Scan barcode
j_almat's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.5
barb4ry1's review
4.0
What a stunning cover! I mean, just look at it. Glorious. And, even better, it ties with the story, shows the setting and the story's Byzantine inspirations. The Wind from The Wilderness tells an engaging story of Lukas Bessarion - son of a Roman aristocrat who finds himself transported to a world where he has no family or connections. Enemies from the past are closing in on him, and his only ally has good reasons to kill him. All of this happens in the times of the First Crusade.
I rarely read historical fantasy and I don’t care about historical details so I won’t comment on this aspect of the story. I’m more interested in characters, intrigue, and pacing. Rowntree intertwines her protagonists’ stories with real events. We get characters who should be enemies but get close to each other. We get romance, redemption, self-exploration, and growth. And a richly detailed world. While the pacing could be better in places, the story immersed me and made me root for the cast.
Lukas alone wouldn’t gain my full sympathy - he starts way too pompous and arrogant to be relatable. Happily, Ayla - a resourceful and honorable Turkish girl makes up for his shortcomings. Plus, they have great chemistry, and they’re fun together. The third important character, Raymond St Gilles, the crusading count engaged in the complex strategizing and politicking felt more distant to me. He’s so focused on his obligations to God, his people, and his oaths that we rarely see his more relatable side.
Rowntree’s prose is elegant without getting flowery. Don’t let the dense prologue mislead you - the story reads well and has (mostly) a good pacing. In AWftW, historical elements outweigh fantasy elements. The theurgic magic system is there, but it’s not fully developed. Or understandable. Supernatural beings (angels, demons, saints, and djinn) have their hands in the described events, but they remain in the background. Instead, the story focuses on people and their beliefs about the supernatural.
I suspect some fantasy readers would prefer to get a clearer look at the magic system, and perhaps they’ll have a chance in the sequels.
By turns tragic and triumphant, poignant and joyful, this is ultimately an engrossing read. Rowntree combines historical adventure with fantasy and excels at portraying the emotionally charged interplay of her memorable characters.
I rarely read historical fantasy and I don’t care about historical details so I won’t comment on this aspect of the story. I’m more interested in characters, intrigue, and pacing. Rowntree intertwines her protagonists’ stories with real events. We get characters who should be enemies but get close to each other. We get romance, redemption, self-exploration, and growth. And a richly detailed world. While the pacing could be better in places, the story immersed me and made me root for the cast.
Lukas alone wouldn’t gain my full sympathy - he starts way too pompous and arrogant to be relatable. Happily, Ayla - a resourceful and honorable Turkish girl makes up for his shortcomings. Plus, they have great chemistry, and they’re fun together. The third important character, Raymond St Gilles, the crusading count engaged in the complex strategizing and politicking felt more distant to me. He’s so focused on his obligations to God, his people, and his oaths that we rarely see his more relatable side.
Rowntree’s prose is elegant without getting flowery. Don’t let the dense prologue mislead you - the story reads well and has (mostly) a good pacing. In AWftW, historical elements outweigh fantasy elements. The theurgic magic system is there, but it’s not fully developed. Or understandable. Supernatural beings (angels, demons, saints, and djinn) have their hands in the described events, but they remain in the background. Instead, the story focuses on people and their beliefs about the supernatural.
I suspect some fantasy readers would prefer to get a clearer look at the magic system, and perhaps they’ll have a chance in the sequels.
By turns tragic and triumphant, poignant and joyful, this is ultimately an engrossing read. Rowntree combines historical adventure with fantasy and excels at portraying the emotionally charged interplay of her memorable characters.
filipmagnus's review
5.0
This is part of the Fantasy Hive's SPFBO 5 review of our semi-finalists, you can read the full piece here.
They say "You cannot judge a book by its cover," but... Wind's is a very fine cover that immediately forecasts subject matter and conflict both: see the domed shape in the foreground, and the crescent moon resting atop it? On the smaller domes are crosses, two of them, perhaps reflecting the dual Christian fates at display in the book, Orthodox and Catholic. Here’s the main conflict we will face, at one of its bloodiest phases, the First Crusade. To the left and to the right are ruins of the Old World — they come into play.
An excellent composition, that much is certain. Whatever shall we say for the rest?
Lukas’s flaws made of him a character I invested heavily into; to Theo’s note that he’s pompous and proud, I nod with affirmation; I would argue, however, that to reconcile to the hard times Lucas has fallen upon any faster than he did wouldn’t be realistic. The world of the eleventh century lacks social mobility — a lesson beaten into Lukas again and again. To learn it quickly would go against who he is, exactly because Lukas comes from a place of the greatest privilege in the seventh century. The notion that he would be treated as anything less than his position in that other time demands is as alien as the notion of a knight dueling with a peasant would be to a Frankish nobleman.
