DNF.

Very confused about who that’s supposed to be on the cover, since our MC is a dryad-type creature, but okay.

I could not deal with the very awkward, overwritten prose, and I have receipts. (Some of these may be types that get fixed in the published version, but I’m pretty sure most of them are not.)

>In a scattered line, the leavers walked towards the Palace.

Got to be honest, I’ve never heard ‘the people who are leaving’ described as ‘leavers’ before and I hate it.

>Grandmother raised an arm over my chest, untouching.

Untouching?

>Perhaps it was the ominous air he gave about him,

He gave an air? Not emanated/gave off/carried???

>crafted items sat within transparent, sharp-edged encasings.

Encasings? And what do these ‘encasings’ look like, pray tell?

>To think my sisters had such glorified imaginations of this place and its people.

They have imaginations of these people, not imaginings?

>Similar to the guards,

‘Like the guards.’

>They were finished for the day, but they knew a member would leave them.

‘Member’ here meaning ‘one of their group’.

>I tugged a metal keeper used to store different items over my carvings.

I have no idea what a keeper is or what it looks like. A box? A wardrobe? A chest of drawers?

>Suspicion tingled at the bottoms of my feet.

I’m sorry, your suspicion what?

>The paintings of Land Wanderers lining the corridor followed my quiet steps with their seemingly moving irises,

Their ‘seemingly moving irises’???

Even if the prose had been better, this book is still swamped in issues. I spent most of my time reading it very confused: are the MC’s people and the palace right next to each other? Is it really a single palace that is swallowing up the would, or is it a city? What do the humans get out of their king marrying a dryad every few years? We’re constantly getting proper nouns that aren’t explained or described, even when characters interact with them (see the quote above about the ‘keeper’). I almost never knew what I was supposed to picture.

Bonus: we kept getting statements that were contradicted just a few sentences later, like how the Feng don’t drink tea – except when they do! The moonbugs are the Feng’s companions – except the Feng eat them sometimes!

And I was really hoping for a more nuanced take than ‘progress/industrialisation = evil, nature = good’.

I really loved the concept of this book it was so interesting. I liked the overall plot line and the characters and I think it would be even more interesting if the storyline was longer.

2.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is an imaginative sci fi fantasy story, but it is in serious need of additional editing. Many of the details around characters and the world building/setting are too ambiguous to make much sense of and considerably distracted from the plot. Rarely for books in adjacent genres, there is too much show, not enough tell.

I had no real concept of the culture and physicality of the main character, Lufeng - is she literally a tree, a human who describes herself in tree-lile terms, or something in between? She also had a very bland personality, and many of her actions and decisions did not align with each other. There were too many characters for such a short book, which resulted in all of them being one-dimensional. Even though it is narrated in first-person by Lufeng, it was difficult to get a sense of how she truly felt about her experiences.

The thing that kept me going was the odd, although linear, plot and the downright wacky reveals (all of which Lufeng inextricably took in her stride). I think there could be some strong messages around colonialism, climate change, human destruction of nature and advancement of technology somewhere, but it was all overshadowed by the strange narrative and mostly clunky prose.

Overall I was engaged in this work, although possibly for all the wrong reasons.

The world I delved into while reading this was unlike anything I’d ever read before. The story is touching— fighting for your home, strong family values, rising to your full potential— all wonderfully written. However, there were times I felt confused and it seemed like the story wasn’t flowing as naturally as it could have. I hope the second half of the duology blends the story together more seamlessly.

A short, but impactful story about family and the issues that can impact the family bond. Add in royalty and you have this unique, high fantasy novella.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 ⭐ rounded up

A bit sci-fi, a bit fantasy, politics, nature vs technology - all the parts were there, and the writing at times was beautiful, but it fell short for me. There wasn't really enough time to full connect with any of the characters, the lore, the world. It was moving so quickly (and it was incredibly short). I think the world seemed beautiful and I would have loved to have read a longer novel where it had more room to breathe.

A Palace Near the Wind is a short but powerful story about a girl fighting for her home. In this novel, we follow Liu Lufeng who is Feng royalty. As the oldest sister she must marry a human and secure an alliance that protects her homeland. Because, interestingly enough, she is not a human but one of the ‘Feng’, a species of humanoid people with bodies made out of tree bark, branches and pine needles. I thought that this was a really unique and interesting detail to include. I’ve read books about nature sprites and fae, but this is an entirely new type of species that we can learn about. And, as in most books that discuss the declining state of the natural world, humans are the villains.

I liked that the book looks at the traditions and compromises that people submit to in order to maintain peace. These kind of ‘sacrificial marriages’ show up time and time again in our real history. However, these kinds of deals do not stop the aggressor from getting what they want. When Lufeng realises that these traditions will not truly save her people, she finds another way to save them and herself.

I liked Lufeng’s strong character, but I think that she was a bit underdeveloped. In fact, most of the characters in A Palace Near the Wind could use more character development. But that’s often what happens when a story this short is plot and world-building driven. That being said, I think that Ai Jiang did a wonderful job of creating this mythical world. She consistently writes in a rich and lyrical way which draws you into the setting.

This is a beautifully written book which uses its fantasy elements to discuss important topics like environmental conservation, human greed and the dangers of blindly following tradition. It manages to make a lot of impactful points in a short amount of time.

This book was a really cool mix of fantasy and sci-fi, with a world that feels both magical and real. The story follows Liu Lufeng, a princess from the Feng people—who have bark-like skin and control the wind—as she’s forced into an arranged marriage to save her homeland. The whole nature vs. technology theme was super interesting, and I loved how the author blended folklore with industrial rebellion.

The writing is gorgeous, full of vivid descriptions that pull you in. Liu Lufeng is a great main character—strong but careful, and her struggle between duty and defiance kept me hooked. The side characters were just as well-written, which isn’t always the case in short books like this.

That said, I did wish it was a little longer. Some parts felt rushed, and I would’ve loved more time to explore the world and the characters’ relationships. The ending leaves some questions open, but in a way that feels hopeful rather than unfinished.

Overall, this was a unique, fast-paced read with a killer premise and beautiful prose. If you’re into atmospheric fantasy with deep themes and a touch of rebellion, definitely give it a shot.

A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang is a strange and dreamlike novella. I really enjoyed some parts of this, and will likely appreciate it even more on a re-read. The pace is quick, and I let myself get caught up in it. As a side note, there is an absolutely grotesque dinner scene that is going to haunt me for a while. I am looking forward to a second reading, and the next novella. Thank you NetGalley, and Ai Jiang for an ARC.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover but I am pleased to say the prose was just as beautiful. We have a lush world that we are seemingly dropped into but not once do you feel lost or confused thanks to Jiang’s writing. The characters were all fantastic and I personally loved the creativity in some of the descriptions and characters. This is a must read for fans of Asian inspired fantasy and beautiful prose. It was a joy from start to finish and I will definitely be getting a hard copy.

As always thank you to Titan Books for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy of this work.

First things first, get a load of that GLORIOUS cover. It immediately drew me in to Lufeng's world.

Lufeng is a wind walker, a creature born with bark skin and pine needle hair and she is being called to sacrifice herself for her family and her people in marriage to a human king. Her world is turned upside down as she enters his domain. Her people's secrets clash with a new foe in the palace where deals are struck and technology wars against nature.

I enjoyed this story when I wasn't confused. We are very unceremoniously dropped into this world that feels fantastical and far future, where beings composed of trees are grappling with land being claimed by machines and the ripple effects of a culture being erased. I wish this had been given 100 more pages that we could have a full history of the wind walkers and a full understanding of the villains at play. I am looking forward to the next book.

This for sure gives Singing Hills by Nghi Vo vibes.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This was incredibly imaginative and lyrical. I found it to be a little hard to visualise at times; bark-skinned princess with needle thread for hair, strange machine/dead animal hybrids - the story it paints is strange but compelling.

