The Wind Weaver: Sturmverführt

Reign of Remnants #1

by Julie Johnson, Christiane Sipeer (Translator)

Das Schicksal der Welt liegt in ihren Händen.

Niemand darf wissen, dass Rhya ein Halbling ist – halb Fae, halb Mensch –, denn Fae werden in Anwyvn gnadenlos verfolgt. Bei einem Überfall auf ihr Dorf gelangt Rhyas wahres Wesen ans Licht. Gefesselt an einen Baum, erwartet sie ihre Hinrichtung. Doch im letzten Moment stellt sich der mysteriöse General Scythe gegen seine eigenen Männer und entführt sie in die rauen Nordlande, nachdem er ein Zeichen auf ihrer Brust entdeckt hat.

Sie ist die letzte Windweberin.

Rhya trägt die Macht in sich, den Wind zu rufen, eine Kraft, von der sie bisher nichts ahnte. Auf ihrer Flucht vor den Häschern Anwyvns muss Rhya nicht nur lernen, ihre Kräfte zu beherrschen, sondern auch den verzehrenden Gefühlen für ihren düsteren Retter widerstehen. Wird sie ihre Bestimmung erfüllen – oder daran zerbrechen?

Der Auftakt der epischen Romantasy-Reihe

Tropen: Morally Grey Hero, Only One Bed, Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Hurt Hero, Hunted Heroine

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Fae, Magic, Adult

593 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2025

About the author

JULIE JOHNSON is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wind Weaver. When she's not writing, Julie can most often be found sitting on the beach near her home in her native Massachusetts, adding stamps to her passport, drinking too much coffee, and avoiding reality by disappearing between the pages of a book. She published her debut novel on a lark, just before her senior year of college, and she's never looked back. Since, she has published twenty other novels, which have been translated into more than a dozen different languages and appeared on bestseller lists all over the world.

You can connect with Julie on her Instagram (author_julie), in her natural habitat (the bookstore), or in her exclusive reader group (The Johnson Junkies).

For news and updates, be sure to subscribe to Julie's monthly newsletter: juliejohnsonbooks.com/newsletter

Reviews

[Emmy Rosam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excited for where this series can go, the possibilities are endless!!! I loved the dialogue, vocabulary and language used in this story. A magical world where half fae are eradicated and we have an elemental magic system. Very excited for the next book in this series!!

[Maeghan 🦋 HIATUS on & off · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!
I’m not happy with this rating for an ARC and know that I don’t give this rating easily but I need to be honest.
Sadly, this is a DNF for me at 60% as this 1) despicably failed the Bechdel Test and 2) had no plot whatsoever.

This is a 500 pages book. Meaning I’ve read a little over 300 pages. The plot should’ve already been mentioned and moving by now. It would’ve benefited being cut from at least 150 pages.

I’m actually a whole lot tired of having fierce/snarky personality 20yo FMC who are painted as ignorant. The ignorance made her seem naive and completely unintelligent. And BTW - the FMC is the only woman focus for 53% of the book !!! And then we FINALLY meet another woman but she’s a complete mean girl and refers to the FMC as ‘whore’… I thought we were over this. It despicably failed the Bechdel Test and I wish it was marketed as having only one woman because this isn’t enough. I’m sure other readers will feel the same way I did ; I need female friendships. She’s kind of painted as one of the guys at some point and I guess that’s what the author wanted to focus on but Adult women friendships are absolutely necessary. It feels useless for me to read a book that doesn’t have them. It’s always disappointing for me because I always feel like those types of books are a setback in the Adult genre.

There’s a gigantic info dump at 40% in form of conversations and it doesn’t move us anywhere along a plot of some kind.

There is a random display of jealousy at the 44% mark that rubbed me the wrong way. Especially considering the romance in this Romantasy lacked chemistry on whole new levels.

In conclusion, I do think this needs adjustment to appeal to Adult readers. This might be more suitable for 12-13yo. I was rather enjoying the first 12% but then it got tedious and repetitive and mixed with all that is mentioned ; just felt like a big fiasco.

