A unique little novella, with magical world building, great themes and lyrical writing.
The first book in a new duology. However, I feel like it could have been one longer book. 🤷‍♀️
Overall, the writing was beautiful and allegorical, and the story felt new and refreshing.
I highly recommend it to lovers of high fantasy, especially those who love a slower-paced story with poetic writing.

3.5/5 stars

Rating: 3.5 - 4/5⭐

Review:
✨Thank you to Titan Books & #NetGalley for this #ARC! This review was voluntarily written by me.
✨I added #APalaceNearTheWind to my TBR last year, hence I’m truly grateful for this review copy. Thus, I truly have a high hope for this story. Yet, I’m still not sure whether this science-fantasy novella managed to reach my expectations or not.
✨Starting from the cover itself, I do feel that the cover and the description of Feng (I guess the lady on the cover is her) don't really match. But, I still like the cover because of the colour scheme. But if I think back about the colour scheme, it is quite opposite with the overall quite sombre atmosphere of the story.
✨In terms of worldbuilding, for me it is okay but I’m still thinking that it is a little bit compact for a novella. But I think it will be expanded in the sequel.
✨In terms of characters, I don’t really felt too attached to any of them, yet.
✨The aspect that caught my eyes the most is the writing. The way the author describes the situation, and the places from Feng’s eyes truly caught my attention. As a land walker (human), I do understand what Feng sees from the description. But from her eyes, those things are bizarre to her. By the way, I’m still curious if the palace is truly a palace?
✨Themes that I managed to catch during my reading are colonisation and loss or change of identity. And also betrayal?
✨Okay, why a series of novellas instead of a full-length novel? I’m curious how the sequel will handle the ending. Still a lot of unanswered questions left
✨Lastly, I recommend this novella for anyone that likes to read both science fiction and fantasy or a mix of them. I’m not sure if this novella suits anyone who wants to try reading science fantasy as a beginner. This is due to the way the story was written may get really confusing at some points.
✨Anyway, if you are interested in this novella, I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do or more.

This was such a beautiful, sweeping tale! I recommend this for readers of fantasy, especially non-western fantasy.

This was a quick and easy read but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Eventhough, this was a short book, there were certainly a lot of elements that made this from the different species, multiple characters and the world building
I loved the author’s writing style and would definitely recommend to any fantasy reader

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This novel wasn't my cup of tea, and I'm so sad about it.
The setting and the worldbuilding were interesting, but that's about it. The story was confusing and the plot didn't convince me.
I'm glad I read it, because it was different but I wasn't for me.

Thank you for the digital copy.

A Palace Near the Wind is a dystopian, nature vs industry themed story with elemental magic, themes of family, change, greed and power. The story flows well and is easy to read, with descriptive writing that draws you in. The pacing was on the slower side for most of the book and ends on a cliffhanger, leaving us wondering what Lufeng will do with her newfound information and connections.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC.

As this is a novella, this review will be on the shorter side.
To start, it took a while to get the plot going. I both liked and disliked our narrator, Lufeng, and her naivety, as that was an interesting way to take in the world, but contributed to the plot slowly starting. Lufeng encounters a lot of new things as she tries to understand the palace and her new husband. These things were both physical items and cultural norms, as Lufeng and the Wind Walkers interact with people differently than humans do. I found it interesting on a world-building level, to see Lufeng go through this culture shock, but found it a little annoying when that meant that the plot only kicked in in the latter half of this already short book.
The world-building also leans itself to the industrialism VS environmentalism message of this book, along with the discussions of colonialism and complicity in colonialism.
I rated this book 3 stars. The writing was stunning and I loved the world-building. However, I think the plot structure would’ve done better with a longer book, so there could be a slow build up without feeling like the ending was rushed.

The premise of this novella really intrigued me—it plays with the tension between environmentalism and progress for progress sake. Ai Jiang's lovely prose paints intricate scenes, oscillating between gentle, melancholic emotional passages and repulsive, horror-tinged descriptions. Unfortunately, the novella format feels like its greatest disservice. There's virtually no world-building, leaving me stumbling along trying to piece things together. Perhaps this was intentional, mirroring the protagonist’s own disorientation, but the story moves so quickly—with little time to process and almost no explanation for the events—that it left me feeling more confused than immersed. Given that it's part of a duology, I think there was ample room to further develop both the world and the plot. The concept and characters were compelling, and the prose was beautiful—it just needed more space to breathe.

I received this advance readers copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I found this novel interesting but the writing felt a bit underdeveloped -- as if the writer was trying to create a mystery but hadn't established a clear motive or plot dynamic that would hook the reader. As a YA novel this may not be as noticeable. I enjoyed the descriptive writing and the close relationship with the youngest sister, but I am unsure if I will read the sequel.

A Palace Near the Wind is the first novella in the science-fantasy series Natural Engines, written by the promising Ai Jiang, and published by Titan Books. An imaginative story that is equally strange and fascinating, featuring themes such as family, cultural identity and the price of progress, all enveloped with a great worldbuilding and a memorable main character voice.

Lufeng is the eldest daughter of the Feng royalty; tradition marks that she will leave Feng, enter the Palace and marry the human King, as it was done by her sisters and mother before her, in exchange for stopping the expansion of the Palace and the destruction of their homeland for a few years. But Lufeng plans to stop the destruction altogether, and spare her younger sister, Chuiliu, from the destiny of becoming a sacrificial bride; Lufeng plans to kill the King.

Jiang's decision to narrate the story through Lufeng's eyes gives her an amazing opportunity to introduce us to the natural beauty of the Feng, and how it contrasts with the progress and industrialization that is symbolized by the Palace; the whole existence of the Wind Walkers (Feng's race) is to preserve nature, in opposite to how the Palace takes the resources from it and use it on their own benefit (something that is even reflected on the names of the different travellers).
Lufeng is a character bound by tradition, who has a strong determination to protect those she has a bond with them; family is at the center of her values. The shock of going outside of the Feng for a first time also serves as a narrative vehicle to introduce us to the particularities of the Palace in comparison with the Feng.

Lufeng's voice is a bit melancholic and also poetic: she wants to preserve her homeland, but also aspires to break the cycle that is slowly breaking down her family; however, she will also discover that not all of her family shares the same devotion to the cause, as other values are captivating her.
We have a rich worldbuilding, partly resorting to Asian inspiration, but which has a bit of an ethereal sensation because of the particular tone of the book. There's so much packed into this novella, and discovering it is part of the experience; a parallel journey to what Lufeng experiences.

A Palace Near the Wind is an excellent genre-blending novella, starting a duology that aims to explore themes such as pain, grief, family duty and cultural preservation against progress. I'm here to see what Ai Jiang delivers with the second book of Natural Engines, because I'm sure it will be an absolute banger.

Liu Lufeng belongs to the Wind Walkers, a small, tree-like race of people who live in the forests, live on sunlight and air, and can control the wind to varying degrees. The more human-like Land Wanderers are slowly uprooting the Wind Walker’s trees and building over their forests in the name of progress, led by a cruel and mysterious King. They’re slowed—not stopped—by a series of bridal trades. The daughters and granddaughters of the Wind Walker Elder have all married the king, one by one, and never came back. Lufeng’s mother and sisters have already gone; now it’s her turn to enter the Palace and face her fate.

Something about the way this novella is built and described reminds me a little bit of the Jim Henson film The Dark Crystal. It’s imaginative, unique, eerie, a little fey, a (very) little biopunk, with some climate themes sprinkled on top. Lufeng’s world feels magical and completely alien. Fantasy fiction naturally runs on the notion that it takes place in an imaginary world, but usually, there are a few reality-based touchpoints to go off. That’s not the case here. Nearly everything in A Palace In The Wind feels freshly sewn out of whole cloth. Many of the things in this book are fantastic; the way that characters look, the geography of the kingdom, and the way that food and houses and other mundane things work. The same things also manage to be strange and sometimes a little unsettling. Fortunately, the natural world–and its slow destruction–play quite a big part in the story, and that’s familiar enough to keep readers grounded. You’ll still have to pay close attention while you read to get a good sense of the places and people.

Thanks for the ARC. This was a stilted read for me, and I have super mixed feelings.

