At this point, I’ve accepted that J.D. Evans does not believe in post-relationship content. The moment the couple gets together, the book just ends, and Wind & Wildfire is no exception. For a story about a woman ascending to power, we get shockingly little about Dilay’s actual transition into ruling. The romance also escalates quickly and lacks the chemistry that would’ve made it gripping.
Dilay is brilliant, ambitious, and politically savvy. Omar is there. He’s handsome, well-meaning, and frequently spineless, which makes it baffling why Dilay, of all people, would fall for him. The book tells us she has a habit of wanting to fix people (see: Behram, an absolute ass who didn’t deserve her loyalty), but it doesn’t make her attraction to Omar feel any more believable.
They fall for each other fast, without knowing much about each other beyond proximity and shared trauma. Every issue is solved instantly with an apology, which is great for communication but makes the entire love story feel low-stakes.
The Romance
Dilay and Omar’s relationship never quite lands. There’s attraction, but no real emotional weight behind it. The tension is nonexistent and every argument is followed by a quick apology and immediate forgiveness. He keeps leaving, he keeps coming back, and Dilay forgives him every time.
Omar’s entire personality hinges on being attractive and occasionally sad, and that’s about it. I spent most of the book wondering why Dilay was even into him. Her tendency to cling to men who don’t deserve her feels inconsistent with her otherwise intelligent mind.
The Politics & Power Struggles
This should’ve been where the book thrived, but it doesn’t. Dilay is on the verge of ruling an empire, and instead of focusing on that, the narrative keeps circling back to her unresolved need to fix broken men. There’s so much potential in watching her navigate court politics and prove herself as Sultana, but the story ends before we can see it.
The WTF
• The romance feels like a foregone conclusion. We know they’ll end up together, so there’s no real tension.
• Omar is bland. Handsome? Yes. Interesting? Not particularly.
• The ending is abrupt. Yet again, the second the romance is secured, the book just… stops.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing bad about Wind & Wildfire, but there’s nothing particularly memorable either. It had plenty of potential (power struggles, romance, ambition) but never fully delivered on them. The angst doesn’t cut deep, the love story isn’t compelling, and by the time it feels like things should get interesting, the book is over.
3/5 stars. A solid read, but ultimately underwhelming.
Reading Timeline
- Dates: February 3-11, 2025
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