As for our young Turk, Ayla is a phenomenal character whose arc is nothing short of breathtaking — for many different reasons. Her conflict, her need to make a difference before the hour of her death, her relationship with Lukas (and his with her) made for one of the most believable, memorable and downright likeable characters I’ve come across in a while.
Saint-Gilles is great fun, but I liked Bohemond even more — his is a fascinating story of ambition, success and failure, and Rowntree captures that well. He might lean towards the villainous due to our limited perception of him through Saint-Gilles, but the man is very much a tragic hero in his own narrative, and his ambition…well, off you go to Wikipedia, then.
Indeed, it’s difficult to divorce many of these characters from the historical records we have of them — and that should be the greatest compliment to Rowntree. This isn’t just great low fantasy; it’s brilliant historical fiction, down to the verisimilitude of the dialogue these characters use. Brilliantly-captured is the conflict between the leaders of the First Crusade (also known as the Princes’ Crusade, which should tip you off to the strength and egoes of the personalities involved).
A main question of Christianity is that of predestination. In Islam, a similar concept exists – Qadar. Predestination is hotly contested by various theologians and religious scholars; but for the purpose of this, I’ll look to the Calvinist doctrine. The Calvinist Westminister Confession of Faith states that God “freely and unchangeably ordains whatsoever comes to pass.” The Islamic philosophical school of the Jabariyah held to a similar belief: “that humans are controlled by predestination, without having choice of free will” (as per Wikipedia).
It might be hard on the modern reader to accept the concept of predestination, for it eschews the notions of individual human agency which are the foundational blocks of modern Western society. But this is a different society in a world far removed from the one we know, and it’s on this basis that I disagree with Beth about this late twist’s necessity. It is a brutal, painful moment to read; but it is a brutal and painful world where the force of the individual cannot overcome the weight of prophecy. This twist is one final brush in the Abrahamic fresco that Rowntree draws for the reader, and, ugly as it is, it’s a very fine finishing touch which unifies the fantastic with the religious motifs.
The understated magic, I’d argue, is a great boon to Rowntree’s rendition of the First Crusade. The influence of sorcery is just out of sight, but it defines no small amount of what is going on. It’s this influence that propels Ayla on her path, and it is direct sorcery that propels Lukas forwards in time. True, only a few moments will stun with overwhelming displays of it, but magic is imbued in the very DNA of this story. Rowntree banks on the notion that less is more, and that’s a calculated risk that pays off dividends — if she had embraced the use of greater feats of sorcery throughout, this would no longer have the merits it does as historical fiction; the faithful rendering of the Princes’ Crusade would’ve turned very different indeed.
My favourite quote has to be this one:
They were on opposite sides of something much, much bigger than themselves. Something that had begun before either of them was born, and would go on long after both of them were dead. Something that not even love would conquer.
In the span of picking our finalist, I have argued to the effect that it’s not the quantity of magic that matters but its quality. I struggle to judge this book harshly because it has chosen a minimalist approach towards its fantasy elements. In the fragmented response to some of what Rowntree has done here, you, dear reader, should see a writer whose authorial decisions are — whether you like or dislike them — brave. Despite the possibility of creating dissent in the readers of her work, Suzannah Rowntree has told the story she set out to.
You have to respect that, one way or another.
They say "You cannot judge a book by its cover," but... Wind's is a very fine cover that immediately forecasts subject matter and conflict both: see the domed shape in the foreground, and the crescent moon resting atop it? On the smaller domes are crosses, two of them, perhaps reflecting the dual Christian fates at display in the book, Orthodox and Catholic. Here’s the main conflict we will face, at one of its bloodiest phases, the First Crusade. To the left and to the right are ruins of the Old World — they come into play.
An excellent composition, that much is certain. Whatever shall we say for the rest?
Lukas’s flaws made of him a character I invested heavily into; to Theo’s note that he’s pompous and proud, I nod with affirmation; I would argue, however, that to reconcile to the hard times Lucas has fallen upon any faster than he did wouldn’t be realistic. The world of the eleventh century lacks social mobility — a lesson beaten into Lukas again and again. To learn it quickly would go against who he is, exactly because Lukas comes from a place of the greatest privilege in the seventh century. The notion that he would be treated as anything less than his position in that other time demands is as alien as the notion of a knight dueling with a peasant would be to a Frankish nobleman.
