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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own. I will try and be as spoiler free as possible but will mark it as a spoiler warning just in case.
The South Wind is the third book in the Four Winds series following Princess Sarai and the South Wind, Notus. It’s an extremely loose retelling of Sleeping Beauty, mixed with the Greek mythology of the Cretan Minotaur.
Here are my thoughts: I was super excited for this as The North Wind has been on my tbr for a while, and a Sleeping Beauty/Greek mythology tale? Sign me up! However, I’m not sure if this fully delivered the way it intended to. There were so many moments I contemplated DNF’ing but wanted to push through as if I did DNF, I know I’d probably never read TNW. The FMC and the MMC were so wishy washy throughout the book on whether or not they cared/wanted to be together and it was very much “do you want this?” “do you want me to want this?” and I found it extremely childish because we would hear Sarai’s inner thoughts and she would essentially do the opposite and try and push Notus away/would not let him in. HUGE MISCOMMUNICATION TROOE AS WELL but I’m leaving this out for overall spoiler purposes. Overall, I wasn’t a fan of the FMC and had a hard time relating and rooting for her. She was pulling rank at least once a chapter, and not even in a way that she absolutely needed to. I’m also not familiar with the author, but the way Sarai is distrustful of other women/describes them and the way the other women at court are written is pretty disheartening. Again, I couldn’t connect with her character and found her annoying.
This book was also filled with some extreme instalust and there’s a spicy scene where they go at it at a time that was DEFINITELY not the most appropriate like I don’t know how they got away with that 😅 It made no sense based on the urgency of the other situation and it felt like the author was like “pause- nothing will happen to them here even though they’re technically in the danger zone.”
I will give admit that part 2 really saved this book for me and I enjoyed it way more than part 1. There was some crossovers for characters and the story overall seemed more cohesive and thought out. I did like the end, but I’m just glad I’m finished with the book so that I no longer have to be in the FMC’s head.
The South Wind is the third book in the Four Winds series following Princess Sarai and the South Wind, Notus. It’s an extremely loose retelling of Sleeping Beauty, mixed with the Greek mythology of the Cretan Minotaur.
This book was also filled with some extreme instalust and there’s a spicy scene where they go at it at a time that was DEFINITELY not the most appropriate like I don’t know how they got away with that 😅 It made no sense based on the urgency of the other situation and it felt like the author was like “pause- nothing will happen to them here even though they’re technically in the danger zone.”
I will give admit that part 2 really saved this book for me and I enjoyed it way more than part 1. There was some crossovers for characters and the story overall seemed more cohesive and thought out. I did like the end, but I’m just glad I’m finished with the book so that I no longer have to be in the FMC’s head.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Saga Press for the gifted digital and physical copies and Simon Audio for the gifted audio!
The South Wind
Alexandria Warwick
Publishing Date: May 27, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧 Narrator: Carlotta Brentan & Travis Tonn🎧
This is the third installment in The Four Winds series. Each can be read as a standalone, but if you fully immerse yourself and read in order you will have a better background of the world and will notice some familiar characters pop up. I also think this one sets things up nicely for book four, The East Wind.
Each of these books takes on a different retelling. This one takes inspiration from Sleeping Beauty and the Minotaur and labyrinth.
Through Princess Sarai and Notus, we see some classic romance tropes in this one: fake engagement, second chance romance, and miscommunication.
There were some deeper themes of familial pressure and expectations, guilt, and loss that played out, especially with our FMC, Princess Sarai as she navigated some complicated family dynamics. We see her grow and work toward self love, being her authentic self, and healing. Lessons of not letting others dictate your life and happiness are apparent. There was one particular scene where she gets to interact with her child self, which I found really impactful.
The miscommunication/lack of communication lingered on for a really long time in this one, although surprisingly it didn’t really bother me. I did also find the pacing to be a bit off, with some things lingering for a long time and then others resolving almost too easily. But regardless of all this, this book was an enjoyable and easy read/listen! I love that the author included an epilogue in each book that kind of poke fun at the MMC’s 🤣
🎧 The narrator for this series isn’t my favorite, BUT clearly I like her enough to keep coming back! I read this one mostly with my ears with the occasional tandem read with this gorgeous physical copy.
I’ll be here waiting for The East Wind to see how this all wraps up!
The South Wind
Alexandria Warwick
Publishing Date: May 27, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧 Narrator: Carlotta Brentan & Travis Tonn🎧
This is the third installment in The Four Winds series. Each can be read as a standalone, but if you fully immerse yourself and read in order you will have a better background of the world and will notice some familiar characters pop up. I also think this one sets things up nicely for book four, The East Wind.
Each of these books takes on a different retelling. This one takes inspiration from Sleeping Beauty and the Minotaur and labyrinth.
Through Princess Sarai and Notus, we see some classic romance tropes in this one: fake engagement, second chance romance, and miscommunication.
There were some deeper themes of familial pressure and expectations, guilt, and loss that played out, especially with our FMC, Princess Sarai as she navigated some complicated family dynamics. We see her grow and work toward self love, being her authentic self, and healing. Lessons of not letting others dictate your life and happiness are apparent. There was one particular scene where she gets to interact with her child self, which I found really impactful.
The miscommunication/lack of communication lingered on for a really long time in this one, although surprisingly it didn’t really bother me. I did also find the pacing to be a bit off, with some things lingering for a long time and then others resolving almost too easily. But regardless of all this, this book was an enjoyable and easy read/listen! I love that the author included an epilogue in each book that kind of poke fun at the MMC’s 🤣
🎧 The narrator for this series isn’t my favorite, BUT clearly I like her enough to keep coming back! I read this one mostly with my ears with the occasional tandem read with this gorgeous physical copy.
I’ll be here waiting for The East Wind to see how this all wraps up!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This fantasy romance is an excellent mashup of fairy-tale inspiration, touches of Greek mythology, original lore, and a slow burn. Sarai is a talented musician, stubborn princess, and heartbroken woman living under the shadow of a curse. Notus is a god of disgraced origins and traitor status, returning to protect Sarai after abandoning her some years ago for reasons he won't share. Together they must face enemies from the inside and outside of their home.
I love Sarai, she is such a good heroine! She is strong, feminine, fierce and hurt, angry and scared. Her family's politics and her future are the true center of the drama in this story. She is a well-rounded character whose actions can be frustrating but are completely understandable. Notus is the classic handsome, devoted, frustratingly stoic love interest that will make your toes curl.
If you need a fantasy romance with plenty of original lore, touches of mythology/fairytales, yearning, and some open-door spice, give this a go!
I love Sarai, she is such a good heroine! She is strong, feminine, fierce and hurt, angry and scared. Her family's politics and her future are the true center of the drama in this story. She is a well-rounded character whose actions can be frustrating but are completely understandable. Notus is the classic handsome, devoted, frustratingly stoic love interest that will make your toes curl.
If you need a fantasy romance with plenty of original lore, touches of mythology/fairytales, yearning, and some open-door spice, give this a go!
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes