✨ ARC Review ✨
A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang

2.5 ⭐️ (rounded to 3 on GR)

This novella had a very unique and whimsical science-fantasy premise. I really liked the premise of the world-building, but it was very dense, and for a short novella it was hard to fully understand. Even a full-length novel would have had a hard time fully fleshing out the story. The pacing was quite slow and I had a hard time staying engaged the entire time.

Liu Lufeng is a girl from a race of tree-people, who is forced into a marriage contract with the king of the humans in exchange for her people’s safety. Throughout the story Liu is forced to relearn everything she believes about her society, and changing her world-view.

The book itself was very beautifully written, and I believe with a fully fleshed out novel it could have been great!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

'Though I'd see my reflection in the waters of Feng, I'd never see such a still image of me, unaltered by the distortion of natural waters and the colours it took on from its surroundings.'

This sci-fi novella has incredibly beautiful writing and the author is fantastic in describing such grotesque scenes. I thought the ambiance was wonderfully done and the plot keeps up the suspense all throughout, even though it manages to feel a bit repetitive. The characters feel quite flat which is a bit expected from a tale this short, which is, in my opinion, it's biggest problem.

I think this novella is quite original and if you like a more poetic kind of writing style it will be right up your alley.

A Palace in the wind is a speculative fiction novel that, unfortunately doesn't deliver on its promising concept. I was fascinated by the juxtaposition of the environmental destruction and the human colonisers, however the world building and character development was premature and I didn't buy into either. The narrative and dialogue feels disjointed and I found it hard to fill in the gaps. I didn't finish the book. Stopped at approx 20%.

With a beautiful cover, I read this novella in 2 hours. However, the ending is a cliff hanger for the second part of the duology so be warned.

The story is told from our heroines perspective. She's a tree person and likes the status quo. Then she's married off to the king whose land of bones and fur and meat and walking contraptions is encroaching on theirs. As with a number of other reviewers, this could do with being a novel so that there's more space/time for world building. As the novella continues, we're introduced to an ever greater cast of characters that we only really get to glance briefly at them before the plot moves on. But we need to care about these characters for the novella to work - as such, it doesn't completely work currently.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Absolutely intriguing fantastical concept, beautiful writing and complex ideas for themes. Those are the 2 stars. It just falls apart on execution from there.

Nothing happens, when this is a story carried on the promise of defiance and even revolt. We learn of the tree people, who borrow the wind and live in harmony with nature, and the conquerors they're forced to establish business relationships with through marriage. It is a fascinating premise for sure, but again, nothing happens.

This could have easily been a character-focused story. I would have loved that. But not these two-dimensional characters. The only two things you know about the main character, Lufeng, is that 1) she values her people's traditions and way of life, and 2) she wants to kill her husband-to-be to free her family and people. That's it. You don't even properly explore how being at the palace is changing and influencing her beyond the fact that meat is tasty. And everyone else is reduced to a character trait, role or ability. The supposed plot twists don't even hit because there is nothing to grab onto for me to care.

So, if you're into all vibes, no plot, this can absolutely be for you. Like I said, the worldbuilding itself is very unique. Just ignore the people comparing this to Princess Mononoke and T. Kingfisher, because you'll be very disappointed.
Sadly, I don't feel like reading book 2.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ai Jiang, and Titan Books for the chance to read and review this book.

dnf @ 38%

while this book had an interesting premise and a cool concept for the world, something about the writing style just did not work for me. i’m not sure i processed much of what i read because of it. the plot itself is fine if unoriginal, and the main character is intriguing but the writing doesn’t let you get a good sense of her.

i sometimes struggle with novellas, and to me the pacing has to be very strong or else it just falls short. with the pacing of the first third of the book, i didn’t think it would be able to make up for it enough to stick the landing or make it worth wading through the writing, so i will not be continuing.

DNF. I struggled to understand what was going on, then I found outbis a novella so ther3 must be more books to add to this world? It felt rushed and little was told in so many words. Loved the cover, though!

3.5 stars.

I was intrigued by the cover and by the premise.

The premise was indeed interesting, intriguing and innovative in a way? Don't think I've read a novella quite like this. The worldbuilding is extensive for such short number of pages, but it only made me more intrigued about the different, races? shown and mentioned on these pages. The Wind Walkers are the most interesting to me, only because Liu as our main character describes and feels her heritage, culture and being so much.

And sadly for the bad things: the novella being so short took away our chance to connect with the characters more. Zinc and Copper intrigued me so much. Even the rebel sister. And while I am aware that a lot of it will probably happen and be revealed in the sequel, this just left me wanting for more. Another 100 pages perhaps to make the world even more palpable and to stagger the revelations that happen in the last 30% of the book more evenly.

However I am looking forward to reading the next one, this pulled me in and I want to know more.

The Land Walkers, or humans, have been encroaching onto Feng territory for years, bringing with it progress and development. But whatever good they purportedly bring is destroying the very fabric of Feng society and the Wind Walkers' way of life. Liu Lufeng's arranged marriage to the King is meant to buy them more time, her bridewealth used to negotiate ways to preserve what little they have left. Yet Lufeng's mother and sisters' marriages have had little lasting effect - so what hope does she have that her own marriage will bring needed change? Thus, attempted murder.

Despite its length - or maybe because of it - A Palace Near the Wind requires careful reading. It's a little hard to get into at first as there are many new ideas and concepts to orient yourself to and there's little to ease your way - and I say this coming fresh off the Stormlight Archives. Maybe if Ai had given it more space to breathe, it wouldn't be so hard to connect.

And yet, once things fall into place, <i>A Palace Near the Wind</i> feels less dense, but more richly layered, exploring not just the destructive nature of unchecked development, but also the any layers of governance and the hidden powers behind the throne. Is the face of the government, be it a king or a president, really the one making the decisions? Or are there others behind them pulling the strings? Can you truly take anything at face value? Or must one always be wary of where the money flows?

The longer Lufeng stays in the Palace, the more secrets she uncovers - secrets that shake the foundations of her very life. What are the true origins of Feng? And what should she do when she discovers that the people she grew up trusting may be complicit in the destruction of her nation? These are delicious breadcrumbs that Ai scatters as twists in the story, leading up to a tantalising cliffhanger.

It is here that I wish that this weren't a novella duology, but that it had been written as a complete novel, because now I have to wait for the next book to be published.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from the Titan Books via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

2.5 stars

A very, interesting and promising novella! After reading it, I still do not exactly know what to think of it. Let me start by saying what I did like.

I loved the richness of the language. This novella is written beautifully and it was the most compelling part of the story for me. Next to that I also really liked the idea of the fantasy/sci-fi like world. There were so many interesting elements. Next to that, I enjoyed our character having to learn about an entire new world. A, for her, very progressive world. Reading that was very interesting.

However, the beautiful writing made it that a little was said with a lot of words (hah, like me yapping everyday), which was not good for the story. The world is so full and interesting, but due to the shortness of the book, little of that was actually explored, leaving me with many questions on the world and the plot. I don't even think a full-length novel would be enough for this world. And for me, personally the characters fell a bit flat and I could not connect to them. Partially also because of the length, but that is to be expected from a novella.

Overall, a very interesting story. I did enjoy reading it, but it was not great. So a perfect middle score!

Well... I started this book super excited because the synopsis grabbed me instantly and I felt like I could really like it.

Yes, I liked it but at the same time I felt that it fell short in many aspects. I understand that this is mentioned as a 'short story' but sometimes with these fantasy worlds (at least I feel that way) there needs to be depth to the characters and the universe itself. Yeah, it wasn't something I found in A Palace Near the Wind.

Many situations happened suddenly, there were things that came out of nowhere, characters that suddenly were not what you thought but... did you think anything about that character? Because I only saw it two or three times...

I feel like it's complex to review this book because I felt like I only read the premise... that I didn't really start reading the book.

Of course, Ai Jiang has very interesting ideas.

Thank you very much Titan Books for the ARC I read on NetGalley a change from an honest review.

arc so no spoilers but i couldn't stand this. i was confused by the length but eventuall discovered it was a novella (NOT included in any of the promo materials from netgalley) and the worldbuilding was so rushed i struggled to understand what was happening on any given page.

✨ Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for access to this ARC✨

3.5 🌟

A beautiful, almost whimsical, fantasy with an undertone of climate critique. I can see exactly what the author was trying to do, and I think (for once) the word count was what held her back.

Pros:

- Really interesting world building, I liked how the world slowly revealed to the reader and wasn’t a huge dump of information.
- I did like how little we knew as a reader for the majority of the book, it kept me guessing.
- I liked the FMC, she felt real and relatable.

Cons:
- I felt like we didn’t really learn or understand a lot, I finished the book very confused. I didn’t understand the marriage concept and the sisters, and the revelation fell a little flat because of this.
- So much happened in the last couple of chapters that it felt like melodrama, and subsequently it lost the realism that had held onto me from the beginning.
-It needed to be a longer book, and the world better fleshed out and understood.


I wish the book had been longer, I wish the FMC herself knew more about the world, because with it being from her POV we really suffered as readers from her ignorance. I needed to understand more in order to care about the peril that faced them.