As for our young Turk, Ayla is a phenomenal character whose arc is nothing short of breathtaking — for many different reasons. Her conflict, her need to make a difference before the hour of her death, her relationship with Lukas (and his with her) made for one of the most believable, memorable and downright likeable characters I’ve come across in a while.
Saint-Gilles is great fun, but I liked Bohemond even more — his is a fascinating story of ambition, success and failure, and Rowntree captures that well. He might lean towards the villainous due to our limited perception of him through Saint-Gilles, but the man is very much a tragic hero in his own narrative, and his ambition…well, off you go to Wikipedia, then.
Indeed, it’s difficult to divorce many of these characters from the historical records we have of them — and that should be the greatest compliment to Rowntree. This isn’t just great low fantasy; it’s brilliant historical fiction, down to the verisimilitude of the dialogue these characters use. Brilliantly-captured is the conflict between the leaders of the First Crusade (also known as the Princes’ Crusade, which should tip you off to the strength and egoes of the personalities involved).
A main question of Christianity is that of predestination. In Islam, a similar concept exists – Qadar. Predestination is hotly contested by various theologians and religious scholars; but for the purpose of this, I’ll look to the Calvinist doctrine. The Calvinist Westminister Confession of Faith states that God “freely and unchangeably ordains whatsoever comes to pass.” The Islamic philosophical school of the Jabariyah held to a similar belief: “that humans are controlled by predestination, without having choice of free will” (as per Wikipedia).
It might be hard on the modern reader to accept the concept of predestination, for it eschews the notions of individual human agency which are the foundational blocks of modern Western society. But this is a different society in a world far removed from the one we know, and it’s on this basis that I disagree with Beth about this late twist’s necessity. It is a brutal, painful moment to read; but it is a brutal and painful world where the force of the individual cannot overcome the weight of prophecy. This twist is one final brush in the Abrahamic fresco that Rowntree draws for the reader, and, ugly as it is, it’s a very fine finishing touch which unifies the fantastic with the religious motifs.
The understated magic, I’d argue, is a great boon to Rowntree’s rendition of the First Crusade. The influence of sorcery is just out of sight, but it defines no small amount of what is going on. It’s this influence that propels Ayla on her path, and it is direct sorcery that propels Lukas forwards in time. True, only a few moments will stun with overwhelming displays of it, but magic is imbued in the very DNA of this story. Rowntree banks on the notion that less is more, and that’s a calculated risk that pays off dividends — if she had embraced the use of greater feats of sorcery throughout, this would no longer have the merits it does as historical fiction; the faithful rendering of the Princes’ Crusade would’ve turned very different indeed.
My favourite quote has to be this one:
They were on opposite sides of something much, much bigger than themselves. Something that had begun before either of them was born, and would go on long after both of them were dead. Something that not even love would conquer.
He reached out, slowly. All the generations of this war weighed on his back, and Lukas felt as ancient as the hills. Gently, he took Ayla’s hand in both his own and pressed it to his bowed forehead. When he looked up, there were tears in her eyes.
Better to leave it all unsaid.
In the span of picking our finalist, I have argued to the effect that it’s not the quantity of magic that matters but its quality. I struggle to judge this book harshly because it has chosen a minimalist approach towards its fantasy elements. In the fragmented response to some of what Rowntree has done here, you, dear reader, should see a writer whose authorial decisions are — whether you like or dislike them — brave. Despite the possibility of creating dissent in the readers of her work, Suzannah Rowntree has told the story she set out to.
You have to respect that, one way or another.
hannacolwrites's review
5.0
Review hopefully to come ... For now, looking for an epic historical fantasy saga based in the Medieval ages? You can't fail with this one.
ladylegerwood's review
4.0
When I first plunged into this book I wasn't sure what to expect - the Crusades have never been something that I've wanted to read about as they seem rather hopeless, political, and just ... rather pointless with an enormous loss of life. So, all in all, a bit depressing.
However, Suzannah brings it all to life in great detail and gives us some excellent characters which humanise the whole thing. I enjoyed the politics, lamented the loss of life, and found the battle scenes to be nothing short of gripping.
(Honestly, I had Sword of Kaigen vibes. Which is an EXCELLENT thing. But really - the battle scenes were riveting. RIV-E-TING.)
The romance:
All in all, an excellent book but I'm dreading the rest of the series. Because ... MAJOR SPOILERS:
...
I really wasn't expecting it. I knew it was probably going to happen but there was only a few pages left and SURELY nothing like that would HAPPEN would it?
(It did.)