[kitkat (semi-hiatus ♡︎) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
4.5 rounded up

features-
- enemies to lovers
- slow burn
- romantasy
- unique magic system
- touch her and die
- adventure fantasy
- found family
- prophecies

the wind weaver is a romantic fantasy that centers around a girl with one of a kind magic in a dying kingdom. in order to restore life and balance to the kingdom, she must reunite with the others to reunite power with the lands. i enjoyed this book a lot more than i expected to. the characters were so relatable and i loved rhya’s fire. as for the magic system, it was unique and unlike any magic system i’ve ever read about before.

another thing about this book that immediately caught my eye is the cover, which is stunningggg 😩😩

right now, this is one of my top reads this year
————

am i team soren??? IM SO TORN I LOVE THEM BOTH AND I LOVE THIS BOOK AAAA

꒰:⏳: currently reading ꒱ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
⤷ WHAAAAT HOT MAN #2? OKAY, I SEE YOU 👀

my spidey hot man alert senses are tingling 🤭

꒰ა :preread: ໒꒱ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
⤷ i am such a sucker for beautiful covers 😍😍

꒰:🗓️: release date ꒱ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
⤷ april 8, 2025

›› thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review <33

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️ | TikTok | IG |

Talk about starting off with a BANG! I loved that this book griped me from the start with action-packed scenes, lush imagery and beautiful prose. I am a HUGE fan of books that don’t give you all the details up front so it was a lot of fun to have that mystery/unknown aspect, as our FMC learns more about herself and her world. This was such an epic start to a new trilogy and I cannot wait to see where it goes from here.

ps This is the start of something great…

What I loved…
- action-packed, fast-paced, and great overall pacing
- lush imagery that made you feel like you were right there in the thick of it with the characters
- mystery/intrigue, single POV so you learn about the world as the FMC does
- the plot REVEALS and twists were heart pounding and epic!
- crazy beasts and magical creatures
- thorough world building with minimal info-dumps
- the romantic sub-plot was top notch, SLOW burn & high tension 10/10
- Found family, the side characters were A++
- Grade A++ banter (not just with the MMC, but with the side characters too!)
- elemental magic, chosen one, and an ancient prophecy

What I didn’t love…
- longer chapters (look I’m just not a fan ok)
- at times the romance veered a tiny itty bitty bit into the cheesy lane - but most will probably love it
- while the overall pacing was excellent there was a bit of a lull around the 60-80% mark - the longer chapters combined with the super fast paced beginning made the slow down (to do important things like finish fleshing out the world and character development) a bit more noticeable.

🌶️ - I gave this one chili based on my old style of describing spice but I will go back and update this with chapters and type of content soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley (Ace) Publishing for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

✩ 3.75 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ Slow Burn
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Chosen One
➼ Secret Identity
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Found Family
➼ Ancient Prophecy
➼ Elemental Magic
➼ Narrated by Billie Fulford-Brown
➼ First Person Single POV

It took me a while to get around to this one, and by the time I did, I had heard ominously little about this book. I went in with low expectations, and was initially pleasantly surprised by how much I was loving it. There were a lot of familiar elements, but the writing and pacing were good, the slow burn was handled really well, and I loved both main characters so the book was off to a great start.

The first 65% or so was honestly really excellent and I felt like things were leading somewhere good, and then the story just kind of lost momentum. Once they arrived in his kingdom and things settled a bit, my interest really waned. There was a bit too much miscommunication between the MC’s and the petty court politics and the amount of time dedicated to things like picking out dresses felt very frivolous after everything they went through to get there in the first half of the book.

The author added a second male character to the mix that didn’t quite feel like a love triangle, but it was close to that and I could definitely see things heading more firmly in that direction. The main broody MMC is the clear front runner, but that makes me worry about what wrenches the author might throw at their relationship. The next book is called “The Sea Spinner” which is a pretty clear sign that the other MMC will be a lot more focal in book two.