I have certainly not written off this book as I know there is a planned sequel, but I wish the first book was better balanced with the world building and plot. For me, this really confused and ruined what could have been a very powerful story.

Eagerly awaiting to follow up to see how this pans out 💚

This novella truly is a beautiful ode to nature. Ai Jiang’s writing was so enjoyable I instantly fell in love with Feng and its seemingly peaceful atmosphere. I mean, don’t the words "Wind Walkers" just roll off the tongue? Furthermore, I found interesting the possible coexistence between the new world and the natural world before we learnt more about the awful experiments of those in power. There were also a few unexpected twists, and I have to mention the front cover which is absolutely gorgeous.

However I slowly started losing interest in the story, especially after the ceremony took place, and the whole thing eventually felt like a very long introduction to the sequel. It didn’t really make me feel anything; it didn’t make me curious about what’s coming next either. As I seldom read fantasy books I don’t know if it’s supposed to be like that, but I just wasn’t stimulated enough. In the end, Lufeng’s resistance didn’t really stand out from other popular characters’ fight against cruel domination…

A richly inventive and brutal novella. A story of family, loss and oppressions that will stay with readers long after you turn the last page. A lyrical and contemplative fantasy that is filled with atmospheric prose and an equally well crafted plot. A heartbreaking story of homecoming and discovery that weaves elements of the enchanting, mysterious and strange.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐢 𝐉𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠

I was very intrigued by concept of this one, but it just didn't deliver. On the positive side, there are definitely some interesting ideas in here. However, they felt underdeveloped and while intriguing concepts were introduced, they were never fully explored. Part of this could be due to the novella length of the book = which makes me think the duology should probably have just been combined into a novel, as it also felt pretty incomplete and not a satisfying arc by itself. I also found the writing a bit clunky and choppy, and I most likely will not read the sequel.

Unique and very imaginative are my first thoughts about this novella . Surprising too as our heroine becomes ensnared in a web that felt shocking . I loved that she not only respected nature but was an actual part of it and her priorities just felt right . I was completely wrong about the “king” which was very refreshing and already look forward to more from this clearly talented new author
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and is honest and I believe fair

The Feng people have bark faces, carved limbs, arms of braided branches, and hair of needle threads. We follow the story of the eldest princess of the Feng royalty as she is betrothed then wed to a human king. But soon, she starts to unravel a whole lot of lies about her peoples' past. This book clocks in just under 200 pages yet is a carefully crafted world and probably one of the most imaginative systems I have ever read about. The deeper themes here are a bleak look at destroying the natural world for the sake of industrial and personal gain. I absolutely loved this world, and I cannot wait for book 2! Thank you so much Ai for sharing this book with me! This novella publishes April 15, 2025, from Titan Books.

The prose was too simple for my liking and the plot unengaging. The characters could have been iconic if a little attention had been paid to them

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang is a Chinese-inspired science fantasy novella. Liu Lufeng is next in line in her family to marry the human king and keep the human kingdom from expanding even further. But she’s not interested in creating a love match or forming a friendship with the king; her true desire is to kill him to end the tradition. But it’s not going to be easy and things aren’t always as they seem.

I rarely discuss covers, but I’m going to today because the cover is so perfect. The style uses a very traditional Chinese style of drawing clouds but the metallic color scheme directly correlates to the names of several characters in the Engine (human) empire. Lufeng is gorgeous and so soft and delicate, giving this a romantic feel that goes against her actual motivations but still plays into the premise of an arranged marriage. It’s dreamy, it’s eye-catching, the minimalist color palette uses every color to great effect and it’s easily one of my favorite covers so far this year.

The science fantasy aspects are strongly reflected in the major themes of the plot: humans vs nature, technology vs nature, and tradition vs innovation. Not all innovation is good and Lufeng sells that with her horror at eating meat and the various technologies around her. The technology feels roughly steampunk-ish, which helps sell the themes even further as the 1800s is when technology really started picking up speed in new ways and changing how people live while also doing more and more damage to the Earth.

The main word I have for this novella is that it is weird in the best way possible. I love eco-fantasy concepts where nature is personified and the use of characters with bark-like faces and other details that make Lufeng feel like she’s related to trees was very cool and interesting. I’m a Romantasy fan and normally want a romance with my marriage premises, but I liked how romance was pushed away in favor of exploring different themes, particularly ones of family and loyalty. There’s occasionally a tinge of horror that work with Lufeng’s POV during certain scenes and I would have loved a four hundred page book exploring this further.

I would recommend this to fans of science fantasy looking for something with more of an eco-fantasy bend and readers looking for a nature vs technology novella