Cover Image: Wind Daughter

Wind Daughter

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Member Reviews

I wrote this book, so I am just a tad biased, but I love it quite a lot. Highly sensitive person main character, mysterious Winter Lord, Reylo vibes, cameos with characters from ECHO NORTH—one of my heart books, and I am proud of it. <3

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

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Wind Daughter by Joanna Ruth Meyer is a companion novel to Echo North. It is the story of Satu, daughter of the North Wind. Her father gave up his powers and immortality because of love. This love resulted in Satu. But the trade-off of his magic impacts so much more than expected. The world is imbalanced and unraveling. Only Satu can save everyone from the same fate. She must reclaim her father’s magic, but she’s not the only one looking for it. The Winter Lord wants the North Wind’s powers for himself.

This novel is just as engrossing and beautiful as Echo North. Joanna Ruth Meyer writes with so much heart and beauty. I hope we get more from this world. I will definitely be reading the rest of this author’s books!

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The dark elements continued to impress but the low stakes and sensitive emotions often served something unexpected, though not necessarily disappointing. The lush writing is undoubtedly the strongest asset and the world building pulls in. The resilient nature of the characters are easy to cheer for and the fantastical elements keep you dreaming of this adventure, especially through the lyrical prose. A good read.

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I think I loved this even more than Echo North! I'm pretty sure I cried for the last quarter of the book. The whole way through. This is a complex read and I already have it up on the staff recommendations display here at the library.

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{3.5 stars}

Echo North was a lovely wholly perfect fairy tale story about a young girl fighting to be seen and for those who she loved. When I saw that there was a sequel, I was quite surprised, wondering where the story could go. I'm not sure I would call this a sequel, it's more of an additional story in the same universe. In this story we get the story of Satu, who we met as a very young child in Echo's story. She is the daughter of the man who was formerly the North Wind, the man who wrote Echo's story.

Satu is a fabulous character to have on the page especially for those of us introverts with sensory issues. She has some really well described moments of learning to cope in the world with others from her self imposed place of isolation. The story's fantastical and magical elements were great and I loved the adventure and the reveal of just what Satu is facing. But the piece I really loved was Satu's representation of an "overly sensitive" person struggling to integrate with the "normal" world. I've saved some of the passages off to help explain to others what it feels like in a much more eloquent way than I could. Her courage on her adventure to save the world and her true love made for a great journey.

Thanks to Page Street Publishing via Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

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4.5 stars

I didn't think it would be possible, but Wind Daughter is even better than Echo North. The connection I was missing to Echo and Hal was incredibly present with Satu. Even when I was screaming at her not to trust the wrong people, to see what was right in front of her, I was right there with her, full engrossed in every step of the adventure. Satu's anxiety, fear of loss, and extreme isolation were so realistic and relatable. When you add in the magic tying all of this together, I could not have asked for more.

"I sew and I sew and I sew, weaving myself into the tapestry of the universe, lending pieces of my heart, my soul, my self. I am a river and a song. I am a tender spring leaf and a story spun out on a winter's night; I am the first blush of autumn, the last summer flower."

I found Wind Daughter to be so wonderfully weird and magical, with the right amount of darkness and intensity to keep you hooked and invested. Satu has an insane task ahead of her, but she has no choice but to try; the world is literally falling to pieces. This is an epic adventure with an ultimate goal that often feels impossible to achieve without significant loss. I love that the characters from Echo North play an important role but don't take over - this is Satu's story, and the balance here is perfection.

"'Take it away,' I gasp. 'Take it all away. Please. I know you can.'
'Take what away, daughter?'
I bunch infinite fabric in trembling hands and prick myself with the needle. A spot of blood stains the threads; they shiver over my knees. 'All of my feelings,' I choke out. 'They are too many. I cannot hold them all. They're destroying me.'
'Are they?' says the Weaver. 'Who would you be, Satu North, without your great heart?'
And I bow my head because I do not know, do not know."

I started this series because I received this eARC, but now I wish there was more coming. I'm not really sure what Meyer would write about next, but I'm definitely on board for a companion novel to this companion novel.

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A really beautiful story about the power of stories (my favorite!) I've seen some reviews knocking this one for feeling too juvenile in tone, especially when it comes to Satu's character but I found that refreshing. So much of YA is geared towards older teens and this is one I'll be able to hand to my readers that have graduated from middle grade but aren't quite ready for upper YA. A solid companion to Echo North.

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I did not realize that Wind Daughter was the second book in a series. I have yet to read the first book, so I will not be giving feedback on this title.

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I really enjoyed Echo North and knew from the beginning that I wanted to give Wind Daughter a chance. So when I found out I was sent the arc I was overjoyed. I think I like this one better than Echo North. Satu is such a complex character and I loved reading about her emotions and adventures. Also if you like slow burn romance this is for you, the slowest burn I've ever read lol. Overall I highly recommend if you like whimsical fairytales.

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I do not know how to explain it but both books that I have read from Meyer have left me incoherent with a book hangover. The writing is lyrical and beautiful. The magic honestly makes no sense but I still absolutely adore it. Again, I need to emphasize just how incoherent these books leave me. I love them.

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I sadly had to dnf this book around a 130 pages. The premise of Wind Daughter was promising & the writing was beautiful with it almost poetry folklorish style but somehow I couldn't get into the story. I don't know if it was because the story was going very slowly or because I didn't connected with the main character. It was probably a mix of both.

But If you loved The Bear and The Nightingale you may consider picking this book up

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"We're all stories. Every one of us. That doesn't mean we're not real."

One of the best feelings in the world is falling in love with a book just in time for the sequel to be announced. That was my experience with Echo North earlier this year, and instantly Wind Daughter was one of my most highly anticipated reads. It did not disappoint. It's no secret that I'm obsessed with Frozen 2, and this gave me all the good Elsa vibes that I love.

Woven like a beautiful tapestry, a tale of wind, snow, time, and magic, Satu's story swept me away from the beginning. It truly does read like a fairytale, with lyrical prose and magic that isn't quite explained. Mysteries, friendship, family, romance, and a heroine that you can't help but root for. It's not going to be for everyone but oh, it was magical for me. (I cried a lot at the end and honestly, not ashamed of it.)

I still think I prefer the first book, but I can't wait to read them both again in the winter season, when I can fully pretend there's snow outside, haha! Meyer stands a great chance of becoming one of my favorite authors. Five stars for sure.

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**

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So well written. I immediately went looking for book one because I someone how missed this was a companion novel. However this can book can be read as a stand alone. This is an incredible story. I gobbled it ALL up. I loved the imaginative world the author created. Satu’s journey was incredible and all the character and world building was a joy to read.

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“𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨.” ⁣― 𝙀𝘾𝙃𝙊 𝙉𝙊𝙍𝙏𝙃, 𝙅𝙤𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙍𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙈𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙧⁣

Joanna Ruth Meyer has become my go-to author when I’m searching for dark, dangerous, and enchanting fairytales and fairytale retellings. Her stories are always haunting and atmospheric, with the feeling of knife-sharp edges just waiting around every corner. ECHO NORTH was one of those hauntingly whimsical tales, and I was so excited to hear that WIND DAUGHTER was set in the same world as my beloved Echo North.⁣

WIND DAUGHTER gives readers the familiar and often brutal landscape of that world, but aside from a mention of characters from ECHO, it’s definitely its very own entity. Reminiscent of The Bear and the Nightingale and even Spinning Silver with the Winter Kings and the harsh, frozen landscape, WIND DAUGHTER is the tale of of a girl named Satu, the daughter of the North Wind, who’s racing against the fearsome Winter Lord in order to save the land she loves. There’s an often overwhelming feeling of danger and hidden threats peppered throughout that I’ve come to expect from JRM’s stories, and there’s also beauty and innocence and kindness that helps to balance out all the dark and the danger. ⁣

All told, another atmospheric and gorgeous fairytale reimagining that’s sure to enchant readers of both YA and adult fantasy. Highly recommend, and although it’s not necessary to read ECHO NORTH before starting this beauty, I definitely would just so you can experience the tale of the North Wind and her daughter from the very beginning.


*Many thanks to Page Street YA and NetGalley for the digital arc.

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I absolutely adored this story. As usual, Joanna Ruth Meyer's writing is tragically beautiful. My only complaint is that some sections require a knowledge of Echo North to understand. That being said, this book is a thoroughly enjoyable fairy tale.

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The story sounded so amazing on paper, but in reality it left me with a sense of unfulfilled potential. To start with I didn’t enjoy the wiring very much, as though it was very poetic and felt suited for a fairytale-esque story just was weird to read in combination with a present tense POV and a very juvenile main character. The whole story just felt like it was for a middle grade audience, as Satu never seems to grow up from the child she is at the start of the story. Also don’t get me started on the romance in the book. There was no real spark, no proper build up. Just all the sudden the two of them were so madly in love and that was that. Huh?! It was just such a weird insta-love, and it was the final nail in the coffin for me.

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I absolutely loved Echo North so when I saw Wind Daughter on here I KNEW I had to read it asap. This was even better than the first book. The plot was so intricately wound together and it unraveled so nicely. The characters were well developed. The story kept you on your toes. It deceived you and then deceived you again once you thought you had it all figured out. There are moments of the most beautiful, almost poetic prose. 5 stars. Would highly recommend both of these books.

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Thank you Page Street Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC for review!

5/5 stars. I absolutely loved this companion story to Echo North! It was so great to see Satu and the North Wind's story continue. Full review to come once I collect my thoughts!

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I love Meyer's writing style. It reminds me a lot of Charlie N. Holmberg's writing, and she's one of my favorite authors.

This book had that beautiful writing style, and was a companion novel/sequel to Echo North which I really enjoyed. In Wind Daughter, we follow Satu North, who does not/cannot be around people, especially big crowds as it makes her panicky and extremely anxious. Throughout the story she has to learn about her parents' past and grow to fill the role she doesn't want but must take to save the world.

I really loved Satu's character development. But other than her, the characters seemed very one dimensional. They were there to serve very specific roles, and I didn't really connect with any of them.

The romance was also lacking for me. There wasn't enough of a build up for their realization of love to be believable. I really wish more time had been spent on them learning about each other and speaking with each other so we could see that relationship evolve.

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