I'll start by prefacing this review by the fact this was my first read from this series and the fact you can read each as a stand alone or enjoy as a series is great - I love a flexible series!

Warwick's writing style is beautiful and detail orientated, a sign of a good author for me is if I can truly imagine the locations and setting but also love and feel connected to the side characters as much as the main characters and in The South Wind this really rang true.

The story and pacing was a little mixed for me and whilst I was drawn in by the writing style, Sarai and Notus's story was easily guessed from the outset and conversations often repeated with a slight lack of direction. As a result I didn't feel a real excitement to get back to the story after putting it down.

If you love a 'retelling' of sorts and a second chance trope then this will be one for you!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A new addition to this magical series provides us with another swoonworthy heart stopping adventure that will have you captivated from page 1.

The one thing I massively love about each of these books is that so far each one of them has felt so incredibly different even though they’re all part of the same series. Its left each book feeling so fresh and different, and really made them enjoyable to read as standalone novels!
Each book focuses on giving us a new interpretation of a myth, with this one focusing on Minos and weaving elements of Sleeping Beauty into it too. Honestly, this is a mix that I didn’t think would work overly well, but it was executed so beautifully by how talented Alexandria Warwick is at spinning a new tale from something old.

The first thing that sucked me into this one was just how rich and vibrant the world building was. I don’t think I’ve read many books that have left me feeling like I can vividly picture the world it’s set in, but I could picture in such detail every little thing that was happening. The palace was exuberant, the market bustling with life, the tailors shop seemed so rich and vibrant, and I’m pretty sure this could have been the most boring story ever written and I wouldn’t have cared or even noticed because I was simply enraptured with how detailed and delicious the world building was. It was very clear that so much love and attention to detail had been put into making this setting seem so alive and different to all the other books!

Aside from just how amazing the world building was, both Sarai and Notus have my whole heart! Ugh the pining, almost enemies to lovers kind of vibe that they had going on had me hooked right from the beginning (not to mention learning that they actually had a pretty spicy past?!?!?! But that it all ended on such a sour note because of a lack of communication?!?!?! It killed me)

Were things a little repetitive and redundant at times between Sarai and Notus? Yes, but only at the beginning. I think it was this way because there was just so many other things happening at once that the characters just didn’t know how to communicate or move forwards together so they just kept having the same old arguments. Not that I can really blame them though because if I had been spurned by an ex lover who was also an immortal I would also be extremely mad and hurt like Sarai was (especially because he didn’t even say sorry or explain why he just left one day). And as for Notus, I think it was as simple as him not knowing how to get his emotions across because he is old as heck and was stuck in his ways for such a long time.

This was truly such an amazing book, and its given me the urge to read the other two in the series immediately just so I can experience more of the world building and insane romance!!

I have been excited about this series since I first picked up The North Wind last year and devoured it in a few days. I fell in love with Alexandria Warwick’s writing, and the world she had built in the first book of the Four Winds series. Little did I know that each book that followed would feel like en entirely new world.

In the third book, which can be read as a standalone, we are introduced to Sarai, a princess who is cursed by the Lord of the Mountain to only live until her 25th name day. The story ties together the myth of Minos and Sleeping Beauty.

While navigating grief and her own feelings of inadequacy and lack of freedom, Sarai is faced with the return of her ex, Notus. Notus is the god of the South Wind, and is the third brother of the Four Winds we meet in this series.

Ammara feels atmospheric, rich and golden, and completely distinct from the other settings in the series. The side characters also help to make this world feel real. Roshar, in particular, stands out. I think I want to read an entire book about him.

Sarai is wonderfully flawed. She’s stubborn, insecure, and makes incredibly relatable missteps and bad decisions. There’s a complex web of emotions and insecurities that have led her to this point in her life, and her attempts to untangle and make sense of herself in order to move forward are, at times, emotionally intense.

As for Notus… I’m not sure how, because each of the Four Winds is incredibly distinct from the other, but somehow they’re all my favourite. Notus feels like peak ‘man written by a woman’ to me. I love him. He’s hot. I don’t know how else to say it.

Their love feels steamy and rich and helps balance the emotional intensity with something warm and romantic.

Time is taken to lay the foundations at the beginning of the story so that the world is well established when the plot really takes off. Reading the second half of this book flew by and I couldn’t put it down.

Sarai’s grief, her feelings of inadequacy, and her lack of freedom create a moving emotional core. Watching her untangle her own identity was powerful.

This is a lush, emotional, romantic fantasy with both character depth and wonderful worldbuilding. Alexandria Warwick continues to impress me, and I’ll read anything she writes.

I really enjoyed the other 2 books in this series, and had high hopes for this one - unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.
The story was very all over the place and disjointed, the characters felt really bland and flat compared to the other 2 books, there was no real development to them with the same conversations happening over and over again
Overall not impressed with this one, hoping it is the curse of the middle instalment of a series and the next will be amazing

Another great instalment in this series. The first book still remains my favourite, but this was also a good read. I loved Sarai and her sass and strength and her the way her relationship with Notus developed had me hooked

I was very excited to get this and enjoyed it as much as the first and more than the second. I liked Sarai and Notus a lot. Notus did feel less God-like than Zephyrus and Boreas though.

Wow… yet another beautiful story in this series, It was a very lovely read.

The relationship between Sarai and Notus made my heart feel so warm even if I did want to scream at them both sometimes. The dialogue was a little repetitive at times but the evolution of the relationship between Sarai and Notus made up for that, along with the surprises that were added to the plot.

Overall I’d say this was a lovely read and it has definitely made me incredibly excited to get to know The East Wind!!!

I really wanted to enjoy this book more as I enjoyed the other ones in the series.
Unfortunately I found its very disjointed. The whole story could have been completed in one chapter if folk actually spoke to each other ( like they keep saying they have too). The fmc is the most annoying one I've had to read. I know that this series is based from fairytales/myth but at this point it felt like random ones continued to be added that did not advance the plot or character development at all.

The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a masterpiece! I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put it down for a second. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.