element based races around and how do they all interact together? We are moving from a folk tale of two very different worlds to a much more complex story of how a big empire can entice and subdue those of the countries it seeks to control and the price it demands if you want to experience these advantages. There are questions of cultural identity, power and control plus the ways we can try to resist and unite to oppose this. The latter half of the book is Lufeng trying to do the best for her family and people and finding exactly how big and powerful her enemies now are. It also raises questions on how her own world has been managing these situations and the pain that has itself caused her own family. This is very much a story of a young woman discovering the cruel truths of her wider world and deciding if she is prepared to follow what is expected of her or not. It very much is a book setting up its second volume but the set pieces and the tensions that erupt mean by the end we are all invested and aware more revelations and sacrifices are very likely to come.

It works very much with Jiang’s use of language in the early parts of the story that really make the Wind Walker world appear so ideal and with LuFeng’s voice we feel her anxiousness about her situation and the fates of her missing family. But the hidden depths of this world slowly emerge surprising Lufeng and watching her react to these events has more shades of horror and even dystopian drama than the first act appears to suggest. We are so used to having a princess trapped in a gilded cage in some stories this story though asks what if the whole world was the one actually entrapped. There are real world analogies with how power corrupts but also tempts its inhabitants to obey the rulers of it, that I find very well handled and am very intrigued what is in store for the final instalment.

A Palace near the Wind is not what you may think it looks like from the early chapters. Its delightfully complex and surprising the journey it takes its characters and readers on. A seemingly straightforward folk tale that hides some razor blades within it and takes us on a much darker and interesting look at the power of control and how it works subtly and with force. Hugely engaging and a further reminder Ai Jiang is an author to watch out for. Strongly recommended!

This is the first book in this new duology, which was a quick and easy read. I love the Studio Ghibli & Attack on Titan vibes.

This was the most original novel I’ve read in a while. The world-building is fascinating and unique, and the plot is filled with mysteries and twists. For such a short read, the main character faced many impossible decisions.

A Palace Near the Wind soon turned into a tale about family, the obligations towards the elders and the need to protect the youngest. It’s also a compelling exploration of the tension between tradition and progress, nature and industry.

This book is the first in a duology. I will definitely read more from this author.

A unique little novella, with magical world building, great themes and lyrical writing.
The first book in a new duology. However, I feel like it could have been one longer book. 🤷‍♀️
Overall, the writing was beautiful and allegorical, and the story felt new and refreshing.
I highly recommend it to lovers of high fantasy, especially those who love a slower-paced story with poetic writing.

3.5/5 stars

Rating: 3.5 - 4/5⭐

Review:
✨Thank you to Titan Books & #NetGalley for this #ARC! This review was voluntarily written by me.
✨I added #APalaceNearTheWind to my TBR last year, hence I’m truly grateful for this review copy. Thus, I truly have a high hope for this story. Yet, I’m still not sure whether this science-fantasy novella managed to reach my expectations or not.
✨Starting from the cover itself, I do feel that the cover and the description of Feng (I guess the lady on the cover is her) don't really match. But, I still like the cover because of the colour scheme. But if I think back about the colour scheme, it is quite opposite with the overall quite sombre atmosphere of the story.
✨In terms of worldbuilding, for me it is okay but I’m still thinking that it is a little bit compact for a novella. But I think it will be expanded in the sequel.
✨In terms of characters, I don’t really felt too attached to any of them, yet.
✨The aspect that caught my eyes the most is the writing. The way the author describes the situation, and the places from Feng’s eyes truly caught my attention. As a land walker (human), I do understand what Feng sees from the description. But from her eyes, those things are bizarre to her. By the way, I’m still curious if the palace is truly a palace?
✨Themes that I managed to catch during my reading are colonisation and loss or change of identity. And also betrayal?
✨Okay, why a series of novellas instead of a full-length novel? I’m curious how the sequel will handle the ending. Still a lot of unanswered questions left
✨Lastly, I recommend this novella for anyone that likes to read both science fiction and fantasy or a mix of them. I’m not sure if this novella suits anyone who wants to try reading science fantasy as a beginner. This is due to the way the story was written may get really confusing at some points.
✨Anyway, if you are interested in this novella, I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do or more.

This was such a beautiful, sweeping tale! I recommend this for readers of fantasy, especially non-western fantasy.

This was a quick and easy read but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Eventhough, this was a short book, there were certainly a lot of elements that made this from the different species, multiple characters and the world building
I loved the author’s writing style and would definitely recommend to any fantasy reader

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.

