I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, but I pretty much instantly hated Sarai and couldn't come back from that. The plot and conflict were interesting, but ultimately were just a setup for book 4. Nothing about the labyrinth or the minotaur was explained, so I assume it will be the main story for the next one.

This is a second chance romance and I can't even call it miscommunication because it is just straight up lies. Sarai lies or omits the truth at basically every opportunity because it is easier than telling the truth. She acts like a spoiled child through most of the book, and much of the conflict is directly related to her not being honest with the king or Notus. I got more annoyed with her the longer I read, especially once she started playing games. She tells Notus to leave her alone, then gets mad when he does. She lashes out whenever anyone gets too close to the truth because she has lost track of all her lies. I just found her so unlikeble that it ruined the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the free ARC.

Amazing story! I think this one will be my favorite of all of them! It’s such a beautiful world this author created and honestly when. I finished I missed it a lot. I cannot wait to buy my physical copy

This was a perfect way to continue the series! I love being back in the world that I adored and it was just so interesting! Thank you to Netgalley for this e-arc.

Alexandria Warwick's The South Wind, the third book in the Four Winds series, offers a captivating blend of fantasy, romance, and mythology. Drawing inspiration from Sleeping Beauty and Greek myths, Warwick crafts a tale centered on Princess Sarai, whose life is marked by a deadly curse and a tangled love triangle. The novel deftly weaves slow-burn romance with palace intrigue and political maneuvering, keeping readers hooked until the very end. Sarai's struggle with duty, love, and the weight of secrets creates a compelling emotional depth. The dynamic between Sarai, Prince Balior, and Notus—the enigmatic South Wind—adds tension and unpredictability to the narrative. Warwick's vivid prose brings the world of Ammara to life, immersing readers in its mythical landscapes and complex relationships.

25 years ago a desperate King took his sickly newborn daughter to the Lord of the Mountain and begged for him to save her life. A deal was made, but not all was as it seemed. The deal had a hidden curse which promised that the girl, Princess Sarai, would perish on her 25th name day throwing her kingdom into chaos and ruin. This curse however, was kept secret from all but Sarai and her father, the King. Now as her 25th name day approaches her father has promised her hand in marriage to Prince Balior, a young nobleman from a neighboring kingdom, in the hopes that the Prince can find a way to break the curse and save his daughter and the kingdom. Sarai has secrets of her own though, and when her ex, the South Wind and immortal god returns, Sarai devises a plan to avoid the marriage to Prince Balior. In spite of her distrust and anger towards her ex, Sarai must somehow team up with the South Wind to save herself and her city from certain destruction. At the heart of all the secrets lies a Labyrinth whose resident was imprisoned as part of the bargain made with the Lord of the Mountain, and Prince Balior's interest seems more deceptive than it appears. As the city suffers from drought and poor crop yield, and as her father wastes away, can Sarai hide the truth of promises made and curses laid, while still solving the mystery before her 25th name day?

The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a Fantasy Romance set in a majestic landscape reminiscent of the Middle East. This is an interconnected stand alone set in the world of The Four Winds. While I did not read the first two books, I was graciously given an ARC by Saga Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

The setting is descriptive and beautiful with flowery prose that makes it easy to picture the world Alexandria is describing. Unfortunately I was not a fan of the main female character. I found her indecisive nature to be a repetitive issue that didn't really lead her to making strong decisions till three quarters of the way through the book. The main male character Notus, also known as the South Wind, was much better rounded and I loved how incredibly supportive he was of Sarai throughout the book. I also struggled with certain plot points as the story felt like it dragged at times, and at other points a sense of urgency was felt to be missing. In spite of the problems that I felt plagued the story, the love of music and reverence shown to the art that is playing the violin was palpable. It is obvious to any reader that the author is a musician first and foremost. The story itself has a musicality to it that surprisingly made me cry, as I have struggled with my own relationship with music. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tropes such as second chance romance, slow burn, fake engagement, and political intrigue.
My overall rating scale is as follows (rounded to the nearest quarter/whole number):
Setting 4/5 stars
Plot 2.5/5 stars
Characters 2.5/5 stars
Emotional Impact 3/5 stars
Overall Enjoyment 2.75/5 stars
Overall Rating 3/5 Stars

3.5 stars - I absolutely love The Four Winds series! This one had such a different setting, and vibe than the ither two. I really enjoyed the second chance romance in this book. It definitely felt steamier than the other two to me. I loved the side characters, and the atmospheric setting. The sailers and the action related to the sand storms were really interesting to read. I understand where the plot went related to music and battling demons, but it felt so different from the other books and I found that a little distracting. Maybe it was a mixture of pulling from so many stories, and the fact that it was left open ended. Overall I liked it, but it wasn’t my favorite in the series.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy!

