★★★★(4.5 Stars)

Princess Liu Lufeng, a member of the Wind Walkers, humanoid beings made of wood who live in harmony with nature. She’s chosen to become the next bride of the human king as part of a deal to save her homeland. Lufeng enters the palace with one mission: kill the king and save her people and home. However, nothing is as it seems inside the palace walls, the truth, deception, and difficult choices await Lufeng...

This novella completely swept me away. In less than 200 pages, Ai Jiang covered so many heavy themes such as environmentalism, colonialism, and the eternal clash between nature and industrial progress. In Lufeng’s eyes, we witness the closing in of her home, the strength of a people to do what it takes to protect their homeland, and the delicate balance of preservation and change.

The worldbuilding is stunning and the concept of the Feng people is both fresh, unique and original. This story felt like something new. Something necessary that will leave you consumed in thought long after you’ve closed the book.
Overall this was a refreshing and thought provoking read, and I can't wait for book two.

Thank you Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5

I confess I picked this novel out because of the beautiful cover. I'm not really a fantasy fan but often find the sweeping nature of them interesting. It's always nice to sink your teeth into a series.

As this is the first of a series I'd expected quite a lot more explanation but we're thrown in at the deep end beginning with the joining of Feng of the Wind Walkers to the King. Previously her mother and younger sisters have all been married to the King and Feng has no knowledge if they are still alive in the Palace the King inhabits.

There are lots of strands to this story which will no doubt, be explained and evolve through the series. It isn't always easy to say if you'll like it from the first one as there is usually a lot of scene setting.

So you should know that there are lots of different peoples who have different skills. The Wind Walkers which Feng comes from appear to be the hardest hit, having to make alliances with the King to prevent their land being destroyed.

There are quite a few twists in this first novel and the writing is good. It's not a long book so just enough to whet your appetite. I enjoyed it despite not being a particular fan of the genre.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Titan Books for the advance review copy.

Well-written and fast read! It's a unique world with complex issues between the different groups of people. I loved that many of the characters were imperfect; the "good guys" had their flaws and the "villains" of the story had justification for their actions as well.

3.5 stars
This was such an imaginative and unique read that packs a punch, considering it's only small, at around 190 pages! The world-building was intriguing, and I really liked our main character, Feng. She was incredibly strong-willed and determined to protect the ones she loves.

I will admit that I struggled a bit with imagining the characters, but I saw a review that said about visualising it like an animated movie, and this really helped me. Once I had done this, I found myself enjoying the story more and found it more engaging.

This is the first book in the Natural Engines series, and I'm intrigued to see where this story takes us and to learn more about these characters and this world.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wind Walkers live in the forest land of Feng, and can command the wind. They are ruled by humans, but chafe under this situation. Each daughter of the current generation has been sent off as a sacrifice to marry the human ruler, and the current eldest daughter and princess, Liu Lufeng, is next in line to be married. Lufeng worries about the youngest sister, Chuiliu, and does not want her to suffer the same fates as Lufeng and the other, elder sisters.

These sacrificial marriages are intended to halt the progress of the human world towards Feng. Already, too much land has been taken by humans and ruined due to industry. Lufeng longs for Feng to be free and safe, and plans to murder the human king once she is in his palace.

Once she arrives, Lufeng begins to learn that much of what she has been taught in Feng about the human groups is not necessarily true, or complete.

Author Ai Jiang's writing is gorgeous and the imagery she conjures with her words is vivid. The people of Feng are humanoid beings made of wood, and one can feel the pleasure Lufeng derives from walking barefoot on the earth.

At the same time, Jiang's prose in this novella is styled more like that of a fable, even while the author tells us of the indescribable damage of the land due to development, and the consequent pain and loss felt by Feng. I liked also the hints of the other human cities/settlements such as Engine, and Clay, and the politics amongst them.

At the same time, I felt that I did not fully understand the characters and their motives, beyond the humans wanting to gobble up all the resources they could. I suspect there is more nuance that hopefully is provided in the next entry.

The pacing is on the slow side, and while I loved all the worldbuilding with Jiang's gorgeous prose, I was still left a little puzzled as to several details. The ending is open, so do not expect a resolution to Feng's situation in this first book of this series.

At the same time, I was intrigued, and entertained, and look forward to the continuation of Lufeng's story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Lufeng, the eldest, is about to enter a sacrificial marriage. Three of her younger sisters and her mother have already been married off to the king and this is the only way to prevent the palace being built into Feng. Feng is a land of tree like people who thrive on the elements.

With steampunk and fantasy elements this novella has a ton of world building. Between the constant world building and the characters I found I was confused throughout. I kept stopping and going back because this novella lacks a consistent thread throughout to keep the reader straight. Once I became fully engaged the book plunged to a rather abrupt end. I know this will have a second book but I wish they would have been published as one.

I was interested in the story and I think I see where it is going. If the next book is soon enough, I may be interested in reading it. I would only recommend this to people who love steam punk and fantasy.

