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!

Two years ago I read an interesting little novelette by Ai Jiang and was intrigued. Now I’ve got a review copy of A Palace Near the Wind courtesy NetGalley, and I remain intrigued. Jiang once again harnesses her incredible talent for descriptive prose and layers atop that an impressive, tender style of characterization. I wanted to like this more than I did—and will explain why I didn’t—but I did like it quite a bit.

Liu Lufeng is the eldest princess of the Feng, a people made from bark and who live more or less harmoniously with the natural world. The Land Walkers (ordinary humans, near as I can tell) encroach upon the forests of Feng with their Travellers and engines and other machinery. Only the marriages of Lufeng’s sisters and mother to the King has delayed further encroachment. Now it’s Lufeng’s turn—except she is about to discover there are far more secrets to this agreement than she could ever realize.

The first thing you’ll notice is how immediately Jiang creates a strikingly different world from ours. Lufeng is, of course, somewhat alien to us in how she lives, from her custom to her very being—the Feng walk on the wind. Yet even the human characters in this story feel utterly alien as well, with names like Copper and Tin. There is precious little familiar to grasp on to—in a good way. I loved how Jiang slowly reveals this world to us piece by piece as sheltered Lufeng explores and questions everything.

The reader must do the same thing. On its surface, A Palace Near the Wind is obviously a book about colonialism, extraction-based capitalism, industralization, etc. If you stop there, however, you will miss some deeper motifs. Family, and the tensions caused by family members embracing different ideologies, is another somewhat obvious one. Deep down, however, I think this novella is trying to say something about the knife’s edge between guile and cynicism.

Lufeng at the beginning of this story is guileless and, if not innocent, quite gullible. She learns quickly. She starts to develop guile and the ability to dissemble, and she soon plots escapes and betrayals. Yet the people around her constantly tempt her with the opportunity to nope out, to take the easy way out, to join them or at the very list stop opposing them, and in return, her life will be set.

This is a book about why we choose the struggle when evil uses every tool at its disposal to tell us that struggle is pointless or profitless.

For some reason—I honestly cannot explain why—this book reminds me of The Wizard of Oz. There is something of the Wizard in the King. There is something of Oz and its wider landscape in this world. I make this comparison favourably, mind.

My major criticism is simply that I wish this were a full-throated novel rather than the first novella in a … trilogy? Duology? Some kind of series. The story builds and builds and ends on a semi-cliffhanger that is … fine. But I think it takes some of the wind out of the story’s sails, if you will. I liked this story but not enough to be hungry for the sequel, whereas if it were a novel, I feel like I’d be more satisfied when I reached the conclusion. Or maybe not!

Points for originality and beautiful writing, along with an interesting exploration of themes.

It took me a while to get into this book. It's an interesting take on commerce versus natural world and how commercialism can creep into nature and climate. Deeply allegorical in that regard. I can't say I connected to the story on many levels but the writing is lyrical and the premise is very unique.

BOOK: A PALACE NEAR THE WIND
AUTHOR: AI JIANG
PUB DATE: APRIL 2025
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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THINGS I LIKED
1. The world-building (kinda)
2. The FMC was kinda okay
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THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
1. I lament the world-building that could have been. It had so much potential, but it fell short. It was very confusing too. I would have liked an index explaining some things or even pictures because I just couldn't imagine what Liufeng herself looked like
2. I was unable to connect with any of the characters, I just felt they were not given any room to shine
3. The book was really fast and I didn't understand what was going on there was more telling instead of showing.
4. I didn't really get how the life in the Palace was.
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This was not my favourite book. It had a lot of things I didn't like, but the premise is interesting.

DNF'd at 70%

This novella was like watching a bad bootleg version of FernGully - in other words it was pretty shit.
I usually love media that has an environmentalist message, but this was so in your face and lacking so completely in nuance that it quickly just became annoying.

The world building, while ambitious and interesting, was so crammed into this short novel that it swiftly becomes messy, confusing, and difficult to piece together. There needed to be more time to build the world up and better explanations of how it all worked. The characters were flat, none of them were very consistent and the mc was so ignorant to the world she was living in it was painful to read. The plot and pacing suffer even worse fates. 70% in and I don't even think I could really tell you what the plot was. The novel feels like a first draft.

Possibly with some more time put into it, and a good few reworks, this novella could have been a great piece of environmentalist speculative science-fiction, but where it currently stands it just isn't holding up.

I would honestly give this one a miss.

There was much to like but some to dislike in this one for me. It is imaginative to be sure. I wanted to know more about the Feng, the part plant?/tree?, humanoid race to which the main character belongs . They are certainly an exotic and unique race, as are the others in the story, but it felt like something was missing.

Worldbuilding can be quite difficult, especially creating something totally new. The author has succeeded in crafting a compelling new world and interesting races, however, some of A Palace Near the Wind could have benefited from less exposition. For instance, I found myself rushing past the description of the embroidery. The characters themselves were not developed as much as I would have liked. Granted, this is a novella, but most of the characters felt too one dimensional.

I did finally settle in and began to enjoy the story but then it was over. The ending was abrupt without any closure. It’s hard to say without reading the concluding novella, but I think it would have been better to publish this a a novel.

All that said, it is a quick read, so give it a try.

Well crafted characters and perfectly paced plot. My only criticism is the relationship between characters isn't as well built up as I would have liked.