I enjoyed this retelling of East of the Sun West of the Moon!

The vivid descriptions of scenes and landscapes were beyond beautiful, setting this novel apart for me. However, as the story progressed, they became too excessive. I think there should’ve been more focus on Astrid and Tyhr’s relationship, especially in the first part of the story. I enjoyed reading about Astrid's quest to find Tyhr, but I wish they were able to spend more time together because all the risks that came with it would make more sense to me if their bond was stronger.

I loved Tyhr’s character – he was reserved, mysterious, and alluring, and it made me eager to learn more about him and his past. Even though there were only a few encounters with Astrid throughout the book, the author was able to convey a wide range of emotions and depth to his character through his dialogues with Astrid. I wish Astrid’s character was as well-developed as Tyhr’s. I expected her to be a bit more mature considering her life experiences. However, I enjoyed her friendship with Chinook – a snarky yet very caring talking (can telepathy even be defined as speech?) bird that accompanied her on the entire journey.

Some parts of the story felt underdeveloped. For instance, I wanted more information about the magician. It seems that he was connected with the four winds somehow, but there are no further explanations about his background, motives, or connection to the ring Tyhr gave Astrid after his death. It seemed his character served solely as another obstacle for Astrid.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves fairy tale retellings, fantasy books with epic journeys, clean romance, and mysterious mmcs (who aren’t villains)!

Thank you, BookSirens, and author Kathryn Trattner for the gifted copy! I received a free copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )

The writing was nice, mostly, but I am not a fan of the story. Too haphazard. The adventure to find Tyhr was basically just moving from one mythical creature to the next. Then she collects weird items that help the story along at random moments. I suppose the bird was meant to be quirky, but I thought he was just an ass. And we finish with an abrupt ending that felt rushed.
And the thing that annoyed me the most: the self blame, and being blame by the bird. She didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't her mistake. Her 'impatience' can just as well be described as initiative, or as following her heart. It could have been the right thing, and with no one telling her anything, how is she supposed to know? That idiot of a husband doesn't even try and he wasted precious time by leaving her alone for so long. Stupid. ( )

I love a good retelling and this story sweeps you up in it, making it easy to forget you're reading. Astrid's adventure and her exploring the world as a single female in that time period is amazingly captivating. She's written so well it's easy to get swept into her experience. Well thought out characters that move the story along at a nice pace. ( )

-- My reviews are generally a messy line of my thoughts throughout the book. This review will be on Goodreads, Amazon, and LibraryThing. --

The descriptions in the beginning are beautiful. They feel very tangible and eye-catching.

There is a place somewhere in Chapter 3 where the speakers sentences are smashed together. Tyhr brings up her book and it immediately cuts to her talking about which ones.

She seems to be taking the giant a lot better than anyone really would.

There seems to be a spelling mistake in Chapter 4, or simply a difficult to read sentence. “New were sections revealed…” Newer?

She got a cut on her cheek and it’s not mentioned again, though I had hoped it would be; either that or I missed it.

I love the small window to the world.

Now the action is starting; I like that she has chosen to take nothing, like she’s finally cracked from the silence and can’t take it anymore.

The conversations between Astrid and Chinook are amusing, they have good banter.

Astrid seemed to take the beginning so well, I’m glad to see her still questioning the things around her.

Now we’re getting somewhere. We’ve definitely reached the Beauty and the Beast vibes, but less the animated movie and more La Belle et la Bête. I am also getting the story of Psyche and Cupid.

Ooo, not gonna lie, I don’t really like how this pushes the blame onto Astrid. It doesn’t specify that Tyhr couldn’t tell her near everything; it seems like miscommunication at its finest, which is my least favorite trope. And Chinook, blaming it on her, really grinds my gears. You can’t withhold information and then get made when they act in a way that info could have changed. Still, I’m glad they’re going on this adventure together

Now we’re meeting so many beautiful characters I would love to learn more about; there’s so many myths in this story.

The water section was beautifully demented.

The Enchantress seemed to be a lovely complicated character. Why would she hesitate? Why would she question her own actions? Perhaps it is like the shark; this is a different type of love.

The ending felt abrupt, but it fit with the fairytale. They have their happy ending.

All in all, I really enjoyed the slow crescendo of this book; it read more like a book about change than a romance book, and I liked that more than I thought I would. There are a few grammar issues, particularly with words missing. I will also be checking out other books by this author because the writing is so fairytale-like and beautiful. ( )