Северният вятър

The Four Winds #1

by Alexandria Warwick, Александрия Уоруик, Иван С. Иванов (Translator)

Рен познава страданието. Животът в Сивите земи я е научил, че всеки ден е постоянна борба с вечната зима и ужасите, които нахлуват от Земите на мъртвите. Но дори сред леда човек може да намери мъничко топлина и Рен е готова да се вкопчи във всеки шанс да бъде щастлива.

До деня, в който небето предсказва трагедия. Северният вятър, бог на мрака и смъртта, е дошъл да си избере нова съпруга… Някоя от жените на Сивите земи ще бъде отведена в мрачната му крепост, за да не види никога повече света на живите.

Този път избраницата му е Елора – сестрата на Рен. Нежно създание, чиято красота бавно ще изтлее в замъка на Ледения крал. Освен ако някой не заеме мястото ѝ.

Рен.

За разлика от всички преди нея, тя няма да приеме съдбата си безропотно и няма да се пречупи. Ще се бори и ще покаже на всички, че не е играчка в ръцете на жесток бог.

А в леденото сърце може да се крие мъничко топлина. Достатъчна, за да даде начало на пролетта.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Mythology, Retellings

624 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2022

About the author

Alexandria Warwick is the author of the Four Winds series and the North series. A classically trained violinist, she spends much of her time performing in orchestras. She lives in Florida.

To find out more, visit alexandriawarwick.com or follow @alexandriawarwick on Instagram.

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

kept seeing this all over booktok, so i caved.

and its fine.

the narrative reads like fan-fiction, wren isnt really an enjoyable character to read about, and the world-building is inconsistent. but the concept and overall execution is decent enough and is what kept me reading.

i guess im just a sucker for ‘beauty and the beast’ and ‘hades and persephone’ retellings. so, if you are too, then this is a book you might want to pick up.

↠ 3 stars

[zuza_zaksiazkowane · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5
Ale jestem ostra w moich ocenach ostatnio 😩
Ale nic nie poradzę na to, że ta książka moim zdaniem ma bardzo niewiele do zaoferowania
Największe wady:
- Cała relacja Wren i Boreasza lol
- konflikt z siostrą jest absurdalny. Nie jest może główną częścią książki, ale kluczową dla postaci Wren i jej przemiany, a nie ma żadnego sensu xd
- Jeśli znacie historię Pięknej i Bestii i czytaliście Dwór Cierni i róż, to znacie już w całości tę książkę. Niektóre sceny są dosłownie identyczne 🫠
- Świat wykreowany jest tak mało interesujący, że dramat, ma dwa elementy i to wszystko
- Sceny erotyczne i to w najgłupszych momentach jakie mogłabym sobie wyobrazić xd
- Ta książka zaprzecza sama sobie w tak wielu momentach - chociażby na początku książki Wren myśli „widzę jak z odrazą patrzy na moją bliznę na twarzy” a z kolei w środku tej wspaniałej historii myśli „Boreasz nigdy nie patrzył na mnie jakby blizna mnie szpeciła” XD why
Także ten. Dziękuję za uwagę. Nie podobało mi się bardzo 😩

[Lucie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Andromeda Press). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✅ “There is only one bed” trope
✅ Hate to love / captor-captive relationship
✅ Arranged/forced marriage
✅ Slow burn / some smut
✅ World-building
✅ Dark atmosphere
✅ Beauty & the Beast retelling with hints of Hades & Persephone (more Hades than Persephone though... Wren is not very Persephone-y)
✅🆗 Pace
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: Alcoholism

I came here expecting to die. But I have never been, and never will be, weak.

This story has been described as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and the first chapters gave be ACOTAR vibes big time. After that, it reminded me of A Deal with the Elf King, which would make sense since it's apparently also inspired by the myth of Hades and Persephone. Overall, it is a somewhat unique story. The tropes are not new or original, but they are well developed, and the world-building made it so it's different from the other Beauty & the Beast retellings I've read.

It occurs every few decades, his arrival. He comes, steals away another of our women, takes her across the Shade for reasons unknown. Sacrifice, the stories claim. One woman to suffer so that others may live.

Wren and her twin sister Elora lost their parents to famine when they were teenagers. Since then, it's been up to Wren to hunt, provide food and make sure that Elora and she could survive in the little village of Edgewood. The Four Winds are Gods that control different seasons. Boreas is the North Wind and comes every few decades to take an unwed woman from the village for unknown reasons. He always selects one among the prettiest, and Wren knows that her sister is very likely to be selected, but Wren will do just anything to save her sister from this dark fate, including taking her place and fooling the North Wind.

“All my life I cared for you,” I whisper to my sister, my twin. We shared the same womb. “It was my greatest pride, providing you a good life. There was nothing I would not do for you. Nothing. I sold my body for coin. I risked life and limb fighting darkwalkers. I hiked hundreds of miles every month searching for food. I never complained, not once in all those long, difficult years.”

