4.25 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ✨

“I believe there are few good things in this world…but the kindness of your heart might be the best thing I have ever experienced, in any lifetime.”

The West Wind is the second novel in the fantasy romance series, The Four Winds, with each following a different brother. These are interconnected standalone so while reading them in order can enhance your experience of the world, it isn't fully necessary. This story is inspired loosely off of the Greek myth of Hero and Leander as well as the Scottish ballad, Tam Lin.

Written in third person POV, we follow Brielle and Zephyrus, the West Wind, Bringer of Spring. Brielle is a woman of faith and a strong blacksmith. Yearning to be accepted as an acolyte at the abbey she has resided in for the last ten years she finds herself torn when she comes across an injured man. Despite knowing she will be breaking her vows to help him, she helps the man only to discover he is anything but. This encounter sends Brielle on a journey she never expected in a perilous world of fae and magic, but also where faith and heart are tested in a way she never expected… because now her life is suddenly on the line.

Brielle is a character that, as she grew in the story, I came to enjoy so much more. Initially she is gullible and overcompensating for the doubts she feels but as she gains knowledge and experience I love her confidence in knowing more about who she is and what she wants.

Zephyrus is a fascinating character. His intentions are somewhat unclear but when his affections start to grow and be more clear I really loved how they were at odds with how he normally lived his life. His growth to gain more care and empathy was absolutely adorable.

There are side characters like Harper and Mother Mabel who really helped contextualize Brielle's lived experience as well as offered a chance for Brielle to challenge her life. I loved seeing the ways these characters changed alongside Brielle. There are also some fun fae characters we get to interact with that help shake things up in ways I didn't expect!

“My darling novitiate,” Zephyrus murmurs. “I would very much like to kiss you.”

In terms of spice this novel is a 1 spicy pepper out of 5 spicy peppers. It is a slow burn romance as these characters do not trust each other at all. Brielle also is a virgin and her faith tells her she must never touch a man. I appreciated the small steps that went into this relationship to highlight the importance of them giving into their feelings - it is not done lightly. There is also a discussion of consent that really stuck with me. The spice itself is around the 80-90% mark but there is some steam in early parts. The spice is more romantic than explicit and I felt it worked for these characters. It highlighted, to me, the depth of their affections and love.

The story, admittedly, starts off a bit weak with Brielle just trusting a random person blindly. Yet as the story progresses we get this larger and more thoughtful exploration into faith, lore, and self that drew me one. I loved the challenges, the trials, the antagonist, and the journey for the characters. I think there was a good ebb and flow to the story as we see the changes marked in each journey for them. We get sweet moments, vulnerable moments, and some teasing that helped emphasize the characters and their growth. I tear up during the climatic scene and it had one of my favourite tropes! The ending was so satisfying and I am so excited to see where we go next!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for this arc!

DNF at approx. 30%. Based on the blurb, I did believe I would enjoy this one.

Pros: I liked the writing style, the concepts were interesting, I wished I could enjoy it enough to keep going and see what would happen.

Cons:
- Worldbuilding. The ideas were there but the execution was not - things like an entire convent containing 100 people being sustained by a mere 14 acres of land and having excess to sell to the local town in a time prior to modern agriculture. Or being told never to give your name to the fair folk and then a couple chapters later giving your name to the fair folk without a second thought or having entire structures or communities surrounded by salt, a resource that has been scarce enough to lead to wars in our past but apparently exists in such bounteous quantities without explanation. These are small things, extraneous to the plot, barely noticeable to many, but for someone like me they pull me out of the story or make me think about things I am not supposed to think about, like the salt trade that must exist in this fictional economy. It would have been better if details like these simply weren't mentioned or were included in a way that made more sense.
- I struggled with Brielle. She literally abandons someone who appears to be dying in the forest. The hoops that had to be jumped through to make this plot point work were ridiculous, and it felt contrived to create a situation where she would have to hide him in her room. This is only one example, but there were other places I struggled with her and her character and her extreme naivete.
- The Mean Girls vibes were a little too much for me, I did not expect the high school (bordering on middle school) style bullying that was going to exist in this book when I picked it up.
- Simply could not connect with the plot. I found myself questioning everything that was happening rather than enjoying the journey.

While I have no doubt there is an audience for this book, that audience does not include me.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for making the DRC available to me. All opinions are my own.

This wasn’t a terrible book. The characters were likeable enough and the writing was good. However, I found it to be a bit slow and I felt that it didn’t need to be as long as it was for the point to get across the same.

Brielle, a daughter of Thornbrook has given her life to Father and is working her way to becoming an Acolyte. She ends up venturing into the woods where she finds a man, unconscious on the ground. From there, everything changes.

I liked how the author painted of Under, Thornbrook and other surrounding areas. It was fairly easy to imagine and I do enjoy a good, descriptive scene. There was enough romance and action to keep me going, but it was quite the push to get it finished.

This book, The West Wind, is the second book in the series, and I don’t think I will be continuing with any other books in this series.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions and thoughts on this book are mine and mine alone.

Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice:🌶️

Thank you so much to @simonandschusterca for sending me this arc to review!

