September 9, 2024
Magic and myth collide with faith and fate in Warwick’s luxuriously imagined and immersive second Four Winds romantasy (after The North Wind). A skilled bladesmith and devout novitiate in service to the Father at Thornbrook Abbey, 21-year-old Brielle has lived almost half her life there, though she’s never quite fit in. Her simple life is irrevocably changed when she comes upon an injured man in the woods. The decision to save him takes her deep into the land called Under, the domain of the fair folk, and leads her to question everything she thought she knew. It turns out the man is Zephyrus, a god from another dimension known for his selfishness. When Brielle sets out on a quest with her tormentor from the Abbey, Zephyrus tags along, ostensibly to repay her for saving his life. Her attraction to him is intense, but acting on it would mean forsaking the god to whom she’s dedicated her life. The well-shaded characters brim with nuances accentuated in sharp dialogue. Brielle’s introspection, particularly as it relates to her faith, is as exquisitely detailed as the romantic and fantasy elements. Drawing from Greek myth and the Scottish legend of Tam Lin, this intricate fairy tale enchants.
May 1, 2025
Warwick's second entry in "The Four Winds" series (following The North Wind) offers a fantasy drawn from the Greek myth of Hero and Leander and the Scottish ballad of Tam Lin. Hopeful acolyte Brielle, a novitiate who has lived at Thornbrook Abbey for 10 years, discovers Zephyrus, the West Wind, injured in the woods. She saves his life, and he repays her with a trip to the realm of Under to meet the fair folk. There Brielle discovers that Zephyrus is an untrustworthy and capricious god. Even so, she is inexorably drawn to him and is thrilled by the confidence and daring she finds in herself as she embarks on a dangerous quest. Carlotta Brentan and Travis Tonn fully embody the characters, interlacing their voices with complementary rhythms and tones. Together, they capture Brielle's newfound strength and Zephyrus's vulnerability. Immortality's drawbacks come to the surface as Brielle realizes that she'll be rehashing her regrets and painful experiences for eternity. VERDICT Listeners will get lost in Warwick's finely described world. A fantasy centered on growth and sacrifice, recommended for those who enjoyed Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale.--Laura Trombley
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