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emilymaebooks 's review for:
The South Wind
by Alexandria Warwick
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
Thank you so much to Netgalley, as well as Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All my thoughts and feeling are my own! I don’t think any book I have read recently has touched me so deeply and so profoundly as this one has. The amount of tears I have shed & the amount of emotional damage that was done to me over the course of this book has left me in utter shambles. That being said, I can not recommend this book more. This is probably my favorite one throughout the entire series, if not my favorite read of 2025 (so far).
While this book is a little slow to start, it quickly picks up it’s pace when the stakes start to raise. Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than 3 months to live. The clock is ticking down to her 25th name day and the curse is soon to take her. She is under an immense amount of pressure from her ailing father to help him secure the for their kingdom, as well as potentially save herself by marrying Prince Bailor from one of their neighboring kingdoms. Sarai was on board to do this, if only to save her kingdom from the darkwalkers, as well as the beast lurking inside the labyrinth but who should re-appear? Notus, the South Wind, the god of the desert breeze and the one responsible for shattering her heart years ago. When Sarai realizes that Prince Bailor’s intentions might be a farce, she swallows her feelings for Notus and announces their engagement to her father in an attempt to stop Prince Bailor. With darker forces at work and the clock ticking on Sarai’s demise, Notus and Sarai must work together to solve the puzzle and solve the mystery of the labyrinth.
The imagery of this book was utterly breath taking! The attention to detail sucked me right in, transporting me right into the kingdom of Ammara. The vibes that this story gave, it almost felt like I was in Arabian Nights. The plot was a whirlwind (heh, get it?)! The mystery of the labyrinth, the curse placed upon Sarai, the past relationship between Notus & Sarai? I NEEDED TO KNOW! I NEEDED THE ANSWERS! Not to mention the character growth, especially Sarai’s. Sarai’s grief was so profound that she built up so many walls, turned away things that she was passionate about & became a totally different person in an attempt to deal with the emotional turmoil she was put through. For me, it was hard to ignore the similarities between her and I. The way she learns to trust again, not just Notus but herself and her voice, after everything she’s been through had me choking back the tears. The themes of grief, abandonment and the crushing weight of feeling like you’re never enough hit home for me in a way I have not experienced in a book in so long, it left me speechless and craving more. Let’s not forget Notus & how he finally, FINALLY, let’s his feelings for her be known. After years of second guessing and thinking she wasn’t enough, their story was nothing short of beautiful.
I can not recommend this series, let alone this book enough. Each time I step into one of these worlds, I know I’m in for an adventure!
Tropes:
Sleeping Beauty/Daphne & Apollo retelling
Second chance romance
Arranged marriage
Fake engagement
Forced proximity
“Touch her and D—”
While this book is a little slow to start, it quickly picks up it’s pace when the stakes start to raise. Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than 3 months to live. The clock is ticking down to her 25th name day and the curse is soon to take her. She is under an immense amount of pressure from her ailing father to help him secure the for their kingdom, as well as potentially save herself by marrying Prince Bailor from one of their neighboring kingdoms. Sarai was on board to do this, if only to save her kingdom from the darkwalkers, as well as the beast lurking inside the labyrinth but who should re-appear? Notus, the South Wind, the god of the desert breeze and the one responsible for shattering her heart years ago. When Sarai realizes that Prince Bailor’s intentions might be a farce, she swallows her feelings for Notus and announces their engagement to her father in an attempt to stop Prince Bailor. With darker forces at work and the clock ticking on Sarai’s demise, Notus and Sarai must work together to solve the puzzle and solve the mystery of the labyrinth.
The imagery of this book was utterly breath taking! The attention to detail sucked me right in, transporting me right into the kingdom of Ammara. The vibes that this story gave, it almost felt like I was in Arabian Nights. The plot was a whirlwind (heh, get it?)! The mystery of the labyrinth, the curse placed upon Sarai, the past relationship between Notus & Sarai? I NEEDED TO KNOW! I NEEDED THE ANSWERS! Not to mention the character growth, especially Sarai’s. Sarai’s grief was so profound that she built up so many walls, turned away things that she was passionate about & became a totally different person in an attempt to deal with the emotional turmoil she was put through. For me, it was hard to ignore the similarities between her and I. The way she learns to trust again, not just Notus but herself and her voice, after everything she’s been through had me choking back the tears. The themes of grief, abandonment and the crushing weight of feeling like you’re never enough hit home for me in a way I have not experienced in a book in so long, it left me speechless and craving more. Let’s not forget Notus & how he finally, FINALLY, let’s his feelings for her be known. After years of second guessing and thinking she wasn’t enough, their story was nothing short of beautiful.
I can not recommend this series, let alone this book enough. Each time I step into one of these worlds, I know I’m in for an adventure!
Tropes:
Sleeping Beauty/Daphne & Apollo retelling
Second chance romance
Arranged marriage
Fake engagement
Forced proximity
“Touch her and D—”