It’s an interesting premise, but I felt that there was basically no world building and so I was stumbling along trying to figure out what was going on - perhaps this was intentional, as the main character had a similar experience.

A lot happened so quickly, with very little time to process anything and next to no explanation behind any of the events. Given that it’s been separated into a duology, I think there was space to build out both the world and the plot a lot more, as the concept and characters were intriguing, and the prose lovely.

I found things picked up in the second half, but I did consider not finishing at multiple points - things were really picking up when the book ended, which was a shame!

I liked the premise and the overall message of environmentalism, weaving this into a fantasy tale, but found it a little heavy handed at times.

I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequel - but I would be interested to see if things are more fleshed out, and if I feel a greater understanding of the world building with a complete view of the books.

This was fascinating! Our narrator Feng is clearly unaware of the full extent of the world, so we learn it through her eyes, and it was so intriguing. I don’t want to say too much: this is a fun one to go into with less information, but I felt fully transported to this world and will definitely read sequels.

I was 40% in and I realized I just did not understand this world. The worldbuilding was done in such a way where you weren't given information, not in a mystery kind of way but in a "they'll figure it out... right?" but it got to the point where I didn't figure it out and it made me lose interest. The overall concept was cool but it felt so rushed that I didn't understand why this wasn't just lengthened to a short novel. The plot mysteries were intriguing enough to get me to pick this up but the execution was not it.

3.5 stars

chat, this novella is strange. I honestly think this could have been a five star horror novella if it went in that direction. the prose is excellent, and does such a good job of conveying the world and lufeng’s emotions to build suspense and portray the uncanniness of the situation. like the descriptions of food and her feelings about it? incredible and shudder-inducing.

between the worldbuilding and the prose, it’s so easy to immerse yourself in the world and be equal parts amazed and confused and horrified. the anticipation and unease was building and building and building in me.
unfortunately, I don’t feel like this energy was directed in particularly fruitful plot directions, because Lufeng is initially unsure of what’s happening, so are we, as the reader. but the reveals just feel convoluted and almost nonsensical, like “this might as well happen,” and we don’t get a very satisfying arc within this book.

however, this story is incomplete, waiting on a sequel. I may come back and raise my rating, pending a satisfying conclusion to the plot set-up in this volume. but I think this maybe should have been published all together rather than split.

I didn't know anything about this book or author before I requested this book on NetGalley. The cover is so pretty and the synopsis really caught my eye so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I liked the writing style (most of the time). I enjoyed the way the author kept the concepts more abstract and the reader is not quite sure of the intended time period or how much technology is in play during the story until the end. There were times when I found the vagueness to be a bit difficult to follow though so I would like to hope that that will be refined in any sequels.

No romance. There really isn't any romance in this book. It's about family bonds and I really enjoyed that. I don't typically read books that don't have romance so this was a breath of fresh air.

I was not a huge fan of the reveal regarding the King. I found it a little weird and kind of icky? I won't spoil it and it wasn't a huge issue but I did find it to be odd. It felt like a plot point that didn't quite fit correctly but was jammed into place with a "good enough".

Overall, I liked this debut but didn't love it. I'd continue to read this series and would read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

DNF @40%
I feel it too focused on the worldbuilding and the system, it lacks depth in the story and the characters. I have hard time connecting with the characters and understand them.

There could be some good fantasy out of this book! It reads quite pleasantly, and the whole colonial aspect of the encounter of indigenous peoples with modernity is amazingly portrayed through the characters of Tree-like people of Feng.

At the same time, the book is very short, and there are some things that don't get a chance to be properly exposed.

The system of this world and the creation of its history is intriguing. The author devotes a significant part in the book to this, which slows down the action a little and disturbs the feeling of the “urgency” of main character’s situation.

The proportions could simply be better measured. I’m looking forward to the next book to see how everything will be resolved!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really loved this novella. Impeccable, grand worldbuilding, very interesting themes, and great character development. This novella really has everything I love, especially the science-fantasy aspect of it. The main character being from a tree-like race of people was so unique, and it is clear that Ai Jiang has a strong talent and love for creating fleshed out worlds and cultures. I am excited for the sequel!