The Watchers confused me at first as I wasn't sure a) what they were and b) how they worked. (In my defence, I read the prologue on my kindle, gave up, ordered the paperback, and started reading Chapter 1 a month later. Yes. I am a diligent reader. Also, the paperback version is excellent and the pages are thick but the book smell is a LITTLE disappointing. Perhaps I shall keep it for twenty years and it will improve with time. Like wine but infinitely better because nothing beats a good book smell. [Note to self: BOOKSNIFFERS WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT BOOK CLUB NAME]
... wait. Where was I?
Ah. By the end of the book ... I was pretty sure that the Watchers/Vowed aspect was cooler than sliced bread. And sliced bread is the coolest because I can't slice a loaf to save my soul.
Lukas is going to be one of those awesome characters you don't often encounter. I know it in my soul. He has potential. Like Caesar except ... he's nothing like Caeser.
In conclusion: I enjoyed this book. I feel sneakily educated on the Crusades (honestly, what where they thinking?) (Also - the level of research ... oof. It's excellent. This author has done research), very entertained, and rather curious for the rest of the series.
Also, I swear there was this random character in one of the battle scenes and I thought 'oh, we have this character's POV clearly he is going to be important later on. And then he just dies. And I was just: huh. wELL OKAY THEN..
However, Suzannah brings it all to life in great detail and gives us some excellent characters which humanise the whole thing. I enjoyed the politics, lamented the loss of life, and found the battle scenes to be nothing short of gripping.
(Honestly, I had Sword of Kaigen vibes. Which is an EXCELLENT thing. But really - the battle scenes were riveting. RIV-E-TING.)
The romance:
Spoiler
I'd have liked to have seen a little more proper bonding to warrant the love both characters express towards each other. They're suddenly all 'you're my heart' and I had to blink and think, huh? Wut? You're barely an appendix at this point, let alone a HEART' [I'M SORRY THIS IS A BAD JOKE BUT IT'S HOW I FELT]All in all, an excellent book but I'm dreading the rest of the series. Because ... MAJOR SPOILERS:
Spoiler
IF ROWNTREE LETS LILETH HAVE HER CLAWS INTO LUKAS I AM GOING TO BE SO UPSET. I DON'T TRUST AUTHORS WHO CREATE MARVELLOUS CHARACTERS AND THEN HAVE THE ABILITY TO CRUSH THEM - AND MY EMOTIONS - WITH A MANIACAL LAUGH. Also - Ayla's death ... I was not expecting it. It was a sort of 'awwww, they've made up everything is fine' and then these Frankish knights gallop up and then BAM!! Ayla has a bolt in her forehead....
I really wasn't expecting it. I knew it was probably going to happen but there was only a few pages left and SURELY nothing like that would HAPPEN would it?
(It did.)
The Watchers confused me at first as I wasn't sure a) what they were and b) how they worked. (In my defence, I read the prologue on my kindle, gave up, ordered the paperback, and started reading Chapter 1 a month later. Yes. I am a diligent reader. Also, the paperback version is excellent and the pages are thick but the book smell is a LITTLE disappointing. Perhaps I shall keep it for twenty years and it will improve with time. Like wine but infinitely better because nothing beats a good book smell. [Note to self: BOOKSNIFFERS WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT BOOK CLUB NAME]
... wait. Where was I?
Ah. By the end of the book ... I was pretty sure that the Watchers/Vowed aspect was cooler than sliced bread. And sliced bread is the coolest because I can't slice a loaf to save my soul.
Lukas is going to be one of those awesome characters you don't often encounter. I know it in my soul. He has potential. Like Caesar except ... he's nothing like Caeser.
In conclusion: I enjoyed this book. I feel sneakily educated on the Crusades (honestly, what where they thinking?) (Also - the level of research ... oof. It's excellent. This author has done research), very entertained, and rather curious for the rest of the series.
Spoiler
Except that I will read them all gingerly because you never know if SUZANNAH WILL JUST SEND A BOLT BETWEEN SOMEONE'S EYES.Also, I swear there was this random character in one of the battle scenes and I thought 'oh, we have this character's POV clearly he is going to be important later on. And then he just dies. And I was just: huh. wELL OKAY THEN.
shebephoebe's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ultimately disappointed with this book. I loved the concept (time travel? historical setting? a bit of magic?) but not so much the execution. There wasn't a single character I connected with; the romance felt heavy-handed; and I felt cheated out of a happy ending. Excellent world-building but the plot plodded along and most of the character motivations were muddy. Don't plan on picking up the sequels. While there are unanswered questions, none of them are pressing enough that I need the answers.
camilleareads's review
4.0
When I first began A Wind from the Wilderness, I wasn’t sure what I going to expect. I’m not fully familiar with the history of the Crusades, so this book was a chance to familiarize myself with the history before grabbing a non-fiction book.