This novel wasn't my cup of tea, and I'm so sad about it.
The setting and the worldbuilding were interesting, but that's about it. The story was confusing and the plot didn't convince me.
I'm glad I read it, because it was different but I wasn't for me.

Thank you for the digital copy.

A Palace Near the Wind is a dystopian, nature vs industry themed story with elemental magic, themes of family, change, greed and power. The story flows well and is easy to read, with descriptive writing that draws you in. The pacing was on the slower side for most of the book and ends on a cliffhanger, leaving us wondering what Lufeng will do with her newfound information and connections.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC.

As this is a novella, this review will be on the shorter side.
To start, it took a while to get the plot going. I both liked and disliked our narrator, Lufeng, and her naivety, as that was an interesting way to take in the world, but contributed to the plot slowly starting. Lufeng encounters a lot of new things as she tries to understand the palace and her new husband. These things were both physical items and cultural norms, as Lufeng and the Wind Walkers interact with people differently than humans do. I found it interesting on a world-building level, to see Lufeng go through this culture shock, but found it a little annoying when that meant that the plot only kicked in in the latter half of this already short book.
The world-building also leans itself to the industrialism VS environmentalism message of this book, along with the discussions of colonialism and complicity in colonialism.
I rated this book 3 stars. The writing was stunning and I loved the world-building. However, I think the plot structure would’ve done better with a longer book, so there could be a slow build up without feeling like the ending was rushed.

The premise of this novella really intrigued me—it plays with the tension between environmentalism and progress for progress sake. Ai Jiang's lovely prose paints intricate scenes, oscillating between gentle, melancholic emotional passages and repulsive, horror-tinged descriptions. Unfortunately, the novella format feels like its greatest disservice. There's virtually no world-building, leaving me stumbling along trying to piece things together. Perhaps this was intentional, mirroring the protagonist’s own disorientation, but the story moves so quickly—with little time to process and almost no explanation for the events—that it left me feeling more confused than immersed. Given that it's part of a duology, I think there was ample room to further develop both the world and the plot. The concept and characters were compelling, and the prose was beautiful—it just needed more space to breathe.

I received this advance readers copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I found this novel interesting but the writing felt a bit underdeveloped -- as if the writer was trying to create a mystery but hadn't established a clear motive or plot dynamic that would hook the reader. As a YA novel this may not be as noticeable. I enjoyed the descriptive writing and the close relationship with the youngest sister, but I am unsure if I will read the sequel.

A Palace Near the Wind is the first novella in the science-fantasy series Natural Engines, written by the promising Ai Jiang, and published by Titan Books. An imaginative story that is equally strange and fascinating, featuring themes such as family, cultural identity and the price of progress, all enveloped with a great worldbuilding and a memorable main character voice.

Lufeng is the eldest daughter of the Feng royalty; tradition marks that she will leave Feng, enter the Palace and marry the human King, as it was done by her sisters and mother before her, in exchange for stopping the expansion of the Palace and the destruction of their homeland for a few years. But Lufeng plans to stop the destruction altogether, and spare her younger sister, Chuiliu, from the destiny of becoming a sacrificial bride; Lufeng plans to kill the King.

Jiang's decision to narrate the story through Lufeng's eyes gives her an amazing opportunity to introduce us to the natural beauty of the Feng, and how it contrasts with the progress and industrialization that is symbolized by the Palace; the whole existence of the Wind Walkers (Feng's race) is to preserve nature, in opposite to how the Palace takes the resources from it and use it on their own benefit (something that is even reflected on the names of the different travellers).
Lufeng is a character bound by tradition, who has a strong determination to protect those she has a bond with them; family is at the center of her values. The shock of going outside of the Feng for a first time also serves as a narrative vehicle to introduce us to the particularities of the Palace in comparison with the Feng.

Lufeng's voice is a bit melancholic and also poetic: she wants to preserve her homeland, but also aspires to break the cycle that is slowly breaking down her family; however, she will also discover that not all of her family shares the same devotion to the cause, as other values are captivating her.
We have a rich worldbuilding, partly resorting to Asian inspiration, but which has a bit of an ethereal sensation because of the particular tone of the book. There's so much packed into this novella, and discovering it is part of the experience; a parallel journey to what Lufeng experiences.

A Palace Near the Wind is an excellent genre-blending novella, starting a duology that aims to explore themes such as pain, grief, family duty and cultural preservation against progress. I'm here to see what Ai Jiang delivers with the second book of Natural Engines, because I'm sure it will be an absolute banger.

