Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the eARC of The South Wind. Meeting Notus at the end of the previous story had me certain there was a compelling story surrounding him. And reading The South Wind confirmed it.

Notus is a tortured and lonely god, who also has the most beautiful capacity to love and words to describe it. There were many times in the story where I was caught between anguish at Sarai turning him away, and anger that he had ever left her.

Sarai is truly the shining star of the story - abrupt, direct, unapologetic, and afraid to let love in again. She is everyone who has ever had their heart broken, or felt pushed aside, afraid that they haven't lived up to expectations. Sarai finally conquering the labyrinth by giving her younger self grace is a beautiful moment. Only surpassed by she and Notus declaring their love again.

I loved the glimpse of Boreas and Wren, and am intrigued to see how Eurus can possibly redeem himself in his story.

Overall 4.5 stars.

I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it didn't have a miscommunication trope. Sarai essentially lies or skirts around the truth at every turn. I did enjoy the Labyrinth element of the story.

From the very first page. This book sweeps readers into a vividly imagined world where magic pulses beneath every shadow and destiny hangs in the balance. With a rich tapestry of lore and an unforgettable cast of characters, this fantasy tale offers everything fans of the genre crave: adventure, heart, and high stakes.

At the center of the story is a compelling hero grappling with inner demons and outer threats alike. Their journey from humble beginnings to a confrontation with fate is as thrilling as it is emotionally resonant. Along the way, a diverse ensemble of allies and enemies deepens the narrative, each one distinct and integral to the story’s unfolding.

Enchanting and sultry, The South Wind weaves second-chance romance, ancient curses, and mythological intrigue into a rich fantasy tale. Sarai is a strong, conflicted heroine, and her chemistry with Notus burns as they fake an engagement to uncover dark secrets. With Sleeping Beauty vibes and a twisty Theseus-inspired labyrinth, the stakes stay high. Some tropes are familiar, but the emotional depth and magical tension make this a satisfying, swoony standalone.

The South Wind sounded like it would be right up my alley, plus I enjoyed the previous books in the series. Unfortunately, I just never connected with or like Sarai.

"A sizzling standalone fantasy of second-chance love inspired by Sleeping Beauty and the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur from the author of The North Wind.

Princess Sarai of Ammara is cursed: on her twenty-fifth birthday she will fall into an endless, deadly sleep, plunging the kingdom into chaos and ruin. In a last-ditch attempt to save Sarai and their people, her father arranges her marriage to Prince Balior, a handsome young noble from a neighbouring kingdom. But then the South Wind, Notus - the immortal who once had her heart - returns into her life.

Sarai is determined to ignore Notus and follow her father's plan. But Prince Balior has dark secrets, and as Sarai learns more about her betrothed, she realizes he may be her kingdom's downfall. She pulls Notus into a fake engagement, buying the pair time to investigate what Balior is really planning. And why he's so obsessed with the menacing labyrinth on the palace grounds.

Despite her distrust of her ex-lover, old feelings resurface while they team up to stop the scheming prince. As the deadly curse looms closer, Sarai must remain steadfast against the temptation of her desires. Any distraction could cost her life…and destroy her entire kingdom.

The South Wind is a brand-new standalone fantasy romance novel featuring a fake engagement and second chance romance from TikTok sensation Alexandria Warwick. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Scarlett St. Clair, and Raven Kennedy."

Sleeping Beauty and a labyrinth!?! Teenage me is sqweeing!

I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, but I pretty much instantly hated Sarai and couldn't come back from that. The plot and conflict were interesting, but ultimately were just a setup for book 4. Nothing about the labyrinth or the minotaur was explained, so I assume it will be the main story for the next one.

This is a second chance romance and I can't even call it miscommunication because it is just straight up lies. Sarai lies or omits the truth at basically every opportunity because it is easier than telling the truth. She acts like a spoiled child through most of the book, and much of the conflict is directly related to her not being honest with the king or Notus. I got more annoyed with her the longer I read, especially once she started playing games. She tells Notus to leave her alone, then gets mad when he does. She lashes out whenever anyone gets too close to the truth because she has lost track of all her lies. I just found her so unlikeble that it ruined the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the free ARC.