Thank you so much to Saga Press and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I truly enjoyed the North Wind immensely, and that made me so excited for the rest of the series, but the next two books haven't quite hit the same for me. This one specifically, I started skimming from around 60%, although I did enjoy the last 10% a lot, enough to bump up to a 3 stars. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm pretty sure my issues are solely my own and this book will resonate with someone else reading it, it just wasn't for me.

Sarai frustrated me as a character, despite the fact that I wanted to love her. There's nothing that quite hits the way the "princess on a pedestal kicking ass and taking names to save her kingdom" trope does for me. Sarai....didn't really do that, and her decisions early on frustrated the crap out of me because if she would just SAY WORDS to people everything could have been avoided. Notus was definitely the less frustrating of the two, and I did like him significantly more than The East Wind in book two.

To be fair, I'm not huge on second chance romances to begin with, and add in the blatant miscommunication from pretty early on, I just was struggling to stay engaged. I'll read the last book for the sake of finishing the series, but for me we definitely peaked with Wren and Boreas.

This one has been my least favorite in the series, BUT only because it was a second chance trope. The south wind was my favorite wind so far. There was a lot more soul searching and deep feelings too. The lore slowly introduces a solash if greek nythology inti the gods mix. There is a big emphasis on music and the fmc finding herself. I also enjoyed the desert setting. The whole story centers around the fmc learning to break away from what's expected and finding a way to embrace herself. I enjoyed the cameo from an earlier book.

I was excited to see The South Wind available on NetGalley, especially since I had recently picked up The North Wind (though I haven’t read it yet). At first, I was worried I’d need to catch up, but I was relieved to learn that each book is a standalone with only small references to the others.

I love a good Greek mythology retelling, and this one—drawing inspiration from Daphne and Apollo with a touch of Sleeping Beauty—was a unique take, set against a beautifully crafted Middle Eastern backdrop. The story started a bit slow for me, but once the pace picked up, I was completely locked in.

Sarai was a compelling protagonist, and I really resonated with her struggle to balance duty and personal desires—especially her love for music versus the weight of her parents' expectations. The tension between her and Notus was engaging, and I appreciated the second-chance romance element. This book was spicier than I expected, but I enjoyed that aspect of it.

That said, the labyrinth sequence toward the end left me with a lot of questions. I may need to reread that part to fully grasp what happened—especially regarding the Minotaur and Prince Balior. However, I did appreciate the closure that some of the characters received by the end (without spoiling anything).

Overall, this was a solid four-star read for me! Now, I’m even more excited to dive into The North Wind to learn more about Boreas, Wren, and the specters. Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Press, for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest feedback!

Thank you so much for my arc of this story ! I have to start off by saying how easy of a read this was, I feel like I flew through it. This was a story I really enjoyed, I think the love story was executed well. I didn’t expect this story to be as deep as it was but I think it tells a lot about having love for yourself.

I really have been enjoying this series, I love how fun and whimsical it is, and that it's inspired by so many different stories and myths.

This sequel follows Sarai (a princess who has been cursed to die soon) and Notus (the South Wind, a god and an ex of Sarai). The two end up faking an engagement to try and get around Sarai's curse, but they also are trying to figure out what's going on with the prince of a neighboring kingdom who used to be engaged to Sarai. The drama!

This book is definitely more dramatic due to the personal situations and relationships going on, whereas the other books in this series has more going on with the actual world. Did that make sense? I'm just going to hope so.

If you're looking for a new fantasy series, I would definitely recommend this one. I am very much looking forward to the next one in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I am someone who immediately devoured The North Wind and would've rated that one 6 stars if I could, I knew I loved Warwick's style of writing. I didn't think this book was as good as The North Wind but it was far superior than The West Wind. I enjoyed the character development but felt the plot was super slow in the beginning and I was annoyed about the miscommunication that could've easily been rectified in the beginning. I think Warwick dealt with grief well and did it justice. Overall, I enjoyed the book but needed it to be a little more fast paced - the meat of the book didn't really start until about 50% of the way through.