Liu Lufeng belongs to the Wind Walkers, a small, tree-like race of people who live in the forests, live on sunlight and air, and can control the wind to varying degrees. The more human-like Land Wanderers are slowly uprooting the Wind Walker’s trees and building over their forests in the name of progress, led by a cruel and mysterious King. They’re slowed—not stopped—by a series of bridal trades. The daughters and granddaughters of the Wind Walker Elder have all married the king, one by one, and never came back. Lufeng’s mother and sisters have already gone; now it’s her turn to enter the Palace and face her fate.

Something about the way this novella is built and described reminds me a little bit of the Jim Henson film The Dark Crystal. It’s imaginative, unique, eerie, a little fey, a (very) little biopunk, with some climate themes sprinkled on top. Lufeng’s world feels magical and completely alien. Fantasy fiction naturally runs on the notion that it takes place in an imaginary world, but usually, there are a few reality-based touchpoints to go off. That’s not the case here. Nearly everything in A Palace In The Wind feels freshly sewn out of whole cloth. Many of the things in this book are fantastic; the way that characters look, the geography of the kingdom, and the way that food and houses and other mundane things work. The same things also manage to be strange and sometimes a little unsettling. Fortunately, the natural world–and its slow destruction–play quite a big part in the story, and that’s familiar enough to keep readers grounded. You’ll still have to pay close attention while you read to get a good sense of the places and people.

Thanks for the ARC. This was a stilted read for me, and I have super mixed feelings.

It’s an interesting premise, but I felt that there was basically no world building and so I was stumbling along trying to figure out what was going on - perhaps this was intentional, as the main character had a similar experience.

A lot happened so quickly, with very little time to process anything and next to no explanation behind any of the events. Given that it’s been separated into a duology, I think there was space to build out both the world and the plot a lot more, as the concept and characters were intriguing, and the prose lovely.

I found things picked up in the second half, but I did consider not finishing at multiple points - things were really picking up when the book ended, which was a shame!

I liked the premise and the overall message of environmentalism, weaving this into a fantasy tale, but found it a little heavy handed at times.

I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequel - but I would be interested to see if things are more fleshed out, and if I feel a greater understanding of the world building with a complete view of the books.

This was fascinating! Our narrator Feng is clearly unaware of the full extent of the world, so we learn it through her eyes, and it was so intriguing. I don’t want to say too much: this is a fun one to go into with less information, but I felt fully transported to this world and will definitely read sequels.

I was 40% in and I realized I just did not understand this world. The worldbuilding was done in such a way where you weren't given information, not in a mystery kind of way but in a "they'll figure it out... right?" but it got to the point where I didn't figure it out and it made me lose interest. The overall concept was cool but it felt so rushed that I didn't understand why this wasn't just lengthened to a short novel. The plot mysteries were intriguing enough to get me to pick this up but the execution was not it.

3.5 stars

chat, this novella is strange. I honestly think this could have been a five star horror novella if it went in that direction. the prose is excellent, and does such a good job of conveying the world and lufeng’s emotions to build suspense and portray the uncanniness of the situation. like the descriptions of food and her feelings about it? incredible and shudder-inducing.

between the worldbuilding and the prose, it’s so easy to immerse yourself in the world and be equal parts amazed and confused and horrified. the anticipation and unease was building and building and building in me.
unfortunately, I don’t feel like this energy was directed in particularly fruitful plot directions, because Lufeng is initially unsure of what’s happening, so are we, as the reader. but the reveals just feel convoluted and almost nonsensical, like “this might as well happen,” and we don’t get a very satisfying arc within this book.

however, this story is incomplete, waiting on a sequel. I may come back and raise my rating, pending a satisfying conclusion to the plot set-up in this volume. but I think this maybe should have been published all together rather than split.

I didn't know anything about this book or author before I requested this book on NetGalley. The cover is so pretty and the synopsis really caught my eye so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I liked the writing style (most of the time). I enjoyed the way the author kept the concepts more abstract and the reader is not quite sure of the intended time period or how much technology is in play during the story until the end. There were times when I found the vagueness to be a bit difficult to follow though so I would like to hope that that will be refined in any sequels.

No romance. There really isn't any romance in this book. It's about family bonds and I really enjoyed that. I don't typically read books that don't have romance so this was a breath of fresh air.

I was not a huge fan of the reveal regarding the King. I found it a little weird and kind of icky? I won't spoil it and it wasn't a huge issue but I did find it to be odd. It felt like a plot point that didn't quite fit correctly but was jammed into place with a "good enough".

Overall, I liked this debut but didn't love it. I'd continue to read this series and would read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️