Amazing story! I think this one will be my favorite of all of them! It’s such a beautiful world this author created and honestly when. I finished I missed it a lot. I cannot wait to buy my physical copy

This was a perfect way to continue the series! I love being back in the world that I adored and it was just so interesting! Thank you to Netgalley for this e-arc.

Alexandria Warwick's The South Wind, the third book in the Four Winds series, offers a captivating blend of fantasy, romance, and mythology. Drawing inspiration from Sleeping Beauty and Greek myths, Warwick crafts a tale centered on Princess Sarai, whose life is marked by a deadly curse and a tangled love triangle. The novel deftly weaves slow-burn romance with palace intrigue and political maneuvering, keeping readers hooked until the very end. Sarai's struggle with duty, love, and the weight of secrets creates a compelling emotional depth. The dynamic between Sarai, Prince Balior, and Notus—the enigmatic South Wind—adds tension and unpredictability to the narrative. Warwick's vivid prose brings the world of Ammara to life, immersing readers in its mythical landscapes and complex relationships.

25 years ago a desperate King took his sickly newborn daughter to the Lord of the Mountain and begged for him to save her life. A deal was made, but not all was as it seemed. The deal had a hidden curse which promised that the girl, Princess Sarai, would perish on her 25th name day throwing her kingdom into chaos and ruin. This curse however, was kept secret from all but Sarai and her father, the King. Now as her 25th name day approaches her father has promised her hand in marriage to Prince Balior, a young nobleman from a neighboring kingdom, in the hopes that the Prince can find a way to break the curse and save his daughter and the kingdom. Sarai has secrets of her own though, and when her ex, the South Wind and immortal god returns, Sarai devises a plan to avoid the marriage to Prince Balior. In spite of her distrust and anger towards her ex, Sarai must somehow team up with the South Wind to save herself and her city from certain destruction. At the heart of all the secrets lies a Labyrinth whose resident was imprisoned as part of the bargain made with the Lord of the Mountain, and Prince Balior's interest seems more deceptive than it appears. As the city suffers from drought and poor crop yield, and as her father wastes away, can Sarai hide the truth of promises made and curses laid, while still solving the mystery before her 25th name day?

The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a Fantasy Romance set in a majestic landscape reminiscent of the Middle East. This is an interconnected stand alone set in the world of The Four Winds. While I did not read the first two books, I was graciously given an ARC by Saga Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

The setting is descriptive and beautiful with flowery prose that makes it easy to picture the world Alexandria is describing. Unfortunately I was not a fan of the main female character. I found her indecisive nature to be a repetitive issue that didn't really lead her to making strong decisions till three quarters of the way through the book. The main male character Notus, also known as the South Wind, was much better rounded and I loved how incredibly supportive he was of Sarai throughout the book. I also struggled with certain plot points as the story felt like it dragged at times, and at other points a sense of urgency was felt to be missing. In spite of the problems that I felt plagued the story, the love of music and reverence shown to the art that is playing the violin was palpable. It is obvious to any reader that the author is a musician first and foremost. The story itself has a musicality to it that surprisingly made me cry, as I have struggled with my own relationship with music. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tropes such as second chance romance, slow burn, fake engagement, and political intrigue.
My overall rating scale is as follows (rounded to the nearest quarter/whole number):
Setting 4/5 stars
Plot 2.5/5 stars
Characters 2.5/5 stars
Emotional Impact 3/5 stars
Overall Enjoyment 2.75/5 stars
Overall Rating 3/5 Stars

3.5 stars - I absolutely love The Four Winds series! This one had such a different setting, and vibe than the ither two. I really enjoyed the second chance romance in this book. It definitely felt steamier than the other two to me. I loved the side characters, and the atmospheric setting. The sailers and the action related to the sand storms were really interesting to read. I understand where the plot went related to music and battling demons, but it felt so different from the other books and I found that a little distracting. Maybe it was a mixture of pulling from so many stories, and the fact that it was left open ended. Overall I liked it, but it wasn’t my favorite in the series.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy!

