Author: Alexandria Warwick

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia

Series: The Four Winds

First Published: 01 May 2024

“I, too, know what it’s like to be alone. Maybe we can be alone together.”

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Alexandria and the team over at Simon & Schuster Australia for sending a copy my way!

Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. With her parents gone, it’s Wren’s responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter, but if the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for much longer.

For three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice as the Shade, a magical barrier that protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond, weakens. Only one thing can stop the Shade’s fall: the blood of a mortal woman bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules. And the time has come to choose his bride.

When the North Wind sets his eyes on Wren’s sister, Wren will do anything to save her—even if it means sacrificing herself in the process. But mortal or not, Wren won’t go down without a fight.

I have wanted to read The North Wind ever since it was first indie release and, honestly, I have no idea why I put it off this long. I adored Wren and Boreas’ relationship and am fascinated by this world. The audiobook was fantastic. It was hard to put down.

For the last 300 years, Edgewood has been trapped in an endless winter. The town is located close to the Shade – a magical barrier – that protects the city from the Deadlands. The 300 years of winter has left the town struggling to survive. Wren is used to suffering. Since the death of her parents, she is now responsible for keeping herself and her twin, Elora, alive. She has risked her life and is left scared, all in the name of keeping her sister safe and protected. The time has rolled around again for the North Wind to claim his bride, which is the price Edgewood pays for his protection from the Deadlands. Wren’s heart breaks when the North Wind sets his eyes on Elora. In that moment, Wren’s need to protect Elora will lead to the ultimate sacrifice – she will pretend to be Elora and take her place as the North Wind’s bride. Wren is brought to the Deadlands to live with her new husband, a god who is said to be as cold as the season he rules over.

I adore Wren’s character growth. She starts as a woman who has been forced into a protector role. She is the eldest twin, and her parents have instilled in her that she needs to look after her sister, Elora. In the wake of her parent’s death, she clings to things role as she struggles with her grief. She really throws herself into this role. At the start, she fixates on getting home and killing Boreas. She blames Boreas for the winter, and the deadwalkers are what killed her parents. I adored watching her settle into her new life and figure out who she was outside of being Elora’s protector. The way Boreas helps her discover her sense of self and helps her realise that she is entitled to be loved and cared for just melted my heart. Wren is brash, impulsive and must deal with the consequences of her actions, which I love to see.

The way Wren’s alcoholism is depicted feels quite honest and has been handled respectfully. It’s clear that at first, Wren doesn’t realise that she even has a drinking problem. But there are little things like she has wine bottles hidden in her room and always has a flask on her. I also enjoyed the way Wren’s rehabbing was handled. You can feel her struggle and need to drink. I love that she gains a support system to help her manage her addiction.

If you love a reserved, slightly grumpy hero, Boreas is the man – whoops sorry God – for you. At first, he seems like this arrogant immortal, but we slowly learn that maybe he hasn’t had many interactions with other people and is awkward in social settings. He is direct and likes to get to the point, which makes sense when his whole job is sorting through people’s lives to understand who they are and, therefore, determine which afterlife they are entitled to. My heart broke learning about his tense history with his brother, Zephyrus, and what happened with his wife. I get why he doesn’t trust people.

The romance is a super slow burn. Wren constantly tries to find a way to kill Boreas, and he gets mad at her for constantly lying and disrespecting boundaries. The pair of them are closed off and are struggling with grief. I adore watching them slowly thaw and open up to each other as they learn they lean on someone. And realise that they don’t have to deal with everything alone. We do have a handful of steamy scenes. There are a lot of false starts to the steam as they keep getting interrupted, which adds to the tension! The epilogue was pure perfection. I adore seeing Wren and Boreas’ HEA.

I love the Deadlands setting. Boreas and his brother have been banished from the God City as a warning as they helped overthrow the previous gods. There is a Greek Myth vibe to this world, which I love. Also, I love how Alexandria has twisted it to fit her world. I am so excited to see more from the world. Also, I cannot wait to meet the South and East winds. So far, they have only been mentioned in passing. It will be interesting to see if the other books have a fairytale vibe to them like The North Wind, and if so, cannot wait to see which fairytales they would be inspired by.

If you loved the winter atmosphere and Morozko from Katherine Arden’s The Winternight Trilogy but wanted more of a romance and love a Hades and Persephone retelling, The North Wind is for you! I am so excited to read the sequel, The West Wind, which is Zephyrus’ book. Since he was the villain of this story, I am interested to learn more about him.