Reviews with content warning for Addiction - The North Wind

Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick

23 reviews

dezzella's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book had my attention the whole way. I was in the mood for a good enemies to lovers and this fantasy romance hit the spot. There were some elements of this that felt familiar but I still really enjoyed the progression. You also have some of my favourite tropes like one bed trope (a couple times) and forced proximity.

I really liked how addiction/Alcoholism was handled and also how the main character learned to care for herself too, and not just others.

Overall I had a really fun time reading this, hence the high rating, and am curious what book 2 will entail. I haven't looked at the summary for the second, but based on how this one ended I would be the second book is about a different couple. I'd recommend if you're in the mood for a slow burn enemies to lovers romantasy with some pretty cool realms and a bit of magic.

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hnels0nlu's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

honestly, this was everything ACOTAR wished it could be. aside from some glaring plot holes and an ending that felt pretty rushed for something we spent 430 pages working toward--both of which can probably be attributed to the fact this was the author's debut novel(!!)--i had a lot of fun reading this. i LOVED wren (not to keep drawing ACOTAR comparisons, but because I keep having to hear about it on BookTok, i just want to say--feyre wishes she could be as genuinely brave and funny and selfless as wren. and I love the choice to have her deal with issues like alcoholism and low self-esteem, because the fact that she had actual, real-world problems and insecurities made her just THAT much more real and lovable), her banter with boreas (I loved the first "there's only one bed" scene; the "I have back pain" line had me giggling and kicking my feet), the abundance of fanfic tropes (hurt/comfort girles wya??), and the smatterings of Greek mythology throughout the novel, which I felt were really creatively incorporated (though sometimes a little inconsistent). it's really a testament to warwick's ability that she was able to take the whole "beauty and the beast/hades and persephone" storyline, which has been done so many times, and create her own, unique characters and a brand-new world that were compelling enough to stick with for so long. so, overall, 4/5, great stuff:) not sure i am super interested in reading zephyrus's book, but I am definitely looking forward to her future works

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30something_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Was this groundbreaking? No. But it was more enjoyable than I anticipated.

If you don't squint too hard at the lore and world building, this is a nice Hades/Persephone inspired Romance with some elements of Beauty & the Beast as well. It was just a little bit dark and had a very satisfying slow burn romance. So if you're looking for a standalone Romantasy with all of those vibes, I'd definitely recommend.

The epilogue was super sweet and it's too bad we didn't get to hear more from the male narrator. (He was great. I'll probably look into some of his other works.)

I'm interested to see what the author does with the next book in this series The West Wind

TW: alcoholism, substance abuse and recovery

*Many thanks to libro.fm for the audiobook*

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marynograce827's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really tried to love this book especially because I love books that involve different takes and characters that represent Greek mythology, but in the end the flaws were just to many. There was a lot of noticeable plot inconsistencies, random jumps into spicy scenes where it just doesn’t fit in, and there was no character development where the author was clearly trying to show there had been. In the beginning it was really good and everything was developing nice and then about a quarter to the end I think the author tried to push their relationship narrative and spicy life more than character development which don’t get me wrong I have no problem with spicy content I’ve read and loved ACOTAR and similar books but this one just didn’t implement it into the book as well as it could have. I honestly have to say that I thought the plot was amazing and had so much potential in the beginning and just needed a little extra push to connect everything and get there! I’ve read a few other reviews and have seen that this is one of this authors first published books and for that I say many congratulations and I have respect because I could never write and publish. I think I will try again at a later time to revisit this author and see how they have developed because there truly is so much potential in this book it just needs some refining and a little more connection at points.

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isadora_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Hooked me from the beginning and I finished it in 1 day. This is a Beauty and the Beast themed spicy romance, with many call backs to the Disney version we are all familiar with. The comparison to Hades and Persephone is limited to the land being trapped in winter and the male lead being a god, who has been banished and judges the dead.

There is also some cross over with ACOTAR #1, if you like strong heroines with are the main family providers that find themselves forcefully taken to the more magical side of their world.

Stand out tropes: one horse, one bed, enemies to lovers, godXhuman relationships, grumpy/grumpy, caregiving, strong heroine, she keeps trying to kill him but he's super patient.

I love the Beauty and the Beast formula, and this book does it very well. But in this story both the MMC and FMC have their own darkness and issues to work out. The burn is slow as both characters find themselves falling in love, despite her goal to kill him in order to give the land reprieve from winter.

I totally look forward to reading the rest of the series and recommend this to anyone who likes spicy fantasy romance.

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madelinereadsbooks's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Wren’s town has been stuck in the dead of winter for the past 300 years; life is difficult and cold. Orphaned a few years ago, Wren bears the responsibility of keeping herself and her twin sister alive. She hunts for food and sells her body, all to save her sister from the same fate. Every thirty years or so, seven suitable women are chosen from the town to offer theirselves to the greatly feared North King. Each time he selects a wife, he takes them away and they are never seen again. This year, Wren’s sister Elora has been selected as one of the seven women to present herself to the North Wind, and Wren will do anything to save her.

The beginning of the book had strong A Court of Thorns and Roses and Hunger Games vibes, and that made so excited to be reading this book. However, I felt let down by the fantasy elements of this book. I felt that there was a lot of focus on the romance, but not a lot of world-building, leaving the fantasy element feeling unfinished. I would recommend this book to Beauty and the Beast lovers (and Hades and Persephone lovers), and to those who prefer the romance element of Romantasy. Please be mindful that this book contains elements that may not be suitable for Young Adult readers.

2.25/5 stars

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queencleo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is what a Court of Thorn and Roses should have been.
Based on Eros and Psyche, mixed with Hades and Persephone, this is a Beauty and the Beast (Disney version) love story of the North Wind and poor little Wren.

Perfect for the Young Adult audience, this has a middle school reading level but very adult themes.

Sexy as hell, gory, tense and sweet - I didn't know what to expect from the opening chapter but I was quickly hooked. I can't wait for the rest of the series and would love to explore more of the immortals and how they've survived outliving everyone they've ever known and loved, over and over.

Areas for improvement - tightening up the editing for the opener, otherwise a solid 5 star read, I loved.it.

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missindyrose's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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cassl199906's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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paige_77's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

So. Slow. I kept just skipping pages at a time to get through the unnecessary stuff. Half the book focuses on the FMC’s addiction to wine. Just was not into this book. Won’t read any further into the series.

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