Thank you so much to Saga Press and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I truly enjoyed the North Wind immensely, and that made me so excited for the rest of the series, but the next two books haven't quite hit the same for me. This one specifically, I started skimming from around 60%, although I did enjoy the last 10% a lot, enough to bump up to a 3 stars. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm pretty sure my issues are solely my own and this book will resonate with someone else reading it, it just wasn't for me.

Sarai frustrated me as a character, despite the fact that I wanted to love her. There's nothing that quite hits the way the "princess on a pedestal kicking ass and taking names to save her kingdom" trope does for me. Sarai....didn't really do that, and her decisions early on frustrated the crap out of me because if she would just SAY WORDS to people everything could have been avoided. Notus was definitely the less frustrating of the two, and I did like him significantly more than The East Wind in book two.

To be fair, I'm not huge on second chance romances to begin with, and add in the blatant miscommunication from pretty early on, I just was struggling to stay engaged. I'll read the last book for the sake of finishing the series, but for me we definitely peaked with Wren and Boreas.

This one has been my least favorite in the series, BUT only because it was a second chance trope. The south wind was my favorite wind so far. There was a lot more soul searching and deep feelings too. The lore slowly introduces a solash if greek nythology inti the gods mix. There is a big emphasis on music and the fmc finding herself. I also enjoyed the desert setting. The whole story centers around the fmc learning to break away from what's expected and finding a way to embrace herself. I enjoyed the cameo from an earlier book.

I was excited to see The South Wind available on NetGalley, especially since I had recently picked up The North Wind (though I haven’t read it yet). At first, I was worried I’d need to catch up, but I was relieved to learn that each book is a standalone with only small references to the others.

I love a good Greek mythology retelling, and this one—drawing inspiration from Daphne and Apollo with a touch of Sleeping Beauty—was a unique take, set against a beautifully crafted Middle Eastern backdrop. The story started a bit slow for me, but once the pace picked up, I was completely locked in.

Sarai was a compelling protagonist, and I really resonated with her struggle to balance duty and personal desires—especially her love for music versus the weight of her parents' expectations. The tension between her and Notus was engaging, and I appreciated the second-chance romance element. This book was spicier than I expected, but I enjoyed that aspect of it.

That said, the labyrinth sequence toward the end left me with a lot of questions. I may need to reread that part to fully grasp what happened—especially regarding the Minotaur and Prince Balior. However, I did appreciate the closure that some of the characters received by the end (without spoiling anything).

Overall, this was a solid four-star read for me! Now, I’m even more excited to dive into The North Wind to learn more about Boreas, Wren, and the specters. Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Press, for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest feedback!

Thank you so much for my arc of this story ! I have to start off by saying how easy of a read this was, I feel like I flew through it. This was a story I really enjoyed, I think the love story was executed well. I didn’t expect this story to be as deep as it was but I think it tells a lot about having love for yourself.

I really have been enjoying this series, I love how fun and whimsical it is, and that it's inspired by so many different stories and myths.

This sequel follows Sarai (a princess who has been cursed to die soon) and Notus (the South Wind, a god and an ex of Sarai). The two end up faking an engagement to try and get around Sarai's curse, but they also are trying to figure out what's going on with the prince of a neighboring kingdom who used to be engaged to Sarai. The drama!

This book is definitely more dramatic due to the personal situations and relationships going on, whereas the other books in this series has more going on with the actual world. Did that make sense? I'm just going to hope so.

If you're looking for a new fantasy series, I would definitely recommend this one. I am very much looking forward to the next one in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I am someone who immediately devoured The North Wind and would've rated that one 6 stars if I could, I knew I loved Warwick's style of writing. I didn't think this book was as good as The North Wind but it was far superior than The West Wind. I enjoyed the character development but felt the plot was super slow in the beginning and I was annoyed about the miscommunication that could've easily been rectified in the beginning. I think Warwick dealt with grief well and did it justice. Overall, I enjoyed the book but needed it to be a little more fast paced - the meat of the book didn't really start until about 50% of the way through.