Wren's relationship with her sister reminded me of Feyre's relationship with her older sisters in A Court of Thorns and Roses. Elora is spoiled and takes everything her sister gives without giving back and she lies to herself and pretends that it's what's best for Wren because it gives her a purpose. Her character does change though and there is a little redemption arc for her character near the end. I would not say that I like her, but I don't dislike her anymore. I am also happy that Wren got the courage to speak her mind and let her sister know how she really felt.

“I,” I announce firmly, chin thrust out, “am a delicate flower.”
Warm laughter helps drive back the chill the room holds. “I have never heard something so untrue.”

Wren is far from being the pretty demure maid that Elora is. Wren is flawed, knows it, and does not care about Boreas' opinion of her. She never misses an opportunity to antagonize him or show him how little she cares about him. She went with him to save her sister, and now that it's done, her only goal is to kill Boreas and go back to Edgewood... But Wren is also fierce and strong (and stabby), and it's hard not to love her from the start.

Man and woman, mortal and god, we stare at one another, bound as one by duty, obligation, and deceit.

Boreas is as cold as one bored and superior immortal can be. He reminded me a little bit of Eldas in A Deal with the Elf King, but it took him even longer to warm up to his bride. He does not trust anyone and considers humans to be inferior and unworthy of his attention. Of course, things are not as simple as they seem and there is more to Boreas than meets the eye. We slowly discover as the story goes that he is not as cruel and villain as he appears.

“You can prepare for bed without removing your clothes.” The ties at his waistband hang loose, the fabric resting uncomfortably low on his hips.
“I do not sleep in clothes.”
Did I really need to know that the Frost King sleeps in nothing but his skin?
Turning from him, I resume plumping the pillows. My palms slap the fabric aggressively. “You’re still sleeping on the floor.”
“So you are free to ogle me, but I cannot share a bed with you?”
My cheeks grow hot. My mouth can’t remember how to work properly. It takes three attempts before I’m able to speak. “I wasn’t ogling you. I was...”
“Ogling,” he finishes, sounding pleased. I don’t think the Frost King has ever sounded pleased before.
I will deny this ogling until my last breath.
“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?”

The romance is a slow-burn hate to love, and it was amazingly well done. I really enjoyed the bickering and seeing how Wren would try to hide her physical attraction towards Boreas because she was still planning on killing him, and it's unethical to lust after someone you plan on murdering apparently. There are a few spicy scenes with just enough smut to keep us hooked, but not too much since it's a slow burn. My only complaint is that even though it is a slow burn and it was very well developed, the last 30 pages or so got a little too cheesy. They went from admitting that they wanted to be together and felt something to big love proclamation and saying that as long as they had each other, they didn't need anything else in their life... It just felt a little intense considering that she was still contemplating whether or not to kill him a few days ago and he was still ignoring her and trying to keep her at arm's length since he does not trust anyone. Still, overall the slow-burn was great and that is what I call an awesome hate-to-love romance.

Boreas turns his head so that I’m given a view of his face in profile. “I, too, know what it’s like to be alone.” His eyes lift, the blue so pure and unguarded I feel as though I am seeing him for the first time. “Maybe we can be alone together.”

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[Lisa B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what a fantastic prose this was my first fantasy romance & it delivered in spades ♠️ the characters were well written & fleshed out, I loved the tension that was building each chapter & the narration by Carlotta Brentan & Travis Tonn was stellar.


Elora & wren are sisters who live in Edgewood Wren has to look after her sister as her parents were dead taken by the dark walkers who roam Edgewood, they have to survive the harsh winters but if the legends are to be believed their home will not be safe much longer.


To save Elora Wren drugs her & goes with the North Wind who she hates as he killed her parents, but as we go further through the novel she sees a different side of him.
She marries the North Wind but it isn’t a good marriage at first until he shows some compassion towards her.


I absolutely loved my first venture in the fantasy romance genre Wren was such a strong character who I loved I even loved The North Wind(aka Boreous) he was a tyrant in the beginning but showed his weaknesses as well highly recommended for those who love this genre!
P.S this was inspired by Beauty & The Beast a beautiful tale.

[Lenet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why it got so much good reviews

This book is full of stupid decisions after stupid decisions and it’s by our selfish, narcissistic, disrespectful, ignorant main female character! She not only almost gets everyone killed, but she blames “The North Wind” for her inability to control herself. The girl is beyond dense.

