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A review by 7dream
Wind Daughter by Joanna Ruth Meyer
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.75
This isn't really a review but more like my thoughts on the book and what I liked/disliked.
This book is one of the few YA novels I have picked up in a long time. I forget how well written some of them can be, and this novel is a great example. It is the companion novel to the author's other work, "Echo" and from what I gather, the plot line to both is pretty similar to one another. A young girl embarks on a magical journey, she encounters a dark stranger, discovers her own strength, and love prevails.
I never read Echo so I could not compare, but Wind Daughter felt whimsical, its lore was something I never encountered before so it felt fresh and enticing. I loved that the protagonist "Satu" has severe social anxiety and shows the real and unromantic points of how that can cause real fears and frustrations within yourself. She felt very relatable as I too want to cry as many time as she let herself in this book.
I don't think they made it a point for her to overcome that fear; rather, it focused on her strengths. Her sensitivity gave way to her compassion. It made her a sensible and courageous protagonist. Everything she did, even though she was trembling and scared, she still went forth because love and life was what mattered to her. Even down to the most smallest life she would shed tears for and risk her life to protect. In a way she was admirable.
I also loved the idea that everything was a story, everything had its own story, and that each one is just as precious. This is emphasized through Satu's father Ivan, the town's respected storyteller. It made it feel important as we witnessed Satu's story unfold before us like we were witnessing history and this feeling was enhanced more so since Satu was aware she had to create her own story, a part from her own family.
The romance in this book built up interestingly. I will say I found it somewhat romantic. I think if I did not know of the preexisting "Echo" novel, I would be more inclined to like the pairing. This is just a personal gripe but the main POC lead ending up with a white character bores me. Nothing is wrong with it and I think the two are a lovely pair.
Another aspect of the romance aside from the physical aspect is how they regard romance. I would think love for a family member, lover, etc would be regarded in a similar level but it felt that Satu's parents favor each other more. For instance when the world literally starts to fall apart, Satu in her panic, fear, and confusion keeps asking to know what is going on. Its clear her parents both know but both are too caught up in each other's own despair that they leave their daughter to defend for herself as they disappear. They could not warn her before they did. It felt very frustrating.
What was more, that in their love to have Satu, they risked the fabric of the world ripping apart, and it eventually did as that was the major force that Satu had to face. They left her their mess to clean up.
Then he had to leave her parents after saving them. Returning them to their own respective times. I like this point because it forces Satu to become more independent from her parents but it doesn't change her socialization habits at all so it felt pointless.
Lastly, to support my point that romantic love seems to take precedence, she ends up with Finn in the end and she decides that even though he is mortal and she will live on past him, she still wants a child and potentially to become human and die with him like her father chose to do and risk the stability of the world. Satu states that when her child is old enough, they will give them the choice of becoming a god to take her place just like she took her father's place to uphold the balance of the world. I feel like that is a burdensome choice. What if they do not want to? You will remain stagnant as your lover ages before you? And if they choose to take your place? How do we know it is in good faith? Would they feel pressured by filial piety? I personally did not like that part at all.
TL;DR: In spite of all my personal gripes above, I really did love this book and cried over it. I think the lore of the book and the writing style are beautiful. Completely sweeps you away from the world.
This book is one of the few YA novels I have picked up in a long time. I forget how well written some of them can be, and this novel is a great example. It is the companion novel to the author's other work, "Echo" and from what I gather, the plot line to both is pretty similar to one another. A young girl embarks on a magical journey, she encounters a dark stranger, discovers her own strength, and love prevails.
I never read Echo so I could not compare, but Wind Daughter felt whimsical, its lore was something I never encountered before so it felt fresh and enticing. I loved that the protagonist "Satu" has severe social anxiety and shows the real and unromantic points of how that can cause real fears and frustrations within yourself. She felt very relatable as I too want to cry as many time as she let herself in this book.
I don't think they made it a point for her to overcome that fear; rather, it focused on her strengths. Her sensitivity gave way to her compassion. It made her a sensible and courageous protagonist. Everything she did, even though she was trembling and scared, she still went forth because love and life was what mattered to her. Even down to the most smallest life she would shed tears for and risk her life to protect. In a way she was admirable.
I also loved the idea that everything was a story, everything had its own story, and that each one is just as precious. This is emphasized through Satu's father Ivan, the town's respected storyteller. It made it feel important as we witnessed Satu's story unfold before us like we were witnessing history and this feeling was enhanced more so since Satu was aware she had to create her own story, a part from her own family.
The romance in this book built up interestingly. I will say I found it somewhat romantic. I think if I did not know of the preexisting "Echo" novel, I would be more inclined to like the pairing. This is just a personal gripe but the main POC lead ending up with a white character bores me. Nothing is wrong with it and I think the two are a lovely pair.
Another aspect of the romance aside from the physical aspect is how they regard romance. I would think love for a family member, lover, etc would be regarded in a similar level but it felt that
What was more,
Then he had to leave her parents after saving them. Returning them to their own respective times. I like this point because it forces Satu to become more independent from her parents but it doesn't change her socialization habits at all so it felt pointless.
Lastly, to support my point that romantic love seems to take precedence, she ends up with Finn in the end and she decides that even though he is mortal and she will live on past him, she still wants a child and potentially to become human and die with him like her father chose to do and risk the stability of the world. Satu states that when her child is old enough, they will give them the choice of becoming a god to take her place just like she took her father's place to uphold the balance of the world. I feel like that is a burdensome choice. What if they do not want to? You will remain stagnant as your lover ages before you? And if they choose to take your place? How do we know it is in good faith? Would they feel pressured by filial piety?
TL;DR: In spite of all my personal gripes above, I really did love this book and cried over it. I think the lore of the book and the writing style are beautiful. Completely sweeps you away from the world.