Mistress of the Wind by Michelle Diener

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy 
Content: A somewhat descriptive sex scene


Bjorn needs to find a very special woman . . .

The fate of his people, and his own life, depends on it. But when he does find her, she is nothing like he imagined, and may just harbor more secrets than he does himself.

Astrid has never taken well to commands. No matter who issues them . . .

She's clashed her whole life with her father, and now her lover, the mysterious man who comes to her bedroom in darkness and disappears to guard his mountain by day as a bear, is finding it out the hard way. And when he's taken by his enemies, no one is prepared for Astrid's response.

Mistress of the Wind was the last retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon that was on my list to read. It's the fourth one I've read and also my least favorite. It wasn't all bad -- there were things I liked a lot about it, like the way the four winds and the wind hags are incorporated into the story-- but it just wasn't as good as the previous retellings I've read. I think that if I had not already read the other three versions I might have liked this one better, but this one just lacked some of the character development and magical feel that the others had.

A good part of the story felt rushed. This was the part where Bjorn and Astrid are getting to know each other so I would have liked it better if the author had taken more time with this part of the book. It resulted in the romance feeling a bit shallow and it moved way too quickly. Astrid is saying no one minute, and then suddenly decides she all for it the next. I didn't care for the way that played out. I would have preferred a much slower burn. I do need to mention that unlike the other versions I've read, this version of the story is not YA, and Bjorn does not just climb into bed with Astrid and go to sleep every night. However, with the exception of one scene most of that is left to the imagination. After the rushed feel of the romance the part of the book, the part after Bjorn has been taken by the trolls seemed to drag on too long. I liked some things about this part of the book, but I think the character and relationship development should have been emphasized more and this part pared down a bit.