Thank you to Net Galley and Titan Books for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounding up to 4

"A Palace Near the Wind" is about an heir to a throne of people who live and thrive off nature. As mentioned in the synopsis, she's married off to the human king, in an effort to preserve the relations between their kingdoms.

I found the concept of the different kingdoms and the people of each kingdom SO interesting, along with their abilities and powers and I think Ai has included a great amount of detail and history in such a short novel. The character development is also really rich for a book so short. The fantasy is unique and has a Ghibli-esque quality to it too.

Something about this storyline just didn't pull me in as I expected it to based on the synopsis. I think for fans of Asian-inspired, Ghibli-esque fantasies that aren't the size of a doorstop, you'll enjoy this!

This book is flowery and dense, and much too short for its ambition with worldbuilding. I'm having major trouble liking this one, simply because the author is trying too hard. It's talented and indulgent writing, and I'll be trying to reread this with copious notes soon.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Caveat: I read this when I was ill and slightly feverish, so maybe that had an impact on my reading experience

Basically, a tree-like people the Feng, marry off their princesses to a human king in a deal to prevent the humans from encroaching further into their land and nature with their destructive industrialisation. Liu Lufeng is next up and isn't happy about it, but plans on finding a way to kill the king.

I was completely baffled by this novella. Firstly, I'm not convinced that this isn't just the first half of a full length novel because it didn't seem like a whole story to me.

I don't think this was badly written and the setting and ideas were interesting, but I was confused for a lot of this. I couldn't work out what the tree-like people really looked like, distances were hard to grasp, I wasn't sure on the technology levels - it's an environmental v "progress" story with a frontier or industrial revolution feeling but with more modern technology thrown in as well. I just couldn't get a solid feel for anything.

And one thing that really bothered me - the meat eating. The tree-like people don't eat or drink but when they interact with the humans(?) they are forced to eat. The main character is completely repulsed by the meat and hates eating it, is sick after and within a page is fantasising about eating it?

I really did want to, and expected to like this. Maybe if I'd read it when I wasn't ill I would have.

A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang was a great idea in concept, but the execution was lacking. It has the promise of a great epic story, but was done a great disservice by condensing it into a novella. The writing was disjointed and a bit of a struggle, and characters needed more development. I really wish the author and publisher allowed this to be a full length novel so that we could get more. I hope this is corrected in a future installment, because this could be great.

Thank you to Titan Books for the opportunity to listen read the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 2 stars
Pub Date: Apr 15 2025

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#TitanBooks
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Thank you soooo much to Titan, NetGalley and Ai Jiang for this eARC.

I loved every minute of this fantasy novella, I'm absolutely obsessed with anything Ai Jiang puts her hands on, and am a forever fan of her for sure.
Make sure to add this to your TBR, you won't regret it at allllll.

This was a great immersive novella with fascinating worldbuilding. Encountering the environment and the world through the perspective of a non-human from a sheltered society provided us with a rich look into the cost of progress and the visceral response of natural beings confronted with environmental impacts. However, I found that the protagonist, who was meant to be ignorant to capture the raw experiences of the plot, was a bit too naive and lacked the drive to explore the nuance of what was happening around her. Due to the length there was only so far we could penetrate into the where the plot was taking us, but I think the protagonist did not do that any favors.

Overall a unique world and interesting read.

The fantasy novel's plot is complex, with a lot of locations, and it's built up meticulously. There are a lot of characters, and the author really focuses on making the plot rich in allegorical themes, which makes it complex for the author to keep accuracy high throughout.

I really liked the allegorical parts, which fit well into the plot and had a lot of interesting cues.
But, to be fair, the story does get a bit bogged down by its own ambition. With so many elements, it felt a bit slow and struggled to keep up the quality of the writing.

The writing is really good, though. The author's got a great writing style and some really original ideas that give her fantasy novel a lot of momentum. I'd recommend it, but I have some reservations. The pace is a bit slow, and there are too many elements that are hard to organize to get the right amount of attention.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ai Jiang, and Titan Books for the E-ARC!

The stunning cover of this book was what drew me in, and the story and main character, Lufeng, is what made me adore it. I went into this book quite blind, and believe that that is the best way to read this book.

To avoid any spoilers this review will be brief. Ai Jiang writes a beautiful story, using an entrancing writing style that immerses you into it's world of nature versus machinery. While this book is short, don't worry about it lacking on any of the world building or character development, it does an excellent job of doing both while making you want more. Plus as I said, I loved the main character Lufeng, experiencing and discovering the details of this world with her was such a pleasure!

This book was hard to put down and I will be impatiently awaiting the second one! I would highly recommend you pick this up if you're looking for a book that borders on sci-fi and fantasy.

i’m having the worst luck with novellas lately 🫠

a palace near the wind sets out to be “a devastating meditation on the destruction of the natural world for the sake of an industrial future” but the only thing i was devastated by was how long it to me to slog through this. i love the concept, i love the uptick in environmental fantasy, but i did not love this book. the pacing is all over the place, the MC is a naive pawn who has no clue what’s happening at any point (which can absolutely work, but doesn’t here), and far too much is crammed into the last 2-3 chapters. it reads like the author cared about world building above all else, and didn’t even fully succeed there.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

I love this book!