This book has:
- second chance romance
- a bit of spice (in a Labyrinth!)
- fake engagement
- miscommunication
- forced proximity

Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

South Wind 🪻💜✨ by @alexandriawarwick

•Thank you to @netgalley & @sagapressbooks
for approving me to read this e-arc!

Releasing May 27th 2025

This is the third book of the standalone Four Winds series.

This one was an absolute adventure with super relatable characters. I love the fact that the FMC played the violin as that’s something I used to do when I was younger and is dealing with grief which has its own unique course. The utilization of music as a coping strategy is brilliant and powerful. This book has the MMC who will protect the FMC until the end. There is also a hint of mystery because of the darkwalkers, the arranged betrothal, and filling in the gaps of the romance that once was.

💜Fake Engagement
💜Second Chance Romance
💜Mild Spicy Scenes
💜Tension
💜Sleeping Beauty vibes
💜Gods
💜Enemies to Lovers
💜Forced Proximity

It does take a while to really get to the good stuff and felt too long but once it gets going it’s really good. The writing of this book is so beautiful.

Rating: 4 💫 1.5🌶️

(Will post on IG soon)

Thank you so much to Netgalley, as well as Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All my thoughts and feeling are my own! I don’t think any book I have read recently has touched me so deeply and so profoundly as this one has. The amount of tears I have shed & the amount of emotional damage that was done to me over the course of this book has left me in utter shambles. That being said, I can not recommend this book more. This is probably my favorite one throughout the entire series, if not my favorite read of 2025 (so far).

While this book is a little slow to start, it quickly picks up it’s pace when the stakes start to raise. Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than 3 months to live. The clock is ticking down to her 25th name day and the curse is soon to take her. She is under an immense amount of pressure from her ailing father to help him secure the for their kingdom, as well as potentially save herself by marrying Prince Bailor from one of their neighboring kingdoms. Sarai was on board to do this, if only to save her kingdom from the darkwalkers, as well as the beast lurking inside the labyrinth but who should re-appear? Notus, the South Wind, the god of the desert breeze and the one responsible for shattering her heart years ago. When Sarai realizes that Prince Bailor’s intentions might be a farce, she swallows her feelings for Notus and announces their engagement to her father in an attempt to stop Prince Bailor. With darker forces at work and the clock ticking on Sarai’s demise, Notus and Sarai must work together to solve the puzzle and solve the mystery of the labyrinth.

The imagery of this book was utterly breath taking! The attention to detail sucked me right in, transporting me right into the kingdom of Ammara. The vibes that this story gave, it almost felt like I was in Arabian Nights. The plot was a whirlwind (heh, get it?)! The mystery of the labyrinth, the curse placed upon Sarai, the past relationship between Notus & Sarai? I NEEDED TO KNOW! I NEEDED THE ANSWERS! Not to mention the character growth, especially Sarai’s. Sarai’s grief was so profound that she built up so many walls, turned away things that she was passionate about & became a totally different person in an attempt to deal with the emotional turmoil she was put through. For me, it was hard to ignore the similarities between her and I. The way she learns to trust again, not just Notus but herself and her voice, after everything she’s been through had me choking back the tears. The themes of grief, abandonment and the crushing weight of feeling like you’re never enough hit home for me in a way I have not experienced in a book in so long, it left me speechless and craving more. Let’s not forget Notus & how he finally, FINALLY, let’s his feelings for her be known. After years of second guessing and thinking she wasn’t enough, their story was nothing short of beautiful.

I can not recommend this series, let alone this book enough. Each time I step into one of these worlds, I know I’m in for an adventure!

Tropes:
Sleeping Beauty/Daphne & Apollo retelling
Second chance romance
Arranged marriage
Fake engagement
Forced proximity
“Touch her and D—”