The FMC spent most of the book trying to master her powers so I’m sure they will be needed in the next book. I will probably continue the series since I like the development of the romance up to this point and would like to see where it goes, but I wish I felt more invested in the story as a whole. If the author can manage to get the story back on track, I still think this series has a lot of potential!

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Pre-read: It’s taken me months to get to this one, and now I’m kind of nervous because I’m realizing I really haven’t seen many people talking about it despite it being a Fairyloot pick. It’s a chunky one, so I really hope it’s worth the effort! 🤞🏻

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Connect with me on Instagram

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

4.5 ⭐️

“One last thing…I’d hate to see your wings scorched before you ever get a chance to fly.” 🪽

Did I get physically blown away by this book? Yes I did, pun intended.

In a divided kingdom, the fae are hunted and our FMC, Rhya, is captured and sentenced to death.

"The noose chafes, a necklace of death."

At the last minute, she’s captured/saved by a moody commander - Hello, our MMC Scythe/Penn. From here, hidden magic, mythical creatures, and ancient prophecies are unveiled.

The juicy tension between destiny and desire ignites the perfect slow burn🔥

"Air and Fire, an inextinguishable passion. Igniting together into pure, unadulterated... combustion."

This book is for you if you love:
🌀Elemental magic
🌱Found family
🔥Slow burn — it took until the 30% mark for the MMC to remove his helmet (oh my goodness)
🛌 One bed / One horse
⚔️ He trains her

Now, the plot does get pulled in multiple directions but I believe it’s all setting up for an incredible book two, full of unanswered questions and unforgettable side characters. WIll we get a love triangle? Soren i’m looking at you 👀 I can't wait!

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really really wanted to love this book but I didn’t.

This book is toted as enemies to lovers. The beginning makes you think so as well. The MMC Penn rescues the FMC Rhya from death, but basically takes her hostage. Treating her terribly, laying her across the back of his horse like a sack of flour, hands tied, rope around her center. She gets sick and he finally helps by letting her rest. She asks to be allowed to set upright and he says no for no real reason. He’s basically a huge ahole for NO reason. We come to find out they aren’t enemies and he has been looking for her for years. She’s apart of a group of four elementals and if they get all four together they’ll help the world survive.
So let me get this straight. You want the help of a woman you basically treated terribly and acted like she was a huge inconvenience? Nah. You know what would work? Treating her like the essential female that she is. There is literally no explanation why he does this.
Also this is of course the MMC and I have thus far seen nothing that makes him swoon worthy.
The FMC ends up away from the group and falls unconscious. A nearby fae named Soren helps her, gives her new clothes, feeds her, treats her like a real person and she’s like oh I need to get back to Penn. Girl. That man hasn’t answered any of your questions, he treated you like crap, and basically said he needs you or you wouldn’t have survived, like why are we running back to him? Soren gives her more answers in 5 mins than she got from him ever. But she leaves as quickly as possible.
Oh then the MMC is like I like you now so I must lock you away. “Oh no! I can’t live like that!” She says. So they do the whole training montage. I couldn’t do it anymore so I DNFed at 60%.
I’m sorry but I can’t get behind this relationship, the MMC, or this FMC that is dumber than a box of rocks. Sorry girl but I would have stayed with the male who actually was nice to me.

[hailey&#x1f940;&#x1f9a2;✮˖°. · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantasy romance is SO back !!! this is now one of my fav reads of the year and i’m begging more people to read it !!

god i loved this. i loved it so much i’m a bit speechless and lacking the proper words to encompass how much i enjoyed this! i’ll try my best but i know i won’t be able to do it justice. if you like fae, elemental magic, and fantasy romance that has equally good plot and romance then this is for you !!

the tension, the banter, oh my god. i have very high expectations when it comes to enemies to lovers, and i feel like this was done pretty well. i love an mmc who starts off broody and mean with so many walls up that the fmc has to break down, and that’s exactly what i got! i have so many highlights saved from this because i was eating up every single crumb.

this was definitely more on the side of a slow burn which i absolutely love!! if you’re looking for spice this isn’t the book for you, but for me it was so refreshing to focus more on romance over lust and have an engaging plot that made the book difficult to put down.

i LOVED rhya as an fmc. so strong and badass yet still kind and honestly hilarious at times. i wasn’t aware this was a series when i picked it up because i got it in a fairyloot sub, but i’m so glad it is because i can’t wait to see where the story goes as well as rhya’s character arc.

i’m sat and impatiently waiting for the next book even though this one literally just came out and there’s no news about book 2 yet!

p.s. : i’m finally FREEEE! i haven’t had a 5 star read in over two months not counting rereads. thank god!