Summary: Brielle of Thornbrook is a noviciate at the abbey but she aspire to be an acolyte to dedicate her life to the father. But her life starts to change when she helps an injure man on the road who is in fact Zephyrus, the god of Spring.

Ahhhh Zephyrus. I liked you at first when I read The North Wind, but the more I learned about you, the more I dislike you.😂 So when I requested it I should have guessed that this book would be about you but I didn’t. 🤣

So I was hesitant going in but I am pleasantly surprised by this book and how much I liked it. It’s not the best book I read but it was a good sequel with a really great female character with a lot of conviction and heart. It’s also a beautiful story about the conflict between faith and love. 💕

This book is for enemies to lovers, redemption arc, self-discovery and quest fan!

Happy reading!📖

The West Wind is a fae fantasy dealing with gods, different realms, and epic quests.

So much happened in this book, I couldn't believe the sheer amount of plot! It kept the book flowing very well and the world of Under was so lush and terrifying. I loved the lore presented and how it all related to the story. There are so many characters with ulterior motives and dark pasts.

The only thing that makes this a 3.5 (rounded up) is that our main character is just a little boring. It was one of those things that other characters keep saying how great, clever, wonderful she is, but other than being told that - I just don't see it. Her one personality trait is basically that she can fight quite adeptly.

A good read; fast paced with great world building!

thank you to netgalley and simon&schuster canada for the opportunity to read this prior to re-release!

4⭐️! i’m going to be totally honest, i almost dnf-d this book, but i’m glad i didn’t. 💚💛

this book draws inspiration from the greek mythology of hero and leander, as well as the scottish ballad of tam-lin. i hadn’t heard of either prior to this book, but i found it quite interesting to read. after reading this book i looked into the mythology and ballad backgrounds and definitely could see where inspiration was drawn from.

the beginning of this book (part 1) was quite slow for me, i found myself putting it down often. but once i got to part 2 things definitely picked up and got more interesting! this was a slow burn romantasy that once it picked up, it kept me HOOKED. i read the last 50% of it in ONE night! the analogies throughout this book were so strong and beautifully written, i found myself highlighting a lot! and the character growth and development, particularly of the fmc and mmc, was great! there was also a side character that also impressed me throughout this story too!

i hadn’t read the first book that is connected to this one, the north wind, but reading this has definitely gotten me intrigued to go and read it. the story was easy to follow without having read the first book which i appreciated as well.

safe to say, i am surprised with my final rating based on how the read was going in the first half, but i am SO glad i pushed through!

—

overall ratings:
star: 4⭐️ / 5
spice: 1-1.5🌶️ / 5
emotion: 2.5💧/ 5 (by the end)

tropes:
💚 romnatasy
💛 slow burn
💚 humans and gods
💛 virgin fmc
💚 retelling (greek mythology of hero and leander & scottish ballad of tam-lin)
💛 enemies to lovers
💚 forbidden romance
💛 disgraced god

This was a really interesting sequel, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. I was worried that it was going to be similar to the first book in plot, but this felt really lovely and unique. I really liked the settings and found the characters interesting. Brielle was a very well rounded character with motivations that made sense, and a passion that drove her forward. I liked the romance, but I preferred the female friendship within more if I’m being honest. It felt real, purposeful, and hard fought for. I did enjoy the romance, it was a stunning slow burn. I really enjoyed the ending, it felt very sweet and fluffy in the best way.

As someone who really did not enjoy the first book in this series (The North Wind), I was very pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed this book!

This book gave me everything the first book was lacking. The characters are so funny, charming, charismatic, and vulnerable and go through great character arcs and development for a standalone novel. The plot is intriguing and always made me want to continue reading. The almost creepy and dangerous nature of the fey lands gives the story a really magical and fairytale feel. To finish off, I found the romance between our FMC and The West Wind really sweet and wholesome and I liked how we got to see their relationship change throughout the novel.

The one thing I didn't enjoy so much in this story was the authors writing style. It reads very much like a trail of consciousness of someone who's very indecisive. Sometimes I found the to be sentences very jarring and choppy.

Thank you to the Simon & Schuster Influencer Program and NetGalley for providing this ARC!

I enjoyed this a lot more than the first one! I love the moodiness of it, reminded me a bit of Midsommar how eerie but fascinating it was

Thank you for the e-ARC!

As someone who's picky about my fantasy reads, The West Wind fell short for me. While the world-building is undeniably lush, with Warwick's detailed descriptions creating an atmospheric setting, the story itself felt painfully slow and disjointed.

The pacing dragged, making it hard to stay engaged, and the characters lacked depth. I found it difficult to connect with the protagonist, and key emotional moments didn’t resonate. The plot, though promising, ended up feeling scattered with unresolved subplots and little payoff.

Ultimately, the beautiful scenery wasn’t enough to save a story that felt underwhelming and poorly paced. If you're looking for a gripping, character-driven fantasy, this one might not be it.

I really didn't like this book, and it put me in a reading slump. I had to give myself little rewards just to get through a chapter. I had the first book in the series on my to be read list, but I took it off after finishing this one.

The beginning started off okay, with some funny lines that seemed promising. But by the time I was a quarter through, there were a lot of gaps in the story and things that didn't quite make sense. I hoped things would get better and that the characters would really grow and change by the end, but by half the way through, I had lost that hope.

The storyline felt aimless and repetitive, and it never really led anywhere satisfying. There were many inconsistencies and unanswered questions by the end.

The main character had confusing beliefs and actions that she never really addressed. The male lead was pretty forgettable. He was supposed to go through some character growth, but I didn't see any real change from the beginning to the end of the book.

The book had a strong Catholic influence, even if it didn't directly say so. Themes like guilt, purity culture, and religious trauma were everywhere. Although the main character tried to challenge these ideas, she didn’t really deal with her issues. As someone who has faced similar challenges, I was let down by how Brielle handled her struggles.

While I appreciated the representation of a more accepting world regarding queer identities, it made the romance feel off. It seemed like both characters were actually better suited for relationships with the same sex or different characters altogether. The romantic connection felt forced and lacking in chemistry. The sex scene was confusing; it wasn’t terrible, but it felt wrong, especially for a character who was raised in a strict purity culture. The MMC was self serving.

I'll give the book two stars (though it's really more like 1.5) just for the representation of plus-size characters, skilled labor, the descriptions of the setting, and somewhat decent queer representation.

This is part of a series, but I never read the first one and didn't feel as if I was missing anything. The religion aspect of this book gets old fast. It was a bit of a slog to get through. It could have been, and really should have been, edited down to up the pace and make it more engaging and interesting. Brielle is a wet napkin character. She gets treated like shit by everyone, and even though she's totally buff and could easily clothesline all these bitches, she just cowers and runs away over and over. The chick who gets sent on the mission with her, whose name I have forgotten and can't be assed to dig this book out of my kindle to check it, was a mega twat and an imbecilic child, and the reasoning for her tire fire personality was laughable. Her sudden turnaround of character was not believable in the least. The romance was meh. Feh.

I'm a bit torn. While I do think this was well-written and could be quite interesting, it was far too long and had far too many extended boring swaths in between the good bits. I did like that the fae aspect was more traditional, unlike a lot of shit today where people are writing vampire fairies and fucking werewolf fairies etc. Anyways. I don't regret reading it. I'll keep this author on my radar.

“You,” he says, “are a bright, willful woman who understands the sacrifice true dedication requires. It takes strength of character to extend compassion to so many, even those who don’t deserve it.”

The West Wind is the second book of the series The Four Winds and its main character is Zephyrus, Bringer of Spring, an immoral god. He’s in a badly shape thrown in the forest when Brielle finds him and decides to help him get better. However, Brielle is a novitiate of the church and she’s not supposed to be near a man. Zephyrus gets better and convinces Brielle to go Under (a place with folk people, and magical creatures who are dangerous for humans) to get an answer to all of her questions. Brielle slowly starts to realize there’s more to the world than the church and she starts questioning her belief and her future. Later on, she’s send on a mission to retrieve a sword, that seems to be important to Zephyrus as well. Brielle needs to make so many decisions which will change her future as a novitiate.

I absolutely loved reading this book, and the story of Zephyrus and Brielle. The idea of the Under world with all the magic, the folk people and other supernatural creatures. Even though Zephyrus was portrayed as an arrogant character, he still got out of his way to help Brielle at every moment she was in dangerous. The end had me in tears, it was just beautiful and unexpected. I highly suggest everyone to read this book.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an ARC.

After reading the first book in this series, The North Wind, last year I was excited to get into the second instalment. The West Wind picks up where we left off with Zephyrus, but now we add in Brielle. She is an incredibly religious woman who is striving to be an acolyte of Thornbrook.

First off I really enjoyed how this was more of an adventure story than the previous book, and I could relate to Brielle’s hardships being bullied by her peers. But I felt that at her age (early 20s), she should have had enough of them and stopped letting them walk all over her.

I really hated Harper in the first half, but as she softened and realized how terribly she had been treating people, she redeemed herself for me. Also in the second half we see the pace pick up a bit, the romance becoming more pronounced, and Brielle finally gaining a backbone.

After finishing the book I enjoyed both the story and character arcs, and how they were all wrapped up. There was much that didn’t need to happen, and I think was added to try and add suspense or raise the stakes, but I felt they were really unnecessary.

And I am intrigued by Notus, The South Wind! It’ll be interesting to see how his story is told.

I really enjoyed reading this. The premise of the book intrigued me enough that I wanted to pick it up. It was a good introduction to the tale of Tam-Lim, especially for individuals like myself who are unfamiliar with it. The pacing was a bit slow at first, but it picked up once she embarked on her quest. The main character, Brielle, was tough to get used to at first because of how pure and naïve she's written to be. But over time, I found that I grew to love her more and more as the book progressed. The romance aspect of this book was adorable to see unfold. I loved watching Brielle and Zephyrus learn to trust each other and make sacrifices for each other. I also liked how the book didn't just focus on the romance between the main characters. The friendships in the book were also really heartwarming. The epilogue was my favorite part. It was just so cute and sweet and definitely worth the emotional rollercoaster I went through while reading this book.