Every time she made a dumb decision, she blamed someone else for the boneheaded decision SHE made on her own. Talk about playing the victim. 🙄

I almost stopped reading at least 5 times within the first 15%! I don’t recommend this to anyone except an enemy!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every second of this book. It’s described as beauty and the beast meets Hades and Persephone, so hello, I needed it. I consider it ACOTAR meets Uprooted. So all the Beaty and the beast/Hades and Persephone vibes of Feyre and Rhys but just a tad more fantasy. Our basic plot is very similar to the beginning of Uprooted, small village where a woman gets stolen by The North Wind, aka sexy winter god, to be taken back to his kingdom and helps keep the land safe at its borders. Wren is one of my new favorite heroines, she’s feisty and salty and struggling but so dang lovable. And Boreas is everything I want in a fantasy romance hero. He’s stoic and broody and powerful but melts for our heroine. This is a sloooow slow burn but man, is it worth it. I loved their relationship but I also loved all the side characters we got to meet. Orla is the sweetest and Pallas is a cinnamon roll. Ugh I just loved them all!

So I’m very curious about how we will get a redemption arc with what I know book two will bring. Is this the Tamlin redemption we may never (read: shouldn’t) get? Okay, stop with the acotar comparisons, Chels. Do yourself a favor and preorder this book immediately. If you even remotely like fantasy romance, this is one that needs to grace your shelves.

[greadyreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow burn with moderate spice way later on in the book (around the 74% mark)

This was just okay for me, I found I was really slow to read this as I didn’t find it that exciting. I think this slow burn was a bit too slow for me.

Any mention of wind makes me think of farts and I know that is completely my own problem with my brain but that kinda took me out of the story.

This book feels like it needs more refinement. The characters are fairly interesting but the execution was just lacking for me.

[Spoilers(ish) incoming…]

I found some parts quite confusing:

- some of the terms and the areas/settings e.g. the grey, the deadlands etc etc. I maybe just wasn’t engaged enough but I did think this felt a bit fuzzy to me

-why does Boreas need a wife every 30 years or so - did I miss something here? There was mention of one previous wife but not much else around this??! Why is the wife needed to strengthen the barrier?

-several names for characters e.g Boreas is the Frost King and the North Wind and it just felt unnecessary

-general stuff about the word building e.g. about the Winds - I wanted to kinda know more about the other brothers but there was only mentions of them apart from the West Wind

-why give her sister the ultimatum to come to the party she was throwing to have a literal 5 min conversation with her then go and get busy with your man and leave her and her husband in the midst of the party when you know the dark walkers are due to attack? Maybe reconcile your relationship another time?! Same with going to the sisters house in the middle of the night - you could have waited no?

-getting upset when your husband leaves to deal with a literal war because you were touching eachother at the time? Priorities woman. Your libido is putting everyone in danger or whatever that meme is with Captain Holt from Brooklyn 99.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

hades and persephone vibes, plenty of “my wife” to angst over, and he baked her a cake in the end. enough said.

[winotka.books · Rating 1 out of 5]

Na początku myślałam, że to będzie taki typowy średniak. Że może nie będzie niesamowicie, ale coś jednak w tym będzie.
Nie był to średniak, to była równia pochyła w dół.
Tyle luk logicznych i lepienia historii na ślinę. Autorka napisała coś żeby za kilka rozdziałów zapomnieć o takim fakcie i napisać cóż zupełnie przeciwnego.
Główna bohaterka losowała swoje kolejne kroki na kole fortuny Friza, tak samo jak emocje które jej towarzyszyły.
Początek zapowiadał się ciekawie, ale legło wszystko w gruzach jak nie dostaliśmy dosłownie ŻADNEGO wytłumaczenia jak działa ten świat. O co chodzi z tym Cieniem, o co chodzi dokładnie z Mrokunami, dlaczego ta moc Króla Mrozu się tak rozprzestrzeniała. Kurde to co miało być? Dlaczego jej krew w ogóle była potrzebna i zatykała dziury w Cieniu, a potem jak naprawdę było to potrzebne to Król stwierdził że nie????? TO KURWA NIE MA SENSU.
Skąd nagle się wzięło tyle żołnierzy i jakaś wojna z dupy? Nie było żadnej wojny a tu nagle cały obóz wojenny! Skąd się wzięło tyle Mrokunów? Niby powstają z ludzi, ALE KURWA SKĄD SIE WZIĘLI CI LUDZIE??? Przecież w Szarości są tylko jakieś małe wioseczki. A było ich tyle że armię króla pokonali. Wtf?
Takie głupoty jak dezynfekcja rany winem. Jak winem? Przecież wino ma za mało procent, dlaczego nie wzięła silniejszego alkoholu? W ogóle reaserch do tej książki to jakiś żart.
A w ogóle typ nie może umrzeć, ale się okazuje potem że jednak może jak chce, ale jak kiedyś chciał to nie mógł??????
Dlaczego nie było wyjaśnione dlaczego mu się te rany nie leczyły? Dlaczego wątek jego rodziny i brata nie był wyjaśniony jakkolwiek? Zresztą ona i jej siostra to już tak na siłę to wplecione tam…
A to jak byli w środku wojny, ale chuj tam zróbmy bal. NO CO DO CHUJA?!
Jakie to było wszystko nie logiczne i wybrakowane.
Skąd się wzięły nagle emocje między nimi?
STRASZNA TA KSIĄŻKA BYŁA. Okropna, nigdy więcej nie chce jej widzieć.