This book has:
- second chance romance
- a bit of spice (in a Labyrinth!)
- fake engagement
- miscommunication
- forced proximity

Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

South Wind 🪻💜✨ by @alexandriawarwick

•Thank you to @netgalley & @sagapressbooks
for approving me to read this e-arc!

Releasing May 27th 2025

This is the third book of the standalone Four Winds series.

This one was an absolute adventure with super relatable characters. I love the fact that the FMC played the violin as that’s something I used to do when I was younger and is dealing with grief which has its own unique course. The utilization of music as a coping strategy is brilliant and powerful. This book has the MMC who will protect the FMC until the end. There is also a hint of mystery because of the darkwalkers, the arranged betrothal, and filling in the gaps of the romance that once was.

💜Fake Engagement
💜Second Chance Romance
💜Mild Spicy Scenes
💜Tension
💜Sleeping Beauty vibes
💜Gods
💜Enemies to Lovers
💜Forced Proximity

It does take a while to really get to the good stuff and felt too long but once it gets going it’s really good. The writing of this book is so beautiful.

Rating: 4 💫 1.5🌶️

(Will post on IG soon)

Thank you so much to Netgalley, as well as Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All my thoughts and feeling are my own! I don’t think any book I have read recently has touched me so deeply and so profoundly as this one has. The amount of tears I have shed & the amount of emotional damage that was done to me over the course of this book has left me in utter shambles. That being said, I can not recommend this book more. This is probably my favorite one throughout the entire series, if not my favorite read of 2025 (so far).

While this book is a little slow to start, it quickly picks up it’s pace when the stakes start to raise. Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than 3 months to live. The clock is ticking down to her 25th name day and the curse is soon to take her. She is under an immense amount of pressure from her ailing father to help him secure the for their kingdom, as well as potentially save herself by marrying Prince Bailor from one of their neighboring kingdoms. Sarai was on board to do this, if only to save her kingdom from the darkwalkers, as well as the beast lurking inside the labyrinth but who should re-appear? Notus, the South Wind, the god of the desert breeze and the one responsible for shattering her heart years ago. When Sarai realizes that Prince Bailor’s intentions might be a farce, she swallows her feelings for Notus and announces their engagement to her father in an attempt to stop Prince Bailor. With darker forces at work and the clock ticking on Sarai’s demise, Notus and Sarai must work together to solve the puzzle and solve the mystery of the labyrinth.

The imagery of this book was utterly breath taking! The attention to detail sucked me right in, transporting me right into the kingdom of Ammara. The vibes that this story gave, it almost felt like I was in Arabian Nights. The plot was a whirlwind (heh, get it?)! The mystery of the labyrinth, the curse placed upon Sarai, the past relationship between Notus & Sarai? I NEEDED TO KNOW! I NEEDED THE ANSWERS! Not to mention the character growth, especially Sarai’s. Sarai’s grief was so profound that she built up so many walls, turned away things that she was passionate about & became a totally different person in an attempt to deal with the emotional turmoil she was put through. For me, it was hard to ignore the similarities between her and I. The way she learns to trust again, not just Notus but herself and her voice, after everything she’s been through had me choking back the tears. The themes of grief, abandonment and the crushing weight of feeling like you’re never enough hit home for me in a way I have not experienced in a book in so long, it left me speechless and craving more. Let’s not forget Notus & how he finally, FINALLY, let’s his feelings for her be known. After years of second guessing and thinking she wasn’t enough, their story was nothing short of beautiful.

I can not recommend this series, let alone this book enough. Each time I step into one of these worlds, I know I’m in for an adventure!

Tropes:
Sleeping Beauty/Daphne & Apollo retelling
Second chance romance
Arranged marriage
Fake engagement
Forced proximity
“Touch her and D—”

As someone who enjoyed The North Wind but felt a bit let down by The West Wind, I'd been really anticipating this book and was so excited to get a copy of this ARC. While I didn't love it as much as the first book, it was still a great read!

The story follows Sarai and Notus (the South Wind) - former lovers who are thrust back together when Sarai's father, the king of Ammara, asks him to come to the palace in order to help protect Ammara against the Darkwalkers. Notus broke Sarai's heart years ago and so she's naturally very resentful and frigid towards him even though he is so kind and clearly YEARNS for her.

