♡ Thank you to @sagapressbooks for the galley.

If you liked The North Wind, pick this one up: the love story of the third immortal brother, Notus, and Princess Sarai of Ammara.

This is a fast read with some light political maneuvering, an arranged marriage to join empires, a dysfunctional family, and a second chance romance.

I loved the desert setting which felt influenced by Arabian Nights! Blustery sand dunes, dry heat oasis under setting suns, and spice markets. This gave the book unique flavor distinct from the Norse winter setting of the North Wind, or the abbey of the West Wind.

I wasn’t a big fan of the labyrinth, which included an oddly timed steamy scene, but I did appreciate the use of music for healing. If you don’t like a plot reliant on keeping secrets from each other, you may get frustrated.

However, sometimes one needs a straightforward and predictable plot, a villain we love to hate, and a HEA. These you will find here. It was also really fun to have Wren and Boreas make a cameo!

Thank you so much @sagapress for the chance to read the third book in this series. The South Wind is Notus, a god who was banished by the Council of Gods (think Olympus), along with his brothers, North, South and East Wind.

The story is told through the character of Sarai, a princess who was cursed as a baby. She is doomed to die on her 25th birthday, which is rapidly approaching. In order to save his sick child, the king makes a deal with a god. In return for saving her, the god asks him to build a labyrinth to hold a monster. And the political and mythical intrigue begins.

While the story holds its roots in Theseus and the Minotaur, it also references Apollo and Daphne. I enjoyed the plot, the court machinations, the evil suitor, and the fated love. There is also a fake engagement to Notus, who I adored.

There is a lot of miscommunication, secrets held tight, and a second chance at love. We catch a glimpse of The East Wind, as well as an Easter egg encounter with The North Wind and Wren! I am looking forward to the next book, The East Wind.

I almost had to throw this book across the room (in a “good” way) but man was I invested in this story. Sarai was a strong but hurting character and I loved how her curse played out throughout the story. There was so much grief throughout this story which did add a sad element to it but it made sense within the story. I hate the Prince from the second he was introduced and his character was definitely interesting. The relationship between Sarai and Notus was also fun to watch play out as it was a second chance and at least Sarai both loved and hated him at the same time during some parts.
I am definitely super interested in seeing what happens in the next story to wrap up this series.

** I received this book as an Arc from NetGalley for review**

Thank you so much Simon & Schuster, Alexandria Warwick and Net Galley for allowing me the opportunity to read The South Wind as an ARC! This story did not disappoint! And after reading the West Wind last year, I was so excited to receive this ARC!

Sarai Al-Khatib is the princess of Ammara and is cursed. On her 25th name day she will meet a deadly fate and her kingdom will fall into chaos. In an effort to save her kingdom, her father arranges a marriage with a rival kingdom’s prince who may have the information to save Ammara. Little does Sarai know that her ex, the South Wind, Notus, has returned and may ruin all of this.

The South Wind’s plot was very captivating and the drama between Notus, Sarai and Prince Balior was so juicy. If you love a second chance romance, fake engagement, touch her and 💀, and lots and lots of yearning this is the story for you! (Like seriously! So much yearning!!! Poor Notus!) Notus has to be my favorite wind now (sorry Boreas!) He had my giggling and kicking my feet with his competiveness with Prince Bailor. And there was a good amount of of action, I felt like Notus’s power was really displayed in this book and made me so giddy for more of it.

I also loved the way Alexandria Warwick described grief and the use of Sarai’s musical talent to show it. The healing she had to undergo was so beautifully written in the story.

My physical copy is preodered for the South Wind and I cannot wait to have it in my hands in a few weeks! I am curious for what will happen next and I am excited (and sad because it’s the final wind) for the East Wind.

I am giving this book 4.25 stars the story was amazing!

I think out of the three MMCs of these series, Notus may be my favorite. He was easily the most gentle and caring of the brothers, even though The East Wind had a great redemption arc, I liked The South Wind from the beginning. The angst and pining between Sarai and Notus was well done and their chemistry was very present on the page. I found the actual plot a little slow for my liking, but the relationship and character development definitely made up for it. Overall, I think the author is improving with each book and she does such a great job setting up for the next one each time - she leaves just enough bread crumbs to keep me committed to this series. The South Wind is a unique romantic fantasy that I think a good portion of readers will enjoy.

Thank you to Saga Press, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

2 ⭐️ DNF at 75% - I’m very disappointed about this DNF! I went into reading with such high hopes as I’ve enjoyed Alexandria’s other books in the series and the synopsis sounded like something I would really enjoy (I was 100% in on a Sleeping Beauty twist/retelling). Unfortunately the story and characters fell flat for me. I had difficulty relating and connecting with the FMC early on, which is such an important element to me in my reading. Her actions were very juvenile and petty, which was something that didn’t sit well with me. The beginning half started off strong, but the story began to lack cohesion and details around 30%. Sadly the story wasn’t engaging enough to keep me reading the last quarter of the book. We as the readers learn very little about the ‘curse’ and dark creatures plaguing the realm, which could have been resolved with a bit more attention to world building.

