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libraryof_kri 's review for:
The South Wind
by Alexandria Warwick
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Firstly, thank you so much Netgalley and also Simon & Schuster AU for the opportunity to read this ARC! This was such a dream opportunity as a fan of Alexandria Warwick. The following will be my review:
The South Wind was a Solid 3.5/5⭐️ that follows Princess Sarai as she navigates her last days, leading up to her 25th Birthday where she is destined to no longer live due to her for told curse. Sarai, carrying the weight of her kingdoms burdens, grief and anxiety for the future - attempts to heal these concerns through an Arranged Marriage to a Prince who can help her people. However, with her Ex - Notus the South Wind re-appearing in her life as a Kings Guard in request of her Father, Sarai must deal with her previous feelings coming to the surface. Not to mention that he is now her Betrothed as they come into agreement of a Fake Engagement to discover the truths behind Prince Bailors intentions.
The South Wind was an interesting read as a continuation in the standalone series, truthfully speaking it was hard to evaluate my thoughts on this book. To unpack it, I’ll start with the obvious being Ms Alexandria Warwick never fails to stick to her beautiful writing style. She always knows how to teleport you into the world she has carved from her imagination and make it feel as magical as can be, because of that I had no trouble falling in love with the setting getting to know the characters and finding interest within the plot. While the writing while intricate, detailed and beautifully conveyed did feel dragged on at times as sometimes we focused too much on details, that repetition occurred which I found to be the hardest part of consuming the storyline - including how it made the relationship between Notus and Sarai feel push and pull with the miscommunication trope a bit too much and dragged the book along many of the time.
However, I do see the direction she was going and respect the leap she has taken because there are deeper themes explored such as Sarai’s deep grief, regrets and fear for her life and her loved ones. I think this is what made her such a strong character; because she was afraid and emotional. She was completely laid bare and burdened in so many aspects - which is where her relationship with Notus really acts as a glue to mend her when she calls for it. While Notus and Sarai take a long time to get passed their up and downs because both aren’t the best communicators due to putting everyone else above their own needs, they balance each other when they finally do come together, including the external factors that come between them.
Over all, it was well done and I still do look forward to reading about The East Wind when the time comes. The positives do out weigh the bad, so this is by no means a bad review - rather I hope anyone who read’s this see’s it as a maybe because this is coming from a personal opinion where my favourite from this author is The North Wind and I can 100% vouch for this author and her writing. Being that it is a maybe, I hope to convey that my interpretation of this story could look different to you - so I still encourage you to have a go and find out if it’s your dream book!