Wind Daughter by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Description from Goodreads:

In the dark, cold reaches of the north lives a storyteller and his daughter. He told his daughter, Satu, many stories--romances like the girl who loved a star and changed herself into a nightingale so she could always see him shining--but the most important story he told her was his own. This storyteller was once the formidable North Wind, but he lost his power by trading it away in exchange for mortality--he loved her mother too much to live without her. The loss of his magic impacted more than just their family, however, and now the world is unraveling in the wake of this imbalance.

To save the North, Satu embarks on a perilous journey to reclaim her father's magic, but she isn't the only one searching for it. In the snow-laden mountains, she finds herself in a deadly race with the Winter Lord who wants the North Wind's destructive powers for himself.

Satu has the chance to be the heroine of her own fairy tale, only this one has an ending she never could have imagined.

A hauntingly beautiful fairy tale about love and loss, this Echo North companion novel is perfect for fans of the Winternight Trilogy.

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My Review:

I just cannot get enough of Joanna's writing. I just really enjoy her writing style a lot. It has a way of making the story feel magical in itself. It pulls me in immediately. For those that do not know, this is a companion novel to Echo North so you do not need to read Echo North if you don't want to (see my review for Echo North from June), however, I strongly suggest it as it just adds so much nuance and it's honestly just really great getting to see characters again.

I loved Satu so much. I relate to her so much. I have an anxiety disorder so I understand wanting to be a hermit with my cats and just read books all day. I'm not brave enough to tend to bees in her case but it was nice being able to relate. I was honestly very surprised for Satu to be a highly sensitive person. Especially, because her father is a storyteller which requires him to constantly be with people. I think it added to her charm though and I enjoyed seeing her get out of her shell. Some of my favorite moments for her were when she meets Inna in person for the first time and meets her mother's tribe.

I was lucky enough to meet the author in person at her launch party for Wind Daughter a few days ago. She hinted at a twist that she thought would surprise everyone and that there was some inspiration from Doctor Who. I now definitely know what she meant and I really enjoyed the twist. I was so focused on being suspicious of this one character (no spoilers promise) that I was unprepared and pleasantly surprised. I really liked how she handled time travel in this book and how it was explained in more detail compared to Echo North.

Overall, I cannot say if I liked Wind Daughter more than Echo North. They are both really great reads. I was able to finish Wind Daughter in a single day because it did not feel like I was reading. I definitely recommend this book if you like fantasy, stories, and some time travel mixed in.