To say that I adore this book would be an understatement. In fact, I want to shove this book into everyone’s hands and have them read it. Historical buffs will enjoy the retelling and the discordant characters who just jump out at you! As for fantasy lovers, you will oogle over the richly described yet vague magic that blankets the story.
From the beginning I loved Lukas and Ayla’s interactions. While I found Lukas' character interesting, I also thought he was quite, uhm, annoying. The privilege he had enjoyed as a Watcher is blatant in all his actions. He constantly whines about what he deserves, and yet doesn’t not recognize that he might just not yet be ready? In spite of his current conundrum, he doesn’t seem to understand having to “humble” himself. Still, he was a likable character because you know he is trying his damnedest to do right.
Because of the war between the Crusaders and the Turks, the latter being Ayla’s people, Lukas and Ayla were torn between loyalty to their heritage and their friendship. Ayla is quite the complex character. Imaging the broody YA hero with a tragic past, the jerk with a golden heart, now imagine it a woman. There are so many questions regarding Ayla's character. I couldn't properly figure her out, but I loved how she always spoke the ugly truth.
I loved reading Saint-Gilles' perspective. For one, the political arguments and power struggle within the army. Saint-Gilles was an exciting character to follow - one who has to confront his own ambitions and his motive for the holy cause. In fact, much of the book raises the questions about the morality of the war, and the characters "holy cause."
A Wind from the Wilderness is rich with characters who deal with their own conflicted aspirations in the midst of a war. Like with any historical novel I read, A Wind from the Wilderness required a lot of concentration on my part as I wasn’t familiar with the history or the historical figures. Still, it was an amazing chance to delve into the world and the war in . For me, it was a chance to learn and Suzannah Rowntree made it worth every page.
While I loved the book I also had a bit of problem with understanding Lilith. She seems to be a fluttering character throughout the book which makes me feel confused regarding her motives. I find it hard to fear her as equally as Lukas and Ayla do. However, none of this deterred me from enjoying the book. Rowntree paints a colourful story of love, war, and loyalty in A Wind from the Wilderness.
I received an e-copy of this book from the author, however, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Camillea Reads || Twitter || Instagram
To say that I adore this book would be an understatement. In fact, I want to shove this book into everyone’s hands and have them read it. Historical buffs will enjoy the retelling and the discordant characters who just jump out at you! As for fantasy lovers, you will oogle over the richly described yet vague magic that blankets the story.
From the beginning I loved Lukas and Ayla’s interactions. While I found Lukas' character interesting, I also thought he was quite, uhm, annoying. The privilege he had enjoyed as a Watcher is blatant in all his actions. He constantly whines about what he deserves, and yet doesn’t not recognize that he might just not yet be ready? In spite of his current conundrum, he doesn’t seem to understand having to “humble” himself. Still, he was a likable character because you know he is trying his damnedest to do right.
Because of the war between the Crusaders and the Turks, the latter being Ayla’s people, Lukas and Ayla were torn between loyalty to their heritage and their friendship. Ayla is quite the complex character. Imaging the broody YA hero with a tragic past, the jerk with a golden heart, now imagine it a woman. There are so many questions regarding Ayla's character. I couldn't properly figure her out, but I loved how she always spoke the ugly truth.
I loved reading Saint-Gilles' perspective. For one, the political arguments and power struggle within the army. Saint-Gilles was an exciting character to follow - one who has to confront his own ambitions and his motive for the holy cause. In fact, much of the book raises the questions about the morality of the war, and the characters "holy cause."
A Wind from the Wilderness is rich with characters who deal with their own conflicted aspirations in the midst of a war. Like with any historical novel I read, A Wind from the Wilderness required a lot of concentration on my part as I wasn’t familiar with the history or the historical figures. Still, it was an amazing chance to delve into the world and the war in . For me, it was a chance to learn and Suzannah Rowntree made it worth every page.
While I loved the book I also had a bit of problem with understanding Lilith. She seems to be a fluttering character throughout the book which makes me feel confused regarding her motives. I find it hard to fear her as equally as Lukas and Ayla do. However, none of this deterred me from enjoying the book. Rowntree paints a colourful story of love, war, and loyalty in A Wind from the Wilderness.
I received an e-copy of this book from the author, however, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Camillea Reads || Twitter || Instagram
More...