Mixed feelings about this one. Started off strong, grabbing my attention. Rhya was interesting and there was enough personality and strength to her to make me want to see how her story progressed. Throw in your moody mmc and whatever mysterious reason he saves her for and you had me hooked. The journey to the Northlands was good as was the introduction of what becomes Rhya’s found family but I did find that parts of the story started to drag a little and I did not feel as emotionally invested in any of the characters as I should have been. There were some fun supporting characters and wished we got a bit more of Soren. Also so weird that despite the prophecy all the focus seemed to be on the air remnant and no one seemed fussed about looking for earth at all.

The Penn/Rhya of it all was okay but I did not find myself desperately wanting them to be together. It all started to get a bit samey with them blowing hot and cold with each other (which is hilarious given their powers). Also way too many people were telling Rhya how he felt but there needed to be more ‘show” on his part to make it believable. The ending hinting towards a 🔺 just makes me want to run in the opposite direction. *hate hate triangles and hope that this ends up being some kind of fey quad situation once they find earth.

Overall liked the writing, plot was enough to keep me interested and 🔺 hints aside I do want to see more of what happens in this world. 3⭐️

A book that swept me along from the outset!

I'm always keen to read books the feature elemental magic so was super keen to read this one. And wow, was I hooked.

I absolutely loved how this story progressed. From the outset it was packed full of danger, action and magic. And I was absolutely drawn in by Rhya and Penn. I could feel the attraction between the two characters and so wanted them to get together.

Slowburn at its best!

This story had so many fantastically written elements. The world the author created was magical and dangerous at the same time. And I absolutely the banter between Rhya and Penns men on the journey. Absolutely hilarious and just so endearing at the same time.

Following a super climatic ending I'm super excited for the next book in the series.

A brilliantly captivating mix of elemental magic, slow burn romance and awesome characters. An author to check out for sure

** Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin to for this eARC**

The Wind Weaver's premise is a standard Romantasy featuring a dark-haired, gruff exteriored MMC, an FMC with secret powers she only becomes aware of through the MMC, and a journey towards saving a kingdom involving elemental magic. There are numerous tropes involved including enemies to lovers, a potential love triangle, the one horse trope, the one bed trope and the idea that a northern, barbaric kingdom is in fact... not (think the Night Court from ACOTAR or Lord Drhyton from A Fire in the Sky by Sophia Jordan). While the premise promises a fun, romantasy opening the gates to a world of elemental magic, fae vs human battles and a journey towards commanding new powers, this book failed to deliver in so many ways. I've tried to group my critiques by topic, and there will be spoilers fair warning.

The Writing:
The writing style truly annoyed me. We have phrases like "It is the mind you must mind." and "It would kill him to see me thus" and "The fact that you cannot fathom my resolve does not indicate its absence." which combine more antiquated terms with a highly intellectual style that DOES NOT match the utter ignorance and incompetence of our female main character, Rhya. Rhya has led a sheltered existence up until being kidnapped and nearly executed, and then kidnapped again by a strange, brooding bloodthirsty man and it shows. She seems to know about plants and healing but not anything else, especially not the magical tattoo she has on her chest. She also consistently makes poor choices. All the time... The last writing point I'll make is that Julie Johnson calls a room "spherical." Unless the floor is as curved as the ceiling a room CANNOT be spherical. It can be cylindrical, it can be domed... it can even be round. But it is NOT a SPHERE.

Characters:
I actually enjoyed a lot of the side characters, especially Soren. HOWEVER, we do not get sufficient scenes including Soren and Commander Scythe's friends to make this book worth reading. Rhya herself is an FMC who is incapable of saving herself or lasting alone, always passing out after trying to use magic, almost always needing to be saved by a man, and incredibly whiny. She refuses to believe she is capable of using her magic even when it has saved her NUMEROUS times accidentally. She insists she needs a crossbow even though she doesn't, and sits in her determination to not improve her magic. She just refuses to learn control even though she wants to. And even with her physical skill wtih a bow, Commander Scythe's men put her down for that and say she's only good because of her magic... making the situation worth and revealing that even people who are supposed to be her friends don't believe she's capable of anything other than magic which really reduces her down to even less than she believes herself to be. Rhya's relationship with Scythe is so extremely toxic that I skipped any and all intimate scenes. I just couldn't stand to read about them wanting each other when she is being manipulated and gaslit by Scythe, and Scythe keeps blaming her for things which are his fault. For example (spoilers ahead), after Rhya is kidnapped... again. and escapes... again. Scythe finds her and at first apologizes for his role in it... then tells her that it would never have happened if she'd listened to him and stayed in her tower. Rhya combats this with saying she isn't a prisoner, to which Scythe says no, you're not a prisoner, but you should listen to me. So... hang on... gimme a moment here to think. You blame her for going off on her own, say she's not a prisoner, but also demand she just stay in one room at all times for her own safety. UGH!! I HATE these types of men in real life and do not think they have any place in books except as villains to be killed at the right time. He also seemingly "hates" feeling her emotions but demands that she learn to put up shields rather than him not reading them in the first place. The best characters in this were a woman we don't meet until about 55-60% of the way through and is a side character, and Soren. Soren calls Rhya and Scythe out on their BS towards the end with one phrase "what exactly have you been teaching her?" and the answer is... nothing. Because she wants to "explore her limits" but is too afraid to actually do that and practice, and he just is living in a dream world where he is her protector and she doesn't need to learn any skills. It's just toxic.

Overall... I will not be continuing this series. There are better versions of this story which do not make you read over 500 pages. If it were shorter, maybe that would have saved it, but I spent too many hours reading through this world just to be so disappointed. Johnson's description and writing itself is lovely, but paired with an incompetent, ignorant FMC it just didn't make sense.

This cover is amazing yet the contents weren't anything new. If you like romantasy then this is generic and doesn't do anything new.

4.5 ⭐

A beautifully written book, where everything seemed to make sense, with steady flow and progress, some great action too.

The well thought through world building and magic system kept me fully engaged the entire time. I also loved having a map to refer to, but it would have been fine without it, as all places and locations were described so well.

I was just so impressed with the richly detailed descriptions e.g. what it feels like to go through a portal, the connection between the characters, feelings, places, absolutely everything.

I loved the slow burn and minor romance, it didn't overshadow the plot and fit in well around Rhya and her life. Sadly, I wasn't the biggest fan of "Commander Scythe". There is another man I sincerely hope ends up being the final love interest!

All the characters were excellent, even the slightly unlikeable ones, and the found family aspect was just so heartwarming.

I flew through this book, but I kept putting off finishing it because I just didn't want the story to ever end, I wanted to stay in Anwyvn, with these characters, forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a eARC of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not paid to write this review.

This book was entirely too long and very slow starting. It definitely could have been cut down to 400-450 pages. However, the world building is absolutely fantastic, and the romance was well executed. It really dragged towards the end which annoyed me a little bit but I did otherwise enjoy the book.

Rhya is a very strong-willed FMC, which is what we need, I did notice that there weren’t many female characters in this until around the 30% mark which I thought was strange. I didn’t like the romance between Rhys and Penn much, because I felt he did infantilise her often. He was definitely very brooding and grumpy, but I feel he was very standoffish too.

I loved the friendship group and camaraderie that develops between Rhya and the side characters and found myself laughing quite often, especially when it was a scene involving Jac.

Epic world building, found family, elemental magic, grumpy-sunshine, slow-burn romance and much more can be found in this book.

I urge fans of fae fantasy to go and pick this up!
I loved literally almost everything about this.
-I love the world building and magic system
-Its very well paced
-Found family is done amazingly and one of the best iv read
-Hilarious and amazing side characters
-Love interest feels like it could be a much messier in the second book as although i love them together... i could love another more- it felt way more natural and i think thats the purpose- LOVE a triangle situation.

Cannot wait for the second book!

Firstly I’d like to thank Michael Joseph, Netgalley and Julie Johnson for my copy of The Wind Weaver in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book from the premise and sadly it didn’t quite reach these for me. The book felt very slow in paces with much of the main plot dragging out and then all happening right at the end. I didn’t really feel any chemistry between the two MCs nor did it feel like the enemies to lovers it was intended to be. Potentially this is because the book is only from Rhya’s (FMC) POV. I really loved the concept of the book but felt the execution just missed the mark somewhat. I am curious to see what happens in the next book and I am hopeful we see more of Soren!

The side characters brought me the most joy whilst reading and I could vividly imagine their motley crew.

3.25 🌟 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩, 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.

I wish to begin by putting PRAISE on whoever designed the cover because holy smokes, it looks incredible. I can't promise it's strictly relevant to the story (my dumbass thought we'd get at least ONE literal phoenix soaring through the pages), but we move. Symbolism! It's beautiful.

The first book in a new Romantasy series, The Wind Weaver is told from the POV of our main character, Rhya Fleetwood. The story begins with her in a bit of a bind: captured, tortured and fated for execution because of her status as a halfling (pointy ears and at least a bit fae - after a cull two hundred years before it's tantamount to a death sentence). Fortunately for her, she escapes with the assistance of a mysterious, angsty, broody male in a helmet. Together, along with his horse, they go on a journey to the Northlands where Rhya discovers there may be more to her mysterious birthmark than she thought. Ya girl is special.

It's definitely YA/Romantasy territory because it's rather light on plot and imminent world-ending stakes (I do think those will come in later books but I never felt any real sense of impending doom in this one) - the FMC isn't as active in her pursuit of something as she might be in something more Epic in nature. She's plenty competent and badass in a tropey kind of way (when she's allowed to be) but she does spend a good number of pages being hauled around or locked away, denied answers and autonomy. Ignorance isn't always bliss, let me tell you.

It'll come as no surprise that the mysterious, angsty, broody male in a helmet is the primary love interest, and it plays out in a will-they-won't-they enemies-to-lovers waltz that will feel achingly familiar. HOWEVER! I detected the wisps of a potential love triangle... And I do hope I'm right because once the other character was introduced I because immediately committed to his joy, happiness, peace of mind, wellbeing, wine collection etc. etc. I have sworn ALLEGIANCE to this line in the love triangle and quietly confess my devastation that said character was barely in it for the rest of the book (it would have improved with his presence). I can live in HOPE okay? Pls Ms Johnson.

The natural assumption then is that I hated the MMC and found the core romance wearisome and slightly mind-boggling (correct), but I will gladly suffer through it if we get a switcheroo in book two. Like excuse me Rhya maam but WHAT are you finding attractive about this Commander Scythe fellow? A WALKING RED FLAG IN BRITCHES. RUN A MILE! RUN TWO MILES! IMPROVE YOUR CARDIO! FLEE!

I think the world-building will continue to flesh out as the series continues - as well as the intricacies of the magic (maegic!) system. A core part of the FMC & MMC's relationship is that she asks him questions and he simply... doesn't answer them. Which got wearisome pretty quickly. So I'm hoping we'll learn more down the line. There are still a fair few gaps that need to be filled.

I also have to note that the pacing in the third act dragssss. Thoughts go round in circles. Very little happens. For a book over 500 pages, it could be significantly leaner.

Side characters are generally fine, though the occasional flowery sexist comment is spewed and... not addressed? With the exception of the FMC, women are all whores or bar wenches or servants or wives of warriors or tittering courtiers with no personality beyond their tittering and jewels. Given it's a fantasy world, it's a shame gender stereotypes aren't subverted or at least interrogated.

All in all, an intriguing start, but I think the real magic (maegic!) will come later now that things are established and the plot has been given a nudge. I would have gone in with different expectations had I known it sat more on the YA end of the fantasy scales, but I'll still be picking up the next book.

Thank you to Julie Johnson, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Michael Joseph, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The FMC is irritating, ignorant, and bland and the writing style is boring. The plot hasn’t picked up at all so I have to dnf.

Could be edited further to suit middle grade instead. Definite bookbox romantasy fodder.

"The Wind Weaver" is a true force of nature! From the very first page, I was swept away by this relentless whirlwind of a romantasy. Set in the war-torn kingdom of Anwyvn, where fear of magic reigns and halflings like Rhya Fleetwood are hunted, the story immediately grips you with its high stakes and palpable tension.

The world is richly imagined, complete with a complex system of magic and a history steeped in ancient prophecy. Rhya is a wonderfully complex character, a halfling fighting for survival in a world that despises her. Her unexpected rescue by the mysterious Commander Scythe throws her into a dangerous game of survival, where nothing is as it seems.

The synopsis promises a storm, and the book delivers. Rhya's journey is not just a fight for her life, but a quest to understand her own burgeoning powers as a Remnant, one of four fated to restore the balance of magic. The forbidden attraction between Rhya and Scythe adds a delicious layer of tension to the narrative. The emotional conflict is as fierce as the physical battles, with romance balanced perfectly alongside a high-stakes plot.

I enjoyed this book but i didnt really feel that much happened until the last 1ooish pages... that being said it still kept me gripped and i will be continuing the series! I am looking forward to seeing how the characters are going to evolve in the next installement.

3.5/5

Thank you Netgalley and PRH for the eARC of The Wind Weaver..

The start and ending of this book are just incredible! My heart was in my throat during those action-packed scenes. I was immediately engrossed from page 1 and the first scene really gets your heart pumping. The set up for the story was also well done and overall this is a great book.

Rhya is a very likeable FMC. Yes she’s snappy and full of fire like most fantasy FMCs but I loved that she was so strong-willed and honest. Despite Penn trying to cage her at every turn (contrary to what he tells her), she defied his orders and called him on his sh*t. She didn’t beat around the bush and there was no mis-communication which was so refreshing.

“Scythe” on the other hand I did not like as the main love interest. He was brutish, cowardly and I didn’t like how he treated Rhya. I don’t feel like he understands or respects her. I do feel they have chemistry but only because they are ‘connected’ for reasons I don’t want to spoil. He would make a great and loyal friend as is demonstrated throughout the story but as the MMC/love interest I prefer another person and am hoping for a Tamlin-type situation (iykyk).

I loved the friendship group and camaraderie that develops between Rhya and the side characters and found myself laughing quite often, especially when it was a scene involving Jac.

The reason I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5 is because around the 60% until about 80% the pacing slowed and the story did drag. The Wind Weaver is on the chonkier side being 500+ pages and it could easily be trimmed to 400 or 450 max. The magic system was really interesting and I wish we had seen more of the lore and development/training of Rhya’s powers, although I suspect this is a large part of what will happen in book 2.

Epic world building, found family, elemental magic, grumpy-sunshine, (extremely) slow-burn romance and much more can be found in The Wind Weaver. I’m absolutely picking up book 2 and can’t wait for its announcement!

I’m actually feral for this book- what the hell!!!!!
I was LIVING for this slow burn — IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!
The plot : 500000⭐️
The characters: 50000⭐️
EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL AND SO WELL THOUGHT OUT!!!

Rhya, a halfling, a persecuted race, is saved from execution by a mysterious brooding knight who doesn’t like to take his helmet off. This book promises so much in the blurb and doesn't deliver very much, it certainly shouldn't have been classified as Adult or Romantasy. It's a very long book, where not a huge amount happens for large parts. It has some saving graces, like Soren, who is chaos incarnate, and the book could have done with a hell of a lot more of him.

The middling - The world building and main plot is fine but predictable (though the timeline is wonky, there are times where it sounds like weeks are passing, but a few pages later it mentions the number of days), the FMC is fine, what you’d expect for a Romatansy female lead, fierce and independant but also a little ignorant and sheltered. She has good moments, but towards the end of the book, her actions and thoughts get repetitive; there is no progression, just constant running away and failing to remember the people who have helped her. The MMC is your standard brooding hero; he also ends up being repetitive, constantly failing to communicate. I wouldn’t call it a romantasy either. There is a little tension, some simmering longing and the standard ‘we had a steamy kiss but really can’t be together and need to be emotionally detached’.

The bad stuff - (why this is rated less than 3) you have to get 23% into the book before a woman other than the FMC appears on the page. I was getting concerned that the book wasn’t even going to pass the Bechdel test. It’s then another 27% before another woman appears on the page. 270 pages, and other than the FMC, we get just two other women speaking on page.

This book feels out of place for 2025 - all the warriors are male, which is sad for a high-fantasy world where our world history doesn’t need to be applied. Even across the fae realms, the same misogyny exists, which makes no sense for what is meant to be a more advanced culture - surely they would be different in their perspectives of gender stereotypes than humans? “A man is not his history.” “Poison’s a woman’s weapon.” There are lots of moments like this that jerk you out of the fantasy world. The women we are introduced to in the second half of the book are maids and a seamstress… traditional ‘women’s roles’. And spend most of their time talking about the men. This would all be fine if the misogyny and sexism were addressed and railed against in the book, but it’s not questioned or seen as anything but normal.

Again, we need to do better in 2025; reinforcing gender stereotypes has no place in high fantasy.

Immediately after finishing The Wind Weaver, I was largely speechless. This is a fast paced read that packs so much action into its 500 pages, but at no point was I bored, nor did I feel it was dragging. Rhya is a wonderful protagonist, flawed and vulnerable but still strong and fierce. She is endlessly witty and holds her own. Penn is a wonderful morally grey MMC and utterly dreamy. The yearning is perfection. This is the ultimate slow-burn and I ate up every little look, touch and word. This book has so many wonderful friendships, and I liked them instantly. I thoroughly enjoyed the world building. Whilst there is so much lore to take in, it never felt overwhelming or forced, rather I felt I had lived in this world all my life. This was an exquisite read, I had such a good time and it left me breathless.

This was an easy Romantasty read. I loved the way the MMC was introduced slowly. The FMC was annoying as she kept doing that thing of running away and the MMC didn't communicate so I started to get irritated by their relationship by the end. I wish they had got together a lot sooner instead of the author trying to prolong the 'will they, won't they' dynamic.

I loved the beginning and the world building. The side characters were great but some of them seemed to have the same personality. Depending on which chapter, I either liked the FMC or I was as annoyed by her. She didn't listen and she was good at putting herself in danger. But she was a good friend and challenged people who looked down on her.

The ending was amazing and I can't wait to read book two.

This has very little spice. I'm not a spice fan so I liked this. I'm just putting this for information for other readers.

The Wind Weaver kicks off with a well-paced story that jumps straight into the action, avoiding info dumps that would leave you lost in world-building. The balance between discovery and adventure is solid; while you’re still figuring out the rules of the world, it doesn’t feel like you're drowning in details.

Rhya is an absolute treat—fiery, bold, and more importantly kind. She’s not clueless, just under-informed (thanks, everyone who’s keeping secrets!). Penn, though? He could definitely do with a crash course in communication. And maybe stop treating her like she’s still a kid. Sure, we all love a fae age gap, but when it turns into treating someone like a child, the romance starts to fizzle out for me.

This isn't your typical Romantasy—there’s way more adventure and fantasy than romance and spice. The romance develops at a glacial pace (and I mean glacial). Penn’s whole “I need to control my feelings or I’ll lose control of my power” gives major slow-burn vibes (ah!). Honestly, by the end of the book, I’m secretly hoping for a "why choose" situation. Soren’s fun, he’s gorgeous, and I’m just saying—there’s potential for a very spicy love triangle (or, should I say, a love square?). As Remnant of Earth, where are you? (I have my suspicions!).

Now, let’s talk dialogue. Rhya and Penn share this Bridgerton-esque banter where they’re the bane of each other’s existence, which I loved. But every now and then, the dialogue flips into something way more modern, so a little consistency would go a long way in keeping things flowing better.

But what really sells this book is the found family aspect. Rhya finds her people, and even though Penn keeps her at arm’s length, she begins to realize that perhaps she is worthy of that love. It’s a feel-good moment when she finally sees she is loved by her friends, and it makes you root for her even more, hoping as the story goes that she does see she deserves that love and care.

Overall, The Wind Weaver is a delightful mix of fantasy, slow-burn romance (very slow burn), and an intriguing world. The enemies-to-lovers trope, the tiny bit of spice, and the potential (one can only hope!) for “why choose” are all pulling me back for more. So here’s hoping the next book throws in some curveballs—maybe Penn isn’t the only one in the running after all!

I really enjoyed The Wind Weaver! The world-building is rich, the magic system is unique, and Rhya is a strong, compelling protagonist. Her dynamic with Commander Scythe is filled with tension and slow-burn romance, which kept me hooked.

At times, the pacing felt a little slow, but the story more than made up for it with its emotional depth and action. If you love fantasy with a mix of romance, adventure, and found family, this is definitely worth reading!

Many thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wind Weaver is the start of a new romantasy series by Julie Johnson and this book contains some of the most popular tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Prophecy
Slow burn
Magic system
Found family

This was an enjoyable read with a well paced story. It starts off by throwing you right into the action and engaged me right away. At no point did I feel bored or that things were moving too slowly, even though it is quite a long book. The history and lore are revealed gradually throughout and at moments relevant to the narrative so I was never overwhelmed by the world building or felt that the author was info dumping, which I definitely appreciated.

The main character, Rhya, is feisty, brave and resilient and I thought she was a strong FMC.
The MMC is perhaps not as interesting, and he is the broody, silent, overbearing, strong warrior archetype that is quite stereotypical of the fantasy genre. I found the secondary characters (eg Jac and Farley) far more entertaining and with way more personality, especially one character who only has two appearances, but these are memorable, and I am sure this person will be more significant in the future.

The plot is contrived and predictable at times but I can overlook this because it helps keep the story moving. I am hopeful the magic system and political intrigue will be flushed out further because they are a bit undeveloped. There is a lot of setup (even though it doesn’t all pay off) so potential to explore all these dangling threads in subsequent books in the series.

The romance is definitely a slow burn and I felt it steadily building throughout even if I did not sizzle off the page.

Is this the best fantasy/romantasy I’ve ever read? No.
Does this story feel brand new and original? No.
Did I have a fun time while reading? Yes.
Do I plan on reading the next book? Yes.

This book does at times feel like a blend of other stories from the same genre and may struggle to stand out from the crowd but I enjoyed reading it and hope it finds an audience.