I also didn’t feel invested in the relationship between Notus and Sarai, mostly due to the superficiality of their connection. Their miscommunication/lack of communication was an additional struggle for me to get over, when much could have been resolved with a simple, adult conversation.

While ‘The South Wind’ just wasn’t for me, I appreciate the opportunity for an advanced reader copy. I extend my gratitude to Saga Press, NetGalley, and the author.

I adored the first book within the Four Winds Series. Book two, The West Wind, fell a little flat for me, but I had high hopes for The South Wind...and I was unfortunately disappointed. The prose, however, is amazing. Alexandria Warwick truly knows how to write beautiful words. I just feel that within this story, there were too many elements that were not working cohesively together. If you would take one of the main conflicts out, it would work better, but having three or four plot problems that the characters are facing is too much. I also struggled to like the love interest and the FMC...so much of their relationship was miscommunication and relying only on sexual attraction. It made it hard to root for them.

Drama, romance, mystery, suspense and fantasy combined into one gripping story. An emotional continuation to this series. As enthralling and enjoyable as the two that came prior in the series. While the stories are connected each has a unique world that is well built and interesting, and distinct characters that are interesting and empathetic. Looking forward to the next installment after this one!

4.0⭐️
3.0 🌶️

Greek mythology x Sleeping Beauty

The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a lush fantasy filled with nods to Greek Mythology and Sleeping Beauty. Sarai is thrust into an arranged engagement to Prince Bailor to try to help save her homeland of Ammara. Enter in The South Wind, Notus (swoon). The past relationship with Sarai and his handsomely good looks would make anyone question their next steps. Music plays a large role in this book as Sarai, beyond the struggle of her past relationship, struggles to find the courage to embrace the music of the violin and of her heart once again.
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It was a fun read with some moments of “Hold on! What!?” The tension between Sarai and Notus was immaculate. I loved every moment of it. I wish that it didn’t feel so repetitive in some places, but overall The South Wind was filled with the things I crave: strong FMC and MMC, a protective MMC, and a dangerous situation where they have to figure things out.
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Thank you to NetGalley and @sagapress for this eARC. The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick comes out May 27, 2025!

I loved the South Wind just as much as I loved the North Wind. I really have enjoyed Alexandria Warwick and can't want for the next book in the series. I love how it functions as a standalone as well as part of a series. I haven't read the second book in the series yet, but I didn't feel like I missed much or was confused. The character development was on point and the story was enchanting after a slow start. It reeled me in and I didn't want to leave.
Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the e-arc. All opinions are my own and freely given.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, while this book purports to be inspired by Sleeping Beauty, it's more like an Aladdin x Persuasion x The Four Horsemen (Laura Thalassa) crossover, with one plot point from Sleeping Beauty. Not that that's a bad thing! Just, it's way more varied than saying it's solely a Sleeping Beauty re-telling.

Secondly, I loved the heroine's journey and her intelligence as she grappled with her emotions and logic throughout the book. Also really loved her way back to music.

Thirdly, I thought the UST (then RST) was done very well and I very much enjoyed and thought highly of the chemistry between the leads. Their one sex scene was very hot and very well done! (Minus the use of "turgid" because...why....)

Fourthly and why I rated this book 4 instead of 5 stars: for a 2nd chance romance whose first try was broken because of miscommunication, it was highly disappointing to see them tread the SAME miscommunication trope for most of the book. I don't think they crossed this hurdle until 60-75% into the book, which was VERY frustrating for me as the reader. I'm not adverse to 2nd chance romance, but please, please have the obstacles to their 2nd time romance not be the SAME ones they faced the first time around...

Overall, recommend this book! Will be going back to read the other books in this series now. :)

A beautiful homage to music and love. Sarai is a princess cursed since birth. The South Wind is the god who left once only to return out of the blue.
Sarai has an impending arranged engagement to a foreign Prince whose motives seem dubious at best. And at the heart of their realm lies a labyrinth with a beast in its heart.
Notus is a god who could woo the iciest of hearts. Sarai is a heroine whose inner strength fuels her on her journey to save her people.
The South Wind is a unique and well-crafted fantasy, filled with romance and enough intrigue to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the release of the final installment of the series.

I have to say, this "series" is brilliant. I like that it's a series but can also be read as a stand alone. That seems like a very complicated task as an author. I can't wait for East Wind to wrap us up.

I thought this was a good read and enjoyed it more than the second book in the series. This book is a standalone that follows the fmc Sarai and the mmc the south wind. It starts off with the fmc being born and that’s important since it’s a Daphne/Apollo and sleeping beauty reimagining. Fast forward to present day and we see that the fmc had grown into her own and has to get into an arranged marriage. The relationship is technically a second chance since they have history and the fmc has had her heart broken by the mmc. I liked the plot, the political intrigue and seeing the importance of music and the violin. The arranged marriage part, the partnership, the secrets were triguing and I liked how the author wrote it. I thought the fmc character was so strong and opinionated especially when dealing with her father the king and I liked how passionate the mmc was but I wanted more of him. Overall both the romance and plot was interesting and cute especially the epilogue. Thanks to Saga Press for this earc!

Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than three months to live before death claims her. Cursed as a child to die on her twenty-fifth nameday, she will do whatever it takes to secure her realm’s future, including an arranged marriage to Prince Balior, a handsome young noble from a neighboring kingdom. But another man vies for her attention as well: Notus, the South Wind, god of the desert breeze, and Sarai’s ex-lover.
Sarai is determined to stay away from the god who betrayed her and honor her father’s plan. But Prince Balior has an agenda of his own, and as Sarai learns more about her betrothed, she realizes he might be a dangerous threat to her people. So despite her hatred for Notus, she fakes their engagement to escape the arranged marriage and unearth Prince Balior’s true motives surrounding his obsession with the menacing labyrinth that sits in the palace’s grounds.
But darker forces are at work, and time is running out. Together with Notus, Sarai must face the horrors dwelling inside the labyrinth to save herself and her realm—but in order to succeed, she must confront her pain and the monsters she carries within herself…

My Thoughts:
I loved the idea of this story, a mix of myth and fairytale, featuring a fake betrothal and a slow burn second-chance romance with a bit of intrigue to keep the pages turning. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me for several reasons, the primary reason being that the book is written in the first person (this is obviously a personal opinion, I dislike reading books written in FPN, so if you like that style please disregard my bias) the second reason was the lack of chemistry between Notus and Sarai and finally, Sarai herself annoyed me, she was whiney for most of the book and while she does redeem herself, it was too little too late for me. Overall, I think my dislike of the FPN tainted this book for me and while I liked the idea of the story, I didn’t like the execution and felt like it was more of a YA story than adult romantasy, however, I did like Notus and enjoyed the mythic elements of the story and I thought the intrigue was very well done. This is the third book in the series, but I believe they can each be read as standalone titles without diminishing the reader experience.

2.5 stars, rounded up

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

The South Wind is the third book in the Four Winds series. I loved the first book and thought the second book was just kind of boring but I was excited to read the third book hoping that it would ignite my love for this series. Unfortunately, I ended up Dnfing this book right after the halfway point. I could not connect to the FMC at all and it made it hard to want to read the book.

I do love the way this author writes. Her prose is beautiful so I will definitely read more from her in the future. Just probably not from this series again.

Thank you Saga Press & Netgalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this one and I think that it is the perfect third installation of the Four Winds series! I have been recommending this series to everyone!!

I loved Sarai's character. An overall complex, passionate and beautiful fmc!!!

The romance between her & Notus was my favorite. I love the second chance trope and I thought their way of finding each other again was so sweet & so emotional. I loved the twist on Sleeping Beauty!!! I also really appreciated the little cameos we had of characters in the past books!!!

Definitely recommend and can't wait for the next book!

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.

I’m going to be brutally honest here but I think this is my last venture with The Four Winds series. Don’t get me wrong I loved “The North Wind”, the first book in this series. But sadly I’ve been chasing that high ever since. Book 2 “The West Wind” was ok, but not great. “The South Wind” has finally done it and my patience is out. And I don’t think I can drag myself through the fourth book only to be disappointed again. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves this review is for “The South Wind” so let me get to it.

My number one biggest complaint of this entire book is our MFC Sarai. She spent I kid you not 70% of this book just complaining. And when she isn’t complaining she’s lying at every available turn. She honestly reminds of child throwing a temper tantrum the entire book. I knew there was absolutely zero hope of me ever liking her.

The only thing that kept me from DNFing the book was Notus. That man understands he made mistakes in the past and will bend over backwards to make it right. His loyalty and love for Sarai was beautiful to watch. Even though in my opinion he deserves so much better.

The story and plot as a whole for “The South Wind” was extremely lacking. And there wasn’t enough action to keep the reader engaged. Leaving the book to feel pretty boring.

Overall, like I mentioned earlier this is the end of the road for me with this series. And sadly I have to report I can’t recommend this book. I would recommend you checking out the first book in the series. Lastly big Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

As a huge fan of fairytale inspired stories and second chance romances, I absolutely fell in love with The South Wind.

Sarai is an enjoyable heroine. She's not a fighter but she's still strong which is refreshing to see in a fantasy novel. I also thought her struggles were significant and she was great at navigating them. I found Sarai's character to be compelling and refreshing.

Notus and Sarai were second chance romance perfection! Their love story felt epic and was filled with so much yearning. It's passionate and emotional. Everything I could have asked for in this type of romance. Plus their chemistry is out of this world. I rooted for this couple so hard.

The world is immersive and easy to understand.

I have not read the other books in the series yet but was able to read this as a standalone.

An epic love story! Highly recommend.