O jeszcze top moment na koniec!!
ONA SIĘ NA NIEGO OBRAZIŁA JAK POSZEDŁ ZE SWOIMI LUDŹMI NA POLE WALKI, BO JEJ SIE WTEDY RUCHAĆ CHCIAŁO 🤡 co to kurwa miało być?!

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

*cups hands to mouth* "Booooooooorrrrrrring!" This book is so freaking boring. I DNF'ed like 5% in. It starts off just like ACOTAR. I mean EXACTLY like ACOTAR. I seriously went back and reread the blurb, thinking "Is this actually like ACOTAR fanfic and I didn't know?" It says a Beauty and the Beast/Hades and Persephone retelling, so basically, yes. It's ACOTAR all over again. But I liked Feyre better.
I can't stand Wren or heroines like her. "I've killed men, I've stolen, I've sold my body, I have blood on my hands, blah blah blah." Please, you're not that hard. The people that actually do those things don't go around talking about it. It's just so unrealistic. Perfect example is the dinner with the Frost King. I'm sorry, but in real life no one is going to back talk a literal god or try to stab him. Volunteer as tribute instead to save your sister? Sure. All that other stuff, no way. It just all seemed very YA, even though The North Wind is labelled New Adult. Want a more realistic version of a human facing a winter king? Try Spinning Silver. It really doesn't get any better than Naomi Novik.
Okay, now for real talk. You've seen it. I've seen it. We've all seen it. Hell, it’s the reason I decided to give the book a try in the first place. We're got the "arranged marriage" and "there's only one bed" tropes. That's my catnip. However, do not, I repeat, DO NOT let this quote suck you in. It's very tempting, but it's not worth it.

Turning from him, I resume plumping the pillows. My palms slap the fabric aggressively. “You’re still sleeping on the floor.”
“So you are free to ogle me, but I cannot share a bed with you?”
My cheeks grow hot. My mouth can’t remember how to work properly. It takes three attempts before I’m able to speak. “I wasn’t ogling you. I was...”
“Ogling,” he finishes, sounding pleased. I don’t think the Frost King has ever sounded pleased before.
I will deny this ogling until my last breath.
“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?”

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "But it's on Kindle Unlimited. It's free! What could it hurt?" It's not free, that's an hour of my life I will never get back. I couldn't even bring myself to skim to this part.
If you decide to ignore my warnings you will find a well written book, the first three chapters at least. That's as far as I got. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who will genuinely enjoy this book, and I am happy for them. It's just not my cup of tea.

[Chelsea Humphrey]

Big fan of the Beauty and the Beast meets Hades and Persephone vibes this has going on.

[✩ Yaz ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

May his death be a symbol. Death to my grief. Death to my torment. Death to power. Death to the dark water that has closed over my head.

The North Wind is a New Adult Fantasy Romance and what I would call a reminiscent of Hades and Persephone and Beauty and the Beast.

It's enriched with Greek-myth inspired lore and transports you to a new dark fantastical world.

Wren of Edgewood had lost her parents as a child to the cruel winter and was left to take care of her twin sister Elora. Wren loves her twin fiercely enough to find ways to survive in an unkind world—even if it meant she had to sully her hands and body all for the sake of having a bit of food, coin, and warmth.

In her world, the Anemoi—the Four Winds are gods that bring seasons to the land. Edgewood has been living in an eternal winter that killed many, it doesn't help the fact that the North Wind, known as the Frost King Boreas, had been taking women from her village as brides, or let's say sacrifices, for centuries.

The time has come for Edgewood to prepare brides for the Frost King who will take them away to his home—the Deadlands.

This time, Elora is chosen to be his bride, and there is no way Wren is sending her twin to her death so she sends herself disguised as Elora instead and becomes the Frost King's doomed bride.

What to expect from this book?
• It's a standalone
• POC heroine
• enemies-to-lovers
• Delicious slow-burn
• Dark Fairytale
• One-bed trope
• Forced proximity
• Caught reading a smutty novel
• Cold, aloof hero and a hot-headed stabby heroine
• Spicy scenes (4/5)
• Cake, cake and cake!
• Do not miss out on the epilogue!

Wren is an unconventional heroine, she is draped in flaws and is unapologetic about it. Despite the tough exterior, there is a very vulnerable side to Wren and she has her own demons to fight.

Boreas is as aloof and cold as they come. Detached emotionally which is typical for an immortal but there is more to his story and he might not be quite the villain as some would like to believe.

The romance does not immediately take off for the couple despise each other, and then as each layer comes off they discover other truths about themselves. The spark between them ignited into something they will no longer have the strength to resist.

The fluff and the hot scenes were a treat!

I really liked this book as it introduced a unique world and the characters were vibrant. It may have had some pacing issues midway but I was still wholly engrossed and could not put it down.

I really do think this is a book fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Sarah J. Maas, and Laura Thalassa would enjoy.