⚠️SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD⚠️

i sense a possible love triangle on the horizon and i don’t know how to feel about it!!! i really loved penn from the jump but there’s also just something about soren🫦 i do love a good love triangle where it’s actually hard to choose between the two love interests. if this becomes one i can’t say i’d be too mad at it as long as it doesn’t turn into a tamlin situation🤨

[BookishByTammi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ Im so sad that this didn’t work for me
The fmc was sheltered in a small town growing up so she knew nothing which meant we had to wait until page 200 to get some understanding about this world, magic etc which drove me a little crazy

I enjoyed the change of scenery around the 200 page mark and continued to enjoy it til about page 300 where it decided to stop progressing.
As in no plot, she got mocked at court, made a friend, friend had a baby, she watched the men spar and did some target practice but unfortunately I was pretty bored
Until the plot finally came back in in the last 50pages
(A character asked them “what have you been doing all this time?” And YES please ask them because I too am unsure)

I really enjoyed the side characters, they really saved this book for me, every time Farley, Jac and Soren were on the page I had a great time, little found family moments but unfortunately even they weren’t enough to make up for the fact that I hated the MMC Penn, he gave me Tamlin vibes (which depending on how book 2 goes may have been intentional)
Constantly shouting, barking or growling at her and not in a cute way.
Always trying to lock her away rather than helping her to master her ability.
Treats her like a damsel in distress when she could be more powerful than him!
Lets just say I’m rooting for the other guy (who barely had a chapter might I add)

Unsure if I will continue this series unless I hear book 2 focuses heavily on Soren and not Penn

[Clarissa Labue-Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action, adventure, and romance suffuse this novel set in a lush, vibrant fantasy world. The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson is an epic book that will leave you wanting more. In fact, I can safely say it's the best thing I've read this year and easily one of my top favorite romantsy books of all time.

In The Wind Weaver Rhya Fleetwood is captured by a group of soldiers, set to be killed for the crime of simply being part Fae. Upon her imminent death she is taken by a soldier who decimates an entire brigade to rescue her. This sets Rhya and her unknown captor/rescuer on a perilous and grand journey where Rhya discovers she is a powerful remnant, one of four reincarnated vestiges of elemental power.

Rhya is beautiful, moral, lovable, bold, and valiant. On her journey to discover her hidden power, Rhya undergoes a tremendous amount of character growth that I thoroughly enjoyed. There was never a moment when I didn't cheer for her and eagerly await what she would do next. Surrounding Rhya are two wholly different men with hidden magic and motives, as well as a cast of lively and spirited characters that are easy to care for.

If you like fantasy, or romance then you need to run out and get this book. You will not believe how good it is.

[Julezreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Wind Weaver" erfüllt alle "klassischen" Kriterien für ein gutes Romantasy-Buch: ein fesselnder Einstieg, eine komplexe Welt, ein durchdachtes Magiesystem, eine Auserwählte als Protagonistin und interessante Love-Interests. Zudem wurden beliebte Tropes bedient, was in Kombination dafür gesorgt hat, dass zwar einige Abläufe vorhersehbar waren, gleichzeitig hat es meine Erwartungen an die Geschichte absolut erfüllt. Der Schreibstil schaffte es, mich in einen Sog zu ziehen. Besonders die Spannungselemente durch Kämpfe, Fluchten, Intrigen und Zweifel an Figuren überzeugten mich - die Handlung blieb durchgehend abwechslungsreich🥰! Da es für mich noch nicht absehbar war, wohin die Liebesgeschichte führt und ich bei beiden Love-Interests noch sehr zwiegespalten war, konnte mich dieser Aspekt emotional weniger mitnehmen. Das kann sich jedoch noch in den Folgebänden entwickeln - ich sehe also noch viel Potential und freue mich darauf😍! Ein guter Reihenauftakt🤭

[Toribetweenpages · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You are the storm, Rhya Fleetwood”

What a stunning introduction to this immersive world filled with elemental magic, war torn lands, and a terrifying foe.

She is one of the four elements, fated to reincarnate time and time again until they find each other and help bring balance to maegic and the land.

Fire daddy is so broody and filled with yearning. Cannot wait to get more from water daddy.

[Icezoot · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️

I literally don’t have the proper words to easily summarize how much I hated this.

Which is suprising. Because I loved the first chapter, and even thought to myself that ‘wow, this has the potential of being a 4-5 stars book’. How quickly it proved me wrong.

My biggest issue is that neither of them act or speak like real people.

Let me paint you the scene: the female lead was hunted, starved, beaten, burned, almost raped, and dragged away by the male lead who kills a camp full of men only to keep abusing her in different ways. He literally treats her like a worthless ragdoll—purposefully drops her, pulls her by the hair, throws and ties her over the back of a horse for several days at a time, lets her lie in her own filth when she gets sick, and doesn't even take off the iron cuffs that are literally burning her skin off every second, every hour, every day. I wouldn’t have been suprised if the male lead punched her in the face if she failed to respond to him.

And then when she finally gets a scrap of food and water, and a clean shirt, she calls it a "considerate gesture." Are you joking? No, seriously. IS THIS A JOKE? Is this satire? Because no sane person would think, “Wow, what a kind and thoughtful gesture from my kidnapper who's physically abused me for days and clearly only needs me alive for his own selfish purposes”.

This girl has been abused for weeks straight, and instead of crawling out of her skin with fear and rage and desperation, she purses her lips sweetly and throws out sarcastic comebacks like she’s in a modern YA enemies-to-lovers romcom. What the actual hell?

Guess what! There are fates worse than death! And being kidnapped and degraded by someone who clearly sees you as sub-human should be one of them! But I bet you that if the “kidnapper” had been ugly 60 year old man, these exact scenes would have been treated like a horror novel! Atleast maybe then the female lead would’ve reacted accordingly.

Cause girl, be so fucking for real right now. I don’t care if he has a jawline sharp enough to cut diamonds—he threatened to drag her behind his horse in a noose, with a “cruel smile” on his face. That’s not misunderstood. That’s not morally grey. That’s straight up pitch-black, irredeemable levels of evil.

And the female lead? I wanted to root for her. I really did. But she is written with all the emotional depth and self-preservation instincts of a wet paper towel. She's not traumatized. She's not filled with of dread and anger and hatred and fear. She's not calculating her escape. She’s just passively...there. Sarcastic. Pouty. Throwing shade at the man who might very well sell her into slavery.

Also, about the“well, maybe he’s not so bad” because he left a shirt out for her. Let’s not pretend the shirt thing was some act of kindness. It’s not. It wasn’t for her comfort. It was because he didn’t want to keep smelling the stench of waste after he let her soil herself multiple times while she was too sick and weak to move.

And while we’re at it, why is she wearing nothing but a thin male tunic in the middle of winter?! It’s literally sub zero temperatures and snowing! People die in those conditions inside tents, clothes, and warm sleeping bags. Like what?

It’s just so unfortunate because I wanted to like this going into it. That first chapter gave me a glimpse of another reality where the female lead had grown bitter and jaded after the week she’d endured. But instead of delivering a compelling adult fantasy, it gave me a deeply uncomfortable power imbalance with a side of tone-deaf character reactions.

