I've had my eye on this book since before it was picked up by a publisher. I was so excited to finally get the chance to read it and it certainly did not disappoint.

The North Wind is the first book in a series of standalones and is inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone. It is a fast paced and beautifully written romantic fantasy full of all of my favourite tropes. I really enjoyed the unique world and I can't wait to revisit it in future books in the series.

It’s an interesting retelling of ‘Beaty and the Beast’ and ‘Hades and Persephone’. I quite enjoyed ‘The North Wind’. It was a good story to read. It had interesting characters. It took me a little while to like Wren, but she grew on me.

It was very slow burn. I think the author needs to work in explaining the world-setting a little better, some parts were a little confusing e.g. the grey, the deadlands.

Overall, it was a nice book with a interesting story that I enjoyed it.

Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This felt like such a guilty pleasure fantasy and I read it in one night! It had all the things I love: we already know they're gonna get together, she's taken to his dark and brooding castle but she's wilful and stubborn and fights him at every turn. And slowly, slowly they fall in love.

Okay maybe I take back the slowly because although I loved every emotional scene, every argument scene, I feel like perhaps I missed the bit where they really fell in love - I believed when they hated each other, and I believed it when they were happy together - but I just think the middle ground moment was missing for me.

However, the snappiness of both characters was perfect, I LOVED that he enjoys gardening, and the friendships were so cute too! Was so lovely to read, so will see if I can get my hands on the other books!

Title: The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

Wren of Edgewood finds herself shouldering the weight of survival for her and her sister amidst a harsh and unrelenting winter. As the magical barrier known as the Shade weakens, leaving their home vulnerable to the dangers of the Deadlands, a centuries-old legend resurfaces. The only hope to save their town lies in the blood of a mortal woman wed to the North Wind, a perilous immortal ruler. When the North Wind sets his sights on Wren's sister, Wren embarks on a journey to protect her, even if it means offering herself as the sacrificial bride. In this enemies-to-lovers slow-burn fantasy romance, Wren refuses to surrender without a fight, even in the face of an immortal foe.

This captivating tale blends elements of fantasy and romance with a sprinkling of Greek mythology, creating a rich and immersive world that will leave readers spellbound.

The world-building in "The North Wind" is truly exceptional, with Warwick masterfully crafting a vivid and atmospheric setting that feels both magical and perilous. From the icy landscapes of Edgewood to the mysterious realm of the North Wind, each location is brought to life with great detail.

A mesmerising read that will leave you eagerly turning pages until the very end. Warwick's lyrical prose and skilful storytelling make this a must-read for fans of fantasy and romance alike.


Thank you to the publisher Simon and Schuster UK ,The Author Alexandria Warwick & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 stars ⭐⭐⭐✨

I was gifted an e-copy by Simon & Schuster via NetGalley and I enjoyed it so much that I ordered the Goldsboro limited edition copy at the 50% mark.

This ticks all the boxes that I'm an absolute sucker for:

☑️ Slow-burn enemies to lovers
☑️ Beauty & the Beast retelling/Hades & Persephone vibes
☑️ Arranged marriage/forced proximity
☑️ Dark fantasy
☑️ Villain love interest
☑️ There's only one bed 🙏

If you're a fan of ACOTAR, I can promise that you'll love The North Wind. Our FMC, Wren, isn't your typical fantasy female lead; she's bolshy, stubborn and a little crude. At some points she's even unlikeable but definitely has a thorugh redemption arc/character development.

Orphaned Wren lives with her twin sister in Edgewood where it is doomed to forever be stuck in winter so there is a constant struggle for food. Wren's sister, Elora, is the total opposite to her; she's delicate, demure, and soft so Wren does everything she can to protect her. Every so often, the immortal God, North Wind (Boreas), visits from the Deadlands to choose a mortal bride from Edgewood to take back with him to never return. When Elora is chosen, Wren goes in her place and returns with the Boreas where she is intent on killing him.

Boreas is the bored, cold, dark-haired MMC that despises mortals and takes a long time to warm up to Wren. It's only as we learn of his past, we start to understand him and he begins to soften. It takes quite a while before Wren and Boreas begin to even tolerate each other, let alone like each other and the moderate spice in the book doesn't come into play until around 75% of the way through.

The world-building is pretty decent but I have liked more as my preference is fantasy with a side of romance but this is definitely more romance with a side of fantasy.

I look forward to reading the next installment based on The West Wind. ☺️

I'll be posting further content on my Tiktok account (@leigh_travers) and Instagram (@leightravers) soon

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.

Fantastic debut, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the rest of the Four Winds books.

A slow burn romance, enemies to lovers romantasy, perfect read for fans of the ACOTAR series..

As a big Disney fan, I love that this is a dark take on the Disney classic Beauty and The Beast.

4/5 and would highly recommend.

I just reviewed The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick. #TheNorthWind #NetGalley

A Hades and Persephone x Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring Wren and Boreas.

On the whole I enjoyed this book. The pace is fairly gentle and there is little spice until near the end. I am a fan of less rather than more spice so this worked for me.

I enjoyed Boreas as a character more than Wren who I found rather overly stubborn. I’m not sure I entirely bought their eventual relationship and the depth of his feelings for her.

The alcohol addiction was an interesting addition which is rarely explored in this kind of book.

The ending was my least favourite part of the story but I won’t spoiler it.

A solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I’m not normally one to go for retellings but I enjoy the story of Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone 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.

In a fantasy world where gods exits, Wren lives with her twin sister in the lands ruled by the North Wind, the King of Frost. For centuries the land has been covered by ice and snow. However, once in a while, the king makes his way to her village to pick a woman to sacrifice, or so everyone believes. When the king chooses Wren's sister, Wren disguises herself and ends up married to the king. While the two don't get along, the more time Wren spends with the King, aka Boreas, the more she gets to know him and the truth behind the way he behaves.

This is a perfect book for fans of romantasy and enemy-to-lovers. I loved how badass Wren is and how she's not afraid to speak her mind. I also hurt for her and for what she had to go through growing up. I'm glad she realised it and how she worked to heal herself. I didn't like Boreas at the beginning. He wouldn't listen to anyone and he his heart was frozen. It was thanks to Wren's bravery (or stubbornness?) that he opened up and find a reason to live. I can't wait for the next book in the series...I need to see the West Wind suffer after what he has done in this book!

Honestly, this was just fine.

I enjoyed the slow burn romance, the genuine enemies to lovers, the almost unlikeable FMC, the eventual scorching spice. There was a pretty sexy bathtub scene I loved a lot.

But the plot was disappointing, slow and a little boring. Very little happened, and anything that did, didn't make much sense. Why did they need the tonic, when Wren could just stab Boreas without this? There wasn't enough world building for my liking either.

I think I just expected something more original, and there wasn't really anything surprising or that engaging - apart from the FMC being an alcoholic, working through her addiction.

Greek mythology meets Beauty and the Beast. An easy to read book with a good bit of spice and a variety of tropes. Would definitely recommend, especially if you’re a fan of mythology and fantasy.

The North Wind is an enchanting and engaging retelling of beauty and the beast mixed with Greek mythology.

When the cruel North Wind comes to Wrens town for his newest sacrifice she bravely changes places with her twin sister Elora. Instead of a sacrifice Wren ends up as the North Winds newest wife. He is not best pleased that he has been fooled and Wren plots her husbands downfall with the God of Spring.

Delightfully done mixing the rise of pantheon gods into this retelling a combination that worked surprisingly well.
It's exceptionally funny, heartwarming and spicy. I would personally love to read more about this world and the other Winds.