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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Major points for the prose. Just saying it was beautifully crafted doesn't really do it justice. But it was honestly the only thing I liked about the book. Nothing happened that hooked me in. The plot was boring and the characters unlikeable.
Zephyrus is a complex character and I wish more of his mean-jokey side came out like it did in The North Wind. Instead, he was just completely unlikeable until the Epilogue.
Brielle's journey of wavering faith was drawn out and a bore. Her best character trait was bladesmithing and secretly kicking ass, but made this more like a side note to gloss over and hurry along action scenes. If this was more prominent then I prob would've found her to be more likeable. Instead she was made to be a weenie, especially to Harper. Harper's bullying was a nice comedic relief to the dull first person narrative told by Brielle.
I had hoped for more of an introduction to Notus, since the next book will be his story. I liked how we got a preview into Zephyrus from The North Wind and I was expecting the same. But no, Notus was present for a brief period of time and you don't even get to really know anything about him.
Zephyrus is a complex character and I wish more of his mean-jokey side came out like it did in The North Wind. Instead, he was just completely unlikeable until the Epilogue.
Brielle's journey of wavering faith was drawn out and a bore. Her best character trait was bladesmithing and secretly kicking ass, but made this more like a side note to gloss over and hurry along action scenes. If this was more prominent then I prob would've found her to be more likeable. Instead she was made to be a weenie, especially to Harper. Harper's bullying was a nice comedic relief to the dull first person narrative told by Brielle.
I had hoped for more of an introduction to Notus, since the next book will be his story. I liked how we got a preview into Zephyrus from The North Wind and I was expecting the same. But no, Notus was present for a brief period of time and you don't even get to really know anything about him.
adventurous
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
So, I loved the book at the start. I'd read some reviews and I was ready to defend it to death - it read like a feverdream (the pacing, the story, the setting), but appropriately so. And then I got to the middle and it just... deflated. It started to read like the author was trying to convince me that this is what happened and she just lost me. Problems are solved too easily, there just doesn't seem to be any real conflict, Brielle is all powerful (essentially) but (spoiler alert!!!) at the same time super dumb and just stays hidden during her lover's fight to the death, which she could stop by just... showing up? Or helping him?
And the end, yes I'm happy for them. But it reads like a caricature of the original characters. I get what the author was going for but it just... almost diminished Zephyrus to this little funny guy, which is completely at odds with the mysterious, wise, sexy stranger displayed throughout the first half of the book. Character development or just... a different character entirely?
And Brielle, well... she's alright. Go girl and all that, but she too seemed to lose herself towards the end.
And the whole memory loss thing just really didn't work. It never does, people should really stop trying.
And the end, yes I'm happy for them. But it reads like a caricature of the original characters. I get what the author was going for but it just... almost diminished Zephyrus to this little funny guy, which is completely at odds with the mysterious, wise, sexy stranger displayed throughout the first half of the book. Character development or just... a different character entirely?
And Brielle, well... she's alright. Go girl and all that, but she too seemed to lose herself towards the end.
And the whole memory loss thing just really didn't work. It never does, people should really stop trying.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
I liked Brielle and her struggles working through her faith and growing into herself as a person. She's treated so ill by everyone in her life and is used for her skills. Despite this, she chooses kindness and generosity. She learns to value herself and what she wants.
I like the settings and the atmosphere, though the world building is at times a little muddled. The book's strength is in the characterizations and the gradual process of growth and change in Brielle and the West Wind.
I like the settings and the atmosphere, though the world building is at times a little muddled. The book's strength is in the characterizations and the gradual process of growth and change in Brielle and the West Wind.
adventurous
hopeful
slow-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
An adventure, a journey of self discovery the MC Brielle stumbles upon a man where everything seems to begin. Though we know this leads to romance I felt that the story’s was centered on Brielle finding her strength. Being a novitiate for a large part of her life and trying to find approval of the only maternal figure available to her. She does everything to stay on the right path that was taught to her, becoming an acolyte. I’m not in love that with only the help of a man/god her eyes were opened, seeing herself and the world differently. But Zephyrus doesn’t take control of the story which helped a lot.
I usually don’t enjoy when the FMC is kind, she’s usually taken advantage of or learns how much she is manipulated by being kind. But I loved that the author did not make is a disadvantage or use it as a symptom of her innocence. At her core she was strong, powerful, caring and kind woman. Who chose time and time again to be stay on her own path of kindness, strength, and forgiveness that did not lead her astray.
adventurous
emotional
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Okay this one was really fun. Zephyrus was such an interesting and complex character, I loved reading about him and watching his character develop more as we went through. Brielle is equally as interesting, watching her character realise and come to terms with who she is was really enlightening. Together thou ? Amazing chemistry ! I love reading couples that both want each other but yet can’t or are resisting the pull of each other besides of course those few heated moments that make it all worth it. I also really enjoyed that this one although was based on the characters and their flaws that the storyline was very much at the forefront of the narrative. The twists and turns and adventures that the characters go through kept me absolutely hooked. The development of the Under was so skilled and the lore was super interesting. In terms of spice for this one, it isn’t really centralised around that so it’s about a 1/5 for me. There is a main scene and a couple of small heated moments throughout. Their ongoing chemistry however made for these instances to be so good. Overall, I loved this one and I’m still obsessed with the storyline. I can’t wait to read more from this author because this one is a 5/5 read for me. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a love for romantasy.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is the second book in The Four Winds series and I enjoyed this even more than the first one. The characters were even more flawed and interesting than in The North Wind. Brielle was such an interesting character dealing with the equivalent of catholic guilt while being curious and wanting to know more of the world outside of the abbey.
The character growth seen in both Brielle and Zephyrus was very well done. There is a lot of gradual growth, some backsliding that felt natural, and then a resurgence of growth. The plot line of how the Under was powered and how involved both the abbey and Zephyrus were involved certainly gets pretty dark and I love that despite that, the overall vibes of the book were not so dark.
If you love mythology retellings and romantasy, you’ll want to pick this one up! It can be read as a standalone, but does feature mentions of characters from The North Wind and an appearance from the brother in the next book, The South Wind.
Thank you to @sagapressbooks for the ARC and finished copies. All thoughts are my own.
The character growth seen in both Brielle and Zephyrus was very well done. There is a lot of gradual growth, some backsliding that felt natural, and then a resurgence of growth. The plot line of how the Under was powered and how involved both the abbey and Zephyrus were involved certainly gets pretty dark and I love that despite that, the overall vibes of the book were not so dark.
If you love mythology retellings and romantasy, you’ll want to pick this one up! It can be read as a standalone, but does feature mentions of characters from The North Wind and an appearance from the brother in the next book, The South Wind.
Thank you to @sagapressbooks for the ARC and finished copies. All thoughts are my own.