The writing is beautiful, and I really enjoyed unravelling the secrets of this story alongside Lufeng; if you want a short story that really brings your imagination to life, I would give this one a go!

Review: 3.75 stars

Lufeng, the eldest princess of the Feng, who controls the wind is set to marry the human king. To do so, would be to save her people and stop the expansion of the Land Wanderers into the Feng lands. To avoid her younger sister, Chuiliu from the same fate, she vows to kill the human king to end this.

The plot started off slow with Lufeng being sent to the palace where she got acquainted with the culture of the Land Wanderers but missed her home dearly. There were a lot of introspective moments of her missing home and her desperation to save her people and the struggles she faced in coming to terms and adapting to their culture. As it was told in her POV, we find her lost and confused given that she is slowly discovering that there is more to the marriage than meets the eye and the struggles she faces in trusting the right people.

I have to admire the author for the plot twists she added to the book and the story she built between the struggle of nature vs technology/industrialism. This was what drew my nerdy brain to this story. I always interpret how “nature is a tax” and humans are now paying the price for our relationship through climate change, resource depletion and the costs are usually borne by future generations and seeing a story explore this intrigues me.

I empathize with Lufeng as she is unwillingly dragged into a whole new world and goes through a culture shock to adjust such as the concept of wearing shoes and nice clothing and the concept of eating, especially eating meat. At first, she found the whole process terrifying and eventually adjusted quickly but felt guilty for it for fear of losing herself.

The book provided hints to the rich worldbuilding. However, given that this was a novella, it suffers a little where some moments felt too vague. This would be better off as a full length novel to provide more history, and the politics at play here. The pacing of this book also felt off where some moments felt too slow as we delved deeply into Lufeng’s introspective moments and too fast where the plot jumps from twists to twists.

Due to the short length of this book, I feel sometimes there wasn’t much time to sit with the twist and the consequences of it. This feels like it was just touched upon and not exploring the depth and the emotions behind it. In short, the character development felt superficial and flat. While I understand Lufeng’s duty and obligations to her people, I struggle to connect with her as a character. The message behind the novella also comes out vague mainly because the ambitious extras the author touches on for a novella. For example, I would love to explore more in-depth the unethical experiments to the bioengineering of organisms and the consequences.

Overall, I did enjoy the book as it plays to familial obligations, the struggles one faces in adapting in a new culture and nature vs the expansion of industrialism.So, I will look forward to Book 2 as my understanding is this is part of a duology. But, I will admit that some might struggle with this book as you will be going through a learn/unlearn experience and expect the unexpected moments.

Disclaimer: I received an e-book copy by the author.

This fantasy novella explores the lives of the Feng people, their way of life and their land threatened by human expansion. To stop them, a bridewealth must be taken and Liu Lufeng is the last remaining adult girl in the family, the others having already been sent off. She plans to stop this once and for all by killing the king, but once she gets to the palace new revelations of who’s actually in power, she finds herself pressed to find a new and better way to stop this.
I really enjoyed exploring this interesting world, it has very fascinating world building, and particularly the Feng people are intriguing (although I would have loved to get some more time in their country so I could learn more about their way of life by itself and not just in comparison to the lives of the humans). I also liked the parallelism found to real life racism, with the ways the Feng people smoothen their faces by shaving off parts of their bark to the way some people use plastic surgery and skin bleaching creams to achieve more “pleasing” (i.e. closer to white-centric ideals) features. The themes of colonialism and man-made destruction of nature also played a big role in the novella.
The strongest aspect of this novella is the writing style, which is lush and detailed and really paints a beautiful picture of nearly every scene we are shown. This does sometimes make it feel a bit slower than you would expect from a story about killing a king, but I still enjoyed it very much.
There are also quite a lot of characters, and it was sometimes a bit tough to keep them all straight, since the story isn’t that long and you don’t get to spend a lot of time getting to know the various characters. In general Liu is the most fleshed-out character in the cast and a bit more detail could have helped the other characters stand out more. However, this is something that I hope will be fixed if there are other stories to come.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this novella and if you like fantasy that explores the duality of destiny and choice and female MCs rebelling against oppression, I can recommend this story wholeheartedly.

TW: arranged/forced marriage, environmental destruction, forced eating of meat, murder, vomiting

This was such a stunning read! Went into depth about issues relevent today and we saw the characters develop and grow as they learned the truth of what was happening. Similar plot development to Babel or Blood over Bright Haven, I think this will do so well for sci fi fans!!! The characters felt so real and lived in and I couldn't put it down!

2.5☆
Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really didn't know what to feel reading through this. Initially I was drawn in with the promise of learning more about the word and its people but I honestly struggled throughout to determine whether the races are actually tree and water people or just described as such due to their isolation (hair being described as both needles and silk like for the people from Feng definitely contributed to my confusion). Where were they humans with elemental powers? I would flip flop between yes and no to answer this question.
The cover art, while pretty, definitely gave me an entirely different expectation of the book.
The world could have been fleshed out more, but that would have allowed even less to describe the characters, most of which read pretty 2 dimensional and weak.
The beginning and the last 3 chapters were the most interesting. The rest needed more planning and focus.

I have been on a recent hunt for dreamlike novels/novellas and found this amongst recommendations so was excited to see this on NetGalley - thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC.

Sadly it didn't quite work for me. I thought the premise was very interesting and the world creative however found the writing to be quite clunky which is one of the factors preventing my immersion into the story.

I appreciate the message of the story presented - indigenous rights and nature vs colonialism but ultimately this is a story that you need to feel connected to in order to feel moved and I wasn't. The characters felt flat and everything needed more development in order to feel like a fully fleshed out tale.

I do love a novella and most of the time I'm fine with us getting a smaller story but this is one of the occasions where I felt it needed more.

A Palace Near the Wind is dreamy and flows like the wind. I was swept into the story and its abstract nature. The world has magic clashing with realistic ideas. There are a few different themes covered from grief and responsibility to identity. This is one of those books where the prose sings but the content can be confusing. I would likely have to reread a few times to understand what I just read and even then it’s open to interpretation. It’s interesting and vivid in a dreamlike way as I couldn’t tell you what I actually visualised at points. I think with further world building development and a more gentle introduction this would have helped my enjoyment levels.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

A Palace Near the Wind is a beautifully written story with a dreamlike atmosphere and lyrical prose. The themes of memory, loss, and identity are compelling, but at times, the narrative feels a bit too abstract, making it hard to fully connect with the characters. While the writing is undeniably poetic, the pacing can feel slow, and some moments could have been more emotionally impactful. Overall, it’s a unique and thoughtful read, but it may not resonate with everyone.

The Wind Walkers of Feng are dryad-like beings, one with the trees, who face the threat of extinction at the hands of humanity. To protect their home, Lufeng is sent to wed the human king, with the secret mission to assassinate him and free them all from his tyranny. What Lufeng doesn't realize, however, is that the world outside of Feng contains secrets and truths she must face if she is to free anyone.

The worldbuilding and writing are beautifully atmospheric, painting a lush picture of a magical, natural world versus an industrial monstrosity. A Palace Near the Wind is about both colonialism and environmentalism, and Lufeng's journey within the human castle explores the complicated emotions that come with losing your heritage and donning the culture of your colonizer. While this is a novella, Jiang manages to paint a compelling picture that reflects our own world. The cost of industrialization, the erosion of identity, the circumstances that lead one to accept or reject imperialism. I will also say that, without giving away too much, I found the twist to be quite interesting as it played on our own expectations of the premise.

My main issue came with the pacing as the story ramped up to its finale. Things got rushed and cut off in an awkward manner at odds with the rest of the story. We certainly leave off at a gripping point in the story, but our journey there was a little bumpy. Still, I'm very excited to read the next installment!