Thank you Alexandria Warwick, Andromeda Press, and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Trigger Warnings: Alcoholism, mentions of rape (no depiction), mentions of death, violence.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Budget ACOTAR.

[Book Devourer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character was unlikeable, and even after she makes significant strides towards self-improvement, remains unlikeable.

[Emely Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wenn ich sterbe, dann zu meinen Bedingungen. Aufrecht stehend, nicht auf Knien rutschend. Und ich würde diese Welt lieber in dem Wissen verlassen, dass ich den Frostkönig mitgenommen habe." - Zitat Kapitel 26

The Beauty and the Beast (but make it the other way around) ❤️

Unterhaltsam, im Mittelteil für mich allerdings ein wenig langatmig. Wren empfand ich oft als nervig und anstrengend - ja sie ist eine unglaublich starke Person, aber auf Dauer fand ich ihre Sturheit einfach unangenehm.
Boreas Geschichte war super spannend. Zu Beginn hat er dem typischen Feindbild entsprochen, mit der Zeit erfährt der Leser aber mehr über ihn und seine Vergangenheit und das hat ihn einfach sympatisch und nahbar gemacht.
Irgendwie habe ich mehr Wendungen erwartet und erhofft, im Großen und Ganzen aber ein unterhaltsames Romantasy Buch mit sehr gutem Worldbuilding, das vielen gefallen wird!

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 Wren selling her body to get sweets for her sister. I felt it was messy and disrespectful and glanced over an important topic that deserved a lot more attention.

I said I wouldn't rant but I really need to vent about this scene: So Boreas comes home from battle so exhausted that he ends up face first on the floor, too tired to move, but Wren insists he has a bath. And he's like, 'please just let me sleep woman' but she gets servants to drag him to the bath anyway. Then he's in the bath and she's like, 'huh, you should get some sleep' but he insists he can't sleep? So she gives him a hand job in the bath to help relax him?? And then is shocked he's so tired he can't get out of the bath??? WTF. Like, what actually was the point here other than a sad excuse for a hand job? That whole scene was such a confusing mess and I hated it with every fibre of my being.

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

[Shannara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve got to say I absolutely loved this read!!!! I’m a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope, especially when it’s “Beauty and the Beast”-esq. like the heat in this book is soooooo yummy!!!! Wren and Boreas make such a dynamic duo!!! I should warn you now, there will be some mild spoilers in my review. Nothing major, but more like hints.

From the moment I started reading this one, I was totally hooked. The thought of the North Wind god was just juicy and got my mind cranking! Then throw in a stubborn, complex, and broken woman like Wren and we’ve got some magic going!! Their back and forth is the most vicious I’ve seen and I was there for it all the way. It just adds to their relationship and made me laugh so often. Her want to kill him just makes things more interesting.

The plot is absolutely fascinating!! I was enthralled with Wren and her desire to help her people and those around her. Especially when she decides the way to do that and then tries to go full steam ahead with that plan. Throw in the darkwalkers and you’ve got yourself and interesting and pulling tale. The naughty parts help too of course!! Cause the heat from those scenes, phew….good stuff right there!!

I also had the pleasure to obtain my copy from Once Upon a Book Club and the hard bound copy from them is absolutely stunning!! It’s got metal corner protecting brackets and embossed title on the front. Completely gorgeous and if it’s still available, I highly recommend grabbing that edition!!

I highly recommend this to those who enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, Beauty and the Beast retellings, and fantasy romance novels. This is a great one to devour!!!

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book would have been so much better with a completely different main character. I have genuinely never read a book with a more annoying or dense lead in my life. She had no respect for herself, which translated into her not taking care of her hygiene and thinking that was a power move against the guy. I do not understand what the guy liked about her, and really what she liked about him either. They didn't really have any connection. The draw of this was the slow burn romance, but the pacing was so weird that when they kissed for the first time it didn't make sense. I was like why are we kissing when y'all have only spoken like four times and have zero connection? A lot of the plot was predictable as well. Simply just not for me.

[TimetoFangirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Why should she worry when I am here to protect her? But even I cannot stand before a god and win."

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I often have a hard time assigning star ratings to books, as I try to balance out things I did and didn't like personally with the objective merit of the text and that can be a tricky line to walk.

Luckily, Alexandria Warwick decided to make my life easy because this was a solid three-star read. I liked it even though there were aspects that weren't perfect, and I will read the next one even if I'm not going crazy waiting for it, you know?

Let's start with some pros:

- There was genuine chemistry between Boreas and Wren. It is one of my biggest pet peeves in all romance when the MCs have no chemistry on the page and we're supposed to just accept their love story. Boreas and Wren do not have this problem. In their very much enemies-to-lovers story, I totally bought each stage of their relationship and how it evolved into the next stage. Warwick really took the time to show these characters growing into their relationship and I enjoyed that, especially seeing how the MCs helped each other grow and reclaim their lives following trauma. Also, I greatly enjoyed watching Wren screw with him. Much fun - more, please?
This nicely segues into my next point which is...
- The pacing. This book is sloooow. Like, Mariana Zapata style slow-burn. Honestly, it probably could've been 50-100 pages shorter but I have been enjoying the slower-paced novels lately. You really need to go into this text understanding that it is a romance first and foremost and Warwick takes her time developing this primary plotline. I could see the slow pace of this really annoying some readers, but I enjoyed it.
- I appreciated the sister-dynamic between Elora and Wren. It wasn't perfect, with just barely enough page time given to their interactions for the relationship changes to be believable, but I appreciated the balanced representation of how you can love someone, acknowledge they've hurt you, draw healthy barriers, and repair a relationship. This isn't something I've seen a ton of and I appreciated it.
- I won't go too deeply into this because of spoilers, but I appreciated how Wren and Boreas both developed in believable ways. I hate it when a romance has two characters who are basically totally different people at the end. Happily, that wasn't the case here.
- Last but not least, I enjoyed the discussion of substance abuse. Wren is basically an alcoholic, and I thought Warwick represented her use of the drug, how she justified it mentally, how it impacted those around her, and the recovery process in a respectful and believable way. I particularly like how Boreas never shamed Wren for this problem, simply acknowledged that it was a problem, and did what he could to help and support her.

Now for some cons:

- The plotline of this made no sense. I'm not talking about the relationship between Boreas and Wren, that's a pretty clear Beauty and the Beast style story with a dash of Greek mythology throw-in. I mean the rest of the story. We have an antagonist in Zephyus but he wasn't present enough for me to really buy into his motivations. I assume this is because the next book in the series is his own love story, and Warwick couldn't make him irredeemable or no one would want to read it. There was also a subplot with the Shade and Darkwalkers that had an extremely convenient resolution and kind of seemed added to increase the atmosphere of the setting as opposed to serving a real purpose.
- Wren starts off the book wanting to kill Boreas (this isn't a spoiler, it's mentioned really early) and I just felt that lasted a bit too long. Like, I was bored of reading about it far before it ended.
- There were some parts of the worldbuilding that felt underdeveloped to me. There were very clear ties to Greek mythology but the author did her own thing with it, which I like. However, there were areas that didn't seem thought through, like how Boreas references "growing up" but he's a god. Do gods grow up? I can accept that in a particular world maybe they do, but I want that clarified in the text, even with a throw-away line of dialogue.
- With the exception of a completely unnecessary Epilogue (I hated it, see below), the whole story is told from Wren's POV. I had no problem with this, as I found Wren to be likable in an "unlikeable character" sort of way. That said, she is super annoying sometimes. Like there's a moment where Boreas is literally LEADING HIS MEN INTO WAR but he and Wren have a private moment in his tent. One of his soldiers interrupts, saying he's needed on the battlefield and Wren gets annoyed that he's "making a choice. And he is not choosing me." Like, bish he is at war! I understand her needing some attention but you gotta make some exceptions for circumstance.
- From a technical level, there were a few info dumps but they didn't really impact my enjoyment beyond thinking "oh look, an info dump."
- Chapter 43. Why was this here?
- Also, the Epilogue. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS??

[monica ✨ romantasyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

They fucking HATED each other hahahaha

Enemies to lovers, forced marriage, a dash of hidden identity, and delicious slow burn!!! I had fun with this one.

[Priskah · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,0 ✨✨✨

(Audiobook)

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many years, Edgewood and the surrounding lands have been bitten by frost. The winter stays longer every year -- and more lives are lost.
When the Frost King arrives at Edgewood to claim a bride, Wren is determined to stand between him and her sister. She is taken as the mortal maid to serve as a barrier between the human realm and the Shade. Locked in the Citadel with a man she despises, her only thought is of escape. When Zephyrus, the East Wind, comes to offer her a plan, she is eager to accept. Except... the more she learns about the Frost King, the more she realizes he is not who she thought he was. A growing friendship between them could mean that she was wrong. But is it too late to turn back?
A perfect, chilly romance for escaping the late-summer heat. Snuggle up and pretend it’s winter. Looking forward to the rest of this series! -Tiffany J.