Due to the threat of the Darkwalkers, Sarai accepts a betrothal to Prince Balior from the neighboring kingdom in order to gain their protection and support for Ammara. She really tries to see the best in him / the engagement, but spies a secret and suspicious gathering of his troops that sets off immediate alarm bells. The solution? Make up a split-second lie that she's accepted a betrothal from Notus. From there, the tension and heat revs up - the two of them are constantly dancing around each other and toeing the delicate "it's a fake engagement" line that Sarai establishes to protect her own feelings.

I liked Notus, but especially loved Sarai. She's a stubborn but passionate character; guards her emotions, keeping her metaphorical cards close to her chest to stop herself from being hurt by Notus again. Notus had always been steadfast in his devotion to Sarai: his character bordered on bland at times, but their romance was addictive. I knew there would be a deeper reason why Notus had left her, but seriously, why didn't he tell her sooner?

In that same vein, she kept the secret of her curse from from Notus for a long time. I just couldn't grasp why - she was cursed to die on my twenty-fifth birthday and the day was rapidly approaching, but kept the secret for reasons I couldn't quite understand. That said, the way that it eventually unfolded was very well done.

The plot in this book was excellent and I always love a second chance romance. I wasn't very familiar with the story of Daphne and Apollo, which The South Wind was based on, but I am definitely going to check it out now. This was an amazing read--now I wait for The East Wind, and his story is one I've been highly anticipating!

Thank you so much to Saga and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to Saga Press & NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC! I was stoked to read this book since I read West Wind and North Wind a couple of months ago.

Princess Sarai Al-Khatib went through many trails in life while dealing with a curse. The South Wind fights not only for the realm, Ammara, but for her as well. The theme of grief is constant throughout the book. The book was written beautifully as it shows the reader what is happening instead of telling. There is a HEA. The author never ceases to get me emotional while reading. The Author really takes her personal experience with the violin and grief and really lays it out on paper. It was really beautiful and well written as is all the author's books.

After reading all three books I wonder if the last brother will follow in his brother's footsteps or if he will remain in the shadows and immortal.

Loved it! I can't wait for my physical copy in May 2025.

I adore The Four Winds series and The South Wind did not disappoint!

This story was extremely emotional and personal to the author, and you could definitely feel it in the beautiful writing.

I really liked that the FMC and MMC knew each other prior. It was a nice change of pace instead of having them meet for the first time and build their relationship from there. There is a lot of pain and love in their history, and it was nice to see them reconnect and rebuild everything from the ground up.

The scenery, politics and family drama were all extremely well done. The side characters were great, too, along with a few fun cameos from characters in the other books.

We also finally get scenes with the East Wind, and I am realllllyyy intrigued by him and look forward to his story.

I really enjoyed this book! It has been awhile since I have read The North Wind so I was very excited to receive an arc and jump back in to this world! This was an emotional book full of grief surrounding the main character. Sarai has hard a rough life with some major losses. She's lost family, her loved one, and losing her dream of being a violinist. All in the name of being a princess with extremely high expectations that at times seem impossible.

I loved the history and backstory between Sarai and The South Wind. It's really interesting to have the main characters and love interests already meet and have a past before we get to the main story. I'm not typically a fan of second chance romance but in this case I really liked how the author incorporated this. This romance was a slow burn that felt natural for the characters to come back together. It never felt rushed in my opinion.

This book really made me excited for the next book. I really enjoy this series since each book is a standalone and has mystery, romance, action, mythology, and more!

This was a perfect way to continue the series! I love being back in the world that I adored and it was just so interesting

Thank you to Saga Press & NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book (despite the ~78 GoodReads updates I made while reading this that showed how frustrated I was with Sarai). I really liked the writing, and the story kept me SAT from beginning to end.

I had a real love-hate relationship with Sarai (MOSTLY hate) - she was physically averse to communicating anything on her mind, and was annoyed at pretty much everyone/everything for about 70% of the book. The few times she acted normal somehow made up for this so I'll allow it.

I looooved Notus - but also thought he was pretty oddly naive for someone that's, you know, a centuries old immortal god of the wind.

The last 10% of the book was, for lack of a better word, a bit GOOFY - but again I will allow it because darn it I really do like this couple.

It was a really fun book & I think I'll be going back to read the other 2 in the series!