Themes of environmentalism and colonialism are explored in depth, as we follow our protagonist, Lufeng, as she discovers secrets and mysteries surrounding the Palace.

This world is a mix of scifi and fantasy, with the inhabitants being of different natures. Like, Lufeng and her people are sort of like humanoid plants/trees, and there's another race of people made of water, as well as regular human people. Technology taking over nature is also a big theme that is explored. Lufeng's land is being destroyed in order to advance technology, and her people are giving in to using that technology, while she is repulsed by it.

I love Lufeng as a protagonist. She has a rather sheltered upbringing, but I admire her perseverance and determination to constantly try to learn new things in order to overcome her situation. She has to wrestle between choosing to do what she is told for the good of her people, or to do what is best for herself.

For a novella, this book is packed full of plots within plots. (Which makes sense that there is a sequel.) Nothing in this world is as it seems, and when Lufeng discovers something, it just lead to more questions.

Overall, I love this story and I cannot wait to read the sequel!

P. S. Who is the girl on the cover? Lufeng has tree bark for skin and twigs for hair.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a disclaimer I read Sci-Fi rarely but as a fan of Asian literature the synopsis captured my attention. I read to at least 54% before I decided to not continue on. First, I found myself confused on the throughout the story. The main character, Liu Lufeng, is a princess from a race that has bark skin and braided branches for limbs who is arranged to be married to the king of the Land Wanderers (humans). Lufeng is from the tribe of Wind Walkers and there appears to be two other kinds of other elemental races outside of their territory. The Land Wanderers have been impeding on their resources and destroying their habitat for some time and to slow them down an arranged marriage has been set up over time with Luifeng’s family. However, once they move to the palace Luifeng does not hear from them and not that it’s her turn and duty to marry the king she wants to discover the truth behind her family’s disappearance and to end the king’s reign once and for all.

The writing is vivid and thought provoking so much so that some scenes have made me feel spooked as we learn more along with Luifeng. Her character is multifaceted but she is very much naive albeit brave. The pacing did not feel slow but leading to the halfway point I had a difficult time remaining interested. The author does a good job with the world building and setting which does take up the first half of this read. However, since it’s a novella perhaps too much time was spent on it that could have been allocated to progressing the plot and character work instead or extend the length of the story.

I could feel a big reveal was coming around the 50% mark that would propel the story forward but I had no desire to continue unfortunately. Since I did not finish I will not assign a rating.


I think if you’re an avid reader of this genre you may enjoy this. It focuses on nature, industrialism, colonisation, identity, family and culture.

I love the themes the author is honing into in the book: oppression, colonialization, and how self destructive human can be. However with it being a novella I felt the continuous introduction of characters, left the characters underdeveloped. I found myself to be confused with the storyline a bit. At the end of the day, I am open to reading more of this author's work because of the heavy themes and they way she included the difficulty with navigating honoring family, heritage, and her values while trying to resist/rebel.

3.75 stars!
Honestly, the cover drew me in! I am a sucker for just amazing covers and this one is just beautiful!! Now, this novella follows Liu Lufeng, who is the oldest daughter of the Feng people (aka people who are covered in bark like skin and have power of the wind) is to be married away to the King. I do have to say the world building in this novella was amazing. In the beginning I was slightly confused, but the more I got into it, the more I understood. Lufeng is trying to save Feng from modernism, but at what cost!
I did like Lufeng as a character, but there were many characters in the short number of pages, that sometimes it was hard for me to keep track of everyone and who was who! I wish Ai Jiang would have made it longer, rather than two novellas. Overall, the world sounds amazing and I am interested in learning about the other lands more in-depth, and maybe we will get this in the second book. I will read the second book, I am just slightly sad that the end of this book kind of left off right in the middle of everything happening. I get that it is a good transition into the second book, but still just slightly sad over it!
Thank you to Ai Jiang and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review – thanks for the copy!

A Palace Near the Wind is like a fairytale version of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke, or Dr. Seuss's The Lorax.

It captures the exploitation of a group of beings called Wind Walkers, who are tree-like beings with bark for skin that are highly connected to nature and have the ability to control wind. As the Wind Walkers are losing their land to the development and destruction of the humans, an elder Wind Walker makes an agreement with the human king to send the young girl Wind Walkers to live with the King in his palace. The story follows Feng, a girl who is sent to the palace with an intent to kill the king and liberate her family, as part of their ongoing struggle against the destruction of nature.

The concept is very relevant today and the story highlighted the struggle between human development and the preservation of nature in a beautiful way. However, the story itself was a bit jumpy at times, as there were significant time jumps between chapters or paragraphs during which Feng would suddenly have changed her views or morals quite quickly (significant time had passed in the story, but while reading it seemed like a sudden change). There were several few story points that were not explained or explored as well, but given this is the first book these will hopefully be developed more in the sequel.

3.5 / 5 stars, and I would recommend this to nature lovers and fans of Princess Mononoke.

Thank you Titan Books for the ARC!