And worst part of all of it? The male lead doesn’t even have a reason for abusing her and treating her like she was filth stuck on his shoe. He’s just casually an extremely awful person. He abuses her because he can. He calls her a child in one breath, and then in the next breath spits that he should’ve just left her behind to be tortured, burned alive, and possibly raped because she’s being an inconvenience to him. And yet, he apparently needs her to help him. How about… no, go fuck yourself?

So it’s an enemies-to-lovers romance, except they’re not actually enemies, the male lead is just the worst human alive and likes inflicting her physical pain for no reason, and the female lead never actually hates him for his actions or makes him face any consequences, she just lets him treat her like shit and falls in love with him anyway 👍🏻

So yeah. 1.5 stars. The 0.5 is for the opening chapter. It’s been a long time since a book got me raging this bad. I guess it’s because I had too high expectations.

Sorry if my review upsets someone, but reading this book was also upsetting.

DNF 20%

[Kate | FocusOnYourShelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars



Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

The first 60% of this book was incredible. I was immediately engrossed in the book, the opening of the book was incredibly unique and really gets you invested in the story. I love the heroine Rhya and the hero “Scythe”. Their journey, their banter, their chemistry and development over this portion of the book was superb. I loved the world as well and the descriptions, I was fully expecting this to be a 5+ star read.

Then around the 70% mark things took a turn. Shortly after they reach their destination, it almost feels like i began reading a different book. I had no idea what the plot was, the timelines didn’t make sense and the book just stopped flowing. It is almost like every chapter was separate. it really bummed me out as the first part was so so so good.

The other thing that i love and hate is the cover of the book. It is stunning…absolutely beautiful, and will definitely catch people’s attention. That being said the bird on the cover has zero relation to this book. I went in fully expecting a magical phoenix-like mythical creature to play a role in the book, but there is nothing.

[shaelinslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am not going to lie, i went into this with low expectations, but i am impressed!

the first quarter of this book is slow but it picks up really quick and doesn’t stop. we’ve got a prophecy, chosen ones, and i think this may end in a tamlin/rhysand situation, but don’t quote me on that. either way, i am excited.

the end of this book had me emotional, and geared tf up for book 2. i also LOVED the fmc in this, she really steps into her power by the end which i love.

4.5 stars ⭐️

[DianaRose]

dnf @13% in because i found there to be no discernible plot — and from the looks of other reviews, when the plot is finally shared with readers, the mcs act oddly.

at least my fairyloot edition is pretty?

[Faiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - I loved this, a solid breath of fresh air in the romantasy genre even though the MMCs name (Pendefyre) was criminal.

*Updating with full thoughts as we are closer to release day now!*

As I said above, this book genuinely felt like a breath of fresh air. It starts exciting and the action feels non-stop, which is not to say there wasn't time for the characters to develop too. There absolutely was, and I felt like the balance of plot progression and meaningful character interactions was wonderful. It actually reminded me of The Road of Bones, in the best way! So if you enjoyed that one, you may like this too.

The story follows Rhya, a "halfling" on the run. A mysterious commander (Scythe...aka PENDEFYRE, still can't get over that name lol) saves her when she gets captured, and he seems way too hellbent on ensuring her wellbeing, and she can't quite figure out why. That doesn't stop him from being a complete grouch though, lol. As these things go, Rhya and Penn (gonna stick to calling him his nickname) begin to realize there's more than what meets the eye when it comes to the other.

Rhya has this mysterious birthmark also, and it turns out that means she's a super magical person aka a Remnant and Penn knows quite a few things about what that role of a Remnant entails. They're on quite the adventure, constantly being pursued by enemies. The action was really fun! The start of the book had essentially no other female characters (other than the FMC) which felt really odd, but eventually there are other women and I loved the found family/sisterly bond they had.

Another slight grievance is the dialogue was a bit jarring, at times it felt a bit "trying too hard to sound medieval" but then contrasted really abruptly with modern lingo.

All in all a very fun read - and I will add I haven't been this unsure about who the final love interest in a book will be a while!! So I need book 2 ASAP.

Thank you Berkley/Ace Books for the ARC!!

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wind Weaver is a book that is so easy to enjoy, with it’s near constant elements of drama and a love-triangle leaning romance that keeps you wondering. Rhya is navigating a magical world entirely new to her, and we the reader discover all there is to know about elemental magic and the rarity of Rhya’s abilities as she does. There’s so much wonder in this world, but such high stakes too with Rhya’s position, and it’s a whirlwind of a story that keeps you turning the pages. I can’t wait to see where book 2 leads!

[Nina Quill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un peu trop prévisible. Les tropes de Romantasy sont bien là mais sont un peu trop similaires à ce qu’on connaît. Ça a quand même bien marché pour moi ! J’adore le système de magie des éléments et le enemies to lovers avec monsieur regneugneu a fonctionné pour moi aussi même si je comprends que certains n’aient pas aimé… presque un coup de cœur mais pas tout à fait !

[Mel Lenore · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD. The characters in this. Incredible. The world building. Incredible. I loved every second

[Avada Kaddavra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieses Buch hat mich herausgefordert.
Mir gefällt das Cover echt gut und deshalb hab ich mich sehr auf die Story gefreut, aber leider war es sehr anstrengend, sich durch diese knapp 600 Seiten bzw. 17 Stunden in der Hörfassung zu kämpfen. Rebecca Veil und ich haben aber natürlich alles gegeben und waren letztendlich beide erfolgreich.
Zuerst möchte ich aber anmerken, dass es hier wirklicher, echter slow burn ist. Also, das ist wirklich eine seeehr langsame Liebesgeschichte, daher für Lesende, die sowas mögen vermutlich 100 % das richtige Buch.
Mir dauerte das leider alles viel zu lange. Bis die erstmal waren wo sie hinwollten war das Buch schon halb vorbei. Die Gespräche habe ich als langweilig empfunden. Die Liebesgeschichte, wie gesagt, slow burn enemies to lovers, fand ich ganz gut gemacht, es gab nicht wirklich spice, also von daher total in Ordnung. Was er jetzt in ihr gesehen hat außer ihrer Magie bleibt wohl sein Geheimnis, er hat uns keinen Einblick in seine Gefühlswelt gegeben. Eigentlich hätte er auch ihre Gefühle kennen müssen, aber er scheint wohl echt schlecht darin zu sein, sie zu deuten und musste sich deshalb lange zieren.
Es kam dann wohl später ansatzweise etwas Schwung rein mit neuen Figuren und bisschen Action, aber insgesamt konnte mich das Buch dann nicht mehr abholen.
Trotz der Länge des Buches blieben sämtliche Charaktere eher blass und austauschbar. Deshalb war es für mich nicht so schlimm, wenn der eine oder andere dann plötzlich nicht mehr dabei war.
Die Magie und das Drumherum hätten meiner Meinung nach mehr erklärt werden müssen, das fand ich doch recht oberflächlich beschrieben, obwohl wir bei 600 Seiten das Gegenteil hätten erwarten dürfen.
Insgesamt also ein eher langsames Buch mit magical slow burn, Fokus auf den beiden MCs und nicht so ganz viel Action.

[Keepupwithnina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch hat mir wirklich richtig gut gefallen, und ich bin super gespannt, wie es weitergeht! Die Welt ist spannend aufgebaut, und man wird direkt in die Geschichte reingeworfen, ohne vom Worldbuilding überfordert zu sein 🌎⚔️ Den Found Family Trope fand ich hier auch total schön umgesetzt. Was die Love Story angeht, bin ich mir noch nicht ganz sicher, wo das alles hinführt. Es fühlt sich ein bisschen an wie bei ACOTAR, wenn ihr wisst, was ich meine 👀 Ich kann’s kaum erwarten, Band 2 in die Hände zu kriegen – warum ist der bitte noch nicht draußen?!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m truly obsessed with this book and I need the sequel like now! I love the magic (elemental fae), the plot but the romance I rotting for a certain someone else instead!

[Bailey Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I did really like this book. Loved the main characters. Super solid secondary characters. A much bigger world I'm excited to find out about. And there's a lot of story left to tell. But is this book a Romantasy? I suspect it WILL be in future books. But at times, this definitely felt like a YA book. I think the cover screams YA as well. Without getting into spoilers, I feel like I might know where this series is heading. And I'm excited if that is indeed where it goes. If it ends up not being what I suspect....then I'm not sure how I feel. At times the MMC was a bit too much of an asshole. There were definitely scenes where I wasn't rooting for him. He has a lot of growing up to do for sure. All in all, I'm super curious how this series will continue and I will definitely be reading book 2.

[Alex Z (azeebooks) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This seems like a romantasy written for the sake of writing a romantasy

There’s no passion, no chemistry, no driving force. This is supposed to be an adult novel but reads more like a young adult as far as exposition, characters and plot. I’m also just at the breaking point of these FMC with special abilities who are SO strong and cool but also somehow so naive.

⭐

Available April 15, 2025

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for a free advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[☀︎El In Oz☀︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

This is a very solid fantasy debut, but I found it to be far too slow in pacing to make up for its hefty length. There is a lot of what felt like filler scenes that I wish we had spent instead learning more about the world. At the end of this book, I’m still very unclear as to what the plot will be moving forward because the villains seemed to be very 2-D with the politics of the world very surface level.
Rhya was an okay main character, I felt like she had very little personality.
The magic system was pretty light and not fully developed at this point.
The romance was awful in my opinion. Penn was boring as ash and very controlling. I felt like it was unbelievable that they had feelings for each other based on their interactions.
Soren, on the other hand? My man! Loved him from his first appearance and I pray that he is endgame. He was funny, snarky, intriguing, and I may read the sequel just for him. That is how you write a character.
The side characters as a whole were overwhelming because of how many there were and how similar they all were.
All this being said, I feel that the series has potential, especially if we see more of Soren! ❤️

[sanne ♥ (sann_reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

de eerste 50% van The Wind Weaver: Verleid door de storm van Julie Johnson gaat als een snelvaart. je valt middenin het verhaal en de actie en dat gaat in een rap tempo verder. de tweede helft is wat rustiger, en de aanloop naar het spannende einde duurde opeens wat lang. dat gedeelte had voor mij wat korter gemogen. maar al met al heb ik me ontzettend vermaakt! dit verhaal heeft wel wat weg van Avatar: The Last Airbender en Lord of the Rings maar maak het romantasy haha.

dit is echt een goede fantasy/romantasy voor mensen die nooit fantasy lezen en daarmee willen beginnen. ben erg benieuwd naar deel 2!

bedankt voor dit recensie-exemplaar HarperCollins Holland!

[monica ✨ romantasyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was giving major ACOTAR vibes with elemental fae, soul bonds, and court politics.

rhya was a bit naive in the beginning for me, but her assertion and character development were so well done. the enemies to lovers burn was delicious and I’m enjoying the possible sprinkles of a love triangle developing!!

the ending was super fast paced and once I hit about 75% I couldn’t put it down.

thank you so much to Berkley romance and Ace publishing for the arc!

what to expect
⟢ fae and halflings
⟢ court politics
⟢ elemental magic
⟢ enemies to lovers

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5 Muss es noch ein bisschen sacken lassen, aber mochte es tbh nicht so sehr. Die Gespräche waren absurd, die Romance habe ich 0,0 gespürt (auch wenn ich vermutlich weiß worauf es hinauslaufen wird in den nächsten Büchern lol) - das Worldbuilding war aber top, liebe das mit den Elementen 😍
Ich frage mich wann genau die Liebe sich überhaupt entwickelt hat, die Anziehung war für mich nicht existent und irgendwie war es alles zu plötzlich und zu zickig und patzig… das Buch hätte 200 Seiten weniger vertragen können, manche Szenen haben sich für mich echt bisschen umsonst angefühlt. Naja - vielleicht lag es auch an der deutschen Übersetzung aber ich bin nur froh es beendet zu haben, soooorrryyy

[Tori - Novel Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars