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madelyne_bookdiary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.0
booksbyfi_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bamamelereads's review against another edition
DNF at 63%
I was promised a steamy enemies to lovers Beauty and the Beast retelling, and what I got was bland, boring, and irritating.
Wren is incredibly unlikeable. If you took the most annoying parts of Nesta and Feyre from ACOTAR and put them in one person, you'd get Wren. Her sister Ellora is 100% Elain. Boreas is bland. The plot is slow and plodding, and I'm honestly not sure I can find the point to it.
Also, something that has bugged me from the beginning....they are in a cold and desolate land where hardly anything grows. And yet EVERYONE HAS WINE! WHERE IS THE WINE COMING FROM? Even if Boreas has access to other places that can grow things, Wren makes it clear she didn't know those places existed. So where do the people in her town get wine?!
And by 63% in, there's been no real movement on the "to lovers" part, so the burn is just too slow.
Ugh so sorry, but many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.
I was promised a steamy enemies to lovers Beauty and the Beast retelling, and what I got was bland, boring, and irritating.
Wren is incredibly unlikeable. If you took the most annoying parts of Nesta and Feyre from ACOTAR and put them in one person, you'd get Wren. Her sister Ellora is 100% Elain. Boreas is bland. The plot is slow and plodding, and I'm honestly not sure I can find the point to it.
Also, something that has bugged me from the beginning....they are in a cold and desolate land where hardly anything grows. And yet EVERYONE HAS WINE! WHERE IS THE WINE COMING FROM? Even if Boreas has access to other places that can grow things, Wren makes it clear she didn't know those places existed. So where do the people in her town get wine?!
And by 63% in, there's been no real movement on the "to lovers" part, so the burn is just too slow.
Ugh so sorry, but many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.
i_ashby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The North Wind is a beautiful, creative hybrid of the Hades and Persephone myth and the Beauty and the Beast fairytale.
From the first pages, detailed descriptions lay the foundations of solid world building. I love how Wren and Boreas learn lessons from each other simply by letting their guards down accidentally. It's particularly satisfying every time Boreas gets the better of Wren, since she is a very coarse character at first, but becomes more likable as the book progresses as her insecurities are laid bare. The character and relationship development flows naturally. All this set in such a vivid world filled with darkness and danger, but also beauty.
This is an incredibly immersive read if you enjoy romantic fantasy, and I would particularly recommend to those who love fairytale/myth retellings/adaptations. Please note some chapters contain moderate violence and sexual scenes, and there is a theme of (conquering) alcoholism throughout.
eARC provided by Simon & Schuster UK via NetGalley.
From the first pages, detailed descriptions lay the foundations of solid world building. I love how Wren and Boreas learn lessons from each other simply by letting their guards down accidentally. It's particularly satisfying every time Boreas gets the better of Wren, since she is a very coarse character at first, but becomes more likable as the book progresses as her insecurities are laid bare. The character and relationship development flows naturally. All this set in such a vivid world filled with darkness and danger, but also beauty.
This is an incredibly immersive read if you enjoy romantic fantasy, and I would particularly recommend to those who love fairytale/myth retellings/adaptations. Please note some chapters contain moderate violence and sexual scenes, and there is a theme of (conquering) alcoholism throughout.
eARC provided by Simon & Schuster UK via NetGalley.
leahtreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
secty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I’m not normally one to go for retellings but I enjoy the story of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> and <i>Hades and Persephone</i> so I thought I’d pick this one up. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
The main characters in this story, Wren and Boreas, are interesting yet at the same time a little 2-dimensional. I didn’t really believe in their love story and I didn’t really… feel much emotion for either of them. There wasn’t a moment where I was edge-of-my-seat flipping the proverbial pages to find out what happened next and I really didn’t care for their wellbeing. If anything, I found Wren to be too stubborn for my liking… which is a rare phenomenon when it comes to what I like in my heroines. Too many times I thought “for Pete’s sake, here we go again”.
Boreas was more pleasurable to read about, more up my ally in terms of misunderstood bad guy who is really good. He was well done and I enjoyed the language used to describe him.
This book deals with some dark themes. I thought the discourse around alcoholism in particular was well done. This is a sensitive topic for many and I appreciate it can be hard to do well. It was understated yet present enough, so I applaud Alexandria for this.
Overall I didn’t love it, the characters are my strongest draw to a book and I was disappointed about that but the plot was engaging and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys retellings of the stories I have already referred to.
The main characters in this story, Wren and Boreas, are interesting yet at the same time a little 2-dimensional. I didn’t really believe in their love story and I didn’t really… feel much emotion for either of them. There wasn’t a moment where I was edge-of-my-seat flipping the proverbial pages to find out what happened next and I really didn’t care for their wellbeing. If anything, I found Wren to be too stubborn for my liking… which is a rare phenomenon when it comes to what I like in my heroines. Too many times I thought “for Pete’s sake, here we go again”.
Boreas was more pleasurable to read about, more up my ally in terms of misunderstood bad guy who is really good. He was well done and I enjoyed the language used to describe him.
This book deals with some dark themes. I thought the discourse around alcoholism in particular was well done. This is a sensitive topic for many and I appreciate it can be hard to do well. It was understated yet present enough, so I applaud Alexandria for this.
Overall I didn’t love it, the characters are my strongest draw to a book and I was disappointed about that but the plot was engaging and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys retellings of the stories I have already referred to.
carlotta_c's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
mel_c_bell's review against another edition
I tried. As a huge Beauty and the Beast lover, as well as an ACOTAR fan—this should've worked. At 12% I’m just uninterested, and honestly, feeling some second-hand embarrassment at how elements from B&tB and ACOTAR are forced into each scene.
Wren as an FMC is an overused and poorly executed tough-girl trope that just comes across as immature and entitled 🤷🏻♀️
Wren as an FMC is an overused and poorly executed tough-girl trope that just comes across as immature and entitled 🤷🏻♀️
champ81's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the romance elements--who can resist a Beauty and the Beast or a gruff-and-taciturn/brash-and-spirited romance?--but the fantasy elements fell a bit short.
Although based on Beauty and the Beast and the Hades and Persephone myth, the story had some refreshing elements. Wren, for instance, is not the pure and sweet Beauty/Persephone of yore; she is an alcoholic who fights, hunts, and plots to protect her twin sister from becomes a sacrifice to the North Wind (aka The Frost King, aka Boreas). In sneakily swapping places with her sister, she believes she's going to her death--and she's going to fight the Frost King every step of the way. As it turns out, her fate may be worse than death: she is to be married to the North Wind, whose unrelenting winter destroyed her family and community.
Meanwhile, Boreas may not have ended up with the bride he thought he was getting, but he slowly but surely begins to thaw towards his spirited new wife. Will she be able to give up her hatred and fear of him in order to perhaps have a life together?
All of this is happening against the background of a somewhat confusing plot featuring The Shade (a wall between the worlds of the living and the dead), darkwalkers (souls whose inability to give up their lives upon death end up becoming corrupted spirits who consume the living), Zephyrus (brother of Boreas and god of the West Wind), and a tragedy in Boreas's past. The plot probably would have worked with a bit more care in setting up the fantasy elements. The ending also moved too quickly in resolving some of the conflicts, including the relationship between the brutal cold, the weakening Shade, and Boreas's slow conversion to darkwalker. If love is what it took to heal Boreas and potentially reverse the effects of Boreas's grieving and guilt over his dead wife and son, then why does he need to give up his power in order for everything to be set right? It's a sacrifice that works for the romance, but not the internal logic of the fantasy elements.
I did enjoy it, and while there were several areas of plot, setting, and characterization that seemed underdeveloped, the romance picked up steam as the book went on and more than made up for some vague or confusing parts.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
Although based on Beauty and the Beast and the Hades and Persephone myth, the story had some refreshing elements. Wren, for instance, is not the pure and sweet Beauty/Persephone of yore; she is an alcoholic who fights, hunts, and plots to protect her twin sister from becomes a sacrifice to the North Wind (aka The Frost King, aka Boreas). In sneakily swapping places with her sister, she believes she's going to her death--and she's going to fight the Frost King every step of the way. As it turns out, her fate may be worse than death: she is to be married to the North Wind, whose unrelenting winter destroyed her family and community.
Meanwhile, Boreas may not have ended up with the bride he thought he was getting, but he slowly but surely begins to thaw towards his spirited new wife. Will she be able to give up her hatred and fear of him in order to perhaps have a life together?
All of this is happening against the background of a somewhat confusing plot featuring The Shade (a wall between the worlds of the living and the dead), darkwalkers (souls whose inability to give up their lives upon death end up becoming corrupted spirits who consume the living), Zephyrus (brother of Boreas and god of the West Wind), and a tragedy in Boreas's past. The plot probably would have worked with a bit more care in setting up the fantasy elements. The ending also moved too quickly in resolving some of the conflicts,
I did enjoy it, and while there were several areas of plot, setting, and characterization that seemed underdeveloped, the romance picked up steam as the book went on and more than made up for some vague or confusing parts.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
• Once Upon a Book Club #OUABC exclusive Romantasy 2022 edition of The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick! This stunning special edition features custom artwork on the cover, spine, and back cover, custom endpapers, custom stenciled edges, metal corner tabs, and gold foil detail!
• #OUABC 2023 Reading Challenge: 40 Prompts (18. A retelling)
#StoryGraph: fiction fantasy romance adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
551 pages • first pub 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• #OUABC 2023 Reading Challenge: 40 Prompts (18. A retelling)
#StoryGraph: fiction fantasy romance adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
551 pages • first pub 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️