[frau.gedankenreich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schöner Auftakt der "The Four Winds" Reihe!
Zugegeben, "Romantasy" mit Göttern löst bei mir oftmals starkes inneres Augenrollen aus, wenn besagter Gott mir erzählen will, dass er in seinem ganzen, langen, langen, unsterblichen Leben noch niemals eine so "besondere Schneeflocke" wie seine "Katniss Everdeen" getroffen hat. Aber das ist wahrscheinlich zu viel Realität an dieser Stelle..
Im Vergleich zu anderen Titeln hat "The North Wind" inhaltlich so einiges (für mich) Neues anzubieten und ich hatte viel Freude daran mitzuerleben, wie Boreas und Wren Stück für Stück ihre Ecken und Kanten aneinander abschleifen und sich gegenseitiges Misstrauen in Vertrauen wandelt.
Auch Wren selbst sorgt mit ihrer derben und borstigen Art für eine unterhaltsame Dynamik in dem "Enemys-to-Lovers" - Gespann.
Die "Romantasy" zwischen den Beiden "burn-t" sehr slow und wer "spice" mag, muss sehr weit blättern, aber auch diese Momente fand ich gelungen. Sobald es düsterer wird und Boreas zum Kämpfen in die Lande zieht, schwächt die Qualität zwar etwas ab, aber alles in allem ein kleines Highlight, das ich gerne mochte.
Die Übersetzung zu Band Zwei erscheint bereits dieses Jahr und ist fest vorgemerkt.

[BookishByTammi]

DNF 60%

[rin♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The North Wind may be a god, but I will not break. If nothing else, I have my pride.


✅Slow-burn
✅Romance
✅World-Building
✅Action
✅Characters
✅Plot
✅🆗Pace

✔Beauty and The Beast retelling
✔Mythology
✔One-bed trope
✔Enemies-to-lovers
���Forced Marriage

Trigger Warning: Alcohol addiction, violence, and mature content

Taken in place of her sister, Wren is forced to marry the North Wind, the Frost King Boreas. She's willing to do anything for her sister and end the horrible winter- even if that means killing her husband.

This book was so good! It's been on my TBR for awhile now so I'm super glad I finally get to check it off.

I loved Wren and Boreas' banter and how relatable Wren was to me. She's very head-strong, selfless, and hilarious.

Boreas is very flawed- tragically so, yet we get a glimpse on what made the Frost King so cold- AND HIS STORY IS SO SAD.

I loved Orla. Really. She's so kind to Wren and always up for a little mischief- if only to avoid being thrown out the window by Wren. I even enjoyed Thyamine. Her gentle and airhead-y nature is just to adorable. Kinda like a helpless kitten. I wanted to hug her sometimes.

And sometimes I wanted to hit her over the head with a frying pan.

Zephyrus... I have many choice words to say about the West Wind, but I'll settle on pulling a Wren and wanting to castrate him. (Well, okay, maybe it's something I'd say to any guy who annoys me, but STILL)

This book is one of my favorites and I regret not starting it earlier. Wren's relationship with Elora is much like Feyre's relationship to her sisters in ACOTAR. And yet, I still despise Elora for just sitting back while her sister walked into the woods to put food on the table.

I wish this was a series instead of a standalone because I need more Wren and Boreas, but I suppose the happy couple deserves to live happily ever after after all they went through. And the epilogue- I LOVED the epilogue.

4.5 Stars

“I don’t want my power.” He brushes a strand of hair from my cheek. His tone warrants no argument. “I want you."

[Nieves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5🌟 "El viento del Norte" es la primera entrega de la serie The four winds. Un romantasy que se cuece a fuego muy muy lento con instantes divertidos y un world-building muy original que te deja con ganas de más 💨 🍷💍🩸💙

En cuanto vi la portada de este libro y sus tropes sabía que tenía que leerlo, es una novela que tiene un poco de todo y crea una mezcla perfecta para disfrutarla de principio a fin 🩸

La novela está narrada desde la perspectiva de Wren. Los capítulos son de una extensión normal. La lectura tiene un ritmo bastante dinámico por los diálogos entre los protagonistas, la descripciones del mundo y los seres que viven en él💍

El romance desde el inicio es un enemies to lovers donde ambos no se soportan, su historia es muy muy pausada pero cuando explota es muy bonita y cada momento entre ellos lo vives al máximo 💙

El world-building me ha gustado mucho, tengo muchas ganas de saber más sobre toda la historia que envuelve a los hermanos de el Rey Escarcha. Los detalles que nos proporciona la autora en este primer libro han logrado que necesite saber más el mundo que ha creado 💨

En lo referente a los personajes, ambos protagonistas me han gustado. Me ha gustado cómo evolucionan tanto en conjunto como individualmente. Los secundarios, ha habido alguno que me ha encantado, otro que me ha sorprendido y otro que no me ha gustado ni he comprendido 😜

Ha sido una historia que me ha gustado, la relación entre los protagonistas me ha tenido muy enganchada igual que todo lo que envuelve al el Viento del Norte junto con sus hermanos. El mundo me parece muy interesante junto con sus seres. Si buscáis una romantasy bonito con un toque diferente, seres mágicos y acción os recomiendo que lo leáis 😌

Reseña completa: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8cX3OWIo...

[rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Andromeda Press for providing me with an e-arc of this book.
My opinions are my own.

This is what I would call perfection in a new adult fantasy romance.

If you enjoy beauty and the beast retellings, add this to your TBR immediately!

Synopsis:
It is time for the Frost King to choose a bride, and Wren must do the unthinkable to save her sister. She is taken to the Deadlands where she is forced to help keep the barrier from collapsing. Will she let this destroy her or will she fight to get back to her home, her sister, her life?

•Slowburn
•Enemies to lovers
•Spice
•One bed troupe

We have two very broken people trying to make their way through life, and the way the author wrote this story out was so amazing to "watch" unfold. I felt it was a tad long, but I usually feel that way when it comes to a slowburn kind of story. The pacing was nice and the character growth was probably my favorite part of the book. The spice was good and worth the wait, and the fact that it wasn't the main plot was even better.

If beauty and the beast retellings are your thing, I highly recommend this book to you. And if beauty and the beast retellings are not your thing, I still highly recommend this book to you.

I truly loved this story so much!

4.5/5 stars

[Rainz ❤️rainnbooks❤️(on a break) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Yes, Beauty and The Beast retelling was mentioned, and I had to read it. But it was the fascinating character of Wren that had me hooked into the story. Wren is prickly, stubborn, obstinate to the point of rudeness but with all her flaws one can’t help but love her for what she is.

The word building in this high fantasy novel is impressive but maybe it’s me I couldn’t completely form a picture in my head about how the Shade and the surrounding areas are laid out. The relationship between Boreas known as the Frost king or North Wind and Wren is a brilliant slow-burn romance. It is slow, slow, and then burning dazzlingly bright. They are hurling insults, they are bickering, they can’t stand the very sight of each other but of course, desire does conquer them. Boreas has a low opinion of all humans and Wren has fixed on her aim to murder the Frost King and return to her village and be with her sister.

There is also the friendship that Wren shares with Orla which was delightful. As the story progresses and attraction sizzles between the leads, both Boreas and Wren have some serious lessons to learn before they commit to each other. I loved how the author takes her time to change the perceptions of the Frost king from a cruel vile monster to the immortal being whose suffering never ends, and likewise how Boreas assumptions about unworthy humans change and he begins to see Wren for her loyal and protective nature. Wren’s struggle against alcoholism and the help offered by Boreas in making her understand her own self-worth was beautifully conveyed and added to the intense hate-to-love drama between them.

In all, The North Wind, book #1 in the standalone The Four Winds series is an excellent read for all fans of this genre and if you like me love any Beauty and Beast retelling, then this is just the perfect read.

This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Book Bub, ##Medium.com, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.

[Kendra Shaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I have to say, this book seems to be like every other book where the male MC needs a wife, and the female MC has to provide for her family, and reluctantly joins the male MC. And the thing is, is that it has almost the exact same plot of all of those books.

For example, one of the sentences used in the first few pages is, "The forest, a labyrinth of snow and ice." Does this sound familiar to you? Well, in A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, the very first sentence is, "The forest had become a labyrinth of snow and ice." Coincidence? I think not. Both of the books involve a male MC that is hated by all of the villagers, and both of the male MC's need a woman to either love them, or to marry them. Another eerily similar thing, is that both Wren and Feyre (ACOTAR) are archers, which seems like a pretty niche thing. Furthermore, they both have sisters that they love, but don't actually do anything to contribute to society. In fact, the first halves of both books are very similar.

This book is just...Not worth it. There is supposed some extreme conflict of interests between Boreas, the male MC, and Wren, the female MC, but it just doesn't work out to be any meaningful/entertaining banter. It's mostly just this;
"Hey, I don't like you, because you are like Elsa and you are freezing my people."
"Okay? And? What do you want me to do about it? I need a wife for my own personal gain."
"Hmph! I'm going to make your life miserable."

1/5 stars and a DNF. Please, please save your time, and don't read this book. Not only because of the lack of depth in the book at all, but also because of the "coincidences."

[Emily-Rose At The Rose House · Rating 4 out of 5]

ACOTAR meets beauty and the beast with icy tension, enemies to lovers, witty banter & “I’d burn the world for you” 🔥

Grab a jumper, let me set the scene… ❄️

The north wind god selects a human wife every few decades in order to maintain the strength of a magical barrier that prevents darkling creatures from entering.

“It’s your blood I need, not your death. Your oath, not your lies. In one day’s time, we will be wed.” 💍

Our sassy & cake loving FMC Wren won’t go down without a fight, we have multiple knife to throat moments however as the days pass Wren realises her captor isn’t as cold hearted as she originally believed.

“I, too, know what it’s like to be alone…maybe we can be alone together”

The story also explores the complexities of grief, alcoholism, self worth & love.

“You did not shy away from my scars. Why should I shy away from yours”

This book is for you if you love:

>Enemies to lovers / Captor vs captive
>Arranged marriage
>Icy atmosphere
>One bed
>Banter
>”My wife”
>Burn the world for you

I was living for the tension and banter, you can’t tell me that the “bone broth soup” scene didnt have you on the edge of your seat? Im UNWELL 🫠

The one bed trope mixed with the comments about sleeping on the floor and having back pain will live in my head rent free forever.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!