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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book 50 of 2025 finished 25/4/25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book 1 in The Four Winds series
It has been 5 millennia since the Anemoi were banished to the four corners of the earth. The North Wind aka the Frost King has been tasked with calling on winter, reigning over the Deadlands, and strengthening the barrier which protects the mortals from the Deadlands. But suddenly the barrier is weakening and the only way to secure it is for the North Wind to take a wife.
Wren has been struggling to survive and protect her twin sister. The North Wind is brutal and his winters are killing the townsfolk. So when The Frost King selects Wren’s sister as his bride Wren tricks him and takes her place. Now she has infiltrated the North Wind’s walls and will stop at nothing to bring him down.
My thoughts: enemies to lovers, romantasy, Greek mythology links, beauty and the beast vibes.
This is a combination of Beauty and the Beast and the story of Hades and Persephone. Unfortunately I found it really hard to connect with Wren and that spoilt this for me. She started as a strong character but she turned into an arrogant person and I didn’t feel the connection between her and North Wind at all. In terms of enemies I absolutely felt the hate but I didn’t feel the switch over was fluid enough. One minute they’re holding knives and the next they’re in bed. It was an extreme change and it’s such a slow burn that the book is almost over before the romance happens.
That being said the story is good I actually loved the plot and the world building. I wanted more background information on the other Anemoi but no doubt that’ll be covered as we move through the series.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I stumbled upon this book and it was a great read. This is the first in a four book series of interconnected stand alones.
Wren is the caretaker for her sister in a bleak, world in winter (think ACOTAR) and secretly takes her place with the North Wind (Frost King) comes to collect a wife. She is fierce but troubled, dealing with alcoholism and unresolved trauma.
Boreas is the North Wind. An immortal god banished to this realm and having brought eternal winter.
Boreas is cold and Wren fights him at every turn. They come to know each other and their similar hurts while battling dark walkers and an unknown enemy.
The book was well paced, a unique world, and a lot of heart wrenching character growth. I enjoyed this unexpected book and look forward to reading the rest of the series!
Wren is the caretaker for her sister in a bleak, world in winter (think ACOTAR) and secretly takes her place with the North Wind (Frost King) comes to collect a wife. She is fierce but troubled, dealing with alcoholism and unresolved trauma.
Boreas is the North Wind. An immortal god banished to this realm and having brought eternal winter.
Boreas is cold and Wren fights him at every turn. They come to know each other and their similar hurts while battling dark walkers and an unknown enemy.
The book was well paced, a unique world, and a lot of heart wrenching character growth. I enjoyed this unexpected book and look forward to reading the rest of the series!
A magical blend of Beauty and the Beast meets Persephone and Hades. Wren was not a typical protagonist when it comes to fantasy stories, at least as far as my experience goes, but she was incredibly relatable. Witnessing her growth into a true heroine was beautiful as was The Frost Kings. Two characters growing and learning to accept their personal flaws as well as each other’s is always a romance I support. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is entirely my own issue as I have been struggling with fantasy reads lately, but the world building, characters, plot and lessons were all top tier and I definitely recommend it.
Trying to do both a Beauty and the Beast retelling and a Hades and Persephone retelling in one book was a choice. I wish this was better.
Formatting issues that I could not ignore: The audiobook and physical printed copy do not match. I'd say it was about and 85% match. At times, there are things in the audio that aren't in print, including entire paragraphs of exposition worldbuilding or history dump. At other times, the audio just skips over multiple sentences or changes up the order of what is in the print. It's so baffling, and not to mention utterly maddening if you're trying to read along while listening to the audiobook. This really took me out of the whatever little enjoyment I had while reading this story.
Formatting issues that I could not ignore: The audiobook and physical printed copy do not match. I'd say it was about and 85% match. At times, there are things in the audio that aren't in print, including entire paragraphs of exposition worldbuilding or history dump. At other times, the audio just skips over multiple sentences or changes up the order of what is in the print. It's so baffling, and not to mention utterly maddening if you're trying to read along while listening to the audiobook. This really took me out of the whatever little enjoyment I had while reading this story.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 chapters in and I still didn